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Chuck of Beef 



HOUSEHOLD 
DISCOVERIES 

'Re'VUed E^dilion 




PETERSBURG, N. Y. TOLEDO, OHIO 

DANVILLE. ILLS. 

OKLAHOMA CITY. OKLA. SAN JOSE. CAL. 






COPYRIGHT, 1908 

Bv S. L. Morse. 

copyright, 1909 
By The Success Co. 

Copyright, 1913 
By Success Company's 

Branch Offices 




/^.f^ 



Q)CI,A357243 



TO 

THE THOUSANDS OF PRACTICAL HOUSEKEEPERS, 

READERS OF SUCCESS MAGAZINE, 

AND OTHERS, 

WHOSE DISCOVERIES ARE EMBODIED 

IN THIS VOLUME 



ONE CENT A WORD 

We will pay for new household discoveries, including all practical 
recipes and processes, not contained in this volume, one cent a word 
for all we can use in future editions of Household Discoveries. Cor- 
rections of errors or misstatements, utilized by us, will be paid for 
at the same rate. If you have saved money or have been otherwise 
benefited by using one of our recipes, write us all about it. 

Success Company's Branch Offices. 



NOTICE 

Household Discoveries is not offered for sale through the book 
stores, and can only be obtained ol our regular authorized solicitors 
or from the publishers direct. Anyone desiring a copy may address 
the publishers at address below and full information will be given by 
mail, or one of our representatives will be asked to call. We are al- 
ways in want of canvassing agents. The price of Household Discov- 
eries, because of its genuine worth (so apparent), sells the book 
readily and it always gives satisfaction. We will pay a good salary 
to the right person. The work is both pleasant and profitable. 

Success Company's Branch Offices, 

Petersburg, New York. 



PREFACE 

The main object of this book is economy. If rightly used, it 
will save a great deal of money in every household. It will also 
save time and labor, which are the equivalent of money. 

The publishers have long felt that there is a great need for 
a new book of this sort upon the market. To be sure, there are 
a number of standard dictionaries and encyclopedias of appHed 
science. But these cost from five to ten dollars and upward. 
And they contain a great deal of information about commercial 
processes not suitable to household use. There are also a num- 
ber of popular books of recipes published. But most of these 
are old books. Others are made up scrapbook fashion by the 
republication of old material without proper editorial supervision. 

In the course of the preparation of this volume, our atten- 
tion was necessarily called to the fact that a number of so-called 
" new " books republish, word for word, recipes and processes 
that have been formerly published in six or eight other books, 
some of which appeared before the Civil War, Recent science 
has introduced many new substances and processes then unknown. 
All these have been availed of in the present volume. 

Moreover, the old-fashioned popular book of recipes leaves 
something to be desired in its manner as well as its matter. The 
enormous sale and reputation of a number of old books that 
contain some recipes of great practical value, but accompanied by 
comment which no sane person can possibly read without a sense 
of humor or a feeling of disgust, is the strongest possible evi- 
dence of the value of this kind of information. We believe that 
what has made these old books popular is their practical part 
and not their silly part. We believe that the public will approve 
a volume that sets forth what to do, how to do, and the reasons 
why, in simple, direct, and dignified language, and saves space 
for additional recipes and other information by omitting " horse- 
play " and all mmecessary remarks and commentaries. 

This is a modem book. All who have owned or used one 

vij 



viii PREFACE 

of the old-time books of recipes know that hardly a week passes 
that they do not find occasion to refer to it. They will, we be- 
lieve, appreciate the importance of having the latest and best 
information along these lines obtainable. Others, who have no 
good collection of this sort, will appreciate without argument 
the value of purchasing a new book rather than an old one. 

Thus we feel that there is a universal necessity for Household 
Discoveries, and we have therefore put the price so low as to 
bring it within the reach of every family, in the confident ex- 
pectation of distributing at least a million copies throughout the 
continent of North America. 

The Publishers. 



INTRODUCTION 

There are a number of other books of recipes, but the pres- 
ent volume is unique in three ways: what it contains, what it 
omits, and the way it is arranged. 

WHAT THE BOOK CONTAINS 

As to the f,rst of these three features, the title Household 
Discoveries is suggestive. We all have our own ways of doing 
things. We learn to do by doing. But we are all the time try- 
ing new ways, to save time, to save money, and to do things 
better. Every now and then, through a happy combination of 
circumstances, we make a " Discovery." We hit upon a better 
way than we have known before. Nothing pleases us more than 
to tell our friends about it. They in turn like to tell us ways 
they have discovered to do this or that. Women thus exchange 
household recipes. Men swap ideas on carpentering, painting, 
tinkering, and odd jobs generally. The value of these homely 
ideas thus passing throughout the country, from lip to hp, from 
friend to friend, and from neighbor to neighbor, is enormous. 
Some persons are able to store up large numbers of such practi- 
cal ideas in memory. Others keep notebooks or scrapbooks in 
which to record them. But the stock of most persons is limited 
to a few score or a few hundreds, whereas others, equally good, 
are in existence to the number of many thousands. 

The present volume is made up of practical ideas of tliis 
character. More than twenty-five thousand persons contributed 
from one to half a dozen of their own tried "Discoveries." All 
were practical housekeepers. Their ideas were the direct product 
of their experience. They were proud of them and they had 
reason to be. The writer appreciated to the full the value of 
this material and obtained permission to edit it and prepare it 
for the press. 

Valuable as are the " Discoveries " of practical housekeepers 
in themselves, they have, in their suggestiveness, an added value. 
They show what kind of information housekeepers need and 
want. But they also reveal the fact that many women of great 
practical experience lack scientific knowledge. It has therefore 
beeij jiecessary to supplement this wealth of ideas derived from 



X INTRODUCTION 

experience. And this has been done in two ways: First, the 
discoveries contributed by housekeepers have been carefully 
checked against the best scientific authorities, errors have been 
corrected, impractical ideas discarded. Second, the whole has 
been augmented by the addition of the most approved practical 
and scientific formula?. As a result, it turned out to be neces- 
sary to rewrite the entire volume. 

" Discoveries " are usually how to do this or that. But many 
persons also want to know why. And all can work better if they 
understand the nature and properties of the various substances. 
These are of several sorts. In removing stains and spots, for 
instance, what to do depends upon the kind of fabric, whether 
animal or vegetable fiber ; its condition, whether white or colored, 
bleached or unbleached; the nature of the staining substance; 
and the nature of the cleanser to be employed. Hence, the na- 
ture and the properties of the particular kinds of substances in 
common household use are carefully stated. Distinctions are 
made, and closely adhered to, between the treatment of different 
classes of substances, as animal versus vegetable fibers and the like. 
Poisons, explosives, and other dangerous substances are recom- 
mended only with the proper cautions, and all possible safeguards 
have been thrown about the use, by ordinary persons, of the 
various recipes recommended. 

WHAT THE BOOK OMITS 

The second feature that makes this book unique is what it 
omits. The writer has closely examined about fifty thousand 
recipes contributed by housekeepers, and more than fifty pub- 
lished books of recipes (embracing all that have appeared in 
the Enghsh language in the past fifty or sixty years) or a 
total (including duplicates) of nearly one hundred thousand 
recipes. This book contains the cream of them all. It is hke 
apple butter boiled down from cider. It is sound wheat winnowed 
free from chaff. It was not necessary to leave out any good 
recipes that were adapted to household use. They are all here. 
Nothing had to be left out but waste words, dupKcates (the same 
thing said in another way), gush, and braggadocio. 

A favorite way of padding books of recipes has been to oc- 
cupy more space boasting about the wonders the recipes will 
do than it takes to give the recipe and the directions. Nearly 
half of one of the most celebrated books of recipes is thus 
taken up with " Remarks " that are of no possible use to any- 
body. If the mass of trivialities contained in some of the most 
widely known tbooks of recipes now in use could be struck out 



INTRODUCTION 3d 

and the contents " boiled down " or " churned " or " winnowed " 
in a thorough manner, it would surprise everyone to find how 
little space the recipes themselves take up. 

And a boiled-down book is much more valuable. The recipes 
are still the same and they are a great deal more convenient. By 
thus avoiding unnecessary words, all the best recipes for house- 
hold purposes extant have been combined into one volume. They 
are given on their merits in a plain, direct, and simple way. And 
full information is given in regard to the nature and properties of 
the various substances. Thus anyone can select the best recipe 
for a given use, and he will discover its virtues for himself with- 
out paying extra to read about them beforehand. " The proof of 
the pudding is in the eating thereof." 

THE WAY IN WHICH THE CONTENTS ARE AERANGED 

The third feature in wliich this book is unique is the way it 
is arranged. The contents are pictorial. Each chapter is a 
picture, or rather a series of moving pictures, from daily life. 
If a moving-picture machine could follow a good housekeeper 
around from morning until night, seven days in the week and 
fifty-two weeks in the year, and then throw the series of pictures 
thus taken upon a screen, the result would be similar to the con- 
tents of this volume. The book goes right with the housekeeper 
when furnishing and decorating all parts of the house, and 
makes a series of pictures that suggest what to do. It gives 
helpful pictures of the best method of heating, lighting, water 
supply, and refrigeration. It goes right through the day's work 
and makes pictures of the different processes, of the kindling and 
care of fires, dishwasliing, cleaning lamps, chamber work, and 
preparations for the night. 

It goes through the week's work and makes a picture of get- 
ting ready for wash day by removing spots and stains from the 
linen and by dry cleaning all sorts of fabrics; of the different 
kinds of soap and how to make them; of wash day, ironing day, 
mending, sweeping and cleaning days, and all of their different 
processes. 

It goes through the year's work also, the spring and fall 
house cleaning; the fight against moths, cockroaches, ants, fleas, 
mosquitoes, flies, rats and mice, and other household pests; and 
even takes up packing to travel or to move away. 

And on wash day, for example, just when the picture is com- 
plete — including the piles of soiled garments, the utensils of the 
laundry, and the various soaps and other cleansing mixtures — 
aU of the recipes are given that can be found in any published 



3tii INTRODUCTION 

book of good repute and many " Discoveries " that have never 
been published elsewhere. Thus, a young bride — or an experi- 
enced housekeeper, too, for that matter — can take up the book the 
night before wash day and read over exactly the information 
she will need to put in practice on the morrow. Or the book 
can be kept at hand in the laundry closet and picked up with 
wet hands if need be. The cover (in one style of binding) is 
made of oilcloth and it will not be damaged in the least. What 
the housekeeper wants to know about any kind of housework can 
be found at the very time she wants it, and all in one place. Con- 
trast with this books that are arranged in a b c order like an 
encyclopedia, and you will see why Household Discoveries is, 
in arrangement, the most practical and convenient book of recipes 
ever published. ^ 

Take, for instance, the family workroom. It is a picture of 
what is needed to make a man handy about the house. Every- 
thing is described in such a simple way that anyone can fix up 
such a workroom and always have at hand paste, mucilage, glue, 
and cement for all kinds of uses ; paints and varnishes ; soldering 
tool and solder and other forms of simple metal work; oils and 
lubricators; and all sorts of similar contrivances. Every recipe 
and process is described in the simplest language. And this part 
of the book alone is worth, to the man of the house, many times 
the cost of the entire volume. It will save the family the price 
of the book several times over every^ year that it is in the house. 

TJpwar3 of one Hundred thousand recipes include a great 
many different ways of doing the same things. And by omitting 
all waste words and boiling down everything to the last degree 
it has been possible to include more of these ways than any one 
person would be likely to want. It has seemed best, however, to 
include them all. Circumstances differ. And many men are of 
many minds. From the variety of the recipes given, it is be- 
lieved that any housekeeper or practical man can, in most cases, 
make up a recipe for a given purpose from what is at hand in 
the house or at any rate what can easily be had in the neigh- 
borhood. And thus the book is adapted to all parts of the coun- 
try, and to the use of every individual and family in the land. 

The Author. 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER I 

HOUSE FURNISHING AND DECORATING 

PAQH 

House Furnishing — Furniture — Wall Coverings — Floor Coverings — 
Curtains, Shades and Draperies — Miscellaneous Objects — Living 
Rooms — Sleeping Rooms — Dining Room — Kitchen, Storeroom, and 
Pantry — Small Economies 33 

CHAPTER II 

HEATING, lighting AND REFRIGERATION 

Kinds of Fuel — Heating Systems — -Chimneys and Flues — Fire Extin- 
guishers AND Fire Escapes — Fireproofing and Waterproofing — 
Artificial Illumination — Coal Gas, Gasoline Gas, and Acetylene — 
Kerosene Oil — Ice and Refrigeration 69 

CHAPTER III 

HOME sanitation AND HYGIENE 

Location of Buildings — Danger from Artificial Heating Systems — 
Water Supply — Disposal of Household Wastes — Eldjination of 
Flies 99 

CHAPTER IV 

infection and disinfection 

Contact Infection — Disinfection — Standard Solutions — Fumigation or 
Gaseous Disinfection — Formaldehyde and Sulphur Fumigation — 
Additional Disinfection 132 

CHAPTER V 

prevention of communicable disease 

Typhoid Fever — The Sick Room — Tuberculosis or Consumption — Small- 
pox — Vaccination — Chickenpox — Malaria — Yellow Fever — Hook- 
worm Disease — Foreign Diseases — Contagious Diseases of Animals. J47 

xiii 



xiv CONTENTS 

CHAPTER VI 

PREVENTABLE DISEASES OF CHILDREN 

PAGE 

Save the Babies — Health and Disease — Diseases of the Eyes — Digestive 
Disturbances — Soothing Sirup — Symptoms of Communicable Dis- 
eases — Infantile Paralysis — Cerebrospinal Meningitis — Diph- 
theria—Scarlet Fever — Measles — Chickenpox — Whooping Cough 
— Mumps — Parasitic Diseases 177 



CHAPTER VII 

the care of babies 

Before the Baby Comes — The New Born Child — Save the Babies — Gen- 
eral Rules — Breast Feeding — Artificial Feeding — Milk Modifica- 
tion — Materials for Milk Modification — Bottle Feeding — Artifi- 
cial Foods — Other Foods for Infants — Drugs — Care of Milk in 
the Home 202 



CHAPTER VIII 

outdoor problems of the householder 

The Lawn and Home Grounds — Flower, Fruit, and Vegetable Gardens — 
Trees and Shrubbery — Tree Propagation by Cuttings, Grafts and 
Buds — Pruning Orchard and Shade Trees — The Friends and En- 
emies OF Orchard and Garden — Clearing New Land — Concrete 
Construction — Preservation of Timber and Shingles — Good Roads 
— Lightning Conductors 237 



CHAPTER IX 

THE day's routine 

Cleaning and Polishing Stoves — Dishwashing — Care of Kitchen Wares — 
Care of Glassware and Cut Glass — Steel Knives and Forks — Care 
of Silverware — Care of Sinks and Disposal of Garbage — Chamber 
Work — Care of Lamps 302 



CHAPTER X 

removal of spots and stains 

Solvents for Spots and Stains — Kinds of Spots and Stains — Stains on 
White Linen or Cotton — To Remove Stains from Vegetable Fibers 
— To Remove Stains from Animal Fibers — To Clean Colored 
Goods — To Dry-clean Men's Garments — To Dry-clean Women's 
Garments — Cleaning and Care of Gloves — To Clean Feathers, Furs 
AND Straw — Bleaching Vegetable and Animal Fibers .... 324 



CONTENTS xv 

CHAPTER XI 

WASH DAY 

PAGE 

Soap and Soap Making— The Laundry— Nature of the Process — Water 
FOR the Laundry — Labor-saving Methods, Washing Fluids, Etc. — 
Colored Goods — Laces and Lace Curtains — Silks and Satins — 
Woolens, Worsteds, and Flannels — Drying Clothes .... 355 



CHAPTER XII 

ironing day 

Bluing and Sprinkling — Starch and Starching — Care of Ironing Utensils 
— Ironing — To Do Up Silks, Ribbons, and Woolens — To Do Up 
Laces and Curtains — To Mark and Store Linen 379 



CHAPTER XIII 

sweeping day 

Utensils for Sweeping — Dust and Dusting — Hard-wood Floors — Rugs — 

Matting — Oilcloth and Linoleum 391 



CHAPTER XIV 

house cleaning 

Cleaning the Cellar — Cleaning the Attic and Closets — Cleaning the 
Chambers — To Clean Floor Coverings — Cleaning and Repinishinq 
Wood Floors — Cleaning Paint — Whitewashing — Paper Hanging — 
Care of Walls — Windows, Doors, Etc. — Cleaning and Care of Fur- 
niture — Cleaning Picture Frames — Cleaning Bric-a-Brac and 
Miscellaneous Objects — To Clean Marble, Brick, and Stone — 
Cleaning Kitchen Stoves and Other Metals — Packing . . . 401 



CHAPTER XV 

household and garden pests 

The Clothes Moth — Carpet Beetle or "Buffalo Moth" — The House 
Centipede — The Common Cockroach or Croton Bug — The Bedbug — 
The House Flea — Rats and Mice — Black and Red Ants — The 
White Ant — The Common House Fly — The Mosquito — Orchard, 
Farm, and Garden Pests 445 



FAGB 



xvi CONTENTS 

CHAPTER XVI 

adhbsives, paints, and varnishes 

Adhesives — Pastes — Mucilage — Glue — Cement — Special Adhesives — Spe- 
cial Purpose Cements — Paints and Painting — Uses of Paint — Speci- 
fications FOR Painting — Care of Paints and Brushes — Special Kinds 
OF Paint — Varnishing — Fixed-oil Varnishes — -Spirit or Lac Var- 
nishes — Volatile-oil Varnishes — Special Varnishes — Sealing Wax 
— Oils, Lubricators, Etc. — Furniture Polish — Solder and Solder- 
ing - 473 

CHAPTER XVII 

leather, ink, and miscellaneous 

Tanning Leather — Tanning and Care of Leather — Boots and Shoes — 
Overshoes — Waterproofing Leather — Blacking Leather — Writing 
Ink — Marking Inks — Colored Inks — Special Inks — Care of Ink — 
Care of Jewelry — Glass and Ivoky — Gypsum, Alabaster, Etc. . 518 

CHAPTER XVIII 

the toilet and bath 

The Skin — Baths and Bathing — Kinds of Baths — The Toilet — Toilet 

Soaps — Medicated Soap — The Hands — Manicuring .... 539 

CHAPTER XIX 

toilet preparations 

Toilet Preparations — Simple Home Preparations — Almond Milk Cream 
and Paste — Cold Cream — Aromatic Vinegar — Toilet Powders — 
Rouge — Essences and Perfumes 559 



CHAPTER XX 

hairdressing both for men and women 

Dandruff and Shampooing — Hair Washes — Hair Tonics — Hair Oils — 
Hair Dyes — Other Hair Topics— The Beard, Mustache, and Shav- 
ing — Toilet Preparations for Men 584 



CHAPTER XXI 

THE TEETH 

The Teeth — Dbntifbiceb — The Breath — Toothache — Toothache Rem- 
edies 603 



CONTENTS xvii 

CHAPTER XXII 

FOOD VALUES AND ADULTERATIONS 

PA OB 

Human Nutrition — Dietary Standards — Kinds of Nutrients — Problems 
OF Diet — Meat in the Diet — J'ish as Food — Poultry and Dairy 
Products — Sources of Carbohydrates — Food Adulterations — 
Canned Vegetables and Fruits — Flavoring Extracts and Condi- 
ments — Baking Chemicals — Tea and Coffee — Dairy and Meat Prod- 
ucts 616 



CHAPTER XXIII 

preserving and canning fruit and vegetables 

Canned Goods for the Market — Utensils and Materials — The Process- 
Preserves and Preserving — Small Fruits — Large Fruits — Purees 
AND Marmalade — Jelly Making — Canning Vegetables . . . 646 



CHAPTER XXIV 

vinegar, pickles, and pickling 

Special Vinegars— Pickles and Pickling — Mixed Pickles — Pickled 

Vegetables, Nuts, and Fruits 6GJ 

CHAPTER XXV 

preservation of meat and vegetables 

Fermentation — Fresh Meat and Fish — Salting and Pickling Meat — 
Curing Hams, Tongues, and Bacon — Making and Keeping Sausage- 
Preservation of Cooked Meat — Trying Out and Storing Lard- 
Preserving, Testing, and Packing Eggs — Storing and Preserving 
Vegetables, Fruit, Nuts, and Herbs 691 



CHAPTER XXVI 

candies and candy making 

Kinds of Candies— Boiling Sirup for Candy — The Seven Degrees — 
Cream or Fondant — Cream Candies — Fruit and Nut Creams — 
Bonbons — Taffy and Molasses Candy for Candy Pulls — Sirup 
Candies — Pastilles or Candy Drops — Candied Fruits, Fruit and Nut 
Candies — Caramels — Kisses and Marshmallows — Nougats — Popcorn 
Candy — Lozenges — Cough Candies — To Color and Flavor Candy — 
Ices and Icing — Honey and Beeswax 715 



xviii eoNtENt^ 

CHAPTER XXVII 

weights and measures 

Weights and Measures — Linear or Long Measure — Square or Super- 
ficial Measure — Surveyor's and Land Measure — Cubic or Capacity 
Measure — Wood, Lumber and Board Measure — Measurement of 
Stone and Brick — Dry and Liquid Measure — Measures of Weight — 
Cooks' Table of Proportions — Circular Measure — Longitude and 
Time — Measures of Value — United States Money — English or 
Sterling Money — Metric System of Weights and Measures . . 747 



CHAPTER XXVIII 

beverages 
Coffee — Tea — Chocolate — Lemonades — Fruit Punches .... 789 

chapter' XXIX 

BREAD 

Directions for Bread Making — Breads of a Large Variety — Small 

Breads Made from Yeast 796 

CHAPTER XXX 

baking-powder breads 

V- 

Biscuits — Muffins — Gems — Waffles — Griddle Cakes — Pancakes — Scones 

— Sour-milk Breads — A Talk About Baking Powder .... 809 

CHAPTER XXXI 

stale bread 
Toasts — Brewis — Griddlecakes — Croquettes 820 

CHAPTER XXXII 

sandwiches 

How to Make Sandwiches — Sandwiches of Meat — Fish — Cheese — Nut 

and Vegetables 824 

CHAPTER XXXIII 

cereals and flour paste 
Breakfast Cereals — Rice — Macaroni — Spaghetti 829 



CONTENTS xix 

CHAPTER XXXIV 

CEREAL LEFT-OVERS 

Rice Dishes and Breads — Macaroni^ — How to Utilize Cold Dishes . . 835 

CHAPTER XXXV 

EGGS 

Poached — In Sauces — Fried — Soft Boiled — Souffl^is — Hard Boiled — 

Omelets 840 

CHAPTER XXXVI 

soups 

Directions for Soup Making — Stocks — Broths — Vegetable Soups — 

Meat Soups — Fish Soups — Bouillons — Cream Soups — Chowders . 846 

CHAPTER XXXVII 

fish 

How to Choose Fish — General Directions for Cooking — Methods for 

Cooking Different Fish — Fish Dressings 861 

CHAPTER XXXVIII 

FISH left-overs 

How to Use Remains of Cold Fish — Soups — Croquettes — Salads — How 

to Cook Salt Fish 869 

CHAPTER XXXIX 

shellfish 
Clams — Oysters — Lobsters — Crabs — Scallops — Shrimps. . . . 875 

CHAPTER XL 

meats 

How TO Market — Different Cuts — ^Best Methods for Cooking — Economy 
in Buying Large Cuts — Broiling — Braising — Roasting — Steaks — 
Tongue — Tripe — Kidneys — Heart 880 

CHAPTER XLI 

left-overs of beef 

Best and Most Economical Ways for Cooking Remains of Beef — Hashes 

— Stews — Deviled Dishes — Sandwiches 891 



XX CONTENTS 

CHAPTER XLII 

LAMB AND MUTTON 

PAGE 

Roasts — Stews — Chops— Boiled — Kidneys — Liver 895 

CHAPTER XLIII 

lamb left-overs 
Lamb Left-overs 899 

CHAPTER XLIV 

VEAL 

Roasts — Stews — Cutlets — ^Heart — Liver — Sweetbreads — Kidneys . . 900 

CHAPTER XLV 

veal left-overs 
Veal Left-overs 905 

CHAPTER XLVI 

PORK 

Roasts— Chops — Ham Sausage 907 

CHAPTER XLVII 

pork and ham left-overs 

Pork and Ham Left-ovebs 911 

CHAPTER XLVIII 

poultry 

How to Choose Poultry — Dressing and Trussing — Braising — Roasting — 

Casseroles — Pie — Turkey — Duck — Poultry Dressing ... . 913 

CHAPTER XLIX 

LEFT-OVER CHICKEN AND TXJRB:EY 

Dainty Dishes Made from Cold Fowl 917 

CHAPTER L 

meat or fish sauces 
Meat or Fish Sauces 919 

CHAPTER LI 

vegetables 

Classified Vegetables — The Value of Vegetables in Our Diet — Mar- 
KETUSTG — The Best Methods for Cooking — ^Lentils — Roots — Bulbs 
— Fruit Vegetables — Greens 922 



% 



CONTENTS xxi 

CHAPTER LII 

LEFT-OVER VEGETABLES 

PAGE 

Soups — Hashes — Soups — Souffl:es — Cubbies — Scallops 936 

CHAPTER LIII 

POTAtOE8 

Boiled — Baked — Feied — Sweet Potatoes « 940 

CHAPTER LIV 

LEFT-OVER POTATOES 

To Reheat Potatoes— Fried — Creamed — Hashed — Curried — Sweet Po- 
tatoes — Croquettes 943 

CHAPTER LV 

SALADS 

How TO Make a Salad — Oil Mayonnaise — Boiled Dressings — French 
Dressings — Flavored Dressings — Salads of Vegetables — Meat — 
Fish — Poultry — Potato — Fruit 946 

CHAPTER LVI 

puddings made from stale bread and cake 

Puddings Made from Stale Bread and Cake — Apple Puddings — Puddings 

Made from Gelatin — Fruit — Tapioca 956 

CHAPTER LVn 

pudding sauces 
Hot and Cold Sauces 968 

CHAPTER LVIII 

frozen desserts 

Directions for Freezing — Water Ices — Sherbets — Frappes — Punches — 
Frozen Fruits — Ice Creams — Mousses — Parfaits and Fruit Pud- 
dings — Sauces for Ice Cbeam— Glaces 971 

CHAPTER LIX 

puff paste 

How to Make Puff Paste — Puff Paste Dainties — Plain Pastry fob Pies — 

Pies of Every Variety — Mincemeat ........ 987 

CHAPTER LX 

cookies, cakes, and doughnuts 
Small Cakes of Every Sort — Cakes Made from Sour Milk ... . 994 



xxii CONSENTS 

CHAPTER LXI 

CAKE 

PAGE 

How TO Make and Bake Cake — A Kitchen Table of Recipes — Butter 
Cakes — Sponge Cakes — Fbuit Cakes — Spice Cakes — 'Nut Cakes — 
Cakes Raised by Yeast 1001 

CHAPTER LXII 

cake fillings and icings 

Cake Fillings and Icings 1014 

CHAPTER LXIII 

fireless cookery 

The Advantages of a Fireless Cooker — How to Use It — Endorsement by 
Mrs. S. T. Rorer— Time Table for Cooking Various Foods — Rec- 
ipes for Cooking Various Dishes 1017 

CHAPTER LXIV 

favorite dishes in famous homes 

Recipes from Mrs. Taft, Mrs. Sherman, the Wives of United States 

Senators and the Governors from Various States .... 1024 

CHAPTER LXV 

SOME kitchen kinks 

Kitchen Kinks . 1032 

APPENDIX CHAPTER I 

economical use of meat in the home 
General Methods of Preparing Meat for the Table 1039 

APPENDIX CHAPTER II 

cheese and its economical uses in the diet 
Kinds of Cheese Used in American Homes 1061 

APPENDIX CHAPTER III 

preparation of vegetables for the table 
General Principles 1083 

INDEX 1115 



CHAPTER I 

HOUSE FURNISHING AND DECORATING 

HOUSE FURNISHING — FURNITURE — WALL COVERINGS — FLOOR 
COVERINGS — CURTAINS, SHADES AND DRAPERIES — MISCEL- 
LANEOUS OBJECTS — LIVING ROOMS — SLEEPING ROOMS — 
DINING ROOM — KITCHEN, STOREROOM, AND PANTRY— SMALL 
ECONOMIES 



HOUSE FURNISHING 

The subject of house furnishing is 
more imjiortant than is often realized. 
It lias a moral and social as well as 
an economic side. The relation is 
very close between the character, or 
at least the reputation, of men and 
their surroundings. Everyone is free 
to change his surroundings. Hence 
the furniture and the decorations of 
a house, and the condition of the 
house and grounds, are properly con- 
sidered an index to the character of 
its occupants. 

Furniture, decorations, and other 
surroundings that are disorderly or 
in bad taste tend to keep refined and 
thoughtful people away from such 
homes. They have an even worse 
effect on the character of the in- 
mates. Those who live in such cir- 
cumstances become used to them, and 
no longer notice their badness. But 
the worst effect is upon the impres- 
sionable minds of growing children. 
Young children naturally take their 
own homes as models. What they see 
in childhood tends to fix their stand- 
ards for life. Hence, neat, tasteful, 
and orderly homes, but not neces- 
sarily expensive in their appoint- 
ments, have a very important educa- 
tional influence. 

The problem of furnishing and 
decorating comes up in two ways: 
originally, as in the formation of a 
new home, in the furnishing of addi- 
tional rooms, or in moving into a new 
and larger dwelling; or, secondarily, 
in refurnishing from time to time, 
and purchasing additions to the fam- 



ily stock, usually in connection with 
the semiannual housecleaning. 

All of these occasions give rise to 
many problems that require good 
judgment. But these can usually be 
referred to a few simple rules that 
are not difficult to understand or to 
apply. Styles and fashions in these 
matters change more slowly than 
some other fashions, as in dress; but 
they do change, and while it is 
proper and desirable that the fur- 




"Simpliciti/, Harmon!/, and Durabilitu." 

nishings in the home should be to 
some extent original and express the 
individuality of its owners, it is nat- 
ural and convenient for everyone to 
conform in a general way to the ten- 
dencies of the times in which he lives. 
Hence it is important to know in 
what direction the current of thought 
is moving, so as to keep in advance 
or abreast of it, rather than to lag 
behind. 

Simplicity, harmony, and durability 



33 



S4 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



are the keynotes of the modern tend- 
ency. The general intention seems to 
be to avoid everything that is super- 
fluous, everything that has a tendency 
to catch and hold dust or dirt, or to 
add to the discomforts and dangers 
of dust and dirt by quickly wearing 
out. Hence carpets are being large- 
ly replaced by hard-wood floors and 
rugs; wooden bedsteads, by beds of 
iron or brass; stuffed and upholstered 
furniture, by articles of plain wood 
or wood and leather. Wall papers are 
often discarded for walls tinted or 
calcimined with washable materials. 
" Bric-a-brac," flounces, valances, and 
all other superfluous articles are much 
less fashionable than formerly. 

Good and Bad Taste. — The same 
trend can be seen in decoration. Wall 
papers in solid colors, and hard-wood 
floors or solid-colored floor coverings, 
with rugs of Oriental patterns, are 
preferred to the large figured carpets, 
rugs, and wall papers with their so- 
called " cheerful " or bright and con- 
trasted colors. Stuffed plush, and 
other upholstered articles of furniture 




"Much Less Purchased than Formerly." 

in bright colors, or large figured de- 
signs, are being much less purchased 
than formerly. 

All this is a result of the Arts- 
and-Crafts movement originating in 
England with William Morris, invent- 
or of the Morris chair. A number of 
popular magazines are devoted to 



these and kindred subjects, which oc- 
cupy a good deal of space in general 
periodicals of all classes. 

Formerly there was little oppor- 
tunity for persons in small towns and 
remote rural districts either to be- 
come familiar with the right stand- 
ards or to obtain the more approved 
styles of furniture. But the general 
prosperity of recent years has re- 
sulted in many country homes being 
tastefully and elegantly furnished. 
The possibility of buying desirable 
styles on the mail-order plan has 
forced local dealers to keep better and 
more up-to-date stocks of all house- 
hold articles. Moreover, the great 
demand for simplicity of design has 
reduced the cost. There is now a 
good selection of household furniture 
in the less expensive grades upon the 
_same models as the most costly and 
tasteful articles. 

FURNITURE 

Furniture should be chosen for sim- 
plicity and durability. The most 
simple designs are usually the most 
artistic, and the most durable arti- 
cles are likely to be the most san- 
itary. Quiet and subdued colors and 
dull finishes are the most restful and 
generally satisfactory, although the 
high polish of such furniture as ma- 
hogany is preferred by many people. 
To produce a soothing and restftil ef- 
fect all the colors in a given room 
should be in harmony. The artistic 
quality that makes an article of fur- 
niture an object of beauty as well as 
of use should be sought in the lines 
of the design itself, rather than in 
additions by way of decoration. Cheap 
furniture stamped with scrolls and 
other designs in imitation of carving 
or the torturing of the natural lines 
of a piece of furniture into various 
fanciful knobs, curves, and scrolls, 
sometimes facetiously called " ginger- 
bread," have little to recommend 
them. The modern Craftsman and 
Mission styles of furniture indicate a 
change in the right direction. Not all 
of these designs are of equal value; 



HOUSE FURNISHING AND DECORATING 



35 



but for the most part they are simple, 
durable, and derive their beauty from 
their appropriateness and the natural 
lines on which they are constructed. 
Dainty white and gold spider-legged 




"Modem Craftsman and Mission Styles.'' 

furniture has no place except in draw- 
ing-rooms of wealth and extreme con- 
ventionality. 

Antique Furniture. — The craze for 
second-hand or antique furniture is, 
on the whole, rather absurd. Very 
few persons indeed are able to distin- 
guish a real antique from an imita- 
tion. Dealers in these goods may not 
only willfully deceive, but are often 
deceived themselves by persons who 
have so-called antiques, manufactured 
in America, shipped abroad and re- 
shipped to this country. The wood is 
not infrequently given the appearance 
of age by being buried in the ground, 
eaten with acids, or riddled with fine 
shot in imitation of worm holes. 

Even the cloth or leather in which 
the goods are upholstered may be 
given the effect of wear by mechan- 
ical means, and the whole may be 
placed on the marljet by fraud in 
such a way as to suggest that the 
articles are heirlooms. 

Modern furniture, made on the same 
models, can be obtained at nmch low- 
er prices, and is much more satisfac- 
tory than these supposed antiques. 



But, as a rule, antique pieces are not 
desirable unless a room can be fui*- 
nished with them and can have all its 
appointments in harmony with the 
antique style. 

Furnishing. — William Morris says: 
" Have nothing in your home that you 
do not know to be useful or believe 
to be beautiful." It is a good rule in 
furnishing a new home to buy first 
only what is absolutely necessary, and 
not to buy an article that is not im- 
mediately required because it is beau- 
tiful or cheap, or for any other rea- 
son. After living for a while with 
only the few articles that are abso- 
lutely necessary, it will be easier to 
see just what is required that will 
harmonize with the articles already 
purchased and their surroundings and 
help to make a satisfactory whole. 

Moreover, the longer one lives with- 
out unnecessary furnishings the more 
he is likely to appreciate the wisdom 
of simplicity. Every new article pur- 
chased is a new care, and a few ob- 
jects of good quality in a room give 
a much more elegant effect than a 
large number of less desirable pieces. 
Hence there is no reason why any 
family, whether in the city or the 
country, cannot furnish their home in 
a thoroughly modern way that will 
always be in good taste and will be 
in good style for many years to come. 

Refurnishing'. — It would, of course, 
very rarely happen that a family could 
afford or would wish to discard serv- 
iceable articles because they are not 
in good style or good taste according 
to present fashion. But as such arti- 
cles wear out and have to be replaced, 
or as additions are made from time to 
time, it is quite possible to refurnish 
in such a way that in comparatively 
few years the entire contents of the 
home will be modernized. Hence the 
importance of some knowledge of the 
subjects of harmony and color, sim- 
plicity, design, and durability in ma- 
terial and in modes. 

Color Schemes. — Tlie most pleasing 
effects in decoration are obtaineo by 
treating each room or group of con- 
nected rooms in such j* w»J as to get 



HOUSEHOLD. DISCOVERIES 



a harmonious general effect or color 
scheme. And the color scheme must, 
of course, be chosen with reference to 
the purpose for which the room is 
intended, its shape and size, and the 
amount of sunlight it receives. Rooms 
can be so treated as to seem higher 
or broader than they are, the amount 
of liglit can be increased or subdued, 
and each room can be given a distinct 
tone and individuality appropriate to 
the uses to which it is put. This way 
of decorating does not necessarily cost 
any more than any other. It merely 
requires some knowledge and skill that 
can easily be acquired. 

The basis of the color scheme is, of 
course, in the background provided by 
the wall and floor coverings and the 
woodwork. But aU the furnishings 
should be selected so as to form, with 
the background, a harmonious whole. 
Hence the subject naturally divides it- 
self into the separate topics of wood- 
work, wall coverings, floor coverings, 
and furniture. And the last topic can 
be best taken up in connection with 
each of the different rooms, as the liv- 
ing room, dining room, bedrooms, etc. 

Color and Li^ht. — Some colors re- 
flect a large part of the light that falls 
upon them; others absorb it. The 
variouiS' shades of green are the great- 
est thieves of light. A dark-green wall 
will absorb about 85 per cent of the 
light; a dark brown perhaps 70 per 
cent; a light green, 50 per cent; an 
orange or yellow, 25 or 30 per cent; 
light blue, 35 per cent; and soft, deli- 
cate tints about 10 per cent. But of 
course these figures are only approxi- 
mate. Pure white absorbs about 15 
per cent of the light thrown upon it. 
Hence suitable color schemes for rooms 
facing south that need toning down 
are greens or the dull shades of blue, 
^cru, or tan. 

For rooms facing west the lighter 
shades of green, with rose, terra cotta, 
or white, are appropriate. White 
enamel furniture with brass trimmings 
is suitable for such apartments. 

North and east rooms require warm 
tones of yellow, with which yellow oak 
furniture harmonizes, or warm shades 



of red, which harmonizes with Mission 
oak. 

Most men would agree to Eugene 
Field's remark that " almost any color 
suited him, so long as it was red." 
Hence red is a suitable color for the 
furnishing of a man's room or den. 

For the dining room, provided it is 
a bright, sunny room, a suitable color 
is blue or grayish blue, harmonizing 
with the tones of delft china. Or, if 
the dining room is less well lighted, a 
rich warm tone of yellow gives a sun- 
ny atmosphere to the room. But avoid 
yellow of a greenish or lemon cast. 

For the hall, a suitable color is 
green. And for the living room, green 
or a warm shade of russet brown, to 
harmonize with the green of the hall. 

Bedrooms should be preferably in 
light and delicate colors. 

WALL COVERINGS 

The materials commonly used for. 
wall coverings are chiefly of three 
sorts, paper, cloth, and paint, or 
washes applied direct to the walls. 
The last method is much more gen- 
erally used than formerly. Wall pa- 
pers are cheaper but less durable than 
cloth. Suitable tints and stains in 
water colors and calcimine are cheaper 
than either, and also more durable. 

Wall Papers. — Perhaps the com- 
monest wall coverings are the wall 
papers of various grades, from the 
ordinary wood-pulp paper costing but 
a few cents a roll, to the highest 
grades of cartridge, ingrain, or duplex 
papers, imitations of leather, and 
other specialties. 

Wall papers are very cheap, and 
anyone can readily learn how to hang 
them. Hence there is no reason why 
rooms should not be repapered as 
often as is necessary to keep them 
fresh and clean. 

Wall papers are especially suitable 
to walls that are rough or uneven, and 
to walls of houses that are not suffi- 
ciently well built. By suitable treat- 
ment paper can be hxmg on almost 
any wall, and it assists in keeping the 
rooms tight and warm. 



HOUSE FURNISHING AND DECORATING 



37 



Colors and Patterns. — The plain 
cartridge, ingrain, or duplex papers in 
solid colors are the most approved and 
among the most satisfactory wall pa- 
pers, especially for living rooms in 
general use. The absence of any pat- 
tern or design brings out in full relief 
the pictures upon the walls and other 
ornaments, and helps to give a quiet 
air of luxury to the apartment. But 
these arre somewhat more expensive 
than ordinary wall papers, and require 
a smoother wall surface and better 
care in hanging. The edges must be 
trimmed on both sides and " butted," 
or brought together side by side, tight 
enough not to show the wall between 
them, instead of being overlapped, as 
with ordinary papers. Otherwise the 
thickness of the paper would make a 
ridge which, on account of the solid 
color, would be plainly visible. This 
requires some skill, but with a little 
practice can be done by anyone. The 
edge should be trimmed with a sharp 
knife by means of a straightedge 
rather than with shears. 

Next to the ingrain papers, the two- 
toned or double-toned papers, having 
a subdued pattern in another shade or 
tint of the same color as the ground- 
work, are preferred for the living 
room. 

Good taste demands the selection of 
a paper having a comparatively small 
and simple design, and without large 
figures or striking and glaring con- 
trasts of color. Large-figured papers 
deprive pictures and other ornaments 
of all artistic effect and make the wall, 
which should be merely a background, 
stand out obtrusively. 

How to Choose Wall Paper. — The 
effect of wall papers cannot be well 
judged from small samples. Hence 
when possible choose from the stock 
itself and have two or three widths 
unrolled side by side to get the gen- 
eral effect. Remember that vertical 
stripes make a room seem higher than 
it is, that large figures and dark col- 
ors make it seem smaller, and that a 
simple design in natural outlines, as 
a landscape or flowers and foliage^ has 
perspective and tends to give an effect 



of greater width. Hence it may be 
suitable for halls or narrow apart- 
ments. 

Figured papers in dainty patterns, 
as poppies, roses, or other natural 
blossoms, are more suitable for bed- 
rooms than for living rooms. They 
can be selected to suit almost any kind 
of color scheme. Solid colors seem to 
make the walls retire; hence they give 
the effect of broadening and enlarging 
the apartment. This is especially true 
of the lighter shades. Mother Goose 
and other figured papers in suitable 
designs may be had for children's 
rooms and nurseries, imitation leather 
for dining rooms and halls, and water- 
proof oilcloth papers for bathrooms, 
kitchens, etc. 

Ceilings. — Various desirable effects 
may be produced in wall coverings by 
the treatment of the ceiling. Low 
rooms may be given an effect of great- 
er height by the use of a two-toned 
paper in narrow, vertical stripes, car- 
ried clear to the ceiUng without a 




" Vertical Stripes Carried Clear to the CeiJivg." 

border, and by fastening the picture 
molding as close to the ceiling as it 
will go. On the other hand, rooms 
that are too narrow in proportion to 
other dimensions may be given a bet- 
ter effect by lowering the picture 
molding one to two feet or more and 
papering up to the molding, but not 
above, the upper part of the wall be- 
ing whitewashed or calcimined in the 
same materials as the ceiling. 

Ceilings that have rough or crooked 



38 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



places which cannot be repaired may 
be hung with a paper of the same 
quality as the walls, but usually of a 
lighter tint. The border may be put 
on around the edge of the ceiling in- 
stead of around the top of the wall, 
thus giving the room the effect of 
greater height. 

Or ceilings may be whitewashed or 
calcimined, or tinted with water col- 
ors, with or without stenciled borders 
or frescoes. 

Dadoes. — The effect of any room may 
be improved by a chair rail around the 
walls three feet from the floor. Suit- 
able material can be procured from 
dealers in picture moldings. This will, 
of course, be painted the same color 
as the woodwork. 

On the wall below hang cotton or 
linen cloth previously painted with 
boiled linseed oil and well dried, or 
cheap ingrain paper, and when dry 
paint this wall covering the same color 
as the woodwork. 

Or this dado may be developed with 
picture molding, the corners being 
mitered the same as picture frames. 
With the aid of a homemade miter- 
box anyone who is handy with tools 
can do this work. 

Test for Wall Paper.— To test green 
wall pa^er for the presence of arsenic 
in dangerous quantities dip a sample 
in aqua ammonia. If arsenic is pres- 
ent, the paper will turn from green 
to blue. 

Or light a piece of the paper with 
a match, and when burning briskly 
blow it out. The presence of arsenic 
ma_y be detected by an odor similar to 
that of garlic. 

Wall Coverings — Cloth. — ^^^arious 
grades of prepared cloth wall cover- 
ings are obtainable, as silk, linen, and 
burlap. These are more expensive 
than paper, and are objected to by 
some on the ground that they catch 
dust and are tmsanitary, unless regu- 
larly swept and dusted every day. But 
these materials when of good quality 
are very durable, and furnish perhaps 
the most artistic of all backgrounds 
for pictures and other decorations. 
Burlap is more suitable for outer halls 



or rooms furnished with heavy oak or 
Mission furniture. Silks and linens 
harmonize with mahogany and with 
the lighter and more graceful furni- 
ture of parlors and drawing-rooms. 

To Color Walls. — The Arts-and- 
Crafts movement is introducing the 
custom of tinting walls in waterproof 




" Stencil Added Above." 



colors without the use of cloth or pa- 
per hangings, either in solid colors or 
with the addition of designs by means 
of stencils. The wall is usually tinted 
in a solid color, and the stencil added 
above the picture molding by way of 
border. 




"Protected hy Means of a Dado." 

Or the walls may be painted for 
half or two thirds of their height and 



HOUSE FURNISHING AND DECORATING 



39 



sanded and tinted above, a light 
molding of simple design being used 
to divide the two surfaces. The 
molding should be painted the same 
coloi* as the woodwork. 

Or a chair rail and painted dado 
may be used, and the waUs tinted 
above. 

Stairways. — Paper for stairways 
may be the same as the hall paper. 
It often becomes soiled along the bot- 
tom, and may be protected by means 
of a dado about three feet high car- 
ried around the hall and up the 
stairway, and surmounted by a light 
wooden molding painted to corre- 
spond to the adjacent woodwork^ 

FLOOR COVERIITGS 

The principal kinds of floor cover- 
ings in common use are rugs of vari- 
ous kinds, both Oriental and domes- 
tic; carpets, and oilcloths, including 
linoleum. Of carpets, the most im- 
portant in the order of their value 
and desirability are Chenille Axmin- 
ster, Wilton Axminster, Moquette, 
Velvet, Brussels, Tapestry Brussels, 
Ingrain or Kidderminster, two or 
three ply, Venetian, and old-fash- 
ioned rag carpet. 

Chenille Axminster is an imported 
carpet, consisting of worsted chenille 
woven in strips upon a jute backing. 
It comes three fourths of a yard wide 
in rolls, and may also be obtained in 
whole rugs or carpets specially de- 
signed for any kind of room. Thesj 
are imported, principally from Scot- 
land. 

Domestic Axminster and Moquette 
are much alike. They have a thick, 
high, tufted pile, which is very dur- 
able. The Axminster is usually of 
better material and construction than 
the Moquette. The groimdwork of 
these carpets is jute or cotton. The 
pile consists of tufts of soft woolen 
yarn fastened upon the groundwork 
so as to make the design. As each 
color in the design of these carpets is 
furnished from a separate roll, acting 
independently, any number of colors 
may be employed. Hence the most 



elaborate patterns and shadings of 
color may be had in these carpets. 

Wilton and Brussels are made upon 
a groundwork of linen with a face of 
worsted in raised loops. In Brus- 
sels carpet these loops remain uncut, 
whereas in Wilton they are cut and 
the pile is sheared smooth. These 
loops are formed of woolen threads of 
continuous colors which, to form the 
design, are thrust through the warp 
threads at intervals by means of wires. 
As each color comes to the surface 
independently of the others, the de- 
signs are exceptionally clear and per- 
fect, but the number of threads that 
can be employed conveniently is lim- 
ited ; hence there are fewer colors and 
much less shading in these carpets 
than in Axminster or Moquette. 

Velvet and Tapestry Brussels are 
constructed on the same principle as 
Wilton and Brussels, except that the 
worsted threads which form the sur- 
face are not of continuous colors, but 
have the colors forming the design 
printed upon them before the fabric 
is woven; hence, without any addi- 
tional expense, any number of colors 
may be employed. For this reason 
the designs of Velvet and Tapestry 
Brussels are much more* elaborate in 
color and shading than the Wilton or 
Brussels carpets. Tapestry carpets 
are more commonly used than any 
other kind except Ingrains, and hence 
they give rise in this country to the 
most important branch of carpet 
manufacture. 

Ingrain or Kidderminster carpet is 
the only kind of which both warp and 
woof is of wool. Hence it may be 
turned and worn on either side, al- 
though it shows a right and a wrong 
side in point of color. Its name of 
" Kidderminster " is derived from the 
city in which it was formerly manu- 
factured on a large scale. The names 
"Ingrain" and "three-ply" arise from 
the fact that there are two grades, 
one of which consists of two layers 
interwoven or " ingrained " to cause 
the colors of the design to change or 
mingle, whereas the other has three 
layers similarly put together. 



40 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Venetian is made on a coarse 
ground of hemp filling with a woolen 
warp. It usually comes in stripes and 
is largely manufactured for stair cov- 
erings. 

Oilcloth consists of a foundation of 
burlap covered with a number of coat- 
ings of coarse paint. The pattern is 
printed on the surface with wooden 
blocks, one for each color. Oilcloth 
may be obtained in any width from 
three feet to twenty-four feet, but is 
ordinarily sold in narrow widths and 
mediiun weights. 

In purchasing oilcloth first look at 
the back and choose a grade of cloth 
the background of which is closely 
woven. Next see that the coating of 
paint is of good weight or thickness, 
and choose a cloth having a smooth 
surface rather than one which is 
coarse or has a raised pattern. These 
portions are the first to wear. 

Oilcloth improves with age as the 
paint hardens; hence select, if pos- 
sible, a piece which has been a long 
time in stock. 

Linoleum is a coined word for a 
floorcloth consisting of a mixture of 
oxidized linseed oil and pulverized 
cork. This is laid upon a foundation 
of coarse burlap and made to adhere 
by pressure. Linoleum was invented 
by an Englishman, William Walton, 
and was formerly sold at rather high 
prices on account of a monopoly in 
the use of the patents in the United 
States. The patents have now expired 
and linoleum is being sold in competi- 
tion with oilcloths for floor coverings. 
It presents a better appearance, is 
much more durable, and hence is 
cheaper in the long run. Oilcloths 
and linoleums, if of good quality and 
properly laid, are perhaps the best of 
all floor coverings for kitchen, pantry, 
laundry, or any other room where wet 
or greasy substances are likely to be 
spilled or where there is a great deal 
of wear. A good grade of linoleum in 
a solid color also makes a desirable 
background for Oriental or other rugs 
as a substitute for a hard-wood floor. 

To Lay Oilcloth. — The floors of 
many rooms, especially in houses that 



have been standing for many years, 
become very rough. The cracks widen, 
and some boards wear or settle more 
than others, making the surface un- 
even. This condition presents two 
difficulties: the cracks admit draughts 
from beneath, and the sharp and un- 
even edges wear the floor coverings. 
Linoleums and oilcloths being stiff 
and brittle are especially liable to 
wear and break along these cracks; 
hence, before laying these floor 
coverings, put down a number of 
thicknesses of newspapers. These 
will also prevent the floor covering, 
when heated by the sun or by the 
heat of a stove, from sticking to the 
floor. 

Or use carpet felt or cai'pet linings 
obtainable from dealers for this pur- 
pose. 

Or cover the floor evenly with saw- 
dust by working it into the cracks as 
much as possible. 

Or spread over the floor a rather 
thick coating of fine dry sand. 

Any of these methods makes a solid 
filling that increases the life of the 
oilcloth many years. 

To Varnish Oilcloths. — Oilcloth and 
linoleum may be much improved in 
appearance, and also indefinitely pre- 
served by an occasional coat of var- 
nish. To apply a fresh coat once in 
three months is not too often. This 
freshens the colors, prevents the oil- 
cloth from cracking, and, by lessening 
friction, makes it much easier to clean. 
If linoleum is used as a background 
for rugs in bedrooms or living rooms 
it may be painted, in imitation of va- 
rious colors of wood, with any of the 
modern varnish paints which contain 
stains, and dry with a smooth, glossy 
surface. When so treated a good lino- 
leum makes an imitation of a hard- 
wood floor, which can hardly be ex- 
celled either for beauty or durability. 
It is especially useful in those cases 
where a large rug is used for the cen- 
ter of the room with an open border 
about it. It is, of course, much bet- 
ter in such cases to cover the entire 
room with linoleum, and to lay the 
rug upon this. 



HOUSE FURNISHING AND DECORATING 



41 



To Renew Linoleum. — Old pieces of 
linoleuin may often be made as good 
as new by first washing them with a 
strong solution of sal soda, ammonia, 
and soapsuds to remove the original 
color. Then apply a coat of any good 
light-colored paint, and lay over this 
any desired color of varnish paint in 
imitation of the woodwork. Instruc- 
tions as to what paint to use may be 
had from the dealers. Always allow 
paint and varnish to become thor- 
oughly dry and hard before walking 
upon it. 

Use of Floor Coverings. — Floor cov- 
erings doubtless originated in the use 
by our primitive ancestors of the skins 
of animals as rugs, and the earliest 
floor coverings used by civilized na- 
tions were in the form of rugs. This 
usage still continues in the Orient. 

The later custom of manufacturing 
carpets and other floor coverings in 
long, narrow strips, to be joined to- 
gether, grew out of the desire to 
cheapen the process of naanufacture 
by adapting the size of the fabrics to 
the uses of the loom. The custom of 
covering the entire floor of a room 
with carpet or other floor covering 
doubtless arose, in great degree, from 
the desire to cover cracks, knots, and 
other unsightly defects in cheap and 
badly made floors, to prevent soft- 
wood floors from wearing, and also to 
lessen draughts from the cracks be- 
tween floor boards. 

The present tendency among well- 
to-do people is back to the original 
idea of scattering rugs upon a smooth, 
polished surface. The ideal floor is 
undoubtedly of hard wood, properly 
laid and highly polished. This is the 
most sanitary, durable, and beautiful 
of all floors. It is the easiest to clean, 
and furnishes an ideal foundation as 
a basis for any interior decoration. 
The growing wealth of farmers as a 
class throughout the great central 
West and elsewhere, by reason of im- 
proved machinery and modern scien- 
tific methods of agriculture, has re- 
sulted in the building and furnishing 
of many homes having floors of this 
sort in the smallest towns and rural 



districts throughout the United States. 
Moreovei", modern means of transpor- 
tation, as trolley systems, interurban 
electric railways, automobiles, and the 
upbuilding of local telephone systems, 
have promoted the building in rural 
neighborhoods of a vast number of 
summer homes. There is hardly a 
community in the United States where 
modern houses constructed with pol- 
ished hard-wood floors and furnished 
with Oriental or domestic rugs as floor 
coverings is not to be seen. 

Another great educator has been the 
periodicals devoted to home making 
and especially catering to the class of 
suburban residents above mentioned. 
These models have set the fashion 
for bare floors and rugs, and there is 
no doubt but that as time goes on 
this custom will become increasingly 
popular. 

Hard-wood floors may be laid under 
certain conditions over old floors, and 
be all the better for having another 
flooring beneath them, but they are 
somewhat expensive. Hence numerous 
ingenious methods have been used to 
secure the same result by imitation. 

To Imitate Hard-wood Floors. — Ob- 
tain a suitable hard-wood filler, and 




"Apply a Good Stain." 

press it into the cracks in the floor 
according to directions. Take care to 



42 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



smooth the filler exactly level after 
the cracks have been filled. When this 
substance hardens, the floor will be 
smooth and even, and all danger from 
draughts will be permanently done 
away. Next apply a good stain of 
any desired color to match the wood- 
work, or apply a suitable paint mixed 
with varnish that will dry, leaving a 
hard, smooth, glossy surface. 

Soluble Glass for Eloors. — Instead 
of the old-fashioned method of using 
wax for polished floors, etc., soluble 
glass is now employed to great advan- 
tage. For this purpose the floor is 
first well cleaned, and then the cracks 
are well filled up with a cement of 
water glass and powdered chalk or 
gyijsum. Afterwards a water glass of 
60° to 65°, of the thickness of sirup, 
is applied by means of a stiff brush. 
Any desired color may be imparted to 
the floor in a second coat of the water 
glass, and additional coats given until 
the requisite polish is obtained. A 
still higher finish may be given by 
pumicing off the last layer, and then 
putting on a coating of oil. 

Or denim of good quality in solid 
colors may be laid upon the floor as a 
background for the rugs. But when 
this material is used the rugs must be 
large chough and numerous enough to 
cover most of the surface and receive 
the greater part of the wear. 

Or use heavy building paper pasted 
smoothly to the floors, and apply to 
this two or more coats of varnish 
paint. This material wears well and 
presents a good appearance. 

Or heavy unbleached cotton or denim 
may be treated by tacking it against a 
building or laying it on a floor which 
is not in use, and applying with a 
paint brush one or two coats of lin- 
seed oil. After this is dry, apply a 
coat of varnish or " lac " paint, let 
dry and apply a second coat. After- 
wards apply a coat of varnish. Let 
the cloth dry thoroughly before using. 
This is a good and cheap substitute 
for oilcloth and linoleum for kitchen 
floors and all other purposes. 

Or matting may be used, especially 
in bedrooms, sewing room, sitting 



room, and even in the parlor if the 
rugs are of the right size and number 
and of sufficiently good quality. 

Or the floor may be covered, espe- 
cially in the sitting room, where there 
is more or less tracking in of mud 
and dirt, and in bedrooms, with a 
good quality of linoleum, which may 
be stained and painted in imitation 
of a hard-wood floor, or to correspond 
with the woodwork. 

The great advantage offered by the 
bare wood or a smooth surface such 
as linoleum is that it can be readily 
kept clean and free from dust, dirt, 
and all sorts of vermin. Rugs may 
be taken up and beaten out of doors 
and thoroughly aired on the line, and 
every particle of dust and dirt can be 
readily removed by wiping over the 
floor with a damp cloth drawn bag 
-fashion over the head of a broom. 
Good rugs, both Oriental and domes- 
tic, are no more expensive than the 
same grades of carpet, and their use 
is to be decidedly recommended for 
artistic and sanitary reasons as well 
as from a labor-saving standpoint. 

Denim. — Denim is perhaps the most 
generally popular floor covering as a 
background for rugs when cost is 
taken into account. But it is not, of 



ipiiiiii 



ill |!|»! 



f 



"Filling . . . Transfarmed into Rugs." 

course, as durable as carpet, and does 
not come in fast colors. When partly 
worn, however, denim may be woven 
into rugs or converted into carpet rags. 
Filling. — An all-wool ingrain " fill- 
ing" in greens and other solid colors 
is another popular floor covering much 
used as a background for rugs. This 
is very durable, but like denim tends 
to fade in comparatively few years, 
and must then be redyed or trans- 
formed into rugs. 



HOUSE FURNISHING AND DECORATING 



4S 



To Choose Carpets. — The effect of 
design in carpets is much the same as 
in wall paper. Large patterns tend 
to make a room seem small, and bor- 
ders about the carpet have the same 
effect. The present tendency favors 
carpets in solid colors or having small 
and delicate patterns. Large patterns 
and all sorts of glaring contrasts of 
color should be avoided. Both very- 
dark and very light carpets are diffi- 
cult to keep clean, and carpets con- 
taining blue, green, or other delicate 
colors, when exposed to sunlight, tend 
to fade. 

As to color, carpets should, of 
course, harmonize with the general 
color scheme of the room. But as 
they cannot be changed as frequently 
as the wall coverings, they should, as 
a rule, be in neutral colors that will 
harmonize with almost any other 
scheme that may be adopted. 

A point in favor of carpets having 
small patterns is that the two webs of 
which the carpet consists are much 
more closely interwoven if the design 
is small than if the pattern is a large 
one. Hence the carpet having a small 
design is likely to be more durable. 
Moreover, where there are no large 
patterns to attract the eye the results 
of wear are not so noticeable. 

As to material, ingrain or three-ply 
carpets being of wool and capable of 
being turned and worn on both sides, 
probably give most wear for the 
money of any carpets on the market. 
But Brussels and tapestry carpets, 
which are somewhat more expensive, 
are also, on account of their beauty 
and excellent wearing qualities, in 
very general use. 

Rag Carpet. — This is the cheapest 
carpet of all and can readily be made 
on a hand loom at home. It makes a 
thick and serviceable covering for the 
floors of kitchen or living rooms in 
winter. To make rag carpet, use a 
warp of strong cotton thread, and 
weave in any kind of rags twisted 
into small rolls. 

To Color Eag-carpet Warp. — First 
use a strong cotton yarn reeled into 
skeins of five knots. About one skein 



to the yard of carpet will be required, 
with about three knots additional for 
binding at the end of each breadth. 

For tan color first soak the warp 
thoroughly with lime water; next boil 
it in a brass or copper kettle in a 
strong solution of extract of hemlock 
bark in water. This is used by tan- 
ners for making leather, and may be 
obtained through a tanner or dealer 
in dye stuff. 

For black color soak the warp in 
strong copperas water instead of lime 
water, and use iron or tin vessels in- 
stead of brass or copper. Afterwards 
boil in the hemlock solution. 

For slate color use weaker solu- 
tions of copperas and hemlock. 

For brown use a weak solution of 
copperas and a strong solution of 
hemlock. Thus, by a little experi- 
menting, the shades of color may be 
varied at will. 

Carpet Rags. — The contents of the 
rag bag should be first picked over, 
and rags intended to be used as car- 
pet rags shoiild be washed and ironed 
and afterwards ripped apart. Seams 
and worn spots should be rejected. 
They should then be sorted according 
to the colors of materials, and if not 
needed at once, stored away for fu- 
ture use in paper bags. Woolen rags 
should be protected against moths by 
pasting the tops of the bags together. 

Rags of fast and satisfactory col- 
ors need not be dyed. But better 
effects may often be obtained by dye- 
ing all rags to suitable colors. 

To cut carpet rags, trim around the 
outside of the rag, clipping off square 
corners, and continue cutting round 
and round until the rag is all cut up. 
By this means small pieces may be 
utilized, the rags will be of satisfac- 
tory length, and will require less sew- 
ing. Cotton rags and rags of fine 
dress goods make a smoother and bet- 
ter-looking carpet than rags of heavy 
woolen colors. Hence the latter had 
better be kept separate and made 
into rugs or kitchen carpets. 

The quantity of rags required for a 
carpet may be estimated by weight. 
For each yard one and one half to two 



HOUSEHOLD. DISCOVERIES 



pounds of rags, depending upon the 
material, will be required. In sewing, 
it is better to mix the different shades 
of the same color so that the stripes 
will be of an even and uniform shade. 
Thus the breadths will present the 
same appearance. But if the pepper- 
and-salt pattern is desired all the 
colors may be mixed together. For 
this kind of carpet short pieces may 
be utilized. Rag carpets also come 
by the piece and may be bought in 
shops by the yard, the same as others. 
But when made at home or woven to 
order they can be ordered to fit the 
room, the breadths being made exact- 
ly to measure and bound up at the 
ends. Allowance in ordering should 
be made for shrinkage, as the breadths 
tend to become a little shorter and 
wider with wear. 

To Cut Carpets. — Before cutting a 
new carpet, unroll a little more than 
twice the length of the room, double 
this in the middle so that the edges 
will come side by side, and work it 
back and forth so as to match the 
pattern at a length a little longer than 
that of the room. The required num- 
ber of strips can thus be cut in such a 
way that the pattern will be matched 
exactly without waste. 

Try 'both ways on the floor before 
cutting, as it may be more economical 
to cut the lengths for the short way 
of the floor. Any pieces wasted in 
matching the pattern may be used to 
make rugs or foot stools, or to fill in 
recesses. 

To Sew Carpets. — Sew with the 
through-and-through stitch, very close 
together. 

Straw Matting. — ^When purchasing 
straw matting it is advisable to buy 
the best grade of fine white or uniig- 
ured matting for all rooms alike; thus 
as it wears out it can be readily 
matched or replaced by putting good 
matting from two rooms together in 
one. 

Matting Rugs. — Cut suitable lengths 
of matting and hem with twine string 
for use as summer rugs. Two or more 
breadths may be attached together if 
desired to make wide rugs. Use plain. 



or apply paint, or stain of any desired 
color. A large square rug can be 
made in this way to occupy the center 
of the flooi-, a border being made by 
l^ainting or staining the floor, or cov- 
ering with green denim or drugget. 

Rag Rugs. — Very durable and use- 
ful rugs may be made of all sorts of 
old rags in the same fashion as a rag 
carpet, or by braiding, or they may be 
knitted or drawn through burlap or 
canvas as in embroidery. Small pieces 
may be utilized by commencing at one 
side and cutting the width of a car- 
pet rug almost to the end, then turn- 
ing a corner and cutting along the 
side, and so going around the outside 
until the piece is cut up. After clip- 
ping off the square corners the rag 
will be foiuid to be of convenient 
length. Carpet rags should be wound 
'into balls of uniform size. They catch 
less dust, and do not become tangled. 
When ready to tack them, have a sew- 
ing bee, or run them up on the sewing 
luachine. This will enable you to do 
them very quickly. 

Old stocking legs make especially 
pretty rugs. 

To Make Drawn Rugs. — First pre- 
pare a frame by nailing together four 
pieces of lathe or other light pine 
stuff, and stretch on this a piece of 
strong burlap or coarse canvas. Pre- 
pare the rags by cutting them in a 
uniform width of one half inch or less, 
and wind each color in a separate ball. 
Draw the rags through the burlap by 
means of a hook, that can be extem- 
porized from a piece of wire. Insert 
the hook from above between the warp 
and woof of the burlap, and draw the 
rag up from below so as to form 
loops projecting at uniform heights 
above the burlap. This is the prin- 
ciple upon whicli Axminster carpet is 
made. A design may be traced on 
the burlap by means of chalk or char- 
coal, and the outlines drawn with two 
or three rows of rags in different col- 
ors. A little experience will indicate 
how closely together to draw the loops, 
which should project a half inch or 
less above the burlap. If desired, the 
loops may afterwards be clipped, as 



HOUSE FURNISHING AND DECORATING 



45 



is done with the Wilton carpets, by 
means of a sharp pair of scissors. 

CURTAINS, SHADES, AND DRAPERIES 

The use of curtains originated be- 
fore the invention of glass, when win- 
dows were either open or imperfectly 
protected against draughts. They 
originally hung straight down across 
the sash. 

At present the object of window 
shades and curtains is primarily to 
regulate the amount of light in the 
room, and to screen the interior, when 
desired, from observation from with- 
out. It is a prime rule of good taste 
in decoration that it must not be al- 
lowed to interfere with the purpose 
for which a thing is intended. Hence 
curtains and draperies that cannot be 
drawn aside to admit the light, or let 
fall to exclude it, are objectionable. 
Curtains for French windows shovdd 
be arranged with cords and pulleys 
so as to be brought out of the way 
when the windows are opened, or ad- 
justed on rods long enough so that 
they can he drawn to one side. 

Window Curtains. — Some city 
houses have three or four sets of 




"Simpler Methods . . .Are Gaining Favor.** 

curtains, but the simpler methods of 
country houses are gaining in favor. 
One set is suflBcient, and more than 



two are undesirable. A thin semi- 
transparent curtain of lace, net, or 
muslin, in white or ecru, may be used 
next the glass. This may either be 
crossed at the top and hang straight 
down or be draped at the middle sash 
with a band. This is a question of 
taste and depends upon the propor- 
tions of the room and the window. 
When an inner curtain of heavy ma- 
terial is used the lace or net curtain 
should usually be draped to soften the 
outlines. Lace or net curtains are 
usually, but not always, used down- 
stairs, and less expen^jive curtains of 
muslin are used for bedrooms and 
other upstairs windows. 

Materials for Window Curtains. — 
Lace curtains may be purchased ready 
made. Or curtains may be made of 
bobbinet or similar material and edged 
with ruffles or suitable lace. Or Cluny 
lace may be used by way of insertion. 
Plain scrim, with no other decoration 
than hemstitched hems, makes hand- 
some curtains. They launder easily 
and well. If they bleach with time 
they can be restored to their original 
color by being dipped in dilute coffee. 
The best materials for bedrooms are 
dotted Swiss or other muslins. Other 
serviceable materials are India linen, 
Aberdeen linen, Persian cotton, cre- 
tonnes, and linen taflPetas. The reps 
of various fabrics — cotton, wool, and 
silk — all hang well and are soft and 
graceful. 

Any suitable material may be scal- 
loped along the edge by means of a 
tumbler. Mark around this with chalk 
or pencil. Buttonhole the scallops and 
work in them polka dots or other sim- 
ple design. 

Muslin Curtains. — For bedroom 
curtains it pays to buy various cotton 
materials like dimity and muslin bj' 
the piece, and to make them all the 
same style. It is wise to keep to the 
same pattern, as dots or small rings, 
and to buy new pieces the same a^ 
the old, or as nearly so as they can be 
matched. Then new curtains can be 
used with the old. As the curtains 
begin to wear they can be put to- 
gether as pairs, or changed from 



46 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



room to room as long as any two are 
left. 

Or when curtains from the living 
rooms wear on the edges, trim them 
off, hem them neatly, and turn the 
edged border toward the sash. They 
will make good curtains for bedrooms 
or other inconspicuous windows that 
will last for years. 

Dyeing Curtains. — All cotton mate- 
rials can be readily dyed by dipping 
them in dye stuff after they have been 
washed and rinsed in the laundry. 
Thus the curtains can be made to 
conform to any desired color shade. 

Cheese cloth when dyed in suitable 
colors makes pretty and inexpensive 
curtains. Hemmed bands or borders 
of striped silkoline or other suitable 
material add a decorative effect. Dark 
green trimmed with a stripe in Orien- 
tal design and coloring makes a very 
pretty curtain. 

Or take cheese cloth or unbleached 
sheeting which may be any old mate- 
rial as old sheets, from which pieces 
of suitable size can be cut for cur- 




" Decorative Border in Oil Paints." 

tains, and dye them in any suitable 
shade. White cotton dipped in a deep 
brown dye and afterwards in a deep 
green gives a beautiful gray-green 
color. 

Or unbleached cotton sheeting can 
be stenciled or hand painted with a 
decorative border in oil paints thinned 
slightly with turpentine, and thus 
given a very artistic effect. Cut the 
curtain wide enough so that the inner 



edge of each pair may be turned over 
eight inches. Fold this strip top and 
bottom into squares. Mark the squares 
by means of a stencil and paint any 
design to form the border. 

To Hang Lace Curtains. — To hang 
lace curtains without assistance, first 
adjust the pole; throw the top of the 
curtain loosely over the pole; then, by 
means of a common pin or tack, fas- 
ten each scallop to the skirting board 
just above the carpet or along the 
floor. The curtain may then be drawn 
up rather firmly over the pole so that 
when the pins are removed the cur- 
tain will have been stretched just 
enough to lift it off the floor. This, 
without jumping down to look, in- 
sures the curtain hanging evenly. 

To Mend Lace Curtains. — To mend 
delicate lace and net curtains when 
fliey first show a tear, take very fine 
thread and a hook and fill up the 
space with a single crochet stitch. 
When laundered the mend will defy 
detection. 

Or when lace curtains are much 
worn, take one or two of the worst 
for patches, and after the others are 
laundered cut a patch to match the 
design of the torn part, dip it in thick 
starch, lay it carefully over the rent, 
and iron it down. The starch wUl 
cause it to adhere until the curtains 
are laundered again. Strips of net or 
illusion may also be used in the same 
way. 

Sash Curtains. — Use p'artly worn 
muslin or silk curtains for sash cur- 
tains. The tops and bottoms of old 
curtains that have not had the direct 
rays of the sun will usually be found 
best for sash curtains. The middle 
part can be discarded. Make a wide 
hem top and bottom through which to 
run the rod. A wide hem is not so 
likely to tear, and the curtains can be 
used either end up. Slip a rounds 
headed hat pin into the hollow of the 
rod to run them in the hems, and they 
will pass easily through. Rods may 
be fixed inside the sash so as to be 
elevated with the window and not to 
lean against the screen. Cords tacked 
across the window will prevent the 



HOUSE FURNISHING AND DECORATING 



47 



sash curtain from beating against the 
screen. 

Or instead of rods use quarter-inch 
iron wire painted over with gold paint 
or otherwise gilded or silvered. This 
makes the wire look better and pre- 
vents it from rusting. This wire is 
suitable for shams, mantels, and closet 
curtains, and many similar purposes 
in house decoration. It answers the 
same purpose as brass rods, and is 
much cheaper. It can be purchased 
at any hardware store, cut to any de- 
sired length. 

riour Sacks. — Large flour sacks 
may be utilized for sash curtains by 
carefully washing out the print and 
finishing with a suitable design in 
fancy work. 

Curtains for Broad Windows. — Di- 
vide a broad, low window, or two win- 
dows together, by running two shelves 
across, one at the top of each sash. 
Paint or stain these to match the 
woodwork. Fit sash curtains to both 
shelves by means of rods or quarter- 
inch iron or copper iron, and hang 




"Divide a Broad Low Window." 

from brass rings. Let the hangings 
match the woodwork or conform to 
the color scheme of the room. The 
upper shelves may be treated as a 
plate rail, and the lower shelf may 
hold pots of ferns or other green 
plants. 



Window Shades.— A double set of 
window shades — an inner dark shade 
to harmonize with the color scheme of 
the room, and an outer white shade — 
are desirable, but both are not neces- 
sary. It saves carpets and other things 
from fading to exclude the sunshine 
when a room is not in use, and also 
assists in keeping sunny rooms cool in 
summer. Hence, a dark or tan shade 
is to be preferred, unless the house is 
fitted with blinds. In that case only 
the white shade is necessary. 

To Renew Window Shades. — Trim 
off the soiled or worn part at the bot- 
tom, make a new hem, and put back 
the stick. To do this lay on an iron- 
ing board, curled side down, th^ part 
of the shade that has been curled up 
over the roller and press it with a hot 
iron. This makes it easy to turn a 
hem, which may be stitched on the 
sewing machine. Let the stitch out as 
far as it wiU go so that the fabric 
will not pucker. 

Or, if the shade is too short to trim, 
change the ends by opening the hem 
at the bottom, taking the shades from 
the roller and tacking the bottom of 
the shade to the roller. Make a new 
hem and put back the stick. 

To Hang Window Shades. — To ad- 
j ust the spring on new window shades, 
roll them tight, fasten them into the 
sockets, and draw them down full 
length. Take them out of their sock- 
ets, roll them up again by hand, and 
again draw them down until the spring 
is as strong as desired. 

To Prevent Blowing' Window 
Shades. — To prevent the window 
shades from being drawn out at the 
top of the window or blowing back 
and forth when the upper sash is low- 
ered for ventilation, attach the cord 
from the bottom of the shade to the 
back of a chair, and move it a suffi- 
cient distance from the window to 
give a free circulation of air under- 
neath it. 

Substitute for Window Shades. — 
To economize on window shades, the 
upper rooms of a house may be fitted 
with shades of white cotton, having 
the selvage on one side and a very 



48 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



fine hem on the other. By the addi- 
tion of a little glue size or gum ara- 
ble to the starch, they can be made 
very stiff. They look from outside 
almost equal to ordinary shades of 
Holland linen. They can, of course, 
readily be laundered when soiled. 

Draperies. — Portieres and other 
draperies must be selected with due 
regard to the size and shape of the 
room, as well as to the color scheme. 
Heavy, thick drapferies make a small 
room look close and stuffy. But 
light, airy hangings are equally out 
of place in a large room. To im- 
prove the effect of a room that is 
too narrow and high between joints, 
or a room having too high and nar- 
row doors and windows, lower the 
window shades twelve or fifteen 
inches from the top and fill in the 




'Lower the Bod." 



space with a grill, a rope network, 
a shirring of silk, or similar decora- 
tion. If the doors open outward, or 
if a door is taken down and hung 
with draperies, lower the rod twelve 
or fifteen inches and fill in above with 
shirred silk or silkoline to harmonize 
with the portieres or draperies. 



Or run a shelf or plate rack across 
the top of the door on a level with 
the top of the window shades; by 
these means the room is made to seem 
lower and larger in proportion to its 
height. 

Or lower the curtain from the pole 
by means of cords to match the dra- 
pery. Lace over the pole and through 
the hooks on the pins. 

Portieres. — In addition to the vari- 
ous grades of draperies on the mar- 
ket, burlap and other suitable fab- 
rics may be made up for this purpose 
at much less expense. 

Or brown leather scraps may be 
purchased from bookbinders at a few 
cents a pound, cut in strips about 
half an inch wide, and tied in lots 
after the manner of carpet rags. 
These make very cheap and effective 
'draperies for libraries and living 
rooms. 

Choose preferably materials that 
will not catch and hold dust more 
than is necessary, and avoid flounces, 
fringes, and tassels coarse enough to 
allow dust to accumulate in them. It 
is a good plan in summer to take 
down heavy draperies, shake and 
clean them, and pack them away un- 
til fall in a moth-proof box or chest. 
They will last longer, and the house 
will be much cleaner, more airy, and 
comfortable without them. 

Or, if desired, replace the winter 
draperies with cheap draperies of 
dark green or other color of burlap. 
Lower the pole a foot or more from 
the casing to let the air pass through, 
and let them swing clear of the floor. 

Curtain Hings. — Rub the curtain 
poles occasionally with a rag dipped 
in kerosene oil to make the rings 
slip easily. 

To Clean Draperies — Draperies and 
tapestries hung upon the walls may 
be cleaned by pouring gasoline into a 
shallow pan, and brushing them M'ith 
this by means of a soft brush or whisk 
broom. 

LIVING BOOMS 

The old custom of setting apart a 
"best room" or parlor to be used only 



HOUSE FURNISHING AND DECORATING 



49 



on special occasions, as for weddings, 
funerals, or the entertainment of com- 
pany, is happily passing away. Only 
very wealthy people now have draw- 
ing rooms reserved for state occa- 
sions. The present tendency is to call 
all the lower rooms of the house "liv- 
ing rooms," and to have all the mem- 
bers of the family use them freely. 
A room set apart from ordinary use, 
and hence shut up much of the time 
from sun and air, is not good for the 
physical or moral health of the house- 
hold. Hygiene demands that sun and 
air should be admitted freely to all 
parts of the house. The furnishings 
themselves, if good care is given 
them, will be improved rather than 
injured by ordinary wear, and guests 
will receive a far pleasanter impres- 
sion from the easy and graceful at- 
mosphere imparted to a room by 
daily use, than from the stiff and 
formal restraints imposed by the old- 
fashioned parlor. A hostess who 
takes her friends into a sitting room 
and tells them frankly that she pre- 
fers to "live in her own parlor" will 
have more friends than critics. The 
arrangement is plainly for the good 
of the family, and all who visit such 
a home will enjoy being taken into 
the wholesome family life. 

When possible, it is pleasant and 
convenient to have two living rooms 
thrown together by folding or sliding 
doors, with a grill and portieres or 
other suitable draperies across the 
opening. The effect of many country 
homes could be greatly improved by 
cutting an arch or square opening 
abowt the width and height of two 
ordinary doors placed side by side or 
slightly wider, so as to throw two 
living rooms into one. Suitable fold- 
ing or sliding doors, while desirable, 
are not necessary, as the oj^ening can 
be closed by means of heavy hang- 
ings sliding on a rod, 

"Front Room." — Large houses and 
ample means will, of course, suggest 
other living rooms, as the library, 
music room, a special sewing room, 
and the like. But these are neither 
necessary nor possible in ordinary 



households, and the "front room" 
may be made not only more habitable 
but also more attractive to callers 
and guests by the presence of a 
piano or other musical instrument, 
and by low bookcases built along the 
walls, three or four shelves high, to 
hold the family collection of books, 
and stained or painted to match the 
woodwork. Tlie top of these book- 
cases may be finished by a shelf 
about breast higli, or slightly lower, 
on which plaster-of-Paris casts, vases, 
or flowers and other appropriate ob- 
jects may be displayed. A "front 
room" having the walls hung with 
suitable cloth or paper in solid col- 
ors, or two-toned shades of brown or 
green, with shades of green or tan, 
and hangings to match the M^all cov- 
erings; a hard-wood floor waxed and 
oiled, or floor stained or painted in 
imitation of hard wood, or a solid- 
color floor covering of denim or in- 
grain filler, with rugs of Oriental 
patterns and appropriate furniture, 
will have a. distinctly modern and 
artistic atmosphere. 

Couch. — Couches and sofas having 
a raised headpiece or arms at either 
end are giving place to plain couches, 
after the fashion of the Oriental di- 
van, without head or arms, and cov- 
ered by appropriate couch covers. 
An ordinary folding canvas cot bed 
and a common cotton top excelsior 
or hair mattress thick enough to pre- 
vent sagging in the middle is really 
superior to a sofa or davenport cost- 
ing much more money. Imitation 
Bagdad or other suitable couch cov- 
ers in cotton fabrics are inexpensive, 
and a row of fancy pillows can be 
readily made of washable material 
at slight expense. Thus the entire 
couch and furnishing may be had at 
the cost of but a few dollars. 

On the otlier hand, by purchasing 
an iron or steel couch with wire- 
spring top and hair mattress, and 
adding a real Bagdad or other Ori- 
ental couch cover and pillows to cor- 
respond, a couch may be had that 
will be in keeping with the most lux- 
urious surroundings. 



50 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Center Table. — Have a low center 
table, with a reading lamp or a hang- 
ing lamp suspended over it, drawn out 
from the wall, and covered with books 
and periodicals, so that all the mem- 
bers of the family can gather about 
it. Cover this with a suitable cloth to 
harmonize with the color scheme of 
the room. The opportunity thus sug- 
gested of drawing up a number of 
chairs invites- just the sort of infor- 
mal social life that is so much needed 
in every community, and that cements 
the family bond as well as strengthens 
the ties of neighborliness. 



work are graceful, comfortable, and 
satisfactory. Of course, mahogany and 




'Have a Low Center Table. 



Tea'Table.— Have, if possible, in one 
corner of the room a small, low table 
with an alcohol lamp and suitable tea 
things for making a cup of tea with- 
out going for it to the kitchen. This 
simple expression of hospitality gives 
a note of good cheer that is much 
needed in modern social life. There 
need be no formality suggested by a 
cup of tea offered to a caller even in 
the most quiet neighborhoods, and 
having all of the needful articles at 
hand helps to give the serving of tea 
an air of grace and naturalness. 

Chairs. — Select chairs as other fur- 
niture for simplicity and durability, 
and avoid complicated affairs such as 
the patent rockers, carved or stamped 
furniture, and all elaborate designs 
and decorations. Tlie lines of the 
Morris chair suggest ease and comfort, 
and they are to be strongly recom- 
mended. Chairs of willow and wicker 




" The Lines of the Morris Chair." 

other hard woods will be selected by 
those v/ho can aiford them. As to 
design, the Colonial models and the 
Craftsman and Mission styles of furni- 
ture are among the most satisfactory. 

Taboret. — The low stand or taboret 
holding a graceful fern or other potted 
plant in a suitable jardinifere adds an 
agreeable touch of grace and color to 
the living room. 

Music. — 'The modern invention of 
the mechanical piano player has un- 
locked many a dusty piano and opened 
the whole world of music to thousands 
of homes. Heretofore the cost of a 
musical education has restricted the 
natural love of music in most families 
to but a few simple hymns and tunes 
that almost anyone could play. Hence 
the piano need no longer be regarded 
as necessarily confined to homes where 
some member of the family has a pro- 
nounced musical talent. Certainly 
nothing signifies more, with the pos- 
sible exception of a collection of good 
books, than a musical instrument in 
the family living room. 

Care of Piano.— To keep the piano 
or organ in good condition, arrange to 
have the atmosphere of the room dry, 
but not too dry, and at a moderate 
and even temperature. If the atmos- 
phere is damp, there is a tendency for 
the wires to rust and the keys to stick. 
A dry heat without any moisture in 
the air will tend to check the varnish 
and also to injure the adjustment of 
a musical instrument. Hence, if rooms 
are heated by hot air, hang a smaii 
galvanized iron pail containing water 



HOUSE FURNISHING AND DECORATING 



51 



from the under side of the register, 
so that the heated draught in coming 
up will bring a small amount of mois- 
ture with it. 

Or, if gas or coal stoves are used for 
heating, place a suitable vessel of wa- 
ter on the top of the stove. The slight 
resulting moisture will be beneficial to 
all the furniture, although the piano 
will perhaps suffer most from the lack 
of it. The slight humidity is also good 
for the health of the family. 

Do not stand the piano close against 
an outer wall, which may be damp or 
chilled from frost in winter, and if pos- 
sible keep it out of a direct draught. 
If an upright piano, tack a dust cover 
of denim or other suitable material 
across the back to exclude dust, leav- 
ing flaps wide enough to be thrown 
over the piano when sweeping. These 
can hang down behind the piano when 
not in use. Take care that no small 
articles laid on the keys find their way 
inside of the instrument. Have a mu- 
sic cabinet, so as to keep the top of 
the instrument free from books and 
sheet music. Keep the piano closed 
when not in use, and have it tuned 
three or four times a year, or oftener, 
if necessary. If it is not kept up to 
pitch it will not stay in tune when 
required. An hour or two of practice 
on a piano each day will keep it in the 
best condition. But, if possible, every 
key on the keyboard should be struck 
at least once daily. 

Care of Sheet Music. — Have a music 
cabinet, homemade if necessary, with 
shelves large enough for a piece of 
sheet music, and close enough together 
to admit of keeping the pieces classi- 
fied. Bind two or more pieces of mu- 
sic of the same general kind together 
as desired by means of brass brads 
sold by stationers. The use of these 
is very simple. Lay the sheets one 
upon the other in the order desired, 
cut a slot top, bottom, and middle a 
half inch from the back edge with a 
penknife, insert the brad and turn 
down the edges. 

Or, to bind music together, take a 
piece of strong manila or other tough 
paper two inches or more in width. 



and as long as the music is high. Fold 
this lengthwise in the middle and 
paste one side to one piece of music, 
the other to another. Run over this 
with a hot flatiron to insure its dry- 
ing quickly and evenly without wrin- 
kles. If the sheets tear apart, insert 
a similar strip between the torn sheets, 
and when all have been reenforced in 
this way take a similar strip of tough 
paper or muslin wide enough to go 
round the back of the whole collection 
and lap over an inch or more on either 
side. Slush the back well with paste 
or glue, lay on this strip, rub down 
tightly, and let dry under a weight. 
A manila folder or cover the same 
size as the music itself may be " drawn 
on" in a similar way to correspond 
to the cover of a bound book. 

Pictures — Good and Bad Taste. — A 
good illustration of what to avoid is 
found in the family photographs en- 
larged by the carbon or imitation nas- 




"Much Less Seen than Formerly." 

tel process, and surroimded by massive 
frames at the recommendation of en- 
terprising manufacturers, whose prof- 
its are in proportion to the size of 
the frame and the elaborateness of the 
molding. Only the eloquence of the 
venders could give such pictures even 
a temporary popularity, but they are 
seen everywhere. Family photographs 
should be, as a rule, confined to sleep- 
ing apartments rather than displayed 
in living rooms, and much better re- 



52 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



productions can be had in smaller sizes 
than upon a large scale. Carbon and 
other reproductions have little deco- 
rative value, and even when enlarged 
should be framed as simply and un- 
obtrusively as possible. This work can 
usually be done at a lower rate and 
of a better quality by a local photog- 
rapher. The difference in expense will 
usually furnish the living room with 
a good photographic reproduction of 
one of the masterpieces of the world, 
that will be equally interesting to 
strangers and instructive to the in- 
mates of the home. Happily, public 
taste is rapidly improving in these 
matters. Heavy and elaborate mold- 
ings with intricate designs made of 
putty and covered with gilt paint, or 
oak molding stamped in imitation of 
hand carving, and the like monstrosi- 
ties are much less seen than formerly. 
The object of picture molding is, of 
course, twofold — to protect and to de- 
fine the picture ; hence the frame itself 
should be unobtrusive and should in 
no way attract the eye to itself. If 
the wall coverings are in solid colors 
or quiet two-toned effects, and the 
picture frames are simple and appro- 
priate, the picture itself stands out 
in all of its natural beauty. Thus the 
object 'Is attained for which the pic- 
ture was hung. A few pictures of 
reasonable size and real merit, simply 
but appropriately framed, give a much 
more artistic eflfect than does a wall 
crowded with a large number of sub- 
jects among which those that are in- 
ferior must necessarily suffer by con- 
trast. 

Pictures to Choose. — Select for liv- 
ing rooms landscapes, reproductions 
of still life,, ideal heads and faces, and 
reproductions of masterpieces por- 
traying scenes, or subjects that might 
properly be the subject of conversa- 
tion in the social circle. 

For the music room, photographs of 
eminent composers and other musi- 
cians, or reproductions of paintings 
suggested by the use of the room, are 
appropriate. 

For the library, photographs of lit- 
erary and other public men, and re- 



productions of public buildings of all 
ages and in all parts of the world, are 
in order. 

Reserve for the privacy of sleeping 
apaitments photographs of friends or 
relatives of the family, children, and 
all ither pictures that, however inter- 
esting they may be to the owner, can 





The Frame Should Be Unobtrusive.' 



be of no general concern to those who 
are not members of the family. 

To Hang Pictures. — Do not make 
the common mistake of hanging pic- 
tures above the line of sight, so as to 
make it necessary to strain the ej'^es 
in looking up at them. Pictures should 
not, as a rule, hang more than five 
and one half feet from the floor — 
about on a level with the eyes of a 
person of average height when stand- 
ing. But, of course, the different pic- 
tures, for the sake of variety, are 
hung slightly above or below this line, 
according to their size and other cir- 
cumstances, and not at a uniform 
level. Remember that in looking at 
a picture the eye falls, not at the ex- 
act center, but at a point about in- 
termediate between the center and 
the top of the picture, or at about 
one third of its depth from the top. 
Hence, if a picture is hung so that 
the line of sight of a person of aver- 
age height when standing falls on 
this point, it is displayed to the best 
advantage. 



HOUSE FURNISHING AND DECORATING 



53 



Do not hang a picture in direct 
light, as exactly opposite a sunny 
window. When possible, a picture 
should be located with reference to 
windows and other openings so that 
it will be lighted as the artist in- 
tended; that is, the shadows in the 
picture should appear to be cast by 
the light that falls upon it. 

Suspend large and heavy pictures 
from a picture molding which may 
be as near to the ceiling as possible 




On a Level toith the Eyes." 

to give a low room the eifect of 
greater height, or lower it from the 
ceiling to give a high room a broader 
effect. Use as little picture wire as 
may be. Two wires and hooks, one 
near either end of a large picture, 
rather than a single hook with wire 
running from it diagonally in either 
direction, are to be preferred. Sus- 
pend small pictures preferably from 
small hooks or tacks driven into the 
wall behind the picture itself, and by 
means of rings or screw eyes in the 
back of the frame, all of which will 
be concealed from sight when the 
picture is hung. That is, have as 
little picture wire visible as possible. 
Ordinary woven picture wire is now 



inexpensive and can be used again 
and again. It not only looks better 
but is safer than cord. Ordinary 
"silver" wire is suitable for most pur- 
poses. It can be touched up with 
a little bronze paint to hang gilt 
frames, or wlien it becomes tarnished. 
Picture hooks of brass may be painted 
white or otherwise, to conform to the 
color of the picture molding and thus 
be less conspicuous. 

In order to get the most effective 
arrangement, when in doubt where to 
hang pictures, do the experimental 
grouping on the floor. Thus the pic- 
tures may be shifted about until the 
most tasteful way is found. This 
saves many trips up and down the 
stepladder. When taking down pic- 
tures from the molding, make a dot 
with a pencil point on the wall back 
of the molding, where it will not show, 
exactly where the hook was hung, or 
leave the hook in place so that the 
picture when cleaned may be re- 
turned to its place without the neces- 
sity of measuring again. But if the 
wall coverings are of material that 
shows the effect of fading, as do 
most solid colors, especially greens 
and browns in ingrain papers, burlap, 
and the like, change the position of 
the pictures occasionally. Otherwise 
the wall covering behind the picture 
will not fade, and when for any rea- 
son a change becomes necessary the 
outlines will be unsightly. 

Mats for Pictures. — Use common 
ingrain or moire wall papers of 
various colors in place of mats or 
picture mounts. It is cheaper and 
equally effective. Mount the pictures 
on the mats as photographs are 
mounted. 

Magazine Covers. — The cover de- 
signs and full-page illustrations of 
several of the leading monthlj' and 
other periodicals are reproductions of 
the best works of prominent artists 
and illustrators. These are freely 
used in many homes to decorate the 
walls of libraries, dens, and some- 
times living rooms, either framed or 
bound in passepartout binding or 
merely neatly trimmed with a straight- 



54 



HOUSEHOLD. DISCOVERIES 



edge, and attached to the ' wall by 
means of brass-headed tacks or thumb 
tacks. A series of cover designs of 
one or more periodicals makes a very 
interesting and attractive frieze for 
the den or library. 

SLEEPING ROOMS 

The objects and nature of sleep 
should be understood as a basis for 
the intelligent furnishing and care of 
the bed and bedroom. Perhaps no 
other subject in connection with the 
household is more important or less 
understood. Where more than one 
person occupies a sleeping room each 
individual should have a separate bed, 
even if the requirements of space or 
other conditions make it necessary for 
two or more beds to stand side by 
side. It is especially important that 
children, after a very early age, 
should have separate cradles or cribs 
provided for them and be taught to 
occupy them. The reason for this 
custom is that individuals vary greatly 
in the amount of heat required to 
keep the body in a normal condition 
during sleep. Children require less 
covering than grown persons, and 
aged persons require much more cov- 
ering tKan those in middle life. Sep- 
arate beds admit of each individual 
adjusting the covering to his own re- 
quirements. Again, while the bodily 
sensations are dormant during sleep, 
they are not absent, or else a person 
could not be awakened. The body is 
still sensitive to outer impressions. 
Hence the motions of another sleeper 
or the changes in temperature pro- 
duced by the addition or removal of 
coverings to accommodate a bedfel- 
low may awaken a sleeper who by his 
restless motions will keep his com- 
panion awake, and no sound sleep 
may be enjoyed by either person. 
Fortunately, the invention of cast-iron 
and other cheap metallic bedsteads 
that may be obtained in half and 
three-quarter sizes makes it possible 
for many families to afFord separate 
beds, a luxury which would formerly 
have been denied them. 



The introduction of iron and brass 
bedsteads in many homes on sanitary 
and hygienic grounds, and the con- 
sequent discarding of old-fashioned 
wooden bedsteads that are heavy, dif- 
ficult to clean, and that by collecting 
dust and furnishing harboring places 
for vermin are constantly contribut- 
ing to the labor of the housekeeper, 
gives an opportunity to introduce this 




"The Introduction of Iron and, Brass 
Beds." 

cleanly, healthful, and agreeable cus- 
tom. Moreover, single or half beds 
can be readily moved from one room 
to another and from place to place, 
and are easier to care for. 

Ventilation of Bedrooms. — The ef- 
fect of entire lack of ventilation is 
illustrated by the celebrated case of 
the "Black Hole of Calcutta." About 
150 Europeans taken at the capture 
of Fort Williams in Calcutta in 1756 
were confined in a dungeon about 
twenty feet square, haviftg two small 
windows. The following morning only 
twenty-three remained alive. In a 
similar case, on the steamer London- 
derry, 150 passengers were confined 
in a small cabin for a number of 
hours. Of these, seventy died from 
constantly rebreathing the air con- 
taminated in the lungs and by various 
exhalations of the human bodJ^ In 
breathing (and also in the combustion 
of fuel, as wood or coal, or of oil or 
gas for illumination), a part of the 
oxygen of the air which is necessary 
for human life is converted into car- 
bonic-acid gas. The atmosphere con- 
sists of about 78 per cent of nitrogen, 
20.96 per cent of oxygen, 1 per cent of 



HOUSE FURNISHING AND DECORATING 



55 



argon, and .04 per cent of carbonic- 
acid gas mixed together. Each breath 
converts about one fourth of the 
available oxygen in the air into car- 
bonic-acid gas; hence in an air-tight 
space death from suffocation would 
very quickly ensue. 

Ordinary dwellings are, of course, 
by no means air-tight, and are par- 
tially ventilated through the narrow 
openings about window frames, by 
the occasional opening of doors, and 
through various cracks and crevices. 
But these sources are not sufficient to 
supply the volume of pure air required 
for human breathing. Rooms occu- 
pied by a number of persons are al- 
most invariably so close that a great 
deal of air is necessarily breathed 
again and again. The results upon 
bodily health are in their nature the 
same as those which produce death by 
suffocation. Only the exhaustion is 
more gradual and extends over a lon- 
ger period of time. 

The effects of insufficient ventilation 
are perhaps less during our waking 
hours than during sleep. Most per- 
sons move about a good deal during 
the day and are in and out of doors. 
Moreover, the lungs are active, and if 
the air is impure, they may make up 
the deficiency by more frequent respi- 
ration. When a person is conscious, 
the discomfort of close air, resulting 
in headaches and a sense of incipient 
suffocation, affords warning that it is 
time to change the air in the room or 
take a walk outside. But a sleeper is 
usually unconscious of any warning 
sensations. The respiration is slower, 
and there is nothing to check the evil 
effects of breathing again and again 
the air that has been robbed of its 
oxygen. The result is the impairment 
of all the vital processes that normally 
make up during sleep for the daily 
wastes of the body. Hence sleeping 
in poorly ventilated rooms leads im- 
mediately to headaches, a sense of 
having rested badly, with exhaustion 
and fatigue, and eventually to such 
wasting diseases as consumption, ca- 
tarrh, and other affections of the head, 
throat, and lungs. 



The Fresh-air Cure. — It is now well 
known that consumption, the most 
wasting and fatal of all human dis- 
eases, can be cured in many cases by 
simply breathing pure air out of doors, 
both day and night. Modern sani- 
tariums have sleeping porches of can- 
vas or tents in which patients sleep 
out of doors, even in cold climates in 
winter, the body being protected by 
suitable covering. The contrast be- 
tween slow suffocation from lack of 
ventilation and the cure of consump- 
tion by breathing pure air both day 
and night should impress upon every- 
one the absolute necessity of thor- 
ough ventilation, especially in sleeping 
apartments. 

When to Ventilate. — It is a sure 
indication that, when the air in a room 
seems close and has a musty odor to 
a person coming in from outdoors, it 
is so impure as to be injurious to 
health. If, after stepping into the 
open air in the morning and taking a 
few deep breaths, «^ne returns to a 
sleeping room and finds the air insuf- 
ferably close, the room has not been 
sufficiently ventilated during the night, 
and evil consequences are sure to 
follow. 

Or place a shallow glass dish con- 
taining lime water in a room to de- 
termine the presence of carbonic-acid 
gas. If there is much of this sub- 
stance present the water will quickly 
become cloudy. 

Or, to test for marsh gas, sewer gas, 
and the like containing sulphureted 
hydrogen, expose to the air moist car- 
bonate of lead, which will turn black 
if this substance is present. 

Night Air. — There is a superstition 
prevalent in many parts of the country 
that night air is injurious. There may 
be some ground for this belief where 
the Anopheles mosquito is abroad in 
malarial districts, or the vicinity of 
swamps wherever a mist may arise at 
night and spread contamination. But 
in most localities this notion is en- 
tirely groundless and misleading. If 
we do not breathe night air at night, 
pray what shall we breathe? Either it 
is necessary to breathe over and over 



56 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



the air that has been in the sleeping 
room all daj% or else to admit fresh air 
from outdoors, and whatever the dan- 
ger in breathing night air, it is certain- 
ly less immediate than quick or slow 
suffocation from lack of ventilation. 

To Ventilate Bedrooms. — The prob- 
lem of ventilation is twofold: first, to 
let in the pure air; second, to let out 
that which is impure. There should 
be windows on two sides of the bed- 
room, and also, if possible, a fireplace 
for ventilation. The bed should be 
located so that the air will circulate 
freely around and beneath it without 
a draught. If possible, the door when 
open should screen the bed, or a screen 
should be interposed when necessary 
between the bed and the open door or 
window. 

The simplest means of ventilation is 
to lower the upper sash of a window 
for several inches and raise the lower 
sash either of the same window or of 
one on the opposite side of the room. 
If there is an open fireplace in the 
room, it will remove the impure air 
by creating a draught and causing 
suction. 

Or lower the, upper sashes of two 
windows opposite one another. 

Or open the bedroom door and ad- 
mit the fresh air to an adjacent room 
or hall by means of two or more win- 
dows in such a way that a draught 
passing near the bedroom door will 
create suction and draw the impure 
air out of it. The direction of these 
air currents may be determined by 
holding a lighted match or candle in 
them. 

Just before retiring open all the 
windows and change the air in the 
room. 

To Prevent Draughts. — To prevent 
a direct current of air crossing the 
bed on raising a window sash, take a 
piece of any firm, tightly woven cloth, 
as duck or light canvas or strong flan- 
nel goods, the width of the windov/ 
and about eighteen inches deep. Make 
a heading at top and bottom to admit 
sash-curtain rods. Adjust one rod at. 
the bottom of the window frame and 
the other about twelve or fourteeu 



inches higher up. Thus when the sash 
is lifted as high as the upper rod the 
entering current of air will cause the 
cloth to belly out into the room, and 
the current will be turned on both 
sides and driven along the wall. A 
current of air, like a current of watei, 




" The Air Will Follow Along the Wall." 

has a tendency to stick to any surface 
over which it flows; hence the air will 
follow along the wall, and even to 
some extent around the corners of the 
room, as can be seen by testing with 
the flame of a candle. 

Or either end of this cloth screen 
may be closed by means of a pin or 
buttonhole and button, and the entire 
current turned in the opposite direc- 
tion. Ordinary sash-curtain rods or 
even rollers such as are used for cur- 
tain shades or sticks used for the 
lower part of curtain shades may be 
ad j usted permanently for this purpose 
in sleeping rooms. 

Or the patent spring sash-curtain 
rods, that have a spring inside and 
rubber tips at the end to keep them 
adjusted, may be utilized to make one 
or more removable screens. These can 
be adjusted according to conditions 
from time to time on any windows in 
any part of the house. 

Or stretch a piece of cheese cloth 
over the opening and tack it fast. 



HOUSE FURNISHING AND DECORATING 



57 



Or tack cheese cloth on a small re- 
movable frame that will fit into the 
opening. 

Or put a sheet of finely perforated 
metal in place of one of the upper 
panes of glass in one of the windows. 

Or tack a strip of thin wood or stiff 
cardboard eight to twelve inches wide 
across the lower part of the window 
frame, an inch or two from the glass. 
When the sash is raised the current 
striking this obstruction is turned up- 
ward into the air and may, be thrown 
entirely over the bed, just as a cur- 
rent of water might be thrown from 
a hose. 

Or place a piece of board in the 
window casing below the bottom of 
the sash. When the window is closed 
down upon this board a space is left 
between the upper and lower sash 
which admits a current of air. 

Or place an ordinary fire screen or 
wooden frame covered with cloth or 
paper between the window and the 
bed, as is often done in hospitals. 

Or make a little curtain of sheeting 
to fit the head of the bed and tie at 
the four corners by means of tape. 

Any of these devices may be used 
to ventilate other than sleeping apart- 
ments. 

Sleeping Porch. — In the vicinity of 
the great sanitariums where sleeping 
out of doors has been proved to be a 
cure for consumption and other dis- 




' The Porch Should be Screened. 



eases, many persons have formed the 
habit of sleeping thus. Any porch 
somewhat excluded from view and in 
a sheltered location can be utilized. 
The porch should be screened and pro- 



vided with storm curtains of tent can- 
vas that can be drawn and buttoned 
like the curtains of a carriage. If 
the porch is used during the day a 
bunk or folding bed may be hinged 
to the wall on one side, with legs that 
will let down on the other. When 
folded up this may be concealed by a 
waterproof curtain. Or one of the so- 
called hammock beds may be suspend- 
ed by hooks from the ceiling. 

If suitable blankets are provided it is 
possible to sleep out of doors the year 
round in most parts of the United 
States, with the exception of a very 
few nights, and probably no practice 
would be more invigorating, healthful, 
or pleasurable, especially in the sum- 
mer months. 

Bedrooms. — Furnishings and decora- 
tions of bedrooms should conform to 
the object for which the room is in- 
tended. Simplicity should be the key- 
note. Wall coverings in geometrical 
designs or large-figured patterns of 
any sort and all bric-a-brac and use- 
less flounces and decorations should 
be avoided. The fewer objects not 
actually necessary in the room the bet- 
ter. Finish the woodwork in natural 
colors, oiled or stained, and preferably 
with oil paint or varnish. Tint the 
walls or hang them with &. colid col- 
ored or double-toned paper, or a sim- 
ple stripe. Hang at the windows light 
muslin or cheese-cloth curtains, either 
white or dyed to conform to the gen- 
eral color scheme. If the floors are 
smooth, oil and wax them, or stain 
or paint them with any of the lac 
paints or varnishes. Floors not smooth 
may be covered with either linoleum 
or matting as preferred. Avoid, as a 
rule, the use of carpets in bedrooms. 
A plain stained or painted wood floor 
with rugs is much easier to keep clean 
and is more sanitary. 

Beds. — Iron or brass beds fitted with 
woven wire or other suitable wire 
springs are to be preferred. The iron 
beds in white enamel harmonize well 
with birch and other light-colored 
woods and enameled furniture; and 
brass beds with mahogany, walnut, 
and other hard woods in darker col- 



58 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



m 



ors. The furniture should be of sim- 
ple design, without carving or un- 
necessary decoration. The mattress 
should be of hair or cotton felt, of 
good quality, and made in two parts, 
for convenience in turning and airing. 
The bed clothing should be light and 
warm, consisting of linen or cotton 
sheets, blankets, and a white spread. 

Beds and Bedding. — The ideal bed 
for health and comfort is of metal, 
either white enameled iron or brass, 
with a box spii'al shelf spring or 
woven wire spring having enough spi- 
ral springs through the middle so that 
it will not sag. Iron and brass beds 
are now so cheap that they are being 
rapidly substituted for wooden bed- 
steads in all parts of the country. In 
choosing enamel beds see that the 
brass fittings are of good quality and- 
well put on. The brass parts are the 
first to show wear, especially if they 
are loosely adjusted; and if they come 
ofl', the loss will spoil the appearance 
of the bed. 

Enameled beds may be renovated 
by going over them with white or 
black enamel paint; to make them 
look like brass use gilt enamel. Any 
of these can be washed with soap and 
water. Thus a metal bed can be easily 
kept in perfect sanitary condition, 
free from dust, dirt, or vermin. Hap- 
pily, the old-fashioned slat and cord 
bedsteads are rapidly becoming things 
of the past. 

Mattresses. — The bed should not be 
softer than is necessary for comfort, 
and the surface should be smooth and 
nearly level. Feather beds are advisa- 
ble for healthy adults only in ex- 
tremely cold weather or cold climates, 
and in unheated rooms. They may be 
used for children or the aged in ordi- 
nary temperatures, but they should 
rather be packed tightly in thin ticks 
than loosely in large masses. Mat- 
tresses with suitable springs and bed 
coverings are to be preferred in most 
cases. Tlie best material for mat- 
tresses is curled hair, although the 
much-advertised modern mattresses of 
felted cotton are also good and cheap- 
er. Mattresses of excelsior and husks 



with cotton tops and ticks filled with 
clean hay or straw, or even beach-tree 
and other leaves are still used in many 




" The Much Advertised Modern Mattress." 

parts of the country. Any of these 
are hygienic and comfortable, and are 
to be preferred for adults in good 
health to feather beds. 

The best material for pillows is 
curled hair, but if feathers are used 
the pillows should be tightly packed 
so that they will not allow the head- 
to sink into them. The use of thick 
pillows is inadvisable. The pillow 
should be of just about the right 
thickness to support the head in its 
natural position when lying on the 
side, or to allow it to incline slightly 
backward. 

Bed Springs. — The upholstered or 
box springs are the best. Make a 
cover of heavy unbleached drilling 
slightly larger than the springs, or 
cover them with a worn sheet or faded 
quilt. Fasten brass rings in the cor- 
ners of the cover and attach them to 
brass-headed tacks or nails driven into 
tlie under side of the spring. This 
prevents the cover from slipping, but 
makes it removable for dusting. Or 
with a darning needle and cord tack 
the cover neatly and firmly in place. 
This prevents the springs from stain-> 
ing the mattress with rust. 

Bed Covers. — As the muscles are 
entirely quiescent during sleep the 
body generates much less heat than in 
waking hoiirs. Hence tlie bedclothes 
should furnish greater warmth than 
the ordinary clothing. On the other 



HOUSE FURNISHING AND DECORATING 



59 



hand, the bed should not be warm 
enough to interfere with normal evap- 
oration or overheat the body so as to 
cause undue perspiration. 

Light bed covers of a suitable non- 
conducting material, as wool or eider- 
down, are much better than hea\y or 
numerous covers of cotton, as home- 
made quilts and comforters. Wool 
blankets are perhnps the best of all 
bed covers, and nothing else except a 
suitable coverlet for the purpose of 
decoration should be used if blankets 
can be afforded. Linen sheets are 
preferable to cotton for the reason 
that they are more absorbent. Hence 
they take up more readily the per- 
spiration of the body. For the same 
reason they are much cooler in sum- 
mer. They are more durable and it 
will be found a wise economy in the 
long run to purchase sheeting of un- 
bleached linen rather than of cotton 
material. 

Bedspreads. — Net, with lace inser- 
tion and edges, over an inexpensive 
lining of any color to match the other 
furnishings, makes an attractive bed- 
spread. 

Or dimity or dotted muslin may be 
used. 

Or an old pair of lace curtains may 
be utilized by sewing the scalloped 
edges together to form the middle of 
the spread, and lining with any suit- 
able colored fabric. 

Valances. — The use of a valance is 
much less customary than formerly, 
as it is nov/ thought more sanitary to 
allow the sunlight to penetrate to ad 
parts of the room and the air to cir- 
culate freely. But if a valance is used, 
it should not be fastened to the frame 
of the bed, but so adjusted as to be 
easily removable for the laundry. 
Hence, to make a valance, cut a sheet 
to the size of the top of the mattress; 
make the valance in four sections, one 
for each side and for the top and bot- 
tom of the bed, and just long enough, 
allowing for the hem, to reach from 
the bottom of the mattress to the 
floor. Baste these sections to the 
edge of the sheet like a ruffle. Do not 
join the top and bottom to the sides. 



but leave the corners open. Try this 
on to see that it fits exactly before 
stitching. When completed, spread 
the sheet over the springs, and put the 
mattress on over it, so that the val- 
ance will hang down on all sides like 
a ruffle. Thus the valance always stays 
in place, but can easily be removed 
for washing, and the old sheet to 
which it is attached serves to protect 
the mattress from the springs. Deli- 
cate Swiss or other light washable 
fabrics are more suitable for this pur- 
pose than cretonne or other heavy 
figured material. 

Use of Feather Beds. — Formerly 
feather beds were much-valued lux- 
uries, and the possession of a store 
of them was a matter of family pride. 
Happily, however, they are rapidly 
being replaced by mattresses, which, 
on account of improved methods of 
manufacture and the use of new ma- 
terial, are much better and cheaper 
than they were formerly. Feather 
beds are open to many objections. 
They are difficult to keep clean and 
they conform too closely to the shape 
of the body; hence they heat the body 
and do not admit of proper ventila- 
tion. Their use is always debilitating, 
and can only be justified by extreme 
cold weather, or for infants or very 
aged persons. 

Feathers for Beds and Pillows. — 
The best feathers for this purpose are 
live geese feathers or other feathers 
plucked from the live birds; but 
chicken, goose, or duck feathers may 
be preserved and used for beds or pil- 
lows by putting all the soft feathers 
together in a barrel as they are picked 
from the birds after scalding. Leave 
the barrel open to the sun and rain, 
simply covering it with an old screen 
to prevent the feathers from blowing 
about. 

Or purchase the feathers in quan- 
tity from the nearest poulterer and 
purify them yourself. Thus you can 
obtain plenty of feathers for pillows 
and feather beds at very little expense. 

Feather Pillows. — Feathers arc open 
to the same olijections when used in 
pillows as in feather beds. By con- 



60 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



forming to the sliape of the head 
they i^revent ventilation and tend to 
overheat the scalp. This wealvens it 
and may lead to premature baldness 
or other affliction. Curled hair should 
be substituted for feathers whenever 
possible. 

To Fill Feather Pillows. — To trans- 
fer feathers from an old feather bed 
to pillow ticks, or from one pillow 
tick to another, open a small part of 
the seam in the tick containing the 
feathers, draw over it the opening in 
the tick to be filled, and tack it to 
the full tick with basting thread, using 
large stitches. Feathers can then be 
shaken from one tick to the other 
without the white fluff getting about. 
Remove the basting threads and pin 
the openings together until you have 
time to stitch them firmly. This can 
be done in such a way as not to lose 
a single feather. 

To Make Pillow Cases. — Pillow slips 
and bolster cases usually give out first 
at the corners from being hung on 
the line with clothespins and from 
the impact of irons against the sewed 
ends. Hence, by leaving both ends of 
the case open, you can distribute the 
wear over it all and double its life. 
Such sases are also much easier to 
iron. Both ends may be trimmed with 
lace or insertion, and two or three 
buttons and buttonholes may be left 
at each end to button the pillow in. 
Pillows thus trimmed will not need 
pillow shams. 

To Protect Ticks.^ — To protect mat- 
tresses and pillow cases from becom- 
ing soiled make covers for them of 
unbleached cotton cloth or any suit- 
able washable material, cut the cloth 
to measurements of the mattress and 
pillows, and finish one side or end 
with buttons and buttonholes, so that 
the cover can be easily slipped off 
and cleaned when necessary. Or the 
mattress protector may be tied on 
with tape. Bed linen often falls short 
of covering the mattress completely 
while in use, hence the extra slip, is 
needed, especially to protect from 
the dust the under side of the mat- 
tress. These slips can be removed 



and laundered twice a year or oftener 
when housecleaning; the pillow covers 
may be removed oftener if desired. 
Ticking treated in this way will be 
fresh and clean at the end of a 
dozen years' hard usage, when other- 
wise it would be so worn and soiled 
as to be unfit for use. A dozen or 
two yards of cheap material will 
make cases for all the ticks in an 
ordinary household. 

Or old sheets, jjillow cases, or 
wornout garments may be utilized for 
this puri^ose. Cloth flour sacks make 
excellent jjillow covers. Of course, 
the usual bed linen will be needed in 
addition to these. 

Mattress Top. — A soft top for a 
husk or excelsior mattress may be 
made of old cotton or woolen blankets 
.that have outworn their original use. 
Place between the blankets several 
thicknesses of cotton batting and tie 
the same as for comforters. 

Sheets. — Linen is, of course, the 
best material for sheeting, for com- 
fort, appearance, and durability, but 
cotton sheeting is more commonly 
used, because it is less expensive. 
Buy unbleached linen or cotton 
for sheets and pillow slips, as 
it is not only less expensive, 
but much more durable and can 
be easily bleached when being laun- 
dered. 

To Make Sheets. — When making 
sheets, tear off one length, pin the 
first end of this length to the sheet 
and measure off the next. Then sew 
up as you have pinned. Thus the 
threads run the same way and the 
sheets will never pucker in the middle 
when washed. 

Look over sheets before they go 
to the laundry and mend any tears at 
once. Sheets usually wear first and 
split in the middle. When this hap- 
pens tear them down the middle, sew 
together the outer selvage edges to 
make the middle of new sheets, and 
hem the torn sides. This should be 
done as soon as tlie sheets begin to 
wear thin, without waiting for them 
to tear. It will double the life of the 
sheet. 



HOUSE FURNISHING AND DECORATING 



61 



Bathroom. — "When possible, cover 
the floor of the bathroom with tile, 
cement, or other washable material, 
but linoleum is a good substitute for 
these. Or use cork carpet, which is 
warm to the feet and is washable and 
desirable, although it spots easily. 

Hang the walls with waterproof 
paper. Or tint the walls with a 
natural cement that has no glue and 
does not require a glue size. 

THE DINING ROOM 

Besides the regular dining-room 
furniture, tables, chairs, sideboard, 
and serving table, the addition of a 
plate rail or rack for plates, pitchers, 
and other decorative china objects, 
and of a china cabinet with glass 
doors for displaying the best china, 
help to give a room character and 
beauty. The effect of these articles 
will be very much heightened if the 
wall coverings are in solid or double- 
toned colors, and, as in other living 
rooms, hard-wood floors or floor cov- 
erings in solid colors, with a large rug 
or drugget coming within a few feet 
of the wall all around, make perhaps 
the most effective treatment. The 
color scheme of the dining room 
should preferably be in cheerful tones, 
as blues, yellows, or reds, according 
to the amount of light the room re- 
ceives. 

China Closet. — The china cabinet is 
a useful and beautiful article of fur- 
niture, but in the absence of such a 
cabinet any ordinary closet opening 
into a dining room may be utilized 
as a china closet by removing the 
door and replacing it with a decora- 
tive door with diamond panes of 
glass, and lining the interior with 
denim to correspond in color with the 
furnishings of the room. 

Or the door may be removed and 
replaced by a suitable drapery hang- 
ing from a rod, and drawn aside when 
the dining room is in use. Screw 
hooks on the inside of the shelves of 
the china cabinet or closet from which 
to hang cups to display them, save 
space, and prevent breakage. Tack a 



narrow strip of board two or three 
inches from the back of each shelf, 
as a rim to hold up the plates. Or 
23ut in a row of brass tacks standing 
an eighth of an inch above the shelf 
for this purpose. 

Table Pad. — A pad of table felt 
sold for the purpose should be laid 
over the dining-room table, both to 
protect the polish and to save the 
linen tablecloth. But an old blanket 
or thick cotton flannel may be used 
for this purpose, or clean carpet lin- 
ing can be utilized by covering it with 
white muslin smoothly pasted on. 
This will last for months and can be 
readily replaced. 

To Store Table Leaves. — Fasten un- 
der the lower shelf of the pantry the 
frame in which the extra boards of 
the extension dining table come, and 
slide the boards in. Thus they take 
up no extra space and are always at 
hand. 

China. — Select a stock pattern when 
buying china, and preferably a stand- 
ard design of some sort, as the well- 
known willow or onion design, or 
some other that can be readily re- 
placed as pieces are broken. When 
possible it is, of course, a good plan 
to have two sets of china, one for 
best, to be displayed in the china 
cabinet and only used upon special 
occasions, and another for ordinarj'' 
wear, which may be less delicate and 
expensive. 

THE KITCHEN, STOREROOM, AND 
PANTRY 

The kitchen, as the workshop of the 
house, is the room in which many 
housekeepers spend most of their 
waking hours. Hence it should be 
perhaps the lightest, airiest, and 
most cheerful room in the house. It 
is safe to say that much more atten- 
tion might well be given to the matter 
of kitchen conveniences than they 
usually receive. There are very few 
housekeepers indeed who could not, 
by intelligent forethought in plan- 
ning and arranging the contents of 
the kitchen, pantry and storeroom, 



62 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



save themselves daily miles of useless 
traveling to and fro. 

Color for Kitchen. — Try to make 
the kitchen a room in harmonizing 
tints by painting or tinting the walls 
in light greens and the floor in dark 
green. Or a clear, light yellow is a 
good color for the kitchen walls, with 
the floor in brown. Or, if the room 
has a southern or western exposure, 
gray walls, vidth the floor in drab or 
slate color, will give a cooler effect. 

Kitchen Walls. — Kitchen walls 
should be covered with washable ma- 
terials; hence ordinary wall paper 




TT 



/\ /\/\>x/ 



" The Cracks May be FillecL*^ 

and calcimine are less suitable in tlie 
kitchen than in other parts of the 
house. If the walls are new and 
smooth, tint them in waterproof ce- 
ment or paint them with water colors 
and coat with soluble glass. Both 
these processes are inexpensive. 

Or washable paper is excellent. It 
can be washed and kept perfectly 
clean, and does not absorb grease or 
moisture. 

Or paint the walls with common oil 



paint of good quality and finish with 
a coat of enamel paint or soluble 
glass, so that they can be mopped the 
same as the floor. For this purpose 
fit a large sponge into a mop handle. 
But paint is not as easy to wash down 
as washable paper or oilcloth, hence, 
where the walls are in good condition, 
the latter is preferable. 

Kitchen Floor. — A tight, smooth 
floor of unpainted wood, hard enough 
not to splinter and to admit of being 
scrubbed, is perhaps the best floor for 
a kitchen. But if the floor is of soft 
wood, or is uneven and has unsightly 
cracks in it, the cracks may be filled 
and the floor painted with oil paints, 
and varnish or " lac " paints contain- 
ing varnish may be used. 

Or the floor may be covered with 
linoleum, which is perhaps, all things 
"considered, the most satisfactory floor 
covering. Before laying the linoleum 
on a rough floor, cover the floor with 
a layer of sand, or sawdust, or old 
newspapers, to prevent its being worn 
by the cracks, and give the linoleum 
a coat of paint and varnish three or 
four times a year. When thus treated 
it is practically indestructible. 

Or oilcloth may be substituted for 
linoleum and cared for in the same 
fashion. This is inexpensive, and with 
proper care will last a long time. 

Kitchen Sinks. — The sink may be of 
iron or other metal, with or without 
enamel, or of stone, or even of wood 
lined with lead, tin, or zinc. But it 
should stand on four legs, and all the 
waste pipe should be exposed to sun 
and air. Take away all woodwork 
from about the sink, and paint the 
pipes and under part the same color 
as the walls and woodwork. 

If the air is admitted freely to all 
parts, no moisture can accumulate to 
cause the decay of organic matter 
which produces diphtheria, typhoid 
and other fevers. Physicians say that 
when these diseases occur in any 
household, the first thing they look at 
is the sink and the arrangements for 
drainage about the kitchen door. Each 
day rinse the dishpan with boiling 
water in which dissolve a tablespoon- 



HOUSE FURNISHING AND DECORATING 



63 



ful or more of washing soda or aqua 
ammonia, and pour it dov/n the spout 
boiling hot. Once a week flush the 
pipes by filling the sink with boiling 
water, in which dissolve a teacup ful 
of chloride of lime. Use a quantity 
of water great enough so that it will 
run through the pipes with force. 
This is the best disinfectant, is cheap, 
and just as good as any patent 
preparation. 

Have the drainage carried to a suf- 
ficient distance from the house into a 
covered cesspool, whence it will leach 
off into the soil, and see that it does 
not leach into the well. Never throw 
dishwater from the kitchen door. 
Have a receptacle for all garbage, 
and feed it regularly to the chickens, 
or, if no fowls are kept, see that it is 
burned, buried, or at least removed to 
a distance from the house. Scald the 
garbage receptacle with a solution of 
chloride of lime — half a teacupful to 
a quart of water — twice a week. 

Kitchen Table. — A bench or table, 
homemade if necessary, at the left of 




"Homemade if Necessary." 

the kitchen sink and as large as the 
room will admit, is indispensable to 
saving steps in the kitchen. Have this 



overlap the edge of the sink and cover 
with zinc, which will not rust. Turn 
up the zinc over a molding around the 
sides of the table, except at the end 
over the sink, so that water will drain 
back from it into the latter. Carry 
the zinc, if possible, eighteen inches 
or two feet up the kitchen wall be- 
hind the table and the sink. This is 
lasting, easily kept clean, and is not 
injured by hot pans or kettles. If 
scrubbed clean it can be used as a 
molding board. Particles of dough 
which adhere to it can easily be 
scraped off with a knife. Zinc that 
has done duty under a stove may be 
used for a kitchen table. Cut a V 
out of the corners, lap over the edges, 
and nail closely with long, sharp steel 
tacks. 

Or cover the kitchen table with oil- 
cloth. This will last a long time if 
the table is padded with sheet wad- 
ding or several thicknesses of news- 
paper covered with an old sheet. 
Draw the padding smooth and tack 
it under the edge of the table. 

Kitchen Rack for Utensils. — Cover 
the wall back of the kitchen table and 
sink with zinc or oilcloth about two 
feet in height, tacking a strip of inch- 
thick pine or other soft wood about 
three inches wide along the top. Along 
the middle of this fasten a narrow 
strip of leather or a strip of doubled 
oilcloth, with tacks at intervals of one 
and a half or two inches, making 
loops through which cooking spoons, 
knives, forks, can openers, etc., may 
be thrust. Thus these articles are 
always in sight and ready for use. 
Above put up a number of six- or 
eight-inch shelves to any desired height 
to hold breakfast foods, coffee, salt, 
pepper and other spices, glass jars or 
tin cans containing nuts, rice, beans, 
sugar, and various dry groceries. On 
the upper shelves can be stored soap, 
canned goods, and the like. Insert 
hooks on the under side of the lower 
shelf to hold measuring cups, tin pails, 
or anything that can be hung up out 
of the way. Cover the shelves with 
oilcloth so that they can be kept clean. 
Hang from the cleat against the wall 



64 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



a board of any desired size, say 16 by 
24, which may be of weathered oak 
or any hard-wood stuff cleated to pre- 
vent warping. In this screw small 
brass hooks on which to hang the 
strainer, baking spoon, egg whip, 
roasting fork, meat cleaver, bread 
toaster, etc. These shelves and the 
rack save thousands of steps to the 
pantry and take the place of a costly 
kitchen cabinet. 

Blotters in the Kitchen. — Obtain a 
supply of ordinary desk blotters and 
have a place for them on the rack 
above the kitchen table. If fruit juice 
or grease spatters or spills on cloth- 
ing or table linen apply the edge or 
corner of a clean blotter, and most of 
the liquid will be taken up. 

Or, if gi-ease is spilled on the floor, 
a blotter will take it up quickly while 
warm and save the labor of removing - 
a grease spot that has soaked into the 
boards. 

Tin Hack. — Hang near the range a 
plate rack, which may be homemade, 
or fasten a cleat against the wall for 
tin lids, kettle covers, pie tins, and 
the like. Thus these are always dry 
and convenient. 

Pantry Shelves. — Paint the pantry 
shelves white, or cover them with a 
coat t- of white enamel. Wash the 
shelves with cold water as soon as 
the enamel dries, and it will harden 
quickly. Such shelves will not require 
oilcloth or paper, can be easily wiped 
off with a damp cloth, and always 
show M^hen perfectly clean. 

Or cover the shelves with white oil- 
cloth. Cut the oilcloth to exactly fit 
the shelf, turn down over the edge, 
and paste on. While somewhat ex- 
pensive, this lasts for years, cleans 
easily, and always looks well. 

Or use ordinary building paper, 
which is better than newspaper and 
by the roll is very cheap. It can be 
wiped off with a damp cloth almost 
as easily as paint. 

Or use washable paper, the same as 
kitchen walls are hung v/ith, pasting 
it to the shelves. 

Or, if newspapers are used, fold a 
whole newspaper the longest way of 



the full sheets and place the fold in 
the front of the shelf. Then when 
cleaning the pantry it is only neces- 
sary to slip a paper cutter in the fold 
of the outer sheet, cut it clear across, 
and take off the soiled upper part. 

Tack a narrow strip of wood (any 
left-over pieces of picture molding 
will do) along the back of the pantry 
shelves, about three inches from the 
wall. To save space, stand platters 
and large plates with their edges rest- 
ing against this. 

Run a one-inch strip of wood against 
the wall, held away from it by wooden 
brackets; in this put kettle lids and 
covers of all sizes. 

Screw suitable hooks on the under 
side of the shelves for dishes having 
handles, as pitchers, cups, and the like. 

Dampness in Closets. — Place a bowl 
of quicklime in a damp pantry, cup- 
board, or closet. This not only re- 
moves dampness, but kills all odors. 

Range Shelves. — Have near the 
range a shelf to hold the many things 
needed in cooking, as pepper, salt, 
and other seasonings, flavorings, and 
the like, to save steps to the pantry 
or to the shelves over the kitchen 
table. Have another shelf covered 
with zinc on which to put down hot 
kettles and articles taken fresh from 
the baking oven. 




"Mounted on Large Casters, 



Rolling Table. — Have made at home 
or by a carpenter a small, strong table 
about 3 feet or i?^ by 3 feet, mounted 



HOUSE FURNISHING AND DECORATING 



65 



on large casters or small wheels, which 
can be bought at small expense at a 
hardware store. Have a shelf part 
way down in addition to the top. 
When clearing or setting the dining- 
room table load this serving table and 
draw it to and from the kitchen. 
Thus one trip will do for all. 

Kitchen Slate. — Try making a pro- 
gramme each morning of the things 
to be done through the day. Or jot 
down from time to time those that 
must be done at the first opportunity. 
You will be surprised to find how 
quickly these things will be disposed 
of. When cooking or preparing com- 
pany dinner, make a list of the arti- 
cles to be prepared, and glance at it 
occasionally. 

Homemade Receipt Book. — Have at 
hand a blank book in which to paste 
or copy valuable recipes. Cover this 
with white oilcloth neatly pasted on. 
Have a special part of this book or a 
separate book for menus. This will 
help to solve the problem of what to 
have for dinner. 

Kitchen Lounge. — Remove the old 
sofa to the kitchen, and put in its 
place a modern couch with an artistic 
couch cover. 

Or make a homemade lounge out of 
a long packing box or tack together 
two of the right height. Put on a 
cover with hinges. Line with wall 
paper or building paper. Make a 
suitable mattress which may be stuffed 
with straw, husks, or any convenient 
material, and cover with any suitable 
material as cretonne, baize, or calico. 
Or use washable material, as red-and- 
white bed ticking. The mattress may 
be adjusted so that the lid can be 
lifted and the inside used as a re- 
ceptacle for various purposes. While 
waiting for the kettle to boil, for 
bread to rise, and the like, drop down 
on the kitchen lounge and rest. It is 
just such little economies of strength 
that in the long run save time and 
preserve health. 

SMALL ECONOMIES 

The reason many things are wasted 
in every household is that the family 



has not formed the habit of making 
uses for them. The following ways to 
use string, paper bags, wrapping pa- 
per and newspapers, lard pails, and 
various cans and bottles that come 
into the house every day from the 
grocers and other merchants, will be 
found not. only useful small econo- 
mies but also valuable household con- 
veniences. 

Uses of Common Twine. — Save all 
bits of string or twine, and teach the 
children to sort them and knot the 
different sizes together. Roll the com- 
mon white twine up into a ball, drop 
it inside a box, with the end protrud- 
ing through a hole in the lid. Or use 
the accumulated twine to knit or cro- 
chet dishcloths eight to twelve inches 
square. Bath slippers can also be 
made of it. 

Wind coarse twine on a roller or 
fishline reel and hang it up on the 
back of the pantry door. 

Paper Bags. — These are not only 
convenient to wrap up articles, but 
are especially useful to polish stoves 
and lamp chimnej'^s, to wipe up milk, 
grease, or what not, as they can be 
quickly disposed of by burning when 
soiled. 

Tissue Paper. — This is useful for 
polishing glass, wrapping up laces, 
ribbons, and other delicate articles. 

Oiled Papers. — Oiled papers that 
corr.e over butter and lard may be 
used for papering cake tins. The 
waxed papers that come on the inside 
of cracker or biscuit boxes are useful 
to wrap up cheese and other articles 
which will deteriorate if exposed to 
the air, also for wrapping lunches, for 
school and factory lunch pails, and 
picnics. 

Wrapping Paper. — This may be used 
to slice bread and cake upon, roll 
crackers, pare apples or potatoes, and 
dress chickens on, after which it may 
be rolled up and dropped into the 
garbage pail. 

Or it may be spread over the gar- 
bage pail and all garbage ])laced on 
it to save trouble in cleaning. 

Flour Bags. — Large paper flour 
bags are useful for bleaching gloves 



GQ 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



and other small articles with the 
fumes 01 sulphur, and dry cleaning 
with magnesia, corn meal, and similar 
substances. The cloth sacks may be 
used for dish towels and dishcloths. 

When emptying flour sacks, a small 
amount of flour will adhere to the 
sack. Turn the sack inside out, lay it 
over the molding board, and knead 
the bread upon it. This will cleanse 
it eifectually. 

Newspapers. — Spread clean news- 
papers under the carpet, especially if 
the floor is rough. They make a 
smooth surface, prevent wear, and 
also check draughts through the floor 
cracks. Also use them for polishing 
windows, mirrors, lamp chimneys, 
stove tops, and nickel. 

Spread a newspaper before the stove 
when taking up ashes. Light news- 
paper in the open grate when taking. 
up ashes, or shaking down a grate 
fire. The resulting draught will carry 
the dust up the chimney. 

Cover plants on frosty nights with 
newspapers, or if indoors, put them 
between the plants and the windows. 
Fold a newspaper across the chest 
and attach with safety pins under the 
cloak or coat when exposed for a long 
time in cold winds, as in sleigh- 
ridipg. 

Also use newspapers for wrappin?^ 
furs, velvets, and other articles when 
storing them to protect them from 
moths. 

Tin Cans. — Lard, kerosene, and 
other oils are sold in various parts of 
the country in five-gallon cans. These 
can be obtained from the grocer for 
a small sum and make excellent boil- 
ers to wash out small articles too 
dainty for the regular wash. They 
can also be used with a small wash- 
board as tubs. 

Or they may be used as flour bins, 
bread or cake boxes, and the like. 

Or, by removing the top and making 
holes at each side and attaching short 
pieces of copper wire with a broom 
handle between, convenient ])ails may 
be made out of them. These pails 
may be made of any desired depth by 
cutting off the can with a cold chisel 



and hammer and turning back the 
sharp edges. 

Such cans are also convenient to salt 
down pickles, steam fruit, etc. 

Lard Pails. — These may be used for 
storing sugar, coffee, cereals, anc rice. 
Or for potting plants, especially as 
hanging baskets. They are also use- 
ful both in five- and ten-jDound sizes 
for steaming brown bread and Indian 
puddings. A five-pound lard pail 
placed inside a ten-pound pail, and 
slightly raised from the bottom of 
the latter by small stones or otherwise, 
forms a good substitute for a double 
boiler. 

Or an earthen j ar or common sauce- 
pan may be used for the outer recep- 
tacle, and rice, cracked wheat, oat- 
meal, prunes, etc., may be cooked 
without danger of burning. 

They are also useful for storing 
and carrying milk, butter, and eggs. 

Baking-powder and Cocoa Cans. — 
One of these cans, with a few nail 
holes in each end, is a good soap 
shaker. This will utilize all the scraps 
of soap. 

Or soak off the wrappers, paint 
these cans with any color of enameled 
paint, and label them with gilt or any 
other colored letters. Use these for 
all sorts of spices, which may be 
bought in bulk much cheaper than in 
cans. These cans are air-tight and will 
preserve the sti'ength of the contents. 

Or use for this purpose empty vase- 
line and cold-cream jars with screw 
tops. These being of glass, their con- 
tents can be seen at a glance, and no 
labeling is required. 

Cereal Boxes. — The stiff pasteboard 
boxes in which breakfast foods are 
sold may be labeled and set in a row 
on the pantrj^ shelf. When paper 
bags of dry groceries come from the 
grocer's, they may be dumped in the 
proper box, thus saving the time and 
trouble of opening first one sack and 
then another to find the right article. 
Use these for rice, beans, tapioca, corn 
meal, oatmeal, starch, salt, hominy, 
buckwheat, sugar, etc. 

Labels. — Everything should be la- 
beled for the convenience of every 



I 



HOUSE FURNISHING AND DECORATING 



67 



member of the family. Beat up the 
white of an egg and dilute with a pint 
of warm water. On ironing day ap- 
ply this both to the label and to the 
glass or tin, and afterwards run a hot 
iron over the surface to set it. Tack 
pasteboard tags on wooden boxes, and 
on bags containing pieces of cloth of 
all descriptions tie cloth labels. 

Kitchen Cabinet. — A good kitchen 
cabinet, with metal bins for flour, 
meal, and other substances that mice 
are fond of, is an investment which 
will save time and strength for the 




".d Good Kitchen Cabinet. 



housekeeper and will be a money 
saver in the long run. These bins 
should be removable, so that they can 
be regularly washed, scalded, and 
dried. 

To Order Groceries. — A child's school 
slate hung on a nail in the wall of a 
kitchen, with a slate pencil attached 
by a strong cord, will be found a 
great convenience in ordering gro- 
ceries. When any supplies run low, 
make a note on the slate of what is 
wanted. The whole family will soon 
get into the habit of making these 
memoranda, and many steps in run- 
ning errands will be saved. Also make 
an alphabetical list of groceries in a 
little indexed alphabetical memoran- 
dum book and hang this up on the 
same nail. When the grocer calls 



run over this list to refresh your 
iTiind. 

If the various dry groceries, as tapi- 
oca, rice, raisins, etc., are kept in glass 
jars, it will be easy to see what is 
wanted, and they will be protected 
from mice and insects. Fruit jars 
of various sizes are useful for this 
purpose. 

Or use a pad and pencil to keep 
memoranda of articles wanted. The 
paper can then be detached when go- 
ing to market and forms a convenient 
memorandum. 

Storeroom. — A cellar having a ce- 
ment floor and water-tight walls, if 
kept clean and sanitary, makes an 
ideal storeroom, but many houses do 
not have one. A small storeroom can be 
made in a corner of the cellar at much 
less cost than is commonly supposed, 
by putting up walls of concrete made 
of sand or gravel and cement. Rough 
boards may be knocked together with 
very little trouble to make a mold. 
The cellar walls, if they are tight and 
dry, will make two sides; or they can 
be faced with cement by building a 
board-retaining wall an inch or two 
from the siu'face of the cellar wall 
and pouring the cement back of it. 
The whole, including the floor, can 
thus be made solid concrete at a 
trifling cost. When furnished with a 
suitable door, this storeroom will be 
damp proof and free from dust, 
germs, and all other unsanitary pests. 
There should be a cellar window pro- 
tected on the outside by wire netting, 
and having on the inside a removable 
screen of cheese cloth to keep out the 
dust. 

Slat shelves painted with white 
paint and a coat of enamel may be 
built up in this storeroom in the same 
manner as book stacks in a library, 
i. e., back to back, with just enough 
room between them tor a person to 
walk. On these shelves preserves, 
pickles, canned goods, butter, eggs, 
and other groceries can be stored the 
year round in perfect safety. 

In a cellar thus equipped can be 
stored canned goods and other gro- 
ceries bought at wholesale when prices 



68 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



are low, thus saving in many cases 
25 per cent of the cost of such 
articles. 

Door Mat. — A great deal of mud is 
tracked in at the kitchen door. Make 
door mats of several thicknesses of 
old carpets, turning in the raw edges 
and sewing them together with carpet 
tacks. Attach stout loops to the cor- 
ners and fasten these over strong nails 
on the porch floor. These keep the 
mat in shape and place, and allow it 
to be readily removed and cleaned. 

Verandas. — One of the most notable 
changes that have come over American 




''Living Gut of Doors.' 



life hi recent years is the increase in 
the custom of living out of doors. 
The old-fashioned porch, formerly a 
mere rain shed over the doorstep, or 
small outer vestibule, is being gener- 
aily replaced by a wide structure ex- 



tending a considerable distance along 
one side of the house, if not entirely 
along two or more sides. The words 
" porch " or " piazza " are often im- 
properly applied to these improve- 
ments in place of the right name, 
" veranda," a word coming from India, 
which suggests a kind of living room 
out of doors. It is becoming more 
and more customary to furnish the 
veranda with suitable furniture that 
will not be harmed by exposure to the 
air, and use it in summer as a living 
room. 

Many verandas have regular win- 
dow casings fitted with removable 
hinged frames for glass and screens, 
and with ordinary roller shades, so as 
to admit, when desired, of all the 
privacy of an indoor apartment. By 
means of one or more suitable low 
tables, chairs, and other necessary ar- 
ticles, tea or lunch may be served on 
the veranda, sewing may be done, call- 
ers entertained, and social entertain- 
ments given. 

Suitable vines, as the clematis, Ma- 
deira vine, woodbine, or passion flower 
may be trained to run around the 
veranda and furnish grateful shade 
and privacy. A box couch in a shel- 
tered spot against the v/all will be 
found useftil as a receptacle for ham- 
mocks, old shoes, and various articles 
used about the lawn and grounds. It 
may be fitted with a suitable padlock, 
and chained or otherwise fasiened to 
the wails. 



CHAPTER II 

HEATING, LIGHTING, AND REFRIGERATION 

KINDS OF FUEL— HEATING SYSTEMS— CHIMNEYS AND FLUES— FIRE 
EXTINGUISHERS AND FIRE ESCAPES— FIREPROOFING AND 
WATERPROOFING — ARTIFICIAL ILLUMINATION — COAL GAS, 
GASOLINE GAS, AND ACETYLENE— KEROSENE OIL— ICE AND 
REFRIGERATION 



KINDS OF FUEL 

The principal kinds of fuel used in 
this country are anthracite or hard, 
and bituminous or soft, coal, coke, 
gas, petroleum or kerosene, and wood, 
either hard or soft. Peat or turf 
fuel is quite common in European 
countries, and some attempts have 
been made to introduce it in the 
United States in the form of 
"briquettes" and "eggettes," but thus 
far without much success. The cost 
of the various kinds of fuel naturally 
varies according to local conditions, 
but where all kinds are equally plenti- 
ful, wood is the most expensive. 
About eighteen cords of the best hard 
wood is required to heat the home 
of an average family for a year. At 
six dollars a cord this would cost 
nine dollars a month. Anthracite or 
hard coal is the next most expensive 
fuel; its first cost is higher and it 
is not an economical fuel to use, the 
estimated cost of heating an average 
home with hard coal being about 
seven dollars a month. The cheapest 
forms of fuel in common use are 
bituminous or soft coal and coke. 
Where plenty of coke is available it 
may be regarded as perhaps the 
cheapest fuel, its cost being estimated 
on an average of about five dollars 
a month in temperate latitudes. Bi- 
tuminous coal is, ton for ton, cheaper 
than coke, but as somewhat more is 



required for fuel, the cost may be 
regarded as practically the same. 
Gas is, perhaps, the ideal fuel. It is 
clean, convenient, and M'hen the price 
is not unduly advanced by monopolis- 
tic control, it is cheaper than any 
other fuel. Under present conditions 
it is usually somewhat more ex- 
pensive, although the extra cost is, 
perhaps, more than made up by in- 
creased convenience and efficiency. 

Coal as Fuel. — Coal in its natural 
state consists of solid carbon com- 
bined with various proportions of 
hydrocarbons (or compounds of car- 
bon with hydrogen, which may be 
driven off in the form of illuminating 
gas) and various impurities. Thus 
coal is really made up of two kinds of 
fuel: coke — which is jiractically all 
carbon — and ordinary illuminating 
gas. It is much more convenient and 
satisfactory to use coal in these two 
separate forms than in its natural 
state. Very little bituminous or soft 
coal is used for domestic purposes 
in most parts of the United States, 
notwithstanding its cheapness, be- 
cause of the dirt, dust, coal gas, and 
cinders consequent upon its use. 
Anthracite or hard coal is somewhat 
less troublesome, but its use is waste- 
ful because little more than the hydro- 
carbons driven off as gas is really 
consumed, the remainder being left in 
the form of cinders, which are usually 
thrown away. 



69 



70 



HOUSEHOLD DlSCOVERlEJs 



Sizes of Coal. — The large sizes of 
coal are the most wasteful, as the 
volatile gases are rarely all driven off 
and the heart of the large chunks is 
not usually consumed. The result is 
a residue of cinders and clinkers that 
choke up the grate and create a great 
deal of labor and discomfort. By the 
use of suitable grates and some care 
and attention, the smallest sizes of 
coal (which are also ton for ton much 
cheaper) may be utilized. 

Coal — Small Sizes to Use. — The 
smallest size of coal in ordinary use 
is known as " pea coal." This requires 
a special grate, but after a fire has 
been kindled in an ordinary grate, and 
a good bed of coals has been made, 
pea coal may be used if care is taken 
not to shake down all the ashes at 
once. There is a still smaller size 
known as " buckwheat coal," which is 
even cheaper than pea coal. This may 
be used in place of cinders to bank 
down the fires at night, the advantage 
being that when coke or larger coal is 
added to the fire next morning, the 
buckwheat coal will be entirely con- 
sumed, whereas a bank of cinders tends 
to deaden the fire during the day. 

Coke as Fuel. — Coke is produced in 
large quantities as a by-product of 
illuminating gas, and in the vicinity 
of gas plants in cities it is usually 
sold at low prices. Coke is cleaner 
than coal (whether hard or soft), 
easier to kindle, burns more freely, 
and leaves a much smaller residue of 
ash, with practically no cinders or 
clinkers. The principal objection to 
its use is, that unless care is taken it 
may produce too hot a fire. But this 
difficultj' may be overcome by bank- 
ing the fire after it is well kindled 
with buckwheat or pea coal. 

Gas as Fuel. — The advantages of 
gas as fuel are manifold, and its use, 
especially for cooking purposes, is be- 
ing rapidly extended. It is clean, 
convenient, and eificient, and will be 
the most economical fuel when proper 
arrangements are made for selling it 
to the public at a reasonable profit. 
It is probable that good gas can be 
manufactured and sold to the public 



in most localities in the neighborhood 
of fifty cents a thousand, and that 
under stress of competition new and 
approved appliances might be pro- 
duced that would decrease still fur- 
ther the cost of manufacture. Even 
at prices ranging from $1 to $1.50 
and upward per thousand, the use of 
gas, if proper care is observed, must 
be regarded as economical. 

HEATING SYSTEMS 

The principal systems of heating 
dwelling houses are the use of steam, 
hot water or hot air, generated by 
furnaces (located usually in a base- 
ment or cellar), and the use of closed 
coal, oil, or gas stoves, or of open 
grates, which may be placed in stoves 
or in fireplaces. Each of these sys- 
tems has its advantages and disad- 
vantages, but, disregarding the first 
cost, it is probable that, from the 
double standpoint of efficiency and 
economy, they may all be rated about 
as follows: First, steam; second, hot 
water; third, hot air; fourth, the 
open grate; fifth, the closed coal 
stove; sixth, closed oil stove; seventh, 
closed gas stove. 

Furnaces. — Fiu-naces vary greatly 
in the amount of coal that they con- 




"Most Notable is the Underfeed System." 

sume to produce a given temperature. 
At best only a small ^percentage of 



HEATING, LIGHTING, AND REFRIGERATION 71 



the actual heat value of the fuel is 
realized, and the future will doubtless 
witness great improvement in this di- 
rection. At present a number of new 
devices are on the market, of which 
one of the most notable is the under- 
feed system. This furnace is so con- 
structed that the fuel is deposited in 
a chamber below the fire box, where 
it is gradually warmed before being 
forced from below by means of a 
lever into the fire box. Thus the heat 
is saved which is wasted in other types 
of furnaces by raising fhe tempera- 
ture of cold fuel thrown directly upon 
the blaze, and less fuel is consumed 
to produce a given increase of tem- 
perature. There is also less imneccs- 
sary combustion. The difference may 
be illustrated by the burning of two 
candles, one right side up and the 
other upside down. The former coii- 



The saving in the use of these devices 
would far exceed the difference in the 
first cost, even if they were much 




"An Inevitable Waste." 

sumes no more fuel than is necessary; 
the latter produces an inevitable waste. 

Another device consists in a perfo- 
rated plate of metal, placed across 
the fire box so that the flame is broken 
up into a large number of small jets 
of burning gas. The plate also be- 
comes exceedingly hot and thus assists 
the combustion of the gases. 

Other important devices •'.re means 
to prevent heat from being wasted by 
radiation in the cellar or basement or 
by escaping up the chimney. The in- 
direct-draught furnace contains a de- 
vice which causes the heated products 
of combustion to circulate in such a 
way, before going up the chimney, as 
to heat every part of the furnace. 




Hot-water Radiation." 



more expensive than other types of 
heating apparatus, which is not neces- 
sarily the case. Hence, their univer- 
sal use is to be recommended. 

Steam and Hot-water Heating Sys- 
tems. — The first cost of installing a 
steam or hot-water system is consid- 
erable, and both require a good deal 
of care to produce satisfactory results. 
They also demand some provision for 
ventilation, which is an additional ex- 
pense. Both steam heat and hot wa- 
ter are difficult to adjust to sudden 
changes of temperature. In mild 
weather, steam heat is not economical, 
because the furnace must be kept hot 
enough to boil water in order to pro- 
duce any steam at all, and hot-water 
heat is inconvenient, since, if the 
weather becomes suddenly mild when 
the pipes are filled with hot water, the 
house will be too warm. On the other 
hand, if the water is allowed to cool 
and the temperature again changes, 
considerable time is required in either 
system to reheat the boiler. 

Thermostat. — The most satisfactory 
results with the steam and hot-water 
systems are obtained by the installa- 
tion of the thermostat, an instrument 
which can be adjusted at any given 
temperature, so that if the heat falls 
below this standard the furnace 
draught will be automatically opened; 
if it rises above, the furnace draught 
will be closed. Thus a imiform tem- 
perature can be maintained v/ith the 
least possible attention. 



72 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



The Ideal System. — Probably the 
ideal system of heating is the so-called 
vacuum steam system, by which a par- 
tial vacuum is formed in the steam 




"7/ the Heat Falls 



the Draught Opens." 



pipes. Thus, steam may be produced 
in the pipes at a temperature below 
213°. An attachment, known as the 
automatic vacuum valve, which pro- 
duces a similar effect, can be supplied 
to ordinary steam radiators. Prob- 
ably, then, an underfeed, indirect- 
draught furnace with a system of 
ventilation and a suitable thermostat, 
while somewhat expensive to install, 
would give the most perfect and sat- 
isfactory results. 

Hot-air Systems. — The advantages 
of the hot-air systein of heating, after 
the first cost of installation, are that 
it does not require a supplementary 
system of ventilation, can be easily 
cared for, and readily adjusted to 
changes in temperature. The disad- 
vantages oftenest complained of are 
the dust and gases that sometimes rise 
from the register, the difficulty caused 
by high winds blowing into the cold- 
air boxes, and dryness of the atmos- 
phere caused by delivering the heated 
air at too high a temperature. But 
these disadvantages may be overcome 



by proper construction and installa- 
tion. 

To Prevent Dust. — Dust may find 
its way either from above or from 
below into the stream of warm air 
that rises from the register. To pre- 
vent its rise from below, the outer 
opening of the cold-air box may be 
screened with cheese cloth or other 
thin fabric, and over the seams of the 
cold-air box and flues may be placed 
a metal protector with tightly soldered 
joints. Thus the gases and any foul 
air that may be in the cellar will be 
excluded from the draught, and the 
supply of air coming in from out of 
doors will be fresh and pure as well 
as warm. To prevent dust from en- 
tering the flue from above, the regis- 
ters should be closed while sweeping 
and should be removed each day after 
sweeping and dusted out of the win- 
dow; one or more thicknesses of cheese 
cloth or netting should be stretched 
under the register and across the flue 
so as to screen the current of air as 
it rises. Registers set in the wall 
naturally receive less dust from sweep- 
ing than floor registers do. They also 
give the warm air a somewhat better 
circulation. 

How to Hegulate Hot Air. — Hot 
air is a misnomer. Overheated air 
is detrimental to health and also in- 
jurious to woodwork and furniture. 
The term " warm air " is preferred by 
most authorities, and the best results 
are secured by having a relatively 
large furnace that, by delivering a 
large quantity of air at a moderate 
temperature, will heat the house com- 
fortably in the coldest weather. The 
air should not be delivered at a tem- 
perature greater than 120°, and under 
no circumstance should the fires be 
allowed to rage imtil the fire box is 
red hot. 

To Overcome Dryness. — The dry- 
ness of the atmosphere caused by the 
warm-air furnace may be overcome 
by keeping a supply of water in the 
receptacle usually furnished for that 
purpose inside the jacket of the fur- 
nace; or by hanging a small tin pail 
of galvanized iron from a hook below 



^ 



HEATING, LIGHTING, AND REFKIGERATIONi 73 



one or more of the registers in the 
room, so that the current of air there- 
from will receive a small amount of 
moisture. 

Hot Air — To Prevent Waste. — A 
great saving can be effected by casing 
the jacket of the furnace and the 
hot-air pipes with several thicknesses 
of asbestos paper to prevent direct 
radiation in the basement. Heat 
which would otherwise be wasted may 
also be utilized by the addition of a 
hot-water attachment. This combina- 
tion of the hot-air and hot-water sys- 
tems affords, perhaps, the greatest 




" The Same Flue Will Serve Two Registers." 

possible economy in fuel. The hot- 
water piping may be used in distrib- 
uting the heat to any parts of the 
house not equipped with the hot-air 
system. When possible, the hot-air 
flues should be so adjusted that the 
same flue will serve two or more reg- 
isters. Thus, by closing the register 
in the lower rooms, the heat can be 



diverted through the same flue to the 
upper part of the house, with the least 
possible number of pipes and waste 
of heat. 

The Franklin Stove. — The cele- 
brated device invented in 1783 by 
Benjamin Franklin, and called by him 
the " Pennsylvania fireplace," is still 
in some respects the most satisfactory 
contrivance in existence for heating 
individual rooms. Oddly enough, in 
modern stoves of this pattern a prin- 
cipal feature of Franklin's invention 
has been neglected. The Franklin 
stove had an air chamber behind the 
grate, communicating with tiie outer 
air through a pipe passing beneath 
the hearth; by this means a current of 
pure, warm air was admitted to the 
room for ventilation. If this device 
could be revived and widely adver- 
tised, there is no doubt that its supe- 
rior advantages would be generally 
recognized. The modern Franklin 
stove is similar to an ordinary closed 
stove except for its open hearth. It 
combines the cheerful open grate of 
a fireplace with economy of the heat 
lost in a fireplace by passing up the 
chimnej^ The Franklin stove can be 
connected by means of stovepipe with 
an ordinary flue. 

Closed Stoves. — Closed stoves burn- 
ing coal, oil, or gas as fuel are, of 
course, in very general use for heat- 
ing individual aj^artments. Of these, 
the coal stove has the very decided 
advantage that the products of com- 
bustion pass through the stovepipes 
into the chimney, whereas both gas 
and oil stoves vitiate the air with car- 
bonic-acid gas and other injurious 
substances. For this reason, gas logs 
and gas grates should not be used ex- 
cept immediately under a chimney 
flue, nor should small gas stoves or 
oil stoves be used in living rooms 
or bedchambers without abundant ven- 
tilation. 

Open Grates. — The old-fashioned 
open fireplace is the most cheerful 
and sanitary means of heating, and 
would be by all means to be preferred 
were it not that so much of the heat 
escapes up the chimney. It has been 



74 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



estimated that only 5 per cent of 
it is thrown into the room. A re- 
cent invention known as the venti- 
lating grate overcomes this difficulty. 
This is an open furnace, to which 
fresh outdoor air is introduced by 
pipes which pass below the hearth and 
are heated by circulating around the 
grate, and flues through which the 
l>roducts of combustion escape. The 
pure air thus warmed is admitted into 
the rooms through registers. By a 
suitable arrangement of the flues, the 
warm air from the ventilating grate 
can be distributed through the walls 
to adjacent or upper rooms, and thus 
two or more of these grates can heat 
a house of six or eight rooms at less 
cost than a furnace. 

Open fireplaces may also be profit- 
ably utilized for supplementary heat 
in connection -with different systems, _ 
as they afford the most perfect system 
of ventilation obtainable. 

Economy of Stove Heat. — The heat 
from an ordinary stove or a Franklin 
stove may be economized and utilized 
in upper rooms by adjusting a mod- 
ern drum radiator to the stovepipe. 
A number of small tubes within the 
drum absorb the heat and radiate it 
into the apartment. The open flames 
of lamps and gas jets also give a good 
deal of heat which can be utilized by 
equipping them with small detachable 
radiators that operate on the same 
principle. 

Gasoline Stoves. — Those who have 
generator gasoline stoves often com- 
plain that the gasoline smokes and 
ruins wall paper. To avoid this gen- 
erate the fire with wood alcohol. Keep 
the alcohol in a glass bottle holding 
about a quart. Or a machine-oil can 
holding about a pint will be found 
convenient. If the latter is used, a 
piece of cork should be inserted in 
the end of the spout to keep the gaso- 
line from evaporating. Or use a piece 
of Irish potato for this purpose. 

Pour a little alcohol in the gen- 
erator cup, and light it the same as 
gasoline. 

Gas Stoves. — These are of two sorts, 
adapted for heating and cooking re- 



spectively. Gas stoves for heating 
may be obtained in a variety of sizes, 
from small cylinders to large-sized 
stoves of the radiator pattern. These 
are cleanly, cheap, and efficient, and 
have nothing about them to get out 
of order. Gas stoves for cooking may 
be had in all sizes, from the one- 
burner stove of the hot-plate type, 
costing about $1, to the gas kitchen 
range, ranging in price up to $50. 
The average type is a two-oven range 
that will broil, roast, or bake, and can 
be fitted with laundry conveniences. 
The standard size has two 16- or 18- 
inch ovens, and is provided on top 
with one double and three single burn- 
ers. These are equal to every require- 
ment of a complete kitchen range, and 




"Demonstrate Superiority in Summer. 



unlike the latter have no fire brick to 
burn out, or other parts likely to be- 
come warped, cracked, or injured, A 
gas range has every possibility of 
service of a coal range except heat- 
ing, but of course demonstrates its 
greatest superiority in the summer 
months, when cooking can be done 
with a minimvun of heat and fuel con- 
sumption. 

The temperature of a gas oven can 
always be accurately gauged, and it is 
possible to have a slow fire and a hot 
fire at the same time, on different 
parts of the gas range, which is im- 



HEATING, LIGHTING, AND REFRIGERATION 75 



possible with a coal range. Further, 
a gas range is always clean, requires 
no blacking, kindling, or carrj'ing of 
coal, removal of ashes, and similar 
nuisances. 

Gas Water Heaters. — A gas water- 
heating appliance attached to an or- 
dinary kitchen boiler will consume 
about thirty feet of gaS in an hour 
for a thirty-gallon boiler, or forty to 
forty-five feet for a sixty- to eighty- 
gallon boiler. A smaller quantity of 
hot water for ordinary household pur- 
poses can be heated in ten or fifteen 
minutes at a cost of less than one 
cent. A similar appliance may be put 
into the bathroom, which would heat 
water sufficient for a bath at a cost 
of from two to three cents. This is 
an ideal summer arrangement. But 
care must be taken that accidents do 
not occur with these, by persons lock- 
ing the bathroom door and being over- 
come by the gas. 

CHIMNEYS AND FLUES 

Chimneys have a twofold object — 
to remove the smoke and gases pro- 
duced by combustion, and to produce 
a draught to increase the rate of com- 
bustion. They were first introduced 
in Europe about the twelfth century. 
The first chimney in Rome was built 
in 1368. Chimneys did not come into 
general use in Europe until the seven- 
teenth century. Formerly — and to this 
day in many parts of the world — firss 
were built on stone or earthen hearths 
in the center of the room, the prod- 
ucts of combustion being allowed to 
escape through a hole in the middle 
of the roof. 

The draught produced by a chimney 
depends iipon its height and propor- 
tions. The higher the chimney, the 
better the draught. The flue should 
be about one fifth or one sixth the 
area of the grate. 

Chimneys are the best of ventila- 
tors, hence there should be one or 
more extending from the bottom of 
the cellar and opening by means or 
suitable flues and fireplaces into every 
living room in the house. 



To Prevent Dampness in Chimneys. 
— Let the chimney start from the bot- 
tom of the cellar, or, if built at the 
side of the house, from the foundation 
wall, and rest on a flat stone laid in 
water cement. This will prevent the 
bricks from absorbing moisture. A 
chimney resting on a foundation in 
the upper part of the house may ac- 
cumulate water during a rain storm, 
which will saturate the bricks and 
communicate dampness to adjacent 
walls. 

Chimneys — To Prevent Soot. — Mix 
salt freely with the mortar in which 
the bricks on the inside of a chimney 
are laid. This Avill cause tliem to at- 
tract moisture in drmp weathei', which 
will loosen the soot and cause it to 
fall. It will also prevent the chimney 
from becoming infested with chimney 
swallows. 

To Ventilate Chimneys. — An open 
fireplace communicating with the chim- 
ney is an ideal ventilator; or a chim- 
ney may be built double, having two 
columns side by side or one within 
the other, one being reserved for ven- 
tilation and communicating with each 
room through an opening in the ceiling. 

Or a double chimney may have one 
column within the other, the air space 
between the two being connected with 
the rooms by ventilators. 

Chimneys — To Prevent Smoke. — 
Build a long, narrow flue 4 or 5 inches 
deep and 15 to 18 inches wide, thus 
having an opening of 60 to 90 square 
inches. Let the flue open into an air 
chamber in the chimney of twice its 
size, i. e., an area of 120 to ISO square 
inches or 11 to 16 inches square, but 
this may be reduced toward the top 
of the chimney if desired. Carry the 
chimney as high above the roof as 
good taste will permit, and let the 
flue approach the chimney at an angle, 
or, if possible, by a number of turns. 
Usually the more crooked the flue the 
better the draught. A straight fun- 
nel does not usually draw well. 

To Cure a Smoky Chimney. — First 
note the cause. Either too much air 
is admitted below, or the draught is 
insufficient, or the wind blows dov^Ti 



76 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



into the chimney from above. Hence, 
according to circumstances, contract 
the draught by narrowing the entrance 
to the grate or fireplace, or increase 
the height or crookedness of the flue 
and shaft, or place on the top of the 
chimney a wind shield or turn cap, 
which will revolve with the wind in 
such a way as to prevent the gusts 
from blowing down the chimney. 

The draught is caused by the fact 
that hot air rises and tends to create 
a vacuum, which by suction draws 
cold air after it. Hence, anything 
that chills the column of air in the 
chimney tends to check the draught. 
Therefore avoid admitting, across the 
top of the fire in a grate or fireplace, 
enough cold air to cool the flue. The 
fire should be located in such relation 
to the flue that the rising current of 
hot air will have the right of way and 
tend to fill the flue, to the exclusion 
of the cold air of the room; thus the 
latter will be sucked up through the 
fire itself, assisting the combustion 
and strengthening the draught. 

To Kindle Fires without Smoke. — 
To start a draught without smoke, on 
kindling a fire in an open grate when 
the air in the chimney is cold and the 
first flame is feeble, use a sufficient 
quanti>ty of very combustible sub- 
stances, as kindlings, to create flames. 
These will heat the air in the chimney 
before cold or solid fuel is added, 
which burns less perfectly. 

Or reduce the opening to the grate 
or fireplace by means of a blower or 
light screen lined with asbestos and 
placed across the opening so as to 
admit air only in the required quan- 
tity and beneath the grate. 

To Prevent Smoke. — A hot fire will 
consume its own smoke. Hence, to 
prevent the formation of smoke, heat 
a hot bed of coals and add fresh fuel 
in such limited quantity as not to 
lower the heat of the fire below the 
smoke-consuming point. Push the 
coals back and put on fresh fuel so 
that the smoke will pass over the bed 
of live coals, where it will be con- 
sumed. 

Or adjust a wire screen having 



forty or more wires to the inch, to 
prevent the escape of smoke. 

To Clean Chimneys. — Prepare a bed 
of hot coals in the stove, throw open 
the draughts and dampers, and throw 
on the coals some pieces of old zinc, 
as the zinc from an old washboard. 
This will clean out all soot from the 
chimney. 

Or the chimney may be swept if the 
shaft is straight by attaching a heavy 
stone or other weight to the butt of 
a small pine or hemlock sapling and 
fastening a rope to its upper part. 
The weight will carry the sapling 
down the chimney, and when it is 
dragged back the extending branches 
will sweep clean the soot. Care must 
be taken to use a rope sufficiently 
strong and a sapling not too large, so 
as to prevent the rope from parting 
or the brush from lodging in the shaft. 

To Stop Leaks in Chimneys. — Make 
a cement of coal tar and sand, and 
apply as may be convenient within ov 
without. 

To Put Out Fires in Chimneys. — 
Throw sulphur on the fire so that the 
fumes will ascend the flue. Take pre- 
cautions not to breathe the fumes of 
burning sulphur. 

Or ascend to the roof and throw 
salt down the chimney. Or shut off 
the draught from below if possible by 
covering the opening to the fireplace 
with wet blankets or otherwise. Or, if 
the fire is not too strong, put a tight 
cover over the top of the chimney. 

FIEE EXTINGUISHEESs AND SIRE 

ESCAPES 

To Extinguish Fires. — The objects 
to be attained in putting out fire are 
principally two: to cut oif its source 
of supply in the oxygen of the air, 
and to lower the temperature of the 
burning substances below the point of 
combustion. Drenching the burning 
parts with water accomplishes both 
objects. It prevents the access of air 
and chills the burning parts. 

A heavy woolen cloth thrown over 
or wrapped about burning objects 
smothers the fire by shutting off the 



HEATING, LIGHTING, AND REFRIGERATION 77 



air, and if wet, also assists by lower- 
ing the temperature. 

Chemical fire extinguishers produce 
noninflammable gas, as carbon dioxide, 
which flows over the burning parts the 
same as water, temporarily shutting 
off the supply of air; hence the fol- 
lowing suggestions for extinguishing 
fires: 

Close the doors and windows to pre- 
vent draughts. Seize the burning ob- 
jects if small and movable, as lamps, 
curtains, and the like, and throw them 
out of the window, or wrap them in 
rugs or woolen table covers or bed 
covers. 

Or, if solid, heavy objects are on 
fire, seize a woolen blanket or other 
heavy woolen article, and if possible 
beat out the flames. If a small quan- 
tity of water is at hand, dip the 
woolen cloth into it and beat the fire 
with that. A single pail of water will 
go further if soaked up in a blanket 
than if dashed directly on the flames. 

Or, if plenty of water is at hand, 
dip a mop in it and beat the flames, 
or dash it on the fire in small quanti- 
ties from a dipper, directing it in- 
telligently to cover as much space as 
possible. 

To Put Out Burning Garments. — 
If a person's clothing takes fire, he 
should be rolled up in a woolen rug, 
overcoat, table cover, or blanket to 
smother the fire. 

Or, if alone, he should roll himself 
up in one of these articles as quickly 
as possible; roll over and over on the 
floor or bed; or tear up the carpet 
and roll up in that. 

To Extinguish Fire with Chemicals. 
— To make a chemical fire extinguish- 
er, prepare a mixture of substances 
that will produce carbonic-acid gas in 
the presence of water, and arrange so 
that a stream of mingled gas and 
water will be thrown upon the flames 
by the expansive power of the gas. 
This is the celebrated patent of Will- 
iam A. Graham of Lexington, Va., 
that was contested during nearly fifty 
years in the United States courts. It 
is the principle of most chemical fire 
extinguishers now upon the market. 



The substances most commonly 
mixed to produce carbonic-acid gas 
are common soda and sulphuric acid, 
or oil of vitriol. Numerous practical 
devices have been patented for stor- 
ing these two, or other substances, in 
a suitable receptacle side by side, but 




" The Celebrated Patent of Graham. 



so arranged that they will not minglf 
until wanted. Then, by turning the 
receptacle upside down, or turning 
a stopcock, tlie acid is precipitated 
into a solution of bicarbonate of soda 
in water and the water is thereby 
charged with carbonic-acid gas, which, 
by its expansive power, ejects the 
stream of mingled gas and water 
through a flexible rubber tube and a 
nozzle. 

One device consists of a tank or jar 
containing a strong solution of bicar- 
bonate of soda or common baking 
soda in water in which is immersed a 



78 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



tightly stoppered bottle containing oil 
oi vitriol. The stopper of the bottle 
may be pulled out by means of a wire 
running through the cover of the tank, 
thus allowing the acid to mingle with 
the soda solution and produce car- 
bonic-acid gas. To imitate this device, 
take an old milk can or a five-gallon 
oil can and have a tinsmith fit it with 
a screw top and a stopcock fitted with 
a flexible rubber tube and a nozzle. 
Plain rubber tubing or flexible gas 
pipe is suitable for this purpose. The 
longer, the better. Fasten to the re- 
movable screw top by means of wire 
a glass bottle containing sulphuric 
acid and having a glass stopper. Fas- 
ten another wire about the neck of 
this stopper, let it protrude through 
the cover, and end in a ring by means 
of which the stopper may be with- 
drawn. But care must be taken to use 
wires strong enough so that, should 
the stopper stick, the bottle may be 
broken off if need be without remov- 
ing the screw top of the can. When 
required, carry the extinguisher to the 
vicinity of the fire, pull out the stop- 
per, and shake the can to mix the oil 
and soda solution. Turn the stop- 
cock and direct the resulting stream 
of water charged with carbonic-acid 
gas ifpon the flame. 

Or an ordinary pair of pliers or 
nippers used to handle wire may be 
set in the screw top of the can to hold 
the neck of the bottle of acid between 
their teeth. Then by closing the han- 
dle of the nippers the neck of the vial 
may be broken, allowing the acid to 
drop into the soda solution. This 
should be a little below the mouth of 
the can, so that the pliers themselves 
will not be immersed. They may be 
protected from rust by coating with 
rust-proof varnish. 

Or get a cylinder or pipe of tin, 
zinc, or other suitable material, and 
by means of a perforated partition 
neo* one end divide into t\vo com- 
partments, one much larger than the 
other. Fit the opposite end with a 
stopcock, a flexible tube, and a nozzle. 
The larger compartment contains the 
solution of bicarbonate of soda iu 



water; the smaller contains sulphuric 
acid in the form of a dry powder or 
crystals too coarse to pass through 
the ijerforations in the partition. This 
cylinder when not in use must, ot 
course, be kept upright so that the 
soda solution will not come in contact 
with the acid; when required for use 
it must be inverted, the soda solution 
will then fall through the perforation? 
upon the dry acid, and the mixture 
>^dll produce carbonic-acid gas. 

Or the partition may be operated 
bj' means of a plunger which wil) 
knock it out of the way so that the 
dry soda will fall into the soda solu- 
tion. Any tinsmith or person of me- 
chanical ingenuity can construct at a 
very nominal cost either of these de- 
vices and charge it with the same ma- 
terials as are used in the most expen- 
sive fire extinguisher upon the market 
But take care to use a strong recep- 
tacle or to open the stopcock so as to 
give the mixture a vent by means of 
a suitable tube and nozzle as soon as 
the acid and the soda solution are 
brought into combination. This will 
prevent an explosion. Take care also 
to combine the materials in the right 
proportion. 

The proportions in which sulphuric 
acid and bicarbonate of soda unite to 
form carbonic-acid gas are 5 parts of 
sulphuric acid and 6 parts of bicar- 
bonate of soda (which is ordinary 
baking soda), by weight. Commercial 
bicarbonate of soda requires 13 times 
its weight of water to fully dissolve 
it. Hence a sufficiently large I'ecep- 
tacle would require 6 povmds of bak- 
ing soda dissolved in 78 pounds of 
water and 5 pounds of suliDhuric acid 
so arranged as to be poured into the 
soda solution when required. 

To fill a smaller tank in the same 
projDortions, place the tank on the 
scales and note its weight. Now fili 
about two thirds or more with water. 
Note the total weight and subtract 
the weight of the tank. Divide this 
amount expressed in pounds by 13, 
and the result will be the number of 
pounds of soda required. The weight 
of acid required will be five sixths the 



HEATING, LIGHTING, AND REFRIGERATION 79 



weight of the soda. Dissolve the 
soda in the water and place the sul- 
phuric acid in a glass bottle so ar- 
ranged that when required for use 
the bottle may be turned over by a 
crank or otherwise and the acid 
spilled into the charge of soda water. 
Carbonic-acid gas will be generated 
at once under strong enough pressure 
to force the whole contents with con- 
siderable power through a nozzle di- 
rected against the fire. 

Or dissolve copperas or ferrous 
sulphate, 5 parts; ammonium sul- 
phate, 20 parts, in water, 125 parts. 

Or dissolve in 75 parts water, cal- 
cium chloride, 20 parts; salt, 5 parts. 

The two last may be kept conveni- 
ently at hand for use with a hand 
pump. 

Hand Fire Extinguisher. — Another 
device consists of a mixture of suit- 
able substances combined in a glass 
vessel, which must be thrown upon the 
fire with sufficient force to break the 
glass. To make hand grenades or fiie 
extinguishers of this sort take pint or 
quart fruit jars or any large bottles 
and charge them with a mixture of 
equal parts of sugar of lead, alum, 
and common salt, dissolved in water. 
Keep these tightly corked in various 
parts of the house. To extinguish a 
fire throw one or more of these bot- 
tles into or just above the burning 
parts, so that the liquid will fall upon 
the wood or flames. 

Or charge these bottles with a mix- 
ture made of 2 pounds of common 
salt, 1 pound of muria;te of ammonia, 
and 3 quarts of water. Dissolve, bot- 
tle, cork, and keep at hand in various 
parts of the house for emergency. 
Throw the bottles into the fire with 
force enough to break them. 

Or dissolve pearlash, soda, wood 
ashes, or common salt in the water 
which is being dashed upon the flames 
from pails or pitchers, or in which 
are soaked cloths to beat out the 
flames. 

Fire Extinguisher Hand Grenades. 
—Fill round bottles of thin blue glass 
with a mixture of equal parts of com- 
mon borax and sal ammoniac or cal- 



cium chloride. Add just enough 
water to dissolve these substances, 
thus making strong saturated solu- 
tions. 

Fire Drills. — Boys should be en- 
couraged to prepare, under proper 
supervision, one or more of these fire 
extinguishers, and practice with them 
in putting out fires made out of doors 
for this purpose. A few experiments 
will insure that the directions have 
been understood, and will give valu- 
able practice as a sort of fire drill in 
advance of the emergency, as there is 
always danger of fire, whether from 
lightning or other cause, in isolated 
farmhouses and other buildings, not 
within reach, as in cities, of a fire de- 
partment. A conflagration may not 
only destroy the results of the labor 
of a lifetime, but also lead to loss of 
life from the flames or from conse- 
quent exposure in severe weather. 
Hence the importance of such prepa- 
ration can hardly be overestimated, 
especially when it can be done at very 
little expense. Moreover, such experi- 
ments have an important educational 
influence. 

To Extinguish Kerosene Fire. — Do 
not throw water on the flames of 
burning kerosene, gasoline, benzine, 
naphtha, or other petroleum products. 
The water will spread the flames and 
not put them out. Instead use milk, 
which forms an emulsion with the oil 
and extinguishes it. 

Fire Escapes. — ^You may remember 
Mark Twain's story of the " poor 
white " in Arkansas whose roof leaked 
so badly that the bed in which he 
slept was wet by every storm. When 
asked why he did not mend the roof, 
he replied that he could not do so when 
it rained without getting wet, and 
when the weather was fair it was not 
necessary. 

That is the attitude of many per- 
sons in regard to fire escapes. Suit- 
able provision for escape from attics, 
chambers, and other upper rooms is 
rarely thought of, except in the actual 
moment of danger, when stairways 
may be choked with smoke and flames. 
Many persons have escaped from up- 



80 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



per windows of cottages and other 
low dwellings by knotting sheets and 
other bed covers together to form a 
strong rope, fastening one end to the 
bedpost, and sliding down this to the 
ground. This plan should be talked 
over in the family circle so as to be 




"Suitable Provisions for Escape. 



clearly understood by children and 
others in case of emergency. 

Or, if the rooms are too high from 
the ground to admit of this mode of 
escape, fasten a strong iron hook to 
the window casing, and have at hand 
a knotted rope long enough to reach 
to the ground. 

Or, if this is not to be had, the bed 
may be thrown out of the window to 
assist in breaking the shock, and the 
person may make a rope of the bed 
covers and slide down as far as pos- 
sible before dropping on the bed. A 
skylight should be cut in the roof of 
every dwelling and a permanent lad- 
der fixed to give access to this, and 
also from thence to the edge of the 
roof and to the ground. This will 
admit of escajDe if the staircase should 
take fire and fall. 



To Escape from Fires. — As the 
heated air, smoke, and noxious gases 
produced by combustion tend to rise, 
the purest air Is next the floor. Hence, 
in escaping from fires, creep or crawl 
with the face near the floor. If time 
admits, a handkerchief or other thin 
cloth dipped in water and held over 
the nostrils will to some extent pre- 
vent drawing smoke into the lungs. 
Bystanders may assist in the escape 
of persons who are obliged to jump by 
holding a horse blanket or other large, 
strong cloth or canvas to receive 
them. The larger the cloth, the more 
persons holding it, and the higher it 
is held from the ground, the better. 

FIREPROOriNG AND WATER- 
PROOFING 

To Prevent Fires. — The following 
substances are recommended for fire- 
proofing cloth and other materials: 
Alum, borax, vitriol, copperas, sul- 
phate of ammonia, soluble glass, tung- 
state of soda, and phosphate of am- 
monia; also various combinations and 
preparations of these. 

To Fireproof Cloth. — Mix equal 
quantities of alum, borax, and vitriol, 
or copperas ; dissolve with boiling wa- 
ter or a thin size made by melting an 
ounce of glue or gum arable in a 
gallon of water. Use no more water 
than is necessary to dissolve perfectly. 
Dilute the mixture to liquid form and 
soak the fabric in this. .This prepara- 
tion is for articles to be used about 
stoves and flames, as holders, fire 
screens, and the like. 

To Fireproof Garments. — ^Mix tung- 
state of soda with boiled starch, or 
dissolve alum in water, or both. The 
timgstate of soda does not interfere 
with the ironing and is the best sub- 
stance to fireproof children's garments, 
lace curtains, and other light fabrics 
which are in danger of tak'ng fire. 

To Fireproof Fabrics. — Dissolve 13 
ounces of borax and 9 ounces of sul- 
phate of magnesia in 5 pounds of 
boiling water. In this immerse the 
fabric when cool. 

Or dip the fabric in soluble glass. 



HEATING, LIGHTING, AND REFRIGERATION 81 



diluted with boiling water to 25° B. 
Hang to drip dry without wringing. 
While still damp, immerse in a solu- 
tion of 1 pound of sulphate of alu- 
mina and 1 pound of sulphate of 
copper in 10 pounds of water. Dry 
without wringing in the open air. 

To Fireproof Canvas. — To fireproof 
canvas awnings or other coarse mate- 
rials, make a hot solution of 3 parts 
of alum and 1 part of copperas. Im- 
merse the articles three times, letting 
them drip dry between each immer- 
sion. Finally let dry and by means 
of a brush apply a solution of cop- 
peras mixed with pipe clay to the 
consistency of paint. This is a cele- 
brated German recipe. 

To Fireproof Wood. — To fireproof 
wood impregnate it with alum, borax, 
or copperas, or a mixture of these. 

Or mix 2^ pounds sulphate of zinc, 
1 pound of potash, 2 pounds of alum, 
and 1 pound of manganic oxide with 
lukewarm water in an iron kettle. Stir 
and add slowly 1 pound of sulphuric 
acid, 60 per cent pure. Dissolve 
the same proportions by weight for 
larger quantities. To apply, build up 
the pieces of wood coi-ncob fashion, 
and wrap them at their points of junc- 
ture with sufficient wire to keep them 
at least an inch apart. This method ad- 
mits of immersing the greatest quan- 
tity of wood in the smallest bulk of 
liquid. Place the wood thus prepared 
in an old iron sink or tank and pour 
the liquid over it. Allow it to soak 
three or four hours, afterwards to 
drijj drj'', and season under shade in 
tiie open air. 

To Waterproof Cloth. — Substances 
recommended for waterproofing cloth 
are alum, acetate of lead (sugar of 
lead), linseed , oil, and solutions of 
India rubber, isinglass, and wax in 
turpentine and other solvents, or mix- 
tures of the above in varying propor- 
tions. India rubber and other close 
waterproof fabrics are impervious to 
air as well as moisture ; hence they are 
hot, close, and uncomfortable, besides 
being imhealthful. Ordinary fabrics, 
as wool, linen, or cotton, duck, canvas, 
and the like, may be made waterproof 



by immersing in any of the above mix- 
tures without afPecting their porous 
qualities. 

The following methods are recom- 
mended: Dissolve in a wash boiler 1 
oimce of yellow soap in 4 gallons of 
water and bring it to a boil. Allow 
the liquid to cool and when cold im- 
merse the fabric for twenty-four 
hours. Remove without wringing, and 
let it drip till partially dry. While 
still moist immerse it in a solution of 
A pound of alum and ^ pound of 
sugar of lead in 3 gallons of water. 
Dissolve these substances separately 
each in 1-1 gallons of water, stir vig- 
orously, and mix the two solutions. 
Soak the fabric in this for three or 
four hours, and hang it up to drip 
dry. When nearly dry it may be 
dipped again if desired. 

Or, for delicate fabrics, allow the 
mixture to settle, pour off the clear 
liquid from the sediment, and immerse 
in this. Fabrics thus treated are par- 
tially fireproof as well as waterproof. 

Or dissolve one pound of alum in 
a gallon of boiling water. Allow the 
liquid to cool and soak the fabric in 
it, but this is not equal to the mixture 
of alum and sugar of lead. 

Or put 5 pounds of sulphate of alu- 
mina in Ih gallons of water; in a 
separate receptacle dissolve 3 pounds 
of oleic acid and 1^ quarts of alcohol. 
Stir vigorously until dissolved. Now 
add the sulphate of alumina in a thin 
stream, mix and allow it to settle for 
twenty-four hours. Pour off the clear 
liquid, which may be discarded. Dry 
the residue with heat, and pulverize. 
Make a solution of this substance at 
the rate of 1 pound to 10 gallons of 
water to waterproof any silk, linen, 
or woolen fabric. Immerse the cloth 
or garment until it is thoroughly sat- 
urated, and afterwards allow it to 
drip dry. 

Or mix 4 ounces of isinglass, 4 
ounces of alum, and 3 oxmces of yel- 
low soap, and dissolve in hot water to 
form an emulsion about the consist- 
ency of milk. Apply with a stiff 
brush to the wrong side of the fabric, 
rubbing thoroughly. Remove the es- 



82 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 




Incandescent gas or gasoline gas at %! per 1,000 it. costs Jc. per hour. Equals breath of 
3 persons; b. Acetylene gas costs |c. per hour. Equals 2 or 3 peisons; c. Kerosene lamp 
costs Ic. Equals 7 or 8 persons ; d. Open flame gas costs Jc. Equals (i persons; e. Electric 
bulb costs lie C onsumes no oxygen; f. Candles cost &ic. Each candle equals 12 persons. 



cess by sponging with water, or with 
a brush dipped in water, and rub 
smooth with a dry brush. 

Or dissolve pure India rubber and 
turpentine to a thin solution, and ap- 
ply with a brush. Afterwards apply 
a coating of sugar of lead dissolved 
in water. 

To Waterproof and Color Black. — 
Raise to a boil 4 quarts of linseed oil 
and stir in 1 ounce of burnt umber, 
1 ounce of acetate of lead, and 15 
ounces of lampblack. Dry and apply 
a second coat of the same solution, 
leaving out the sugar of lead. Allow 
this to )dry and rub it down witli a 
stiff bristle brush. Apply a third 
coat if desired. 

Or raise to a boil 4- quarts of lin- 
seed oil. Add 3 ounces of burnt um- 
ber, 2 ounces of sugar of lead, 1^ 
ounces of sulphate of zinc, ii ounces 
of Prussian blue, and IJ ounces of 
verdigris. Stir these into the oil and 
add 10 ounces of lampblack, stirring 
vigorously. Apply with a brush as in 
painting. Two or three coats of 
either of these mixtures should give 
a hard, durable waterproof surface 
of a black color and having a high 
gloss. 

To Waterproof Canvas Tents or 
Awnings. — Mix 8 pounds of white 
lead with one fourth by bulk spirits 
of turpentine. Stir in 1 ounce of su- 
gar of lead and 1 ounce of white 
vitriol. Dilute with boiled linseed oil 
to the consistency of paint. 

First boil the fabric in suds and 



rinse clean. Or scrub with soap and 
water and a stiff brush, afterwards 
applying water with a brush to remove 
all traces of soap. Apply the water- 
proofing with a painter's brush and 
stretch tightly while drying. 

ASTIFICIAL ILLUMINATION 

Use of Systems of Illumination. — 
Artificial light is the third most im- 
portant of the necessities of civiliza- 
tion, taking rank after the items of 
clothing and shelter. A comparative 
statement of the annual value of illu- 
mination in the United States shov/s 
the following results: Acetylene (esti- 
mated), about $11,000,000; illumina- 
ting gas, §60,000,000; kerosene, $133,- 
000,000; electricity, $150,000,000; or 
total of $360,000,000, being about $4 
for every man, woman, and child in 
the United States. Probably 10 per 
cent of the light thus generated is 
wasted through misuse and ignorance, 
which would amount to forty cents 
per capita for the entire population 
of the country, or a total of $36,000,- 
000. Including all items pertaining 
to the lighting industry, it is probable 
that the grar.d total of expenditure 
would reach annually $500,000,000. 

Cost of Lighting Systems. — An av- 
erage period for the burning of arti- 
ficial liglit per twenty-four hours is 
perhaps from 6 to 10 p.m., or about 
four hours. A careful comparison of 
the cost of different systems of light- 
ing shows that each twenty-four can- 



HEATING, LIGHTING, AND REFRIGERATION 



8S 



die power of light produced from gas 
at $1 a thousand with a Welsbach 
burner, or from gasoline gas with a 
Welsbach burner, would be f cent 
for four hours, or about $2A6 a year; 
the same candle power produced from 
acetylene would be 1 1% for four hours, 
or $5.85 a year; from kerosene- 
2| cents a day, or $8.76 a year. 
From gas at $1 per thousand without 
a Welsbach burner, 3 cents a day, or 
$10.95 a year ; from incandescent elec- 
tric lamps, 5 cents a day, or $18.25 a 
year. But of course allowance must 
be made for varying prices and other 
local conditions. 

Effect of Artificial Light on Health. 
— It is not commonlj^ known that most 
ordinary lights vitiate the atmosphere 
of living rooms to a greater extent 
than does the breathing of several 
persons. The incandescent electric 
light has a great advantage in this 
respect, as it is inclosed in a vacuum, 
and so consumes no oxygen and gives 
off very little heat. The next least 
injurious form of lighting is the 
Welsbach burner with any illuminat- 
ing gas, which consumes about the 
same amount of air as three persons. 
The ordinary gas jet without the 
Welsbach burner vitiates the air about 
as rapidly as the breathing of five 
persons; the common oil lamp, about 
the same as that of eight persons; 
and the ordinary tallow candle is 
equal to the breath of twelve persons 
in the amount of atmospheric oxygen 
it consumes. 

COAL GAS, GASOLINE GAS, AND 
ACETYLENE 

Gas. — Gas for illuminating pur- 
poses was invented by William Mur- 
doch in 1793 at Redrutch, Cornwall, 
England. It was first used in the 
United States in 1806 by David 
Melville, of Newport, R. I. It was 
introduced in Boston in 1823, and in 
New York the year following. Gas 
is now used for heating and cooking 
as well as for illuminating purposes 
by upward of half the population of 
the United States. As its convenience 
and economy become better known. 



the number of towns and villages to 
introduce gas will no doubt steadily 
increase. 

Coal gas is made by distilling bi- 
tuminous coal with heat in a retort, 
condensing and separating it from the 
water, vapor of tar, and other solid 
substances, and purifying the result- 
ing product to remove the compounds 
of sulphur and carbonic-acid gas. A 
by-product of this process is coke, 
about one-third of which is required 
for heating the retorts; the rest is 
sold. Other by-products are ammonia 
water and coal tar. 

Illuminating gas consists of nearly 
equal parts of hydrogen (which burns 
with a blue flame, giving heat but no 
light), marsh gas, and other hydro- 
carbons (which burn with a luminous 
flame, but deposit soot if not fully 
consumed), and small quantities of 
carbonic oxide, and nitrogen, which 
are impurities and diminish the illu- 
minating power of the gas. 

Gas, after being purified, is usually 
stored in a cylindrical tank with a 
conical top made of iron plates float- 
ing in a cistern of water. This is so 
arranged as to exert a uniform pres- 
sure on the gas equal to that of a 
column of water 6 inches high. The 
pressure serves to distribute the gas 
in the mains. These are usually made 
of cast iron from 24 inches down to 
3 inches in diameter and laid about 3 
feet under ground. The mains are 
connected with the buildings of con- 
sumers by service pipes, which should 
be below the frost line. Otherwise 
they may be closed by hoarfrost 
caused by the freezing of the watery 
vapor contained in the gas. The gas 
is measured by means of a house 
meter before being distributed. 

Gas Meters. — The gas meter is not 
constructed like a clock, as the dial 
seems to suggest; hence, contrary to 
common belief, a gas meter in good 
order cannot run either too fast or 
too slow. The meter is an engine in 
which the gas is the motive power. 
Unless the gas actuallj^ passes through 
the meter, the latter does not move. 
The dials mechanically and actually 



84 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



fecord the number of revolutions in 
cubic feet. The popular notions that 
gas meters are often inaccurate, and 
that an increased pressure or the 
practice of turning on the gas with 
full force when first lighted may make 
the meter spin faster and record 
against the consumer, are erroneous. 
Of course the meter records all gas 
which passes, including that which is 
wasted as well as that which is used. 
Hence gas jets should be regulated so 
as to prevent " blowing " or the pass- 
ing of unconsumed gas. This regula- 
tion neutralizes the effect of any in- 
crease in the pressure in the gas mains. 
Contrary to common belief, most in- 
juries to a meter work against the 
company. Any apertures caused by 
use in the interior of the meter may 
allow the gas to get through without 
being recorded. Not infrequently the 
valves of a meter become fixed so as 
to let gas through without being reg- 
istered. Hence meters are tested at 
intervals by inspectors, who pass a 
certain number of cubic feet through 
them and note whether or not the dials 
make proper record. 

Amount of Gas Consumed. — Learn 
to read the gas meter and thus note 
what amount of gas is being con- 
sumed.'" The ordinary flat-flame burner 
should consume 5 or 6 feet of gas an 
hour. If badly adjusted or of faulty 
construction, it may consume 10 to 
15 cubic feet an hour. A Welsbach 
burner uses only about 3 feet an hour. 
A medium-sized two-oven range with 
all burnei's lighted consumes about 60 
feet an hour. A gas cylinder stove 
about 2t feet an hour. At least once 
a month make a test by reading the 
gas meter in the morning, noting care- 
fully the time each burner is lighted, 
and again reading the gas meter at 
night. If the quantity consumed is 
greatly in excess of the above figures 
it indicates that the burners are poor- 
ly adjusted. In that case notify the 
gas company, whose duty it is to regu- 
late the burners, and to keep them in 
order. Gas is the most economical of 
fuels if used with intelligence and 
care. 



To Burn Gas. — There are a right 
way and a wrong way to burn gas. 
In other words the illmnination ob- 
tained from the gas burned depends 




Sf?: TIP ^FT. T/PO 

"A Right Way and a Wrong Way." 

upon perfect combustion at the burner 
tip. And this combustion cannot take 
place unless the tip itself is in good 
condition. 

The picture on the left shows a 5- 
f oot tip ; the shape of the flame is full 
and regular, giving the fullest illu- 
minating power of the gas consumed. 
On the other hand, the picture on the 
right shows a 3-foot tip burning 5 feet 
of gas per hour and giving poor light ; 
the flame is irregular and the com- 
bustion imperfect, due to the use of 
a burner tip not designed to burn 
over 3 cubic feet. 

It is obvious, then, that it is highly 
important to see that the burners and 
tips are intelligently selected and that 
they are kept in good condition, if 
gas is to be used economically, and 
the full illuminating power of the gas 
consumed obtained. 

To Read the Gas Meter. — The fig- 
ures on the index at the right hand 
denote even hundreds. When the hand 
completes the entire circle it denotes 





•OOOO iooo lOO.EACIi 

" The Figures on the Index." 

ten hundred, and is registered by the 
hand in the center circle pointing to 
1; each figure in the center circle de- 
notes a thousand, this entire circle 



HEATING, LIGHTING, AND REFRIGERATION 85 



being ten thousand, which is registered 
at 1 on the index of the left-hand 
circle by the hand, each figure there 
denoting ten thousand. 

The quantity of gas which passes 
through the meter is ascertained by 
reading from the index at the time 
tlse amount is required to be known, 
iind deducting therefrom the quantity 
shown by the index at a previous ob- 
cervation. 

If the whole is registered by 
the hands on the three circles 
above, it indicates 49,900 

Amount at previous observa- 
tion, as shown by the dotted 
lines 42,500 

Amount which passed through 
since last taken off 7,400 

I'he register at all times shows the 
tjtiantity that has passed through since 
tiie meter was first set. Deducting 
from this the amount that has been 
paid ror (without any regard to the 
time wnen), the remainder shows what 
is unpaid. 

Or, in different words, the dial on 
the right hand (marked 1,000) indi- 
cates l(/0 feet from one figure to the 
next. The middle dial (marked 10,- 
000) indrcates 1,000 feet from one 
figure to tne next. The dial on the 
left (markea i00,000) indicates 10,000 
feet from one figure to the next. 

If the hann on the right-hand dial 
is between the figures 2 and 4, the 
lesser of the two numbers is read, the 
index reading x^UO feet. If the hand 
on the middle dial is between 1 and 0, 
this dial reads 3,000 feet. If the hand 
on the left-hand dial is between and 
6, the reading of this dial is 50,000 
feet. The complete index as indicated 
on the three dials reads 53,200 feet. 

At $1 per thousand feet, the hand 
on the right-I.ind dial passing from 
the zero point to the figure 1, would 
indicate that ten cents' worth of gas 
has been registered on the meter. This 
hand would have to make one entire 
revolution of this dial and reach the 
cero point again to register $1 worth 



of gas, and the hand on the middle 
dial will have moved just one point, 
or from the zero point to the figure 
1, indicating the 1,000 feet of gas 
which has been registered in hundreds 
on the right-hand dial. 

The small (2-foot) dial which is on 
the face of the consumer's meter is 
not read except for testing purposes, 
and registers only two feet of gas for 
each revolution of the hand. 

Shades and Chimneys. — The use of 
shades and chimneys causes a very 
considerable loss of light on account 
of the conversion of the light from 
flame into heat. The loss from a clear 
glass is 10 per cent or 11 per cent, 
from ground glass about 30 per cent, 
opal glass over 50 per cent, orange- 
colored glass about 35 per cent, pur- 
ple, ruby, or green, over 80 per cent, 
or transparent i^orcelain over 95 per 
cent. Hence care should be used 
that the kind of shade or chimney 
employed does not interpose to cut 
off the direct rays of light upon the 
objects to be illuminated. The Ar~ 
gand chimneys are of two kinds: the 
straight and the bulb varieties. Of 
these the straight variety is to be 
preferred. 

Gas Burners. — Gas burners are of 
three kinds: the common bat-wing 
burner with a slit, the fish-tail with 
two oblique holes facing each other, 
and the Argand, a circular burner 
with a ring of small holes, a glass 
chimney, and an interior supply of air. 
In addition to these are the Welsbach 
burner having a fiber cap, and the 
Bunsen burner, used for heating in 
chemical laboratories. 

Burners are constructed in vary- 
ing sizes to burn 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 
cubic feet of gas per hour, accord- 
ing to the size of the flame when 
turned on full. Under equal condi- 
tions the larger burners are more 
economical than the smaller. That is, 
a burner which consumes 4 feet of gas 
gives twice as much light as two 
burners that consume each 3 feet. 
Hence there is great economy in the 
use of a few large burners over man^ 
small ones. 



86 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Pressure of Gas. — Gas is frequently 
supplied at a much higher pressure 
than is necessary to give the best re- 
sults. Hence if the jet is turned on 
full some of the gas will escape, caus- 
ing the well-known " blowing " noise. 




"'Burners in Varying Sizes:- 

To prevent this, always on lighting 
the jet turn the stopcock backward 
as much as possible without percep- 
tibly d,ecreasing the light. This prac- 
tice alone, if adhered to, will make a 
very important difference in the con- 
sumption of gas. 

Or the gas may be partially turned 
oif at the meter, or a check can be 
introduced into the burner. One of 
the best checks is to screw a burner 




a. "One of the 
Best Checks." 



b, "Different Types 
of Burners." 



intended to consume 5 or 6 feet of gas 
an hour over a 3- or 4-foot burner. 
A low pressure with a burner which 
secures a supply of air just enough 



to prevent smoking gives a maximmn 
amount of light. 

A Welsbach burner having a cap or 
mantle constructed on the well-known 
principle of the miner's safety lamp 
consumes from 3 to 3-J feet of gas an 
hour and gives about 60 candle power, 
as against the 16 candle power of the 
ordinary electric light bulb. In a 
well-regulated Welsbach burner there 
should be no smoke. The blackening 
of the mantle is caused by the im- 
proper adjustment of the air shutter 
and consequent clogging of the wire 
gauze or air holes in the burner which 
produces an improper mixture of gas 
and air. 

To prevent the heat of the Welsbach 
light from discoloring the ceiling, put 
a mica dome over it. This is made to 
fit into or clamp to the top of the 
"lamp chimney. Or suspend a glass 
smoke bell from the ceiling. If Wels- 
bach lights, after being used for a 
month or two, become dim, probably 
the wire gauze of the burner is rusted 
or dirty. It should be removed and 
cleaned before a new mantle is ad- 
j usted. 

To Change a Mantle on a Welsbach 
Lamp. — To change a cap mantle take 
it up gently and put it down on a 
steady base, say, on the mantelpiece, 
handling it by the base or cap. To 
change a loop mantle, disengage the 
supporting rod by setting back the 
set screw. Lift the mantle off care- 
fully by raising the supporting wire. 
Slip a stiff wire or knitting needle 
through the loop in the top of the 
mantle at right angles with it. Hang 
the mantle in a pitcher having the 
ends of the knitting needle rest on 
each side. Be careful not to jar or 
knock the mantle in raising or re- 
placing it. The best of these mantles 
are exceiedingly delicate and will fall 
to pieces at a touch. 

Gas Troubles. — If the gas goes out, 
send for the gas fitter or notify the 
office of the company. But as this 
may occur at night whca help cannot 
be obtained it is well to know how to 
meet the emergency. The cause may 
be a deficiency of water or an excess 



HEATING, LIGHTING, AND REFHIGERATION 8t 



of V, ater, freezing of the meter, freez- 
ing of the service pipes, or the con- 
densation of water in the house pipes. 
Close the cocks of all the burners 
except one. When approaching the 
meter with a candle or open-flame 
lamp, keep the light at a distance to 
prevent an explosion. Turn off the 
gas at the main cock between the 
street surface pipe and the meter. 
Unscrew the plug of the waste-water 
sj'stem to let out any excess of water. 

If the meter is frozen, cover it with 
a flannel cloth and pour boiling water 
over it. Afterwards wrap it in dry 
flannel or protect it by felt, straw, tan 
bark, sawdust, or sand. If the surface 
pipe is frozen outside the house, it 
will be necessary to uncover it and 
apply heat. 

If water has condensed in the pipes 
it will cause the gas to jump up and 
down for some days before it finally 
puts the gas out. Hence, when it 
jumps or flickers, the gas company 
should be notified. 

Or, on emergency, remove a burner 
and blow violently Into the pipe. This 
will sometimes force the water below 
the hollow. If the trouble persists, 
the location of the meter should be 
changed to a lower one, and the pipes 
inclined so that all condensed water 
will trickle back to the meter. 

Gas Arc Lamps. — These lamps are 
intended to give a maximum light with 
a minimum consumption of gas. They 
are composed of four burners of the 
incandescent burner or Welsbach type, 
and give a vronderfully high illumina- 
ting jjov/er, especially adapted for use 
in rooms of large area like stores, 
assembly halls, and churches having 
lofty ceilings. They are made for 
both outside and interior lighting, and 
are especially valuable for commercial 
purposes. 

Gas Leaks. — If a strong odor of 
gas is detected, probably a stopcock 
has been left open and the gas thus 
escapes at full force. Do not go near 
such an open gas jet with a light, as 
gas mingled with air is a highly explo- 
sive mixture. To enter a room filled 
with gas, first open adjacent doors 



and windows to create a draught, 
throw the doors wide open, rush across 
the room, and throw the windows wide 
open, meantime holding the breath. 
The air is purest next the floor; hence 
if in danger of being overcome lie face 
down on the floor, where the air is 
likely to be comparatively pure. Turn 
off the open cock as soon as possible. 
If the odor of gas is slight, it may 
come from a small leak in the pipe or 
about a burner. To find such a leak 
light a match and carry the flame 
along the pipe from the tip of the jet 
as far as the pipe is exposed. When 
the leak is found, the gas will take 
fire. 

Or dissolve half a bar of hard yel- 
low soap in li pints of water, and 
apply the mixture to the gas pipe 
with a brush. If there is gas escaping 
through holes it will form bubbles 
which can be seen and the leak de- 
tected without danger of explosion. 

To mend a small leak in a gas pipe 
cover the place temporarily with yel- 
low soap; stop it permanently with a 
cement made of white lead and boiled 
linseed oil. 

Acetylene Gas. — The use of acetylene 
gas for lighting purposes marks an 
era in artificial illumination. Acety- 
lene is produced by the contact of 
calcium carbide (which has some^vhat 
the appearance of gunpowder) and 
water. The result is the evolution of 
a gas which burns with a pure white 
light giving the nearest approach to 
sunlight, and has an illuminating pow- 
er more than twelve times as great as 
that of ordinary gas. The introduc- 
tion of acetylene is comparatively re- 
cent, and some prejudice against it 
has been aroused by defects in the 
style of generators first placed upon 
the market. The experimental period 
is now we'1-nigh passed, and the Na- 
tional Board of Fire Underwriters has 
approved a large number of genera- 
tors. If a proper apparatus is select- 
ed, acetylene may be regarded to be 
as safe as any other illuminant. The 
various generators on the markets are 
of two types: one, in whiclv. the gas is 
produced by placing the calcium car- 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



bide in a suitable receptacle and al- 
lowing water to gradually fall upon 
it; the other, in which a receptacle is 
filled with a relatively large quantity 
of water and the calcium carbide is al- 
lowed to drop into the water in small 




"Generators of Two Types." 

quantities. The latter type of gen- 
erator is the safer and is consequently 
to be preferred. The brilliancy of 
acetylene flame is so great that a small 
one the size of a copper cent is sufii- 
cient to light an ordinary living room. 
Hence the air is vitiated much less 
than by most other forms of illumina- 
tion. Recent experiments at Cornell 
University show that the light fur- 
nished by acetjlene has, to a consid- 




" The Power of Sunlight in Promoting Growth 



arable degi'ee, the power that sunlight 
has in promoting the growth of vege- 
tation. It is much less trying to the 
eyes than electricity or ordinary gas, 



* Both lilies had the same treatment ex- 
cept that the larger was exposed at night to 
the light of acetylene gas. 



and is likely to become increasingly 
popular. 

Gasoline Gas. — Perhaps the cheap- 
est method of illumination in localities 
that are not supplied with illuminating 
gas or that are furnished with the gas 
at high prices, is tlie use of gasoline 
gas. A tank of gasoline is located 
outside of the dwelling house and 
buried six or eight feet under grouJid. 
To produce the gas it is only neces- 
sary to pass a current of air across 
the surface of the gasoline. A very 
simple contrivance for this purpose is 
a blower, which may be operated by 
windmill, water power, or by means 
of weights and pulleys installed in the 
cellar. Of course the necessary pip- 
ing must be provided to carry the 
gasoline gas to various parts of the 
dwelling as required, and also an au- 
Jtomatic air mixer. When the gasoline 
tank is outside the premises and un- 
derground, there is no possibility of 
explosion. The entire apparatus is 
very simple, and while the first cost 
has to be taken into account, the cost 
of operation is very low, probably not 
m.ore than one half that of an equal 
number of kerosene lamps. 

Welsbach Burner. — The incandes- 
cent principle of light, as applied in 
the well-known Welsbach burner, con- 
sists in heating a gauze mantle, im- 
pregnated with certain rare earths, to 
a white heat by means of a mixture 
of gas and air. The result is a flame 
five or six times as strong in propor- 
tion to the gas consumed as that pro- 
duced by an ordinary open gas burner. 
The air in the room is also vitiated 
much less, and less heat is given off. 
The Welsbach burner may be used 
with any form of gas, but is especially 
useful in connection with gasoline gas, 
as it admits of a proper mixture of 
air with the gas, and does away with 
the necessity of providing an auto- 
matic air mixer. 

KEROSENE OIL 

Kerosene lamps. — The use of kero- 
sene in rural districts and small vil- 
lages is practically universal. For- 



HEATING, LIGHTING, AND REFRIGERATION 



89 



merly, the oil of the sperm whale was 
the principal source of illumination in 
those localities, and before the dis- 
covery of petroleum the problem of 
lighting for country districts was a 
very serious one. Petroleum had been 
known for many years before the first 
well was driven in northwestern Penn- 
sylvania, in 1837, but from that time 
to this the use of kerosene and other 
petroleum products has increased rap- 
idly. 

Tc Choose Oil lamps. — Practically 
all the standard makes of kerosene 
lamps are now safe and reliable, but 
the best results are those made on the 
principle of the German student lamp, 
having a reservoir of oil placed at a 
distance from the wick. If the wick 
protrudes directly from the reservoir 
of oil below it, the light decreases as 
the oil is consumed. 

Petroleum and Its Products. — Pe- 
troleum is a liquid containing bitumen, 
which occurs in a natural state in 
various parts of the world. It is also 
called rock oil and mineral oil. It 
ranges from a light straw color to 
black, depending upon the locality in 
which it is found. It sometimes occurs 
in springs, but is more often obtained 
by drilling wells. 

Petroleum is now conveyed to mar- 
kets and refineries through pipe lines, 
and the various oils derived from it 
are handled in tank cars, in steam- 
ships, and in barrels. Among the 
I^roducts of petroleum are gasoline, 
naphtha, benzine, kerosene, lubricating 
oils, paraffine, vaseline, and other sub- 
stances too numerous to mention. 

These are obtained by distilling 
petroleum in an iron still having a 
condenser of wrought-iron pipes im- 
mersed in water. When heat is ap- 
plied to the still the lightest or most 
volatile constituents are first driven 
off in the form of a gas. The next 
heaviest constituents condense at or- 
dinary temperatures as crude naphtha. 
These are afterwards distilled into 
gasoline and ABC naphthas. They 
have a specific gravity of 65° to 58° B. 

W'hen the stream of oil has a grav- 
ity of 59° B. it is turned from the 



naphtha tank to the kerosene tank 
until it reaches a gravity of about 
38° B., or until the color becomes yel- 
low. The stream is then turned into 
the paraffine tank until it ceases to 
flow at a gravity of about 25° B. 
The residuum contained in the still 
consists of a thick, heavy tar. 

This is, of course, only an outline 
of the process, which is varied in a 
great many ways to produce a large 
number of by-products, as vaseline 
and numerous others used in medicine 
and in the arts. The following is a 
fair average composition of petro- 
leum: Gasoline, li per cent; naphthas, 
14( per cent; kerosene, 55 per cent; 
lubricating oil, 17i per cent; paraffine, 
2 per cent; waste, 10 per cent. 

Or, by another process, the same oil 
could be made to produce: Naphthas, 
20 per cent; kerosene, 66 per cent; 
waste, 14 per cent. 

Kerosene, or common illimiinating 
oil, is the most important product of 
petroleum. Its appearance and prin- 
cipal properties are well known. 
Its density should be from 43° to 
45° B. 

Gasoline is another important petro- 
leum product. It is used largely in 
the carburetors of automobile and 
other gasoline engines, for purposes of 
illumination, and also for heating and 
cooking in stoves especially designed 
for the purpose. 

The uses of crude petroleum and its 
various derivatives in the arts are verj' 
numerous, and its influence upon civ- 
ilization has been hardly less than that 
of the steam engine and of electricity. 
There seems to be no reason to fear 
any shortage of the production of 
petroleum for an indefinite time to 
come. 

To Test Illuminating Oil. — At ordi- 
nary temperatures kerosene oil should 
extinguish a match as readily as wa- 
ter. It should not give off any inflam- 
mable gas below 110° F., nor take fire 
below 125° F. Kerosene is usually 
freed from naphtha by spraying. If 
kerosene contains even a very small 
quantity of naphtha it is highly in- 
flammable and explosive; therefore it 



90 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



is required by law to be tested before 
it is sold. 

There are two kinds of tests: the 
" flash test," which determines the low- 
est temperature at which oil gives off 
an inflammable vapor, and the " burn- 
ing test," which determines the lowest 
temperature at which the oil takes 
fire. This test is made commercially 
by means of an apparatus having a 
cup to hold the oil, in which the bulb 
of a thermometer is immersed, and 
which is surrounded by a vessel of 
water heated by an alcohol lamp. 
The temperature is slowly increased 
at the rate of about 3 per cent a 
minute. The oil is stirred at inter- 
vals, a flame applied, and the point 
noted at which an inflammable vapor 
is given off, and also at which the oil 
takes fire. 

A rough test for ordinary purposes 
may be made by filling a cup with 
water, inserting an ordinary ther- 
mometer, and bringing the tempera- 
ture to 110° over a slow fire. Pour a 
tablespoonful of oil on the water, and 
apply a lighted match. If the oil 
takes fire it is unsafe and is liable to 
explode. Dealers who sell oil that 
will not stand this test at 110° are 
liable to prosecution by law. They 
should be compelled to take back the 
oil and refund the price paid for it. 

To Purify Kerosene. — The adultera- 
tion of oil by means of a heavier oil 
than standard kerosene causes a dim- 
ness of the flame and charring of the 
wick. The best kerosene oil is clear and 
nearly colorless, like water. To puri- 
fy kerosene oil, add to 100 pounds of 
oil 1 pound of chloride of lime, mixed 
with 12 pounds of water to the con- 
sistency of cream. This must be done 
in a lead-lined vat, as iron or copper 
will be corroded by the process. Thor- 
oughly mix these materials, let stand 
over night, and add 1 or 2 pounds of 
sulphuric acid diluted with 20 to 50 
parts of water and boil with gentle 
heat, stirring constantly until a sam- 
ple tested on a glass plate is perfectly 
clear. Let the mixture settle, when 
the oil will rise to the top and can be 
drawn off, leaving the impurities in 



the form of sediment mixed with the 
acidulated water. 

The following four paragraphs arc 
adapted from Macbeth's '^ Index." 

The Care of Lamps. — Lamps smell 
and give poor light: first, because they 
are not kept clean; or secondly, the 
wick is poor or clogged by having 
been used too long; or thirdly, the 
chimney is wrong. 

Trim, clean, and fill daily, and wipe 
the whole lamp. 

Trim by rubbing the char off the 
wick; this leaves it even. Don't cut 
it; you can't cut it even. 

Keep the holes in the floor of the 
burner clear for draught. 

Don't fill quite full ; the oil expands 
with heat and runs over. 

Boil the burner a few minutes once 
a month iii sal soda or lye water. 

Empty the fount occasionally for 
sediment. 

Don't open the lamp when hot; 
there is explosive vapor in It. 

Light it with the wick turned low 
and turn up gradually, or you will 
get it too high and make smoke. 

Move with care a lamp that has 
been burning long enough to get hot; 
or, better still, don't move it. 

Use the American Fletcher or Hyatt 
wick; and renew it every month or 
two, no matter how fresh it looks; it 
gets clogged and deesn't feed freely. 

Use oil of not less than 110° flash 
for safety; the higher the flash the 
safer the oil. 

Lamp Chimneys. — The object of 
lamp chimneys is to supply the flame 
with exactly the amount of air it 
needs for perfect combustion, no more 
and no less, with an even draught on 
both sides of the flame; they must, of 
course, be clear and transparent. This 
calls for fit in the full meaning of 
the word and for clear glass that will 
stay clear. Thus there is something 
to know about chimneys beyond the 
mere size of the bottom. The ordinary 
notion of fit is a chimney that will 
stay on the lamp and not fall off. 
That is part of the fit. The rest is 
such a shape as to make the right 
draught for that particular lamp. It 



HEATING, LlGMTiNG, AND HEFUlGEEATlON 01 



includes the seat, bulb, shaft, propor- 
tion, sizes in all parts, and length. 
Good chimnej'S that fit well give more 
light than common ones. This is due 
to perfection of shape and proportion 
and the right balance of draughts. 

To Select Chimneys. — Use the chim- 
ney recommended by the maker of the 
lamp, or write to a manufacturer of 
latiip chimneys for his catalogue and 
order according to directions. 

If compelled to buy from stock, Iry 
one chimney after another, turning up 
the wick in each case till you get the 
most light it will give. When you 
have the right one, you can turn the 
wick higher and get more light than 
you can from others, in some cases 
pei-haps twice as much. It pays to 
select chimneys with care for two rea- 
sons: one is, the right chimney gives 
more light ; the other is, it lasts longer. 
Chimneys are usually made in three 
grades, of which it always pays to buy 
the best. Comparing bad chimneys 
with good ones, the breakage is ten to 
one, the light is half, and the price is 
half. 

The Breaking of Chimneys. — Chim- 
neys break from misuse. A wrong 
number may break or melt; if the 
burner is foul, the glass may break; 
a gust of cold air on a hot chimney 
may break it; a gas chimney may 
break or melt from a hole in the man- 
tle; the hole lets a jet of flame di- 
rectly against the chimney, the explo- 
sion of lighting breaks the mantle, 
and the broken mantle breaks the 
chimney. 

Whenever the chimney is touched by 
ti)c flame it melts or breaks. Its shape 
presents touching, unless through some 
misuse. In central-draught lamps the 
flame is between two draughts — the 
central and the outer one. When the 
burner is foul, this outer draught is 
partly stopped, and the flame gets 
pushed too near or against the chim- 
ney, and breaks or melts it. 

Chimneys cannot be made to resist 
misuse or accidents. 

To Prevent Explosions of Lamps. — 
One common cause of explosions is 
the upsetting of a lamp; hence select 



a lamp which has a broad, solid base 
rather than one that appears top 
heavy. 

Never fill a lamp while it is burn- 
ing. To avoid this, buy lamps that 
have no opening but the one made for 
the Avick. While it is a convenience 
to have a lamp with a special opening 
for filling, it is not safe, as children 
and others will sometimes undertake 
to fill it while burning, which may 
lead to an explosion. Also, when 
lamps have a special opening for fill- 
ing, the wick is likely to be neglected 
until it becomes charred and the burn- 
er gets clogged up and dirty. In 
this condition the lamp is ver}^ apt 
to explode, because the charred por- 
tion of a wick takes fire, the oil that 
runs over burns, and heat is generated 
so low down in the burner that any 
volatile gases thrown off by the oil 
may become ignited. The best oil 
commences to evaporate at about 110° 
and ignites at 1:^5°, and this vapor, 
like that which rises from gasoline, 
benzine, or naphtha, is highly inflam- 
mable and explosive. Hence do not 
let a lamp stand with little oil in it, 
or light one which has stood partly 
empty for a long time. 

The best lamps have an extinguisher 
to put out the flame, but if this is 
lacking, do not blow out the lamp 
without first turning down the wick, 
especially if the lamp has been burned 
for some time and the burner and ad- 
jacent parts are hot. The fact that 
you may have done tliis safely many 
times does not prove that under cer- 
tain conditions a volatile gas from the 
oil may not meet the flame and cause 
explosion. 

Always turn the lamp low when 
carrying it about, as movement from 
place to place in sudden draughts may 
bring the flame in contact with the 
gases that form when oil is burning, 
and that are more or less disturbed 
by the jar of walking. 

Chemistry of Lamps. — The chem- 
istry of burning kerosene is very sim- 
ple. The oil is composed of two 
inflammable substances, a gas (hydro- 
ren), which burns with a blue flame 



92 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



and a very intense heat, and a solid 
(carbon), which consists of very mi- 
nute particles in chemical combination 
with the hydrogen. When the lamp is 
lit the flame is raised to a temperature 
that admits of chemical union with 
the oxygen of the air. The hydrogen 
first burns, and produces sufficient heat 
to allow the oxygen to ignite with the 
carbon. When for any reason there 
is an excess of oil as when a lamp is 
turned too high, or when the heat of 
the flame is reduced as when the lamp 
is turned too low, the heat of the 
burning hydrogen is not sufficient to 
ignite all of the solid carbon, some of 
which escapes in the form of a finely 
divided black solid, and we say that 
the lamp smokes. This solid carbon 
is what we call soot, or lampblack. 
Commercial lampblack is thus ob- 
tained. 

When we breathe the air, a very 
similar process takes place in our 
lungs, the oxygen of the air uniting 
with the waste substances in the blood 
and purifying them by a kind of com- 
bustion. Hence every flame in a room 
robs the air of a certain amount of 
oxjgen that is essential to human 
life. 

This process, both in the lamp and 
in the,,lungs, produces a compound of 
oxygen and carbon called carbon di- 
oxygen, or carbonic-acid gas. Human 
beings would immediately suffocate in 
a room quite filled with carbonic-acid 
gas, as it contains no free oxygen in 
the form available for human use. 
When unburned particles of carbon 
are thrown off in the form of smoke 
or soot, the finest of them are sus- 
pended in the air and find their way 
into the lungs. Nothing offers so much 
resistance to chemical and vital forces 
as pure carbon; hence these particles 
are difficult to dislodge and exceed- 
ingly harmful. 

Meantime the lamp in burning gen- 
erates a certain amount of heat. This 
extends from the burner to the adja- 
cent parts of the lamp, and in many 
cases makes the receptacle containing 
the oil quite hot. The temperatm-e of 
the oil is thus raised, and at a certain 



point it gives off a volatile inflamma' 
ble gas similar to gasoline, benzine, or 
naphtha, which, if the lamp should 
leak, may come in contact with the 
open flame and cause an explosion. 

Or, under certain circumstances, it 
may be exploded by a sharp jar. 

If these facts and principles are un- 
derstood and proper cautions are ob- 
served, there need be no danger in 
the use of kerosene. The fact that 
kerosene is used in practically every 
household and that explosions are very 
rare proves this, but it does not prove 
that proper precautions must not be 
observed. Modern lamps are so con- 
structed as to reduce to a minimum A 
the dangers due to ignorance and M 
carelessness, but the fact that explo- 
sions do take place occasionally shows 
that care and intelligence are still 
necessary. 

Cautions to Observe. — Buy the best- 
lamps and the best oil. Trim the 
wicks and fill the lamps daily. Ad- 
just the wick neither too high nor 
too low. 

After turning up the wick to the 
right height, set the screw by a slight 
turn backward, which will prevent the 
wick from crawling up as it expands 
with the increase of heat. Try this, 
and the sense of touch will tell you 
what is necessary. Do not leave lamps 
or carry them when turned too high 
or too low. Adjust the flame midway 
and set back the screw. 

Night Lamps. — Do not use ordinary 
lamps as night lamps by turning them 
low. Instead obtain a small night 
lamp that will admit of burning a 
tiny flame turned on full. Or turn 
up the ordinary lamp until the flame 
is clear and bright and then shade it 
from the eyes. The flame of an ordi- 
nary lamp turned low throws off a 
large amount of unconsumed carbon 
and volatile gases, which impregnate 
the atmosphere and are taken into the 
lungs with many evil consequences, 
that are usually attributed to other 
sources. 

Student Lamps. — These are pro- 
vided with an oil tank at some little 
distance from the burner and at a 



HEATING, LIGHTING, AND REFRIGERATION gi 



lower level. Great care must be ob- 
served to keep a student lamp exactly 
level. If the oil tank Is raised above 
the level of the burner, the latter will 
be overflowed v/ith dangerous results. 
When filling the lamp, care must be 
taken not to leave air bubbles in the 
oil, otherwise the pipe conveying the 
oil to the burner will be clogged and 
the light will be made dim. 

Lamps on Fire. — When a lamp over- 
flows or for any reason gets on fire, 
seize it and throw it out of the win- 
dow. A moment's delay may result in 
an explosion that will scatter burning 
kerosene all about and lead to a con- 
flagration. Or seize as quickly as pos- 
sible a heavy woolen rug, table cover, 
or couch cover, and wrap it tightly 
around the lamp. This prevents the 
oxygen ot the air from reaching the 
flame, and it is quickly smothered. If 
a person's clothing takes fire from 
kerosene flames, do not throw water 
upon him or allow him to run about. 
Wrap him quickly in a large rug or 
other woolen cloth, which will extin- 
guish the flames. If, by the explosion 
of a lamp or otherwise, burning oil is 
scattered about a room, do not throw 
water upon it, as it will only spread 
it. Throw on milk or any dry, heavy 
substance, as flour, corn meal, sand, 
or earth. 

Kerosene for lighting Fires. — 
Kerosene should not be used for light- 
ing fires, but it is so convenient and 
efficient that persons will always be 
found who prefer to take their chances 
of an explosion. The only caution 
that must be observed is not to pour 
oil into the stove from a can, else it 
will become ignited and the flame fol- 
lowing the stream will find its way 
into the can and explode the oil. 
Even if the fire is supposed to be out, 
there may be coals or sparks in the 
ashes sufficient to ignite the fine 
stream of kerosene. If oil is to be 
used it should be poured into an old 
cup, saucer, or other open vessel and 
dashed at once on the kindling wood. 
The worst possible result to follow if 
oil is thus ignited will be a puff of 
flame, that will do no harm if it does 



not catch light garments or other in- 
flammable substances. 

Some persons soak corncobs in kero- 
sene and use these as fire lighters. 
When this is done the vessel in which 
they are kept should be provided with 
a tight cover and kept in a cool place. 

Foot Warmer. — When driving or 
sleighriding in winter, fill a sirup can 
having a screw top with hot water. 
This will keep warm for a long time. 
It may be used in place of a hot- 
water bottle. 

Or make a square box of pine, 6 or 
8 inches deep and large enough to 
just fit about the base of an ordinary 
lantern. Leave this open at the top, 
and have the bottom broad enough so 
that the box will not readily tip over. 
Bore a few holes near the bottom of 
the box to admit the air, and when 
driving in winter set a lantern in the 
box and let it stand on the carriage 
or sleigh bottom under the robes at 
the driver's feet. If these suggestions 
are observed the lantern will burn 
M'ith a clear, steady flame, without 
smoking, will not tip over or soil robe,^ 
or garments, and will keep the drivet 
comfortable in freezing weather. 

To Improve Kerosene Oil. — Put a 
teaspoonful of common salt in an or- 
dinary hand lamp, and a tablespoon- 
ful in a large lamp with a B burner. 
This gives a more brilliant light, and 
tends to prevent smoking, and hence 
to keep the wicks and chimneys clean. 

Chinese Lanterns. — When using 
these lanterns for holiday occasions, 
put a few handfuls of sand in the 
bottom of the paper lantern about the 
candle. This keeps them from sway- 
ing, and also tends to prevent them 
from taking fire. 

Vest-pocket Light. — Put a piece of 
phosphorus in a 1- or 2-ounce glass 
vial and fill with olive oil. Cork 
tightly. When the oil is heated by 
the warmth of the body or otherwise, 
the phosphorus will emit light enough 
to read the time on the dial of a 
watch in the darkest night. Should 
the vial become broken do not touch 
the phosphorus with the fingers, as it 
will eat the flesh and produce an ulcer. 



94 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Take it up between two sticks or 
otlierwise and drop it into water. To 
give good results it must be kept from 
the air. 

Bonfires. — To make brilliant bon- 
fires and signal fires, mix 8 pounds of 
saltpeter, 4 pounds of flower of sul- 
phur, 1 pound of antimony, and J 
pound of camphor. Powder these in- 
gredients, mix and tamp them into 
an iron socket. When ignited, they 
will burn for some time with gi-eat 
brilliancy. 

ICE AND REFRIGERATION 

Nature of Ice. — Ice is one of a 
number of substances that occupy a 
greater volume in the solid than in 
the liquid state. At the moment of 
freezing it expands with great force 
about one-eleventh in bulk, as is testi- 
fied by the bursting of frozen water 
pipes. 

An interesting experiment consists 
in passing a wire through a solid 
block of ice without cutting it in two. 
The ice should be supported at both 
ends, leaving the middle free, and the 
wire over it with weights attached to 
either end. The pressure on the wire 
raises the temperature of the ice to 
the n:^.elting point and allows the wire 
to sink; but the wire absorbs some of 
the heat, and causes the water to 
freeze upon its upper surface; hence 
the seam is closed, and after the pas- 
sage of the wire the block of ice re- 
mains intact. Its course, however, can 
be traced by the air bubbles which it 
leaves behind. 

Under ordinary conditions water 
freezes at 33° F., and does not melt 
until the temperature is raised above 
that point; but under pressure, as 
above noted, ice will be converted into 
water at a lower temperature, having 
been melted under high pressure at 
18° C. If water is perfectly still it 
may be lowered to 23° F. before 
freezing, but the slightest jar will 
cause it to freeze when the tempera- 
ture rises to 33° F. 

TJses of Ice. — In addition to its 
natural service in transforming lakes 



and rivers during winter in northern 
climates into solid roadways, ice is in 
great demand as an antiseptic or 
preserving agent. Formerly it was 
supposed that meats and carcasses of 
animals intended for food must be 
frozen to be preserved. The discoverj-- 
of the practicability of preserving 
meats and vegetables by means of ice, 
but without freezing them, is com- 
paratively recent. Now, in addition 
to the household refrigerator, refrig- 
erating cars convey beef, fruit, and 
vegetables across continents, and 
refrigerating steamships take tropical 
fruits and other products from 
southern to northern climes and re- 
turn with dairy products, northern 
fruits, and other perishable articles 
tliat could not otherwise be obtained 
in tropical countries. In niany cities 
cold-storage houses also preserve, with 
a very slight percentage of loss, dairy 
products, meats, fruits, and vegeta- 
bles for periods varying from months 
to years. Cold-storage vaults protect 
furs and valuable garments from the 
ravages of moths and other insects. 
Ice is also now regarded as absolutely 
necessary in the summer months to 
preserve the bodies of the dead until 
the time of burial. 

To Harvest Commercial Ice. — Ice _J| 
has been an important article of com- 'U 
merce since the time of Nero, and in 
cold countries family ice houses are 
very common. Sometimes these stor- 
age places are merely pits or caves 
under ground, or "partly under 
ground, but an ice house wholly above 
ground is to be preferred. 

Ice from salt or brackish water is | 
nearly pure, as freezing expels the 
mineral ingredients, but it is suffi- 
ciently contaminated on the surface 
to be unfit for many purposes. Hence 
the best ice crop is usually gathered 
from fresh-water ponds, or lakes, or 
in rivers above tide water. A great 
deal of ice is also manufactured arti- 
ficially. Commercial ice houses are 
usually built of wood, having hollow 
walls that may be double, triple, or 
quadruple, the spaces between beinp. 
filled with sawdust, spent tan baric, 



HEATING, LIGHTING, AND REFRIGERATION 



95 



or some other poor conductor of 
heat. 

In harvesting ice the usual jDractice 
is to scrape the snow from the surface 
of the ice by means of a scraper 
drawn by horses, to plane off the soft 
porous top of the ice if necessary by 
means of a horse planer, and to mark 
the ice into blocks by running a series 
of grooves about 5 feet apart and 3 
inches deep so as to make blocks 5 
feet square. Ice is usually cut when 
it is about 3 feet thick. After the ice 
has been marked one row of block: is 
usually cut through by means of a 
handsaw, and pushed under out of 
the way or pulled up on the ice. The 
succeeding blocks are pried off with 
a crowbar, towed to the landing place, 
and loaded into wagons or run up an 
inclined plane to the storehouse and 
I?acked away. The blocks are stood 
on end in a solid mass. A space 
is left between the ice and the walls 
of the ice house in which are gutters 
and drainways to receive and carry 
off the drainage from the melted ice. 

Ice — Domestic Harvest. — To gather 
ice for home use, cut it as soon as it 
is thick enough, and before the sur- 
face has been covered with snow or 
has had a chance to freeze and thaw 
a number of times. If a light snow 




"To Gather Ice for Home Use." 

falls before the ice is gathered it is 
advisable to clear off a sufficient space 
before a thaw sets in. A horse plow 
for marking the ice is desirable, and 



one can usually be borrowed if neces- 
sary, but a crosscut saw may be used. 
After one row of blocks has been 
sawed out it is only necessary to saw 
across the ends of the blocks. They 
may be separated lengthwise by mark- 
ing with an ax and splitting off with 
an ice pick or chisel. It is not de- 
sirable to cut cakes larger than 3 by 
3 feet if the work is to be done by 
hand. Provide a runway or ice ladder 
about 26 inches wide and 13 feet long 
to reach from the sled into the water. 
Drive two upright planks or timbers 
into the ice, and attach a crossbar at 
the top of the sled on which to sup- 
port one end of the runway, the other 
reaching down in the water. Two 
men with ice hooks can pull a cake 
3 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 18 inches 
or more in depth up this runway and 
load it upon the sled without i idue 
exertion. 

To Preserve Ice. — The two requisites 
to preserve ice are the exclusion of 
heat and outer air, and the drainage 
of the water produced by melting 
without at the same time allowing the 
cold air surrounding the ice to escape. 
A piece of ice of 50 pounds weight 
exposed at a temperature of 80°, but 
placed on cross slats so as to be per- 
fectly drained, will not melt under 
twenty-four hours. But if exposed at 
the same temperature in a tight vessel 
that will retain the water produced by 
melting, it will dissolve in six or seven 
hours. Hence ice houses, refrigerators, 
or ice boxes should have double sides, 
bottom and top, with a space between 
the casings filled with nonconducting 
materials to keep out the external 
heat, all doors and other apertures 
should be sealed as nearly air-tight as 
possible, and the contents should be 
arranged to provide perfect drainage. 
All water must be removed at once, 
and the drainage pipe must be fitted 
Avith a trap so that cold air cannot 
escape nor outer air be admitted. If 
these principles are observed, any in- 
genious person can build an ice house 
or refrigerator, or design one to be 
built by a local carpenter that will 
answer all practical purposes. 



96 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



To Make an Ice House. — The size 
of an ice house must, of course, be 
determined by the number of persons 
that are to make use of it. The in- 
terior should be so proportioned as 
to admit of packing cakes of any pre- 
ferred size, as 3 by 3 feet, in a solid 
mass, but with an air space between 
the outside of the cakes and the wall 
of the ice house to admit of drainage. 
Hence an ice house 14 by 20 feet in- 
side dimensions will admit of a layer 
of twenty-four cakes with a space of 
1 foot clear all around. 

Such an ice house Carried up eight 
or ten laj^ers would last two or three 
ordinary families for a j^ear. It costs 
but little more to build a good-sized 
ice house, and often two or three 
neiglibors can club together to advan- 
tage, both to reduce the cost of build- 
ing the house, and also the labor of 
filling it. 

Or, if more ice is harvested than 
one family requires, it can frequently 
be sold to neighbors at a profit suffi- 
cient to admit of paying for the first 
cost and for the labor of harvesting 
the ice each year. 

To Build Ice Houses, make a frame 
of two or three joists, supported on 
posts raised a foot or more from the 
ground, and have a shed roof sloping 
to th^ north. Board up the outside 
and make another frame inside 10 or 
12 inches from the outer boarding, 
and fill in the space between with 
shavings, sawdust, or spent tan bark 
packed as solidly as possible. Lay a 
solid plank floor and give it a pitch 
toward one corner with an outlet for 
draiiiage. Build double doors, reach- 
ing from the outer to the inner wall 
and packed solidly with nonconduct- 
ing material. Or have a separate door 
in each wall, but the former is the 
better method. 

To Fill an Ice House. — First cover 
the floor with sawdust, tan bark, or 
other suitable material at least 3 feet 
in thickness. Lay on this successive 
layers of ice in a solid mass, but leave 
a space of 13 inches all around. Cover 
the ice and fill the pitch of the build- 
ing to a thickness of several feet with 



nonconducting material, but leave an 
air space between the top of this ma- 
terial and the roof. As the ice is 




Homemade Tackle. 

removed from day to day for use, 
carefully replace the covering. 

To Protect an Ice House. — Build a 
cheap trellis of slats or rough poles 
8 or 10 inches from the walls all 
around, and also extending over the 
roof, and train the common woodbine 
or English ivj^ or even clematis, morn- 
ing glory, or other similar trailing vine 
to run over it. This can readily be 
done in most localities and forms a 
cheap and eifective shade, that is a 
perfect defense against the direct rays 
of the sun. The trellis will prevent 
the plants from causing the boards of 
the ice house to decay, and by leaving 
a space between for circulation of air, 
will greatly assist in lowering the tem- 
perature. A mantle of vines also cov- 
ers the bare ugliness of the cheap 
l^oarding of an ice house and tends to 
make it an object of i)eauty. 

Or a skeleton ice house may be built 
by driving posts in the ground to 
make a frame and boarding them up 
to any desired height. Sawdust may 
be laid directly on the ground, but to 
prevent washouts and provide drain- 
age it is better to throw in a few large 
stones, level them roughly, and lay a 
loose board floor a foot or more from 



HEATING, LIGHTING, AND REFRIGERATION 97 



the ground. Cover this with a layer 
of coarse hay or straw to prevent the 
sawdust from falling through, and on 
this put a foot or more of sawdust. 
Lay the ice in the middle in a solid 
mass, but leave a space of 2 feet all 
around between the ice and the boards 
and pack this space and cover the ice 
with nonconducting material, and lay 
a roof of loose boards over all, with 
an air space between. Such an ice 
house can be thrown up and boarded 
in a day while the ice is being drawn, 
and the planks can be taken down and 
stored away, if desired, as rapidly as 
the ice is removed in summer. 

Or ice may be stored in a pen made 
of rails built up corncob fashion as 
the ice is put in. A floor of rails 
should be laid a foot or so from the 
ground and covered with straw, on 
which sawdust should be packed a 
foot or more deep. Lay the ice in a 
solid mass, pack with sawdust all 
around, cover the top with 3 feet of 
sawdust, and thatch with coarse straw. 
Over this lay a shed roof of boards 
tacked down with a few nails. 

If morning glories or other quick- 
growing vines can be trained to run 
over the rails, it will greatly assist in 
preserving the ice in summer. 

Or a load of sawdust may be thrown 
on the ground, a pile of ice built up 
on this, and a rough board frame 
merely tacked together at the corners 
about 2 feet distant all around from 
the pile. This space must, of course, 
be filled with sawdust, the top covered 
over to an equal depth, and rough 
boards or canvas thrown over all. 

To Make an Ice Chest. — A practical 
ice chest may be made by building 
a tight box of matched boards with 
double sides 6 inches apart, having an 
inner chamber 3 feet long, 2 feet deep, 
and 2 feet wide. This will hold a 
block of 100 pounds or more of ice, 
and leave room all around for milk, 
butter, fresh meat, and other articles. 
This ice box must be furnished with 
a double lid packed with charcoal or 
sawdust and fitting tightly so as to 
exclude the outer air. It will preserve 
ice practically as well as an expensive 



refrigerator. The inner compartment 
must be furnished with a small pipe 
to carry off the water from the melt- 
ing ice. 

Or a cheap ice box may be made by 
simply setting one dry-goods box in- 
side of another. There must be a 
space of 6 inches all around between 
the two. Pack this space closely with 
powdered charcoal or sawdust, and 
make a double lid, packed in the same 
manner, to fit the larger box. Provide 
a drainage pipe to remove the melt- 
ing ice. 

Or place a small cask or half bar- 
rel inside of a large cask and fill the 
space all around with charcoal. A 
tube from the bottom of the lower 
cask will carry off the melted ice. 
Furnish the inner cask with a remov- 
able lid and the outer cask with 
double cover packed with charcoal. 
Also provide a charcoal bag a foot 
thick or more to lay over the top of 
the inner cask. By filling the inner 
cask two thirds full of powdered ice, 
or with snow in winter, ices may be 
frozen in it, or by putting in a cake 
of ice it may be used as an ordinary 
refrigerator. 

Ice Bags. — To preserve small quan- 
tities of ice, make two bags of heavy 
woolen goods, one of which should be 
2 or 3 inches wider on all sides than 
the other. Place the smaller bag in- 
side of the larger and stuff the space 
between with canvas. A block of ice 
placed in a bag of this description 
will be preserved as long as in an or- 
dinary ice box. A small bit of rubber 
tubing should be inserted at one cor- 
ner to provide drainage. 

A Cooling Box. — In tropical regioii?- 
where ice is scarce, or unobtainablcs 
it is customary to construct a water- 
tight box, say 28 inches square and 
10 inches deep, which should be filled 
with water. A shelf 30 by 30 inches 
is suspended from this by four posts, 
2 by 2 inches and 36 inches long. Com- 
mon burlap sacks are tacked closely 
about the sides. Pieces of woolen 
stuff, such as old woolen underwear, 
are placed around the edge of the box, 
with one end in the water and the 



98 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



other hanging outside and resting on 
the burlap. The whole is suspended 
in a shady place where the air can 
circulate freely around and through 
it, and where the sun will not shine 
on it. The air passing through the 
burlap causes evaporation of the wa- 
ter, and the burlap is kept dripping 
wet by the woolen stufP drawing water 
from the box as evaporation takes 
place. This is the principle by which 
the box is cooled. When the box is 
first filled the burlap should be thor- 
oughly wet. Afterwards, if filled reg- 
ularly, it will keep saturated. 

The box is filled with water. On 
one side the burlap is allowed to hang 
free over the suspended shelf. This 
curtain is the door of the cooler. But- 
ter placed on the shelf will keep per- 
fectly solid. Even where ice is plenti- 
ful this is a convenient way to cool 
hot dishes that you do not wish to put 
in the refrigerator. 

Care of the Refrigerator. — Put a 
saucer of unslacked lime in the re- 
frigerator to keep it sweet. Place in 
the ice chest two or three lumps of 
chiircoal as large as an egg, changing 
them two or three times a month. 
They will absorb all odors of cooked 
food and the like. Keep everything 
in the refrigerator covered. Have a 
number of glass fruit jars with screw, 
tops m which to place liquids, and a 
glass jar for drinking water. This 
will save cracking off ice. 

Few housekeepers take the necessary 
pains to keep the ice box scrupulously 
clean. It should be wiped out daily, 
and when the ice is exhausted, be- 
fore a new piece is put in, a strong 



solution of caustic potash or sal 
soda should be poured through the 
waste pipes to cleanse and disinfect 
them. 

To Break Ice. — Use an awl or a 
darning needle and tap it gently with 
a hammer. Make a row of holes across 
the ice, which will crack straight 
through beneath. 

To Preserve Ice. — To preserve ice 
it must be isolated and surrounded 
with nonconducting material. There 
must be no access of the outer air to 
the ice except on top. Cold air is 
heavier than warm, hence the air which 
has been cooled by the melting of the 
ice settles upon its surface and cannot 
be displaced by the warmer air from 
above unless the cold air is allowed 
to escape or is displaied by a current, 
which must be avoided. The larger 
and colder a block of ice is, and the 
less it is exposed to warmth before 
being placed in the refrigerator, the 
longer it will keep. 

Ice varies in temperature all the 
way from below zero to 30° F. before 
melting. Hence the fact that a piece 
of ice is not all melted by exposure to 
warm air is no criterion that it is not 
losing heat and rapidly approaching 
the melting point. If a piece of ice 
must be exposed to warm air for a 
time before being placed in the re- 
frigerator it should be wrapped up in 
a heavy cloth or newspapers. If these 
are left on after the ice has been put 
in the refrigerator, so much the bet- 
ter. The larger the block of ice, the 
slower it melts. Hence it is economy 
to purchase ice in as large quantities 
as the refrigerator will hold. 



CHAPTER III 

HOME SANITATION AND HYGIENE 

LOCATION OF BUILDINGS— DANGER FROM ARTIFICIAL HEATING 
SYSTEMS— WATER SUPPLY— DISPOSAL OF HOUSEHOLD WASTES 
—ELIMINATION OF FLIES 



Not many years ago disease was 
most often deemed the act of Provi- 
dence as a chastening or visitation for 
moral evil. Many diseases are now 
known to be merely human ignorance 
and uncleanliness out on public ex- 
hibition. The sins for which human- 
ity suffers in the common communica- 
ble (and many other) diseases are 
violations of the laws of sanitation 
and hygiene, or simply the one great 
law of absolute sanitary cleanliness. 
The duty of supervising conditions 
affecting the public health is taken 
over by the. community itself in the 
larger centers of population, but in 
many small towns and in the open 
country the chief responsibility for 
siinitary conditions in and about the 
home devolves upon each individual 
householder. Every symptom of pre- 
ventable disease, especially diseases 
of the respiratory system (bronchitis, 
pneumonia) ; all fevers (typhoid 
fever, malaria, etc. ) ; and all other 
communicable diseases (diphtheria, 
scarlet fever and the like) should 
suggest the question: "Is the cause 
of this illness any unsanitary condi- 
tion within my control which can 
and should be remedied?" 

Not infrequently landlords and 
parents shirk responsibility for illness 
due to unsanitary conditions upon 
the ground that the cost of the proper 
remedy would be prohibitive. Such 
conditions as dampness in cellars, or 
the pollution of air, soil or water 
supply by seepage from barnyard 
manure piles, privy vaults and open 



drains, are often thought to be de- 
termined for all future time by the 
location of dwellings and outbuildings 
and are believed to be incurable with- 
out greater «^xpense than the owner 
can afford. Men are too apt to say 
under such circumstances, "What 
can't be cured must be endured," 
and to think that the members of 
their families must take their chance 
of sickness along with the other risks 
of life. Such a mode of reasoning 
is most reprehensible. As sanitary 
knowledge increases it will un- 
doubtedly be corrected by law. 

The most important asset not only 
of the individual and family but 
also of the community is not mere 
property, but rather the physical vigor 
of its members. The cost of bring- 
ing an average child to maturity has 
been estimated at from two to five 
thousand dollars. The value to the 
family of each of its adult members 
may be taken as their normal earning 
capacity for the average period of 
expectation of life. On this basis 
courts usually grant damages on 
death claims at the rate of from 
five thousand dollars upward. And 
the average of such awards appears 
to be steadily on the increase. Hence 
on the economic side alone, it is false 
economy to risk the loss of one or 
more lives worth five thousand dollars 
each and upwards, in order to avoid 
making improvements costing a small 
fraction of that sum. 

Moreover, with the progress of 
sanitary science, additional stress is 



99 



100 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



being laid upon the moral aspect of 
sanitation. Persons who should ex- 
pose in open vessels solutions of 
strychnine, arsenic or other virulent 
poisons would be held guilty of crim- 
inal negligence if accidental death by 
poisoning should result. Yet some 
of the gases, liquids and micro- 
organisms with which the air, soil and 
water supply in and about dwellings 
may become contaminated, are now 
known to be as fatal under some 
common circumstances as the most 
deadly poisons. The only possible 
excuse for permitting the existence of 
these nuisances is ignorance. And 
with the present rapid spread of 
scientific information that excuse will 
not much longer avail. Another 
generation will doubtless see laws 
passed holding property owners and 
heads of families responsible for 
illness resulting from preventable" 
causes. Consider not alone the 
economic loss and moral wrong in- 
volved. Think of the pain and suflFer- 
ing of illness, the labor and anxiety 
of nursing, the expense of medicines 
and medical attendance and the cost 
of funerals ! Above all must we re- 
gard the desolation and heart-break 
caused bj^ the loss of those near and 
dear to us ! When all these are cast 
into the scale, the expense of proper 
sanitation, however great, is clearly 
seen to be necessary and even negli- 
gible. 

At first thought it might seem that 
information regarding the proper 
location and construction of the home 
and its appurtenances would be of 
value only to those who are about 
to build a new dwelling. And of 
course the founding of a new home 
aff^ords the best opportimity to put 
the principles of hygiene and sanita- 
tion into eff"ect. Yet perhaps a 
majority of the entire population 
occupy rented dwellings and are free 
to remove from them at will. In all 
such cases a knowledge of the de- 
mands of proper sanitation is directly 
applicable to the question whether or 
not to renew the leasehold of one's 
present dwelling. In the event of 



removal it applies equally to the se- 
lection of another home. Moreover, 
the conditions surrounding buildings 
improperly located may often be 
remedied by permanent improvements. 
Or such buildings may be removed 
bodily to new foundations at an 
expense trifling in comparison to the 
original cost of the structures. If, 
however, necessary improvements to 
insure sanitation cannot be made, it 
is far better to sell property even 
at a sacrifice and remove from it, 
before sickness or death have brought 
about their inevitable loss. A knowl- 
edge of the laws of sanitation is 
also of vital importance in the selec- 
tion of temporary homes, such as 
summer hotels, boarding places and 
summer camps. Indeed, so funda- 
mental is this subject to human health 
and happiness that it should be re- 
garded as an essential part of the 
fund of knowledge which is or should 
be common to every normal person. 

The conditions essential to proper 
sanitation are simply an abundance 
of sunshine, pure air and pure water, 
with necessary shade in summer, or, 
negatively, freedom from pollution of 
the air, soil or water supply with 
noxious micro-organisms (germs) or 
other poisons. Within the dwelling, 
artificial heat and light must be pro- 
vided by means which give off into 
the air a minimum of the noxious 
products of combustion. And these 
must be promptly removed by a 
proper system of ventilation. To ac- 
complish these results attention must 
be given to both the location and 
construction of the home and its 
necessary outbuildings, and to the in- 
stallation of suitable systems of heat- 
ing, lighting and ventilation, water 
supply, drainage and sewage dis- 
posal. These will be the topics under 
consideration in the present chapter. 

LOCATION OF BUILDINGS 

If a house stands on low damp 
ground, or if there is swampy or 
wet land in the immediate vicinity, 
sickness will follow as sure as night 



HOME SANITATION AND HYGIENE 



101 



follows day. It is far better not to 
build at all than to occupy such a 
location unless the site and all ad- 
jacent pools or swamp are first im- 
proved by efficient drainage. Mois- 
ture in and about the foundations of 
a home adds to the humidity of the 
atmosphere. This makes the occu- 
pants more susceptible to both heat 
and cold. Swamps or pools of stand- 
ing water afford breeding grounds 
for mosquitoes. Thus in many locali- 
ties they condemn in advance mem- 
bers of the family and their guests 
to attacks of debilitating malaria. 
If, however, a house stands in a damp 
spot which cannot be drained, it 
should at least be lifted well above 
the surface of the soil on damp- 
proof posts or other foundations. 
Or the cellar, if there is one, should 
be made thoroughly damp-proof. 
These steps with proper artificial heat 
will aid in protecting the family from 
the ill effects of excessive humidity. 

Relative Position of House and 
Other Things. — The danger from 
lack of proper drainage is greatly 
increased if the moisture in the soil 
is polluted by seepage from any sort 
of nuisance. No such conditions 
should be tolerated. Even the choice 
of a proper site for the house where 
the soil is porous and there is good 
natural drainage will not protect the 
health of the family if the stable or 
other outbuildings are so located that 
there is a gradual seepage of polluted 
water through the ground into and 
around the foundations of the house. 
Nor should there be an open sink 
drain contaminating the earth ad- 
jacent to the foundations. Not in- 
frequently buildings of prosperous 
farmers are so placed that the land 
slopes from the barn, stable or pig- 
pen toward the dwelling. In addi- 
tion to constant seepage through the 
soil, a flood of filthy surface water 
during heavy rains flows toward and 
around the house and cellar. The 
inevitable result is illness which is 
most often attributed to other causes. 
It must also be borne in mind that 
the underground strata of the soil do 



not always coincide with the surface 
condition. Thus there may be a 
gentle elevation between the farm 
buildings and the house which would 
appear to protect the latter from soil 
pollution. Yet below the ground there 
may be a shelf of hardpan covered 
with a layer of loose sand and gravel 
dipping direct from under the barn 
or stable toward the foundations of 
the house. All such conditions must 
be carefully observed and studied. 
The object is to so locate the build- 
ings that the drainage from the out- 
buildings occupied by animals cannot 
carry pollution toward the house. 

Air Drainage. — Next only in im- 
portance to a well drained soil is the 
question of air drainage. C. G. Hill 
says: "A hollow, however porous and 
well drained the soil, will prove a 
cold and frosty spot in winter, a hot 
and sultry one in summer. A site too 
closely shut in by timber will lose 
what it may gain in shade by the 
absence of free circulation of air. 
Every breeze will be cut off dui'ing 
the sultry days of summer and in 
winter the absence of sunlight will 
be a drawback. All things considered 
a gentle hillside slope offers the 
greatest advantages. If the highest 
land is to the north or west little 
more is to be desired. . . . The 
prevailing breezes must also be con- 
sidered and the outbuildings or any 
fixtures or places which may become 
sources of offensive odors should be 
located well to the leeward of the 
house." 

Shade and Shelter. — While tlic 
house should stand in direct sun- 
shine and be exposed to thorough 
ventilation from prevailing winds, the 
shelter of a strip of timber or a 
windbreak to the north and west is 
very desirable, especially in cold 
climates. This helps to keep the 
house comfortably warm in cold 
weather with economy of fuel. It 
also adds to the comfort of live 
stock and of those who are obliged 
to care for them. Every owner of 
a home should take pride in im- 
proving the lawn and grounds and 



102 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



planting suitable shade trees. Yet 
the choice of a site for a new home, 
other things being equal, may well 
be determined by the presence of 
one or more fine old trees already 
capable of yielding the shade which 
is so grateful and necessary in 
summer. 

Arrangement of Eooms. — When 
possible, the living rooms and work 
rooms of the house should be on the 
east side so as to receive a good 
share of sunshine. This side is also 
advantageous for sleeping rooms so 
that the morning sun may stream into 
these rooms and upon the beds before 
they are made up. Nor should they 
be made up too early. Moreover, this 
side of the house does not receive 
the intense rays of the afternoon 
sun in summer, nor is it exposed to 
the prevailing winter winds. Artificial 
heat also tends from the west toward" 
the east side of a building. The 
latter has therefore the advantage of 
being cooler in summer and more 
sheltered and warmer in winter. 
Vestibules, halls, stairs and the least 
used rooms may sometimes be so 
placed as to afi'ord protection to 
other apartments. All these con- 
siderations are of course equally as 
important in choosing a house for 
rental as in building a home for one's 
own occupancy. 

Cellar or Basement. — The vital im- 
portance of a clean dry cellar is due 
to the danger of the contamination 
of the air from soil pollution. The 
artificial heat in a house, especially 
in winter, rises and creates suction 
from the soil beneath and around the 
cellar. Thus the building as a whole 
acts as a flue. It draws up and 
transports to the rooms above what- 
ever noxious air or gases the earth 
may contain. Moisture in the atmos- 
phere of the cellar is thus quickly 
communicated to all parts of the 
house. These facts have been abun- 
dantly proved by experiment. 

A new cellar should be so drained 
as to keep the water level below the 
cellar floor. Or if this pre;caUtion 
has been neglected, such a drain may 



be put in after the house has been 
built, provided a proper outlet can be 
secured. 



Oanfifii'Oe^Cour«Q< \ wa 




Method of draining cellar walls. Cour- 
tenu Stale Board of Health of Maine. 



The cellar wall laid up dry and 
then chinked and "pointed" on the 
inside should be avoided, especially 
in damp localities. The open crevices 
admit the water freely from the out- 
side. The plaster or cement on the 
inside then becomes wet and even- 
tually falls off". Cellar walls should 
preferably be built of concrete or 
stone laid solidly in cement-mortar 
and brought to a good smooth face 
both inside and outside, particularly 
the latter. This will exclude all 
vermin as well as moisture. Such a 
wall, especially if backed with gravel, 
coarse sand or fine rubble, as shown 
in the illustration, turns the water 
and allows it to drain off' rapidly 
through the tile surrounding the foun- 
dation. 

To drain a cellar after a house 
has been built, dig a trench outside 
the foundation wall to a depth at 
least 13 inches below the cellar bottom 
and lay 2-inch unglazed tile all around 
the foundation wall outside of and 
close to it. Give the tile a slope of 
10 or 13 inches on an even grade 
from the corner of tlie house diagon- 
ally opposite, around both sides and 
down to the outlet. If the drain must 
then enter a sewer, insert a trap well 



HOME SANITATION AND HYGIENE 



103 



outside the cellar wall with a deep 
water seal which will not go dry at 
any season. If the ground is very 
damp, point up the outer side of the 
cellar wall with good hydraulic ce- 
ment and fill the trench with loose 
stone and gravel. If the outlet pipe 
can be brought out of the ground at 
a point such that thei'e is sufficient 
fall, this will provide perfect drain- 
age. Take care not to disturb the 
foundations. If the earth is not very 
firm, dig the trench in sections and 
fill it as fast as the drainage pipe can 
be laid. 

If the ground under the cellar bot- 
tom is exceptionally wet, underlay it 
with tile drains not more than 12 
feet apart and converging toward the 
point of the outlet. 




Method of draining cellar bottom. Cour- 
tesy State Board of Health of Maine. 

Damp-proof Courses. — Some kinds 
of building materials used for foun- 
dation and the underpinning of 
houses ai-e porous. These readily 
absorb water from the soil and trans- 
mit dampness to the structure and 
the rooms above. Brick is the worst 
offender, but concrete and some kinds 
of building stone are almost equally 
as bad. Hence insert a damp-proof 
course laid completely across the 
foundation wall and extending all 
around the building. This may con- 
sist of a half-inch layer of asphalt 
or of slate embedded in cement. It 
must necessarily be above grade so 
that the ground may not come in con- 
tact with the work above it. 

In many old brick houses, or 



wooden houses with brick underpin- 
nings, the ground comes in contact 
with the brickwork. This is a stand- 
ing and very cordial invitation to 
serious forms of illness to visit the 
occujiants. Hence remove, section- 
ally, a course of brick all the way 
around the house above the ground 
line and below the sills or floor tim- 
bers, and insert a damp-proof course. 

DANGERS FROM ARTIFICIAL 
HEAT 

The various kinds of fuel and 
systems of heating have been con- 
sidered elsewhere from the standpoint 
of their efficiency. We are concerned ' 
here only with their sanitary and 
hygienic effect. The most common 
danger to health is perhaps from 
over-heating. E. C. Jordan says: 
"Cold, pure air is a wonderful tonic. 
It improves the appetite, increases 
the red corpuscles of the blood and 
tones up the system generally. Many 
American children and adults emerge 
from their hibernation in the spring- 
anemic and weak. This is largely due 
to the faults in our methods of heat- 
ing. We customarily overheat our 
houses and offices. Seventy degrees 
or more of artificial heat is enervat- 
ing. We should accustom ourselves 
to being comfortable at a temperature 
at least a few degrees below 70. 

"A second serious danger is from 
the products of combustion. Burning 
coal, wood, oil or gas generate cer- 
tain very harmful gases. The utmost 
care should be taken to exclude these 
from the air we breathe. Yet leakage 
of gas from stoves or furnaces not 
properly constructed or managed is 
very common. The use of oil and 
gas heaters is perilously imprudent. 
They should never be used unless 
the products of combustion are cai'- 
ried from the room by means of a 
pipe connecting with the chimney flue. 

"A third fault and danger is want 
of ventilation. In unventilated living 
rooms the air is rendered imsui table 
for breathing by these four things: 
(1) An insufficient percentage of 



104 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



oxygen; (9) the poisonous products 
of respiration; (3) the deleterious 
products of combustion from lights 
or leakage from heaters; (4) disease- 
producing bacteria. One principal 
reason why grip, pneumonia, diph- 
theria, smallpox, and some other dis- 
eases are more prevalent in winter 
than in summer, is that in winter the 
doors and windows are closed and 
the bacterial causes of these diseases 
are concentrated. 

"It is a serious yet common mis- 
take to put in a heating apparatus 
which cannot easily do the work re- 
quired of it in cold weather. Such 
a heating plant is then sure to be 
crowded and overheated, its period 
of usefulness is shortened, the great- 
est practicable amount of heat is not 
obtained from the fuel, and dele- 
terious products escape into the- 
rooms. 

"Another prolific source of ill 
health for those who breathe artificial 
air is the unintelligent use of damp- 
ers. Everybody who uses coal knows 
that, if the damper is turned too 
soon, we get into our rooms an ill- 
smelling sulphurous gas. That gas 
is also dangerously poisonous. But 
unfortunately most people are un- 
awaTe that after the damper is turned 
so that the draft is too slight, an- 
other gas, without odor to reveal its 
presence, continues to leak out. This 
is carbonic oxide. 

"Of the two carbon gases found in 
vitiated air, both will cause death by 
suffocation if the percentage in ^ the 
air is large enough. If he is rescued 
in time and carried into the open air, 
the victim of carbonic acid gas will 
quickly recover, and apparently with- 
out permanent injury. But in cases 
of partial asphyxiation from carbonic 
oxide gas, resuscitation and ultimate 
recovery are very doubtful. The red 
corpuscles of the blood seem to suffer 
destruction, or a great diminution of 
their oxygen-carrying capacity. Re- 
covery, when it occurs, is usually very 
slow and incomplete. The person 
chronically poisoned by habitually 
breathing this gas in small quan- 



tities is having his blood corpuscles 
slowly destroyed. He comes out in 
the spring pale and weak, and with 
his general health impaired. Many 
persons, with no suspicion of the 
cause of their illness, feel the need 
of the recuperation which they can 
gain in the summer season to enable 
them to endure the next winter's 
chronic foul-air poisoning. Any per- 
ceptible odor of gas from the furnace 
or other heating apparatus is always 
an indication of serious danger to 
health and should have immediate 
attention." 

WATER SUPPLY 

Water should be brought into the 
house and also to the barn whenever 
possible, and pipes should then be 
laid to remove the waste water from 
house and barn and to so dispose 
of it as to avoid breeding grounds 
for the bacteria that cause filth dis- 
eases. There are important reasons 
why water should be brought to the 
barn, but if it is not possible to bring 
it to both places, the house should 
have the preference. L. H. Bailey 
says: "The first thing I would now 
do for the farm home is to put in 
sanitary water works for the care 
and comfort of the person. Nothing 
would so soon lift the home ideals." 

Every dwelling should have good 
kitchen sinks, water closets and a 
bathroom. Drinking water should be 
brought in by pipes. Such a water 
supply means additional comfort, 
better health, protection against fire, 
saving of labor and a supply of 
water for lawn and garden. Various 
methods are in use, qis gravity from 
high springs or creeks, or power from 
windmills, hydraulic rams, small gas 
or hot air engines, or from tanks 
which may be filled by pneumatic 
pumps operated either by power or 
by hand. The location of the storage 
tank and the best means of forcing 
water into it depend upon local con- 
ditions. The source of supply, the 
amount of water required, the need 
of power for other purposes, the 



HOME SANITATION AND HYGIENE 



105 



available fuel and the cost of labor 
all have a bearing on the matter, in 
addition to the first cost of installa- 
tion. 

A small hydraulic ram can be in- 
stalled for $50 or less, pipe not in- 
cluded. This will be practicable if 
there is a fall of 18 inches or more 
from the source of supply. The 
illustration shows the method of set- 
ting a hydraulic ram. 

Spring - ^ 




Setting of hydraulic ram. 
(E. T. Wilson.) 

The height of the source of supply 
above the ram — i. e., the head — de- 
termines the distance and elevation 
to which the water can be forced. 
The head may be increased by dam- 
ming a stream so as to create a 
reservoir or, if a drain can be secured 
to keep the outlet free from water, 
by sinking the ram in a pit. A ram 
keeps going all the time and re- 
quires very little attention. The px- 
pense of maintenance is small. 
Hence a small ram with a very low 
head makes a cheap and adequate 
source of water supply. The water 
can be forced into an elevated tank 
or pneumatic tank as desired. The 
overflow can be utilized by a water 
motor for pumping cistern water, 
shelling corn or any of the other 
numerous ways for saving hand labor. 
The water which is pumped need 
not be the same as the power water. 
By means of a compound ram, im- 
pure water can be used to pump the 
pure water without danger of mixing. 
The size of the ram required will de- 
pend upon the head, the amount of 
water required and the height and 
distance to which it must be delivered. 
After the pipes are laid, keep them 
uncovered until they are given a test. 
This will discover any leaks. 

Windmills. — A properly constructed 
windmill is a good and simple way 
of securing a supply of water and 



can be equipped at small cost with 
a device which will also furnish power 
for grinding feed, shelling corn, saw- 
ing wood, washing, churning, and 
many other purposes with no expense 
for fuel. The first cost of a wind- 
mill varies greatly according to the 
conditions. But this is perhaps the 
most economical means of obtaining 
power. The wind is free and the cost 
of repairs is very small. The tank 
should hold a week's supply or about 
2,000 gallons for the house, and twice 
as much for the house and barn, say 
a tank 10 feet across and 6 feet deep. 
A windmill to supply such a tank 
should be at least a 12- footer. 

Gas or Hot Air Engines. — These 
devices are now manufactured ex- 
pressly for pumping water to ele- 
vated or pneumatic tanks to furnish 
supplies for houses and barns. Such 
engines may be had to burn any 
kind of fuel — natural gas, gasoline, 
kerosene, coal or wood. They are not 
difficult to operate and may be used 
for other purposes when not needed 
for pumping. The pipes should be 
laid as straight as possible and free 
from elbows and sharp bends. The 
cost ranges from $60 upwards for 2 
or 3 h.p. The cost of fuel is very 
small. A half hour's pumping a day 
will furnish a supply of water for an 
average family. 

Distribution of Water. — Whatever 
the source of supply or method of 
pumping employed, the water must be 
collected in some sort of storage tank 
for distribution throughout the house. 
This may be an elevated outdoor 
tank, a tank in the attic, or a pneu- 
matic tank in the cellar. An ele- 
vated outdoor tank must be protected 
from freezing in cold weather by 
enclosing the exposed pipes in two 
or more wooden cases with air spaces 
between. The outer case may be of 
matched boards and painted. Equip 
a storage tank in the attic with a 
suitable float to shut off the supply 
pipe when the water reaches a certain 
height and admit the water again 
when the water level of the tank is 
lowered. Also to protect against 



106 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



freezing, the possibility of leakage 
or other costly accident equii) the 
attic tank with an overflow pipe to 
carry off surplus water, if the float 
valve fails to shut it off when the 




Hot-ioater circulation. 
(.E. T. ^¥^lson.) 

tank is full. Take care to avoid 
stoppage of this pipe in winter by 
freezing. As a rule indoor elevated 
tanks are not advisable in cold 
climates unless the whole house can 
be kept warm by an adequate heating 
system. An outdoor tank properly 
protected against the weather is safer. 
Pneumatic Tank. — To avoid these 
difficulties use the modern pneumatic 
tank built of steel plates. Locate this 
in the cellar, or protect it by a small 
building outdoors, or even bury it in 
the ground. Water is distributed 
from these tanks by means of air 
which is pumped into them with the 



water. This may be done by hand 
by means of an ordinary force pump, 
or by any of the above means of 
using power. The return of the air 
and water is prevented by means of 
a check valve in the pipe. The air 
in the upper part of the tank is 
compressed by the water which is 
forced in from below. The pressure 
is increased by pumping more water 
into the tank. It decreases as the 
water is drawn off. A 10-pound 
pressure will raise the water 33 feet, 
or a 15-pound pressure 33 feet. A 
40-poimd pressure will deliver water 
to points 85 feet above the tank. A 
little pumping each day will maintain 
an average pressure of 50 pounds. 
A tank 30 inches in diameter and 10 
feet long will sujijily the needs of an 
ordinary family of five. It can be 
filled in from 10 to 30 minutes a day 
'with a good hand force pump. But 
if more than 100 gallons a day are 
required, it would be better to employ 
some kind of mechanical power. If 
an engine is used, a large tank is 
more economical. Twenty minutes 
pumping once or twice a day should 
furnish the supply. 

The first cost of a small tank for 
an ordinary family of five will be 
from $100 upward. The expense for 
repairs f nd maintenance is slight. A 
large neighborhood plant with a 
pneumatic tank and suitable engine 
or other source of power capable of 
supplying water to several houses 
could be installed at grfeatly reduced 
cost to each householder. This 
would give a much higher pi'essure 
in case of fire. 

The pipes should be run as nearly 
as possible in straight lines and free 
from sharp bends or elbows. The 
farther they are carried horizontally 
the larger they should be. This de- 
creases the loss of pressure by fric- 
tion. If a windmill is used, it should 
be supplied with an automatic regula- 
tor which will throw it out of gear 
when the pressure reaches a given 
amount and start it again when the 
pressure is relieved. The advantages 
of this system are complete security 



HOME SANITATION AND HYGIENE 



107 



against freezing in winter, coolness 
of the water in summer and incidental 
fire protection. The tank is wholly 
closed to dust and light and has the 
advantage of resting upon the 
ground. 

Hand Force Pump. — If water can- 
not be supplied by gravity or power 




Water distribution ty pneumatie tank 
system. Courtesy State Board of 
Health of Maine. 



it should certainly be brought from 
the cistern or well to the kitchen sink 
and also to the bathroom, if any, by 
means of a small hand force pump. 
The steps saved and health gained 
make a convenient water supply a 
necessity rather than a luxury. A 
small force pump may be located at 
one end of the kitchen sink with a 
suction pipe reaching to the cistern. 
If an attic tank is used, this may 
be connected with the rainfall leader 
and supplied with an automatic cut- 
off which will send the water to the 
cistern when the attic tank is full. 
The kitchen force pump can also be 
connected with the tank and used to 
fill it in dry seasons. 

Sources of Water Supply. — For do- 
mestic purposes water should prefer- 
ably be what is known as soft rather 
than hard, and must be clear, pure 
and palatable. The essentials are 
freedom from disease germs, turbid- 
ity, color, odor or taste. The source 



of supply of drinking water should 
be absolutely pure. It is a good plan 
to have drinking water, especially 
from wells and cisterns, tested at 
least twice a year. Water from 
artesian or other deep wells, springs, 
cisterns and from the deepest por- 
tions of large ponds and reservoirs is 
to be preferred in the order men- 
tioned. Running streams are not a 
desirable source of water supply. 
They may be contaminated at any 
time without the knowledge of the 
user at any point above the source 
of supply. Water is often contami- 
nated by its proximity to stables, 
privy vaults, cess-pools and open 
drains through underground leaching 
in sandy or other porous soil. Bac- 
teria of typhoid, cholera and dysen- 
tery may be taken into the system by 
impure drinking water. When there 
is any reason to suspect the water 
supply, especially if these diseases 
are prevalent, all drinking water 
should be boiled. A little lemon juice 
will take away the flat taste of boiled 
water. 

Physicians frequently recommend 
drinking water in large quantities, 
say a pint half an hour before each 
meal, and the same quantity before 
retiring at night. The effect of this 
is to increase the muscular activity of 




Pollution of tvater supply from open 
privy vault and manure pile. 



certain internal orgains by distention, 
and to dissolve certain j^oisonous 
secretions — as, for instance, uric acid 
which causes rheumatism. The same 
course is also recommended in cases 
of threatened diabetes or kidney 
disease. It is probable that few per- 
sons drink as much water as is ad- 
visable from a hygienic standpoint. 



108 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



But, of course, the more water taken 
into the system the more important 
it is that the source of supply be 
pure. Approximately four-fifths of 
the human body consists of liquids, of 
which over 60 per cent is water. This 
fact suggests the importance of sup- 
plying drinking water of the best 
quality. 

SOURCES OF WATER SUPPLY 

Wells. — An artesian or other deep 
well driven through hardpan and 
drawing water from a deep under- 
ground stream by means of a tight 
pipe is perhaps the purest and best 
source of permanent water supply. 
The first cost is considerable, but 
such a well may be regarded as much 
the most desirable of all permanent 
improvements. Open shallow wells 
dug just deep enough to strike run- 
ning water, usually not more than 20 
or 30 feet, are the ordinary source 
of supply in most localities. Such 
wells may become contaminated in 
two ways: by surface water washing 
into them, or by underground seepage 
from some source of pollution. It 
was formerly taken for granted by 
most persons that the soil acted as 
a natural filter and freed the water 
passing through it from all its im- 
purities. Recent experiments have 
shown that this is far from being 
the case. The capacity of the soil to 
purify water by filtration varies 
greatly. It depends upon the nature 
of the soil, the lay and dip of the 
various strata and the kind and ex- 
tent of the contamination. Under 
favorable conditions organic matter 
and most visible impurities will be 
filtered out of polluted water before 
it reaches the well. The water may 
then be clear and cold, taste all right 
and be free from odor, but it may, 
nevertheless, contain chemical poisons 
in solution. It may also contain the 
germs of typhoid and other filth dis- 
eases in great quantities. For these 
are entirely colorless and so small as 
to be wholly invisible without the 
aid of the microscope. 



Another common mistake is to as- 
sume that underground percolation 
follows the same lines as surface 
drainage. This, too, is by no means 
the case. If the top of a well is on 
higher ground than the open vault or 
drain, cess-pool or other source of 
pollution, it will be protected from 
surface washing. But if the bottom 
is lower than any of these nuisances 
there may be a dip of the hardpan 
underground from them toward the 
bottom of the well. This, if covered 
with a layer of porous soil or loose 
gravel, may be almost as good a 
conduit for polluted water as an open 
drain or sewer. The continued pollu- 
tion of the soil causes these under- 
ground strata to become charged with 
various impurities in ever increasing 
volume. With the lapse of time thesej 
creep steadily into closer proximity! 
to the well. Eventually attention is! 
attracted to the danger by the pres-l 
ence of a marked taste or odor. But! 
meantime variovis degrees of ill health 
may be observed in the family. Orl 
even an epidemic of sickness may! 
break out from this cause. Yet these! 
diseases may have been attributed to^J 
some other source. 

As a general rule it may be taker 
for granted that a shallow well any- 
where within convenient distance of! 
a barnyard or an open vault or drain 
is dangerous to health. This danger 
is constantly increasing with the pass- 
ing years, although meanwhile the 
family may be lulled into a false 
sense of security. Among the rem- 
edies which suggest themselves are 
piping water from high springs or 
other suitable sources beyond con- 
tamination, the use of cistern water, 
or if the shallow well seems a neces- 
sity, a change in the location of the 
barnyard and the elimination of open 
vaults and drains by means elsewhere 
recommended. 

Dug wells should be lined all the 
way up either with stone laid in 
water cement and smoothly faced on 
the inside with a trowel, or prefer- 
ably with large tiles or tile piping. 
This compels the water to come in 



HOME SANITATION AND HYGIENE 



109 



from the bottom. It thus increases 
the depth of the soil which serves 
as a filter. The lining of a well, 
whether of stone or tile, should be 




(a) Proper method of Hailing up and 
protecting private ivells from surface 
drainage; (6) unprotected private 
well. {Ritchie's Primer of Sanitation. 
Copyright, 1909, iy World Book Com- 
pany, Yonkers, Neiv York.) 

brought 18 inches or 2 feet above the 
surface of the soil and banked up 
with a mound of earth. This will 
prevent contamination from surface 
leaching. Take care that the upper 
4 or 5 feet is made absolutely water- 
tight. Then lay a heavy tight-fitting 
stone over the mouth to keep out 
small animals, angleworms, dead 
leaves and other organic matter. 
When cleaning old wells not thus 
protected, the skeletons of these ani- 
mals are frequently found. 

Never lay a sewer pipe or waste 
drain near a well. Never dig a new 
well in their vicinity. Such pipes and 
drains are seldom watertight. Or if 
a sewer pipe must be run near a 
well, use cast-iron pipe and seal all 
joints watertight. Never locate a 
cess-pool, open vault or drain or 
throw sloji water on the ground any- 
where on the same piece of ground 
as a well. Otherwise in the course 
of time the well water is almost cer- 
tain to become contaminated. The 
only means of insuring the purity of 
the water supply is to take adequate 
steps to keep the soil in the vicinity 
free from pollution. 

Springs. — Spring water is usually 
pure and good for drinking purposes, 



but often contains minerals in solu- 
tion. It is then known as hard water. 
But springs may become contami- 
nated in the same manner as wells 
if located near possible sources of 
pollution. Hence a spring intended 
to be a source of water supply should 
be carefully tested. If the water 
supply is to be piped from a spring 
as a permanent source of supply, first 
find out two things: Is the spring 
high enough above the house? Is the 
quantity of water sufficient? You 
can measure the overflow of the 
spring by pailfuls. The house alone 
for a family of ten will need about 
600 gallons in twenty-four hours. To 
get this, the spring should flow fast 
enough to fill a 10-quart pail in five 
minutes. If the spring is high above 
the house and near at hand, |-inch 
pipe may be sufficient. But if the 
spring is not high, or if the pipe is 
long, inch pipe is safer and better. 

The spring should be dug out, 
walled up, and covered with wood, 
brick, stone or concrete — to be pre- 
ferred in the order mentioned. The 
pipe may be either iron, lead, wood or 
sewer pipe. Sewer pipe costs about 
six cents a running foot, and |-inch 
wrought-iron pipe about the same. 

If the pressure is high — especially 
at the lower end, it is better to use 
iron. Wood or lead pipe is nowadays 
rarely used. 

Cisterns. — Rain water when prop- 
erly collected at a distance from large 
towns is pure and soft. In towns 
and cities it is often contaminated 
by smoke and fumes in the atmos- 
phere. Cistern water in such locali- 
ties should therefore be filtered and 
boiled before drinking. The rainfall 
collected in cisterns is a valuable 
source of water supply in localities 
where it is difficult or costly to drive 
a well and also in regions where the 
water is hard. In some localities this 
is the only source of water supply 
available. Rain water is soft and 
hence especially adapted to laundry 
purposes. 

Cisterns must be carefully screened 
with wire netting to exclude insects, 



110 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



toads and other vermin and should 
be so arranged as not to admit sur- 
face water. They should be kept 
scrupulously clean. The first rain- 
fall should be excluded to allow the 
accumulated dirt to wash off the roof 
and out to the gutters. For this pur- 
pose place a cut-off on the rain water 
pipe to divert the flow from the cis- 
tern. Various automatic devices of 
this sort are on th"; market. Locate 
a cistern close to the house for con- 
venience, or construct it in a corner 
of the basement or cellar. 




1^^^^ 



Cistern made of tile. 

A cistern may be built of concrete 
or brick laid upon a solid foundation, 
and may be either round or rectangu- 
lar. A round or egg-shaped cistern 
is preferable to one with square cor- 
ners. It is more difficult to build but 
is stronger and easy to keep clean, 
especially for drinking purposes. A 
cheap and convenient small cistern 
and filter may be built of tile. Two 
styles of this kind of cistern are 
shown in the illustration. A little in- 
genuity used in the construction of a 
cistern and filter will be amply com- 



pensated by a pure and abundant 
supply of soft water for household 
use. The average rainfall throughout 
the U. S. on a surface 40 feet square 
will supply 5 or 6 barrels a day, which 
is sufficient for an average family. 

To Make a Brick Cistern. — Use 
good hard brick and Portland cement 
mortar composed of one part cement 
and two parts of clean sharp sand. 
Lay the bottom with two courses of 
brick well bedded iii cement mortar. 
Lay up the walls not less than eight 
inches thick and plaster with cement 
both outside and inside, troweling it 
down smooth and hard. Make sure 
that the walls, top and bottom are 
water tight. A leaky cistern is equal- 
ly as liable to pollution by seepage as 
a shallow well or spring. If the 
water is to be used for drinking pur- 
poses, build in a filter. And this plan 
is better in all cases. 

To Make a Simple Filter. — Build 
in an 8-inch partition wall, after the 
bottom has been paved, to a point a 
few inches higher than the outlet of 
the overflow pipe. Lay up the first 
10 or 13 inches at the bottom of this 
partition (4 or 5 courses of brick) 
without cement for the water to pass 
through. Plaster the upper jjortion 
of the partition with cement. Or 
build the entire partition with soft 
porous brick laid in cement but with- 
out cementing the outer surfaces. 
The water will be filtered very well 
for a while by passing through the 
brick, but in time they will become 
foul and clogged. It will then be 
necessary to tear out the partition 
and rebuild it. Hence, it is better, if 
the first cost can be afforded, to pro- 
vide a separate chamber containing 
proper filtering materials. 

To Build a Double Cistern. — Con- 
struct a small compartment (A) into 
which the water from the roof is to 
be received. Build next to this the 
filter chamber (B). Fill this from 
the bottom upwards, 4 feet in depth 
in all, first with pebbles the size of 
the fist, then with very coarse gravel, 
then fine gravel and lastly sharp, 
clean sand. Screen these materials to 



I 



HOME SANITATION AND HYGIENE 



111 



proper sizes and wash them clean and 
free from loam and other impurities. 
Carry the wall between the inlet 
chamber (A) and the filter (B) to 
the top or above the level of the over- 
flow pipe. Plaster it on both sides 
with cement to prevent the water 
from seeping through and fouling 
the brick. But leave in the bottom 
of this partition a number of open- 
ings the size of a half brick to admit 
the water from the inlet chamber 
(A) into the bottom of the filter. 
Thence it passes upward through the 
filtering material and overflows into 
the storage tank (C), its fall being 
broken by the ledge of projecting 
bricks at F, 

Build the floor of the inlet cham- 
ber (A) and the filter (B) so as to 
slope to the outer side of A. Much 
of the coarse dirt and sediment will 
then settle at this point and may 
be readily removed. This relieves the 
filter and facilitates cleansing. Oc- 
casionally on a very rainy day, pumjD 
or bale out the inlet chamber and 
shift the inlet pipe from the inlet 
chamber (A) over to the top of the 




Tig. a. 



V,' 






i[iiiii|iiiiii 



Fig. B. 

Plan of brick cistern. Courtesy State 
Board of Health of Maine. 

filter (B). This will reverse the fil- 
tering process and flush out the filter 
chamber. (D) is the inlet pipe which 
brings the water from the roof and 
(H) is the overflow from the cistern. 
The linear arrangement of the 
three compartments in Fig. A is to 
show a cross section of the filter 



chamber, but in actual construction 
the ground plan of the filter should 
be as shown in Fig. B. This cistern 
may be built of brick laid in Port- 
land cement mortar, or of concrete. 
It should preferably be arched over 
or covered with reinforced concrete 
leaving a good-sized manhole to serve 
as a common entrance to all three 
compartments. Or, it may be provid- 
ed with a perfectly tight plank cover 
to keep out small animals, insects 
and the like. 

Equip both inlet and overflow pipe 
with a fine strainer to exclude insects 
and vermin. 

Water Pipes. — To avoid friction 
and loss of power in pumping lay 
all water pipes in straight lines and 
free from elbows and sharjj turns. 
Also increase the size of the pipe in 
proportion to the distance the water 
must flow in a horizontal line. This 
lessens friction. 

To prevent the freezing of water 
pipes in winter, when leaving a house 
unoccupied in which there is a regu- 
lar water supply, always turn off' the 
water from the house by turning the 
stopcock leading to the street main. 
Open all faucets and allow pipes to 
drain thoroughly. Always empty the 
kitchen boiler. If this is not done 
the boiler may collapse. To empty 
the boiler attach a garden or other 
hose to the top and let the water run 
into the sink. Do this every spring 
and fall to clean the tank. 

To prevent freezing in pumps, lift 
the trap in the valve and allow the 
water to run back into the well. 

Do not put kitchen sinks against 
the outer wall of a house. If this 
has been done and the sink cannot be 
changed, purchase circular tubes of 
asbestos and fit over the pipes, or 
line the wall with asbestos. But on 
cold nights it is safer to turn the 
water off. 

Frozen Water Pipes. — While the 
pipes are frozen take care not to 
build a fire in furnace or range. Di- 
rect heat from the pipes will gen- 
erate steam and severe explosions 
may follow. At the very least pipes 



112 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



will burst and the plumbers' bills for 
repairs will be heavy. Pipes that are 
slightly stuck may be thawed by 
wrapping around them flannel or oth- 
er cloth and pouring on hot water. 
Plumbers use gasoline or kerosene 
gas in lamps which blow around the 
frozen pipe. They move the lamp 
back and forth so as not to apply 
too much heat at any one spot. 

To Soften Water. — Boiling hard 
water from twenty to thirty minutes 
is the best way to soften it for drink- 
ing purposes. This also has the effect 
of killing all germs of disease it may 
contain. Carbonic-acid gas passes off" 
with the steam, and carbonate of lime 
is left as a sediment. A clean oyster 
shell put in the tea kettle will attract 
this and other sediments that are de- 
posited from boiling water and will 
thus prevent an unpleasant crust 
from gathering on the inside of the 
tea kettle. 

Or baking soda (bicarbonate of 
soda) in small quantities will soften 
hard water by removing the excess of 
lime. 

Or, for the laundry, hard water 
may be softened by the addition of a 
little borax. 

Or quicklime is also recommended. 
Disstflve I ounce in 10 quarts of 
water, and pour this solution into a 
barrel of hard water. The whole will 
be softened. 

To Make Boiled Water More Pal- 
atable. — The flat taste of boiled 
water is objectionable to many. This 
may be obviated by pouring the 
water rapidly from one pitcher to an- 
other, holding the two pitchers some 
distance apart. This process aerates 
the water, renders it sparkling, and 
restores its natural flavor. A few 
drops of lemon juice contribute to 
this effect. 

To Keep Water Cool Without Ice. 
— In summer or in warm climates 
drinking water may be kept in un- 
glazed earthenware pitchers. Place 
the pitcher on a board lying across 
a tub or pail containing water. Wrap 
several folds of cheese cloth around 
the outside of the pitcher and let the 



ends hang down into the water. 
Place this contrivance in a draught. 
The evaporation of the moisture 
from the cheese cloth tends to cool 
the contents of the pitcher. 

To Test Water. — Fill a number of 
tumblers half full of the suspected 
water, and employ the following- 
tests: 

To test for lime, use a small quan- 
tity of oxalic acid. The lime will be 
revealed in a white precipitate. 

To test for carbonate of iron, use 
a tincture of galls. This will yield a 
black precipitate. 

To test for vegetable and animal 
matter, use a small quantity of sul- 
phuric acid. The water will become 
black. 

To test for copper, dip a penknife 
in the water. The copper will be de- 
posited in a yellow coating. 

To Purify Water. — When water in 
wells or other receptacles smells bad, 
suspend in it lumps of charcoal in a 
basket or net, so that they can be re- 
moved and replaced at intervals. 

To Clarify Water. — Water in 
springs, wells and streams often be- 
comes muddy after heavy rains, and 
the water of some streams always 
holds a large amount of liquid mud 
and other impurities in solution. In 
such cases it becomes important to 
clarify the water. This not only 
makes it more palatable and attrac- 
tive. It is imperative when filters 
are used. Otherwise the filter soon 
clogs up and becomes useless. 

Alum is the universal agent for 
precipitating impurities in suspen- 
sion or even in solution. It is very 
commonly employed along the Mis- 
souri and Mississippi Rivers and 
other muddy streams. 

To quickly clarify a pitcher of 
drinking water, tie a lump of alum 
to a string and swing it about in the 
water. The sediment will settle. 

Or, for larger quantities, use 1 tea- 
spoonful of pulverized alum to 4 gal- 
lons of drinking water. Stir the 
water before putting in the alum. 
After the water has settled draw it 
off in such a way as not to disturb 



HOME SANITATION AND HYGIENE 



113 



the sediment. A tablespoon fill of 
alum will settle the contents of a 
hogshead of water. The alum itself, 
if too much is not used, will settle 
and be carried off in the sediment. 

Or lime is recommended, used in 
the form of certain salts of lime, 
either chloride, nitrate, or bicarbonate 
of lime, or caustic lime. Use 1 pai't 
of any of these salts of lime to 1,000 
parts of water. 

Or sulphate of alumina is recom- 
mended for clarifying water contain- 
ing vegetable or animal matter. The 
formula is as follows: Bisulphate of 
alumina (neutral solution), 1 ounce; 
water, 435 gallons. 

Or dissolve 2 ounces of saltpeter in 
1 quart of warm water and throw 
the solution into the cistern or well. 

Or, to purify putrid water: Water, 
1 pound; sulphuric acid, 8 drops. 
Mix and filter through charcoal. 

Or water, 8 gallons; powdered 
alum, 1 ounce. Dissolve with agita- 
tion, then allow it to rest for twenty- 
four hours, decant into another ves- 
sel, and add a solution of carbonate 
of soda until it ceases to produce a 
precipitate. 

Or instead of alum add 7 or 8 
grains of red sulphate of iron, then 
proceed as before. 

Or add a little aqueous chlorine to 
the foul water. 

Or arrange a suitable pipe at the 
end of a pair of bellows (double bel- 
lows are best), and force the air 
through the water for a time, then 
allow it to settle for use. 

Water Filters. — The ordinary 
household appliances for filtering 
water are rarely preventives of dis- 
ease. Such filters are not ordinarily 
cleansed often enough. Hence they 
become receptacles for disease germs 
instead of means of prevention. 

The better practice is to boil drink- 
ing water from twenty minutes to 
half an hour when there is danger of 
contamination. The following are a 
number of devices that may be rec- 
ommended to make muddy or other- 
wise contaminated water clear for 
appearance sake. It must be borne 



in mind, however, that these processes 
and all other filters merely strain the 
water in a mechanical way. They 
do not remove or destroy the germs 
of contagious diseases. These cannot 
be destroyed without boiling the 
water, as just recommended. 

Homemade Water Filters. — Rain- 
water collected in barrels from a 
roof or otherwise is a necessity in 
some localities, and is often more 
wholesome for drinking purposes 
than hard water. The following is a 
cheap and easy way to make a filter 
just as good as a patent filter costing 
ten times as much: 

Take a new vinegar barrel or an 
oak tub that has never been used, 
either a full cask or half size. 




"A Cheap and Easy Way to Make a 
Filter." 

Stand it on end raised on brick or 
stone from the ground. Insert a 
faucet near the bottom. Make a 
tight false bottom three or four 
inches from the bottom of the cask. 



114 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Pci'forate this with small gimlet 
holes, and cover it with a piece of 
clean white canvas. Place on tliis 
false bottom a layer of clean pebbles 
three or four inches in thickness; 
next, a layer of clean washed sand 
and gravel; then coarsely granulated 
chai'coal about the size of small peas. 
Charcoal made from hard maple is 
the best. After putting in a half 
bushel or so, pound it down firmly. 
Then put in more until the tub is 
filled within one foot of the top. 
Add a three-inch layer of pebbles, 
and throw over the top a piece of 
canvas as a strainer. This canvas 
strainer can be removed and washed 
occasionally and the cask can be 
dumped out, pebbles cleansed, and 
charcoal renewed every spi'ing and 
fall, or once a j'^ear may be sufficient. 

This filter may be set in the cellar 
and used only for drinking water. 
Or it may be used in time of drouth 
for filtering stagnant water, which 
would otherwise be unpalatable, for 
the use of stock. This also makes a 
good cider filter for the purpose of 
making vinegar. The cider should 
first be passed through cheese cloth 
to remove all coarser particles. 

Or a small cheap filter may be 
made*^' from a flower pot. A fine 
sponge may be inserted in the hole 
and the pot filled about as directed 
for the above filter. It may be 
placed in the top of a jar, which will 
receive the filtered water. 

Or a valuable substitute for char- 
coal in the above filters is sponge 
iron obtained by burning finely di- 
vided iron ore with charcoal. This 
can be obtained in the locality of iron 
mines or smelting furnaces. This is 
much more powerful than charcoal, 
and is said to completely purify con- 
taminated water. 

DISPOSAL OF WASTES 

The sanitary disposal of household 
wastes presents three distinct prob- 
lems: The removal (1) of solid ex- 
creta; ('2) of slops; and (3) of gar- 
bage. If an adequate water supply 



is available from an elevated or pneu- 
matic storage tank, the first two 
jDroblems can be jointly solved by a 
house drainage system equipped witli 
water closets, bath tubs and sinks. 
Such a system can be installed with 
somewhat less trouble and expense 
when the house is first built. Yet it 
can be put into any house at mod- 
erate cost. From a sanitai-y stand- 
point it is perhaps the most desirable 
of all permanent improvements. All 
pipes and drains should be exposed 
to full view. Hence there need be 
no interference with walls or parti- 
tions. The only carpentry necessary 
will be openings through the floors. 
These with the necessary repairs to 
ceilings and the like will not add 
greatly to the expense. 

House Drains and Soil Pipes. — 
The main feature of a house drain- 
age system is a 4-inch cast iron pipe 
calked with lead at all joints so as to 
be completely water-tight. Start this 
soil pipe at least 5 feet outside the 
house and support it from being 
crushed where it passes through the 
foundation wall by means of a suit- 
able arch. Just inside the cellar, in- 
sert a running trap to exclude sewer 
gas and supply this trap with an in- 
spection hole closed with a tight 
cover but easily accessible. Just 
beyond this trap insert a fresh air 
inlet pipe of the same size and ma- 
terial as the soil pipe. Extend this 
outward through the foundation wall, 
by means of a suitable arch, and 
bring it above the surface of the 
ground, but not near any doors or 
windows. Now carry the soil pipe 
upward by as straight a course as 
possible to a point 4 or 5 feet above 
the roof. Cover it only with a wire 
screen to exclude twigs, leaves and 
the like. The warmth of the house 
will cause a current of air to be 
drawn through the soil pipe from the 
fresh air inlet. This will help to 
destroy and carry away the organic 
matter that clings to its inner sur- 
face. In cold climates increase the 
diameter of the soil pipe to about 6 
inches from a point just beneath the 



i 



HOME SANITATION AND HYGIENE 



115 



roof to the top. This prevents the 
upper end from being closed with 
hoarfrost. If the soil pipe opens into 
a sewer, or if there is provision for 
drainage below the level of the cellar 
bottom, it may be carried along the 
cellar wall or rest upon the cellar 
floor exposed to view in an open 




Plan of soil pipe for house sewage dis- 
posal si/.stem. Courtesy State Board 
of Health of Maine. 



trench. Or, if there are no plumb- 
ing fixtures in the cellar and the ouL- 
let of the drainage system is at a 
higher point, the soil pipe may be 
carried under the cellar floor and 
fastened to the rafters by wire or 
other supports at suitable intervals. 

Arrangement of Fixtures. — The 
bath room, sinks, and other fixtures 
should be located as nearly as pos- 
sible over one another and in close 
proximity to the soil pipe. The cost 
of plumbing will be much less and 
the system will work better. Both 
the bath room fixtures and kitchen or 
pantry sink should be adjacent to an 
outer wall and near windows to in- 
sure abundant light and ventilation. 
But the soil pipe must be sufficiently 
far from tlie outer wall to avoid dan- 
ger of freezing. When iiracUcable it 
should he jUaced on the east, south or 
southeast side of tlie house. The soil 
pipe and all other plumbing fixtures 



should be entirely open. They will 
not be objectionable in appearance if 
painted to correspond with the wood- 
work in the different rooms. It is a 
fixed rule of modern sanitation to ad- 
mit sunlight freely to every part. 

Sinks. — The sink should be of slate, 
enameled iron or porcelain. It 
should not be boarded up. An open 
sink is not only more sanitary but 
more convenient for use. There is 
an open space beneath it for the toes 
when standing and for the knees 
when sitting. Thus great relief may 
be had while doing certain work by 
using a stool of proper height. 
Equip the sink spout with a brass 
strainer screwed in place and provide 
a trap to exclude sewer gas. 

Water Closets. — The choice of 
water closets should be confined to 
those which have the bowl and trap 
in one piece, are simple in construc- 
tion, self cleansing and provided with 
a safe water seal. None should be 
considered except the short hopper, 
the washout, the washdown, the sy- 
I^honic and tlie syphonic jet styles. 
The last of these is the best, and they 
are to be preferred in reverse order. 
The washout closet has too shallow a 
pool of water to receive the soil. 
Nor do the trap below and portion 
above the trap receive a sufficient 
scouring from the flush. The wash- 
down closet is an improvement over 
the former. It has a deeper basin 
and water seal, a smaller surface un- 
covered by water and a more eflScient 
scouring action. 

The syphonic closet difl'ers from 
the washdown style chiefly in having 
a more contracted outlet. The filling 




Types of sanitary water-closets; (a) 
washout, (&) tvashdoicn, (c) syphonic, 
(d) syphonic jet. 



of this outlet when the closet is 
flushed forms a syphon. The result- 
ing pressure of air upon the surface 



116 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



of water in the basin drives the water 
into the soil pipe with much force. 
When the syiDhon is broken enough 
water remains in the trap to preserve 
the seal. In the syphonic jet closet 
there is an additional jet of water 
which helps drive the water in the 
bowl more rapidly into the outlet. 
The last mentioned styles are also 
more nearly noiseless than others and 
should be preferred. The flush tanks 
should be well built, ample in size and 
connected with the closet by means of 
pipes large enough to insure thorough 
and eflicient flushing. 

Sewer Connections. — The connec- 
tion between the end of the soil pipe 
and the public sewer or other point 
of disposal should be made with a 
good vitrified sewer pipe of the same 
dimension as the soil pipe, or an inch 
larger in diameter, laid as shown in 
the illustration. Or, if a sewer pipe 
must be carried near a well, use cast 
iron pipe and take care that the 
joints are absolutely water-tight. In 
any case the joints of the sewer pipe 
should be carefully cemented so that 
there may be no leakage into the 
ground near the house. Otherwise 
sewer gas will find its way through 
the soil into the cellar and thence to 
all parts of the house. It is also im- 
portant to exclude the ground water 
from the sewage in certain systems 
of local sewage disposal, since it in- 
creases the bulk of the waste to be 
disposed of. 

Sewage Disposal. — Since the dan- 
ger to health of soil pollution from 
cess-pools has been clearly recognized, 
sanitary engineers have given a great 
deal of attention to the problem of 
sewage disposal for farmhouses, sum- 
mer cottages and other isolated 
dwellings. Various plans have been 
devised whereby liquid household 
wastes may be disposed of either on 
or beneath the surface of ordinary 
soil, or upon artificially prepared fil- 
tration beds. All of these methods 
are in practical operation and either 
may be chosen according to local 
conditions. The working principle is 
the same in all cases. The upper 



layer of the earth's surface teems 
with millions of bacteria which have 
the power to convert organic matter 
into earth again. The eff"ect of these 
changes is to improve the soil both 
from the agricultural and hygienic 
standpoint. It becomes more porous, 
the oxygen of the air penetrates it 
m.ore freely, and its capacity for 
holding moisture is improved. 
These bacteria are active only in the 
presence of the oxygen of the air. 
They cannot work if the air is jier- 
manently excluded, as when the soil 
is saturated with water. Hence it is 
necessary to dispose of sewage near 
the surface of the ground by what is 
known as the "intermittent" system. 
That is, the household wastes must be 
collected in some suitable receptacle 
and emptied upon the soil only at in- 
tervals sufficiently far apart to per- 
mit the liquids to leach away and al- 
low the soil to become dry enough 
so that the bacteria can perform 
their function. These facts empha- 
size the danger from leaking sewer 
pipes, deep vaults, or cess-pools, lo- 
cated so far below the surface of the 
ground that the air is excluded. 
Here the bacteria which purify the 
soil are unable to live and work. 

Septic Tanks. — If the liquid house- 
hold wastes consist only of kitchen 
slops they may be discharged directly 
upon the soil, provided they are first 
collected in a suitable tank so ar- 
ranged as to release them at regular 
intervals. But if solid excreta are 
present it is better to provide what 
is known as a sejitic tank. Here the 
sewage is liquefied and to some extent 
purified before being discharged. 
The work of purifying organic mat- 
ter is done in two distinct stages by 
two diflferent kinds of organisms. 
One of these is called anaerobic bac- 
teria. They work in the dark and do 
not require the presence of oxygen. 
They break down the particles of in- 
soluble organic matter or sludge in 
the sewage and convert them into a 
form such that the second set of bac- 
teria may complete the process of 
purification. The latter are called 



HOME SANITATION AND HYGIENE 



117 



aerobic bacteria. These must have an 
abundance of oxygen supplied by the 
air. A septic tank interposed be- 
tween the house and the patch of 
ground which is to do the work of 
filtration greatly assists the process, 
especially for a system of sub-sur- 
face irrigation, by eliminating the 
grease and dissolving the solid mat- 
ter which tends to clog the pipes. 




Section of septic tank. Courtesy State 
Board of Health of Maine. 

A septic tank consists of two cham- 
bers. One receives the sewage and 
retains it while the anaerobic bacteria 
are doing their work. The second re- 
ceives the overflow from the first 
chamber (when the process ©f lique- 
faction has been completed) and 
thence discharges it at suitable inter- 
vals upon the filtration beds. This 
may be accomplished either by hand 
— by means of a gate valve as shown 
in the illustration — or better by 
means of a syphonic device of which 
there are several styles upon the mar- 
ket. 

To build a septic tank such as that 
shown in the illustration, first deter- 
mine the size which would be re- 
quired. The volume of sewage is 
practically equal to the water con- 
sumption. The solids, exclusive of 
garbage and kitchen refuse, which 
should, of course, be otherwise dis- 
posed of, will amount to not over 1 
pound to 120 gallons of water. An 
average family will consume from 60 
to 100 gallons a day for each person. 
Hence a flush tank for a family of 
six, to empty every twenty-four hours, 
must contain at least 360 gallons of 
liquid matter, or have a capacity of 
48 cubic feet. In the style of tank 



here illustrated, this applies only to 
the second chamber. The first cham- 
ber must be sufficiently large to re- 
tain the total sewage for a number 
of days — say a week — which would 
require a capacity of 336 cubic feet. 
Thus, a tank having the first cham- 
ber 6 feet wide, 6 -feet deep and 10 
feet in length, and the second cham- 
ber of equal width and depth but 
only 3 feet in length, would accom- 
modate the sewage of a family of 6 
persons and would require to be emp- 
tied only every forty-eight hours. 

To make such a tank build the 
walls and partition between the two 
tanks of concrete or brick set in 
Portland cement mortar. Carefully 
cement the inside to prevent leakage. 
Admit the sewage into the first 
chamber through the 6-inch vitrified 
inlet pipe (g). Extend this at least 
3 feet below the water level fixed by 
the top of the partition between the 
two chambers. Extend the two baffle 
boards (dd) to about two-thirds the 
depth of the tank. The first is de- 
signed to break the force of the in- 
rush of water through the inlet pipe. 
The second keeps the scum on the 
surface of the first chamber from 
flowing over the partition. 

As soon as the sewage is brought 
into the first chamber the anaerobic 
bacteria attack the sludge at the 
bottom of the tank. At the same 
time a scum begins to form on the 
surface of the sewage. This soon 
mats into a tough mass a foot or more 
in thickness. It excludes the light 
and air and provides the conditions 
required by the anaerobic bacteria 
for their work. Under tliese condi- 
tions so much of the sludge at the 
bottom of the tank will be liquefied 
and will escape between the second 
baffle board and the partition into the 
second chamber that the removal of 
the sludge by other means will be re- 
quired only at long intervals of time. 

The stand pipe (h) of 6-inch vitri- 
fied tile with its tee and connecting 
bend of 4-inch pipe at (k) serves as 
an overflow, and at (i) and the dis- 
charge pipe (j) there is an arrange- 



118 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



ment which permits the discharge of 
the whole contents of the second 
chamber, when intermittent irrigation 
is desired, by drawing the jjlug (m) 
above the opening (i). This can be 
done by pulling upward the handle 
(1). The top of the stand pipe at (1) 
serves as an exit for the gases formed 
in the second chamber and also as an 
inlet for air into the sub-soil or irri- 
gation pipes. A series of holes 
should be bored in the upper part of 
the two baffle boards above the water 
level. These afford an inter-com- 
munication of gases between the sep- 
arate chambers of the tank. Also 
provide an opening into the stand 
pipe at (o) to serve as a means of 
escape for the accumulated gas, oth- 
erwise an explosion might occur. The 
whole tank is covered tightly with 
the plank (p). All the materials re- 
quired for this tank may be had in 
any locality. The construction is 
simple and the expense is chiefly for 
labor. A better plan, however, is to 
provide an automatic syphon of which 
there are several styles on the market, 
so that the sewage may be discharged 
at required intervals without constant 
attention. 

Syphon Tanks. — The principle of 
the automatic syphon is well known. 
It consists simply of a section of pipe 
so curved that one leg is longer than 
the other. The long leg is erected 
vertically to a proper height in the 
second chamber of the tank and cov- 
ered at the top by a suitable bell. 
It is connected by means of the short 
leg with the outlet pipe. When the 
liquid sewage enters the second cham- 
ber it rises under the bell, flows into 
the long leg of the syphon and seals 
the trap at the bottom of the bend. 
As the depth of sewage increases, it 
compresses the air in the long leg of 
the syphon until, at the proper level, 
the pressure becomes great enough to 
force the water in the bottom of the 
trap out through the short leg and 
the outlet pipe and thereby creates 
sufficient suction to empty the second 
chamber. Once the level of the fluid 
descends below the mouth of the bell. 



air is admitted, the syphon is broken 
and no further discharge can occur 
imtil the tank is again refilled. 

Flush Tank. — The two-chamber 
septic tank above described may be 
deemed necessary for proper sub-sur- 
face irrigation, and is desirable in all 
cases. But for surface irrigation a 
simple flush tank having a single 
chamber and operated by hand by 
means of a check valve, or by an au- 
tomatic syphon, may be sufficient. 
The accompanying illustration shows 
a simple form of flush tank designed 




Simple flush tank. {E. T. Wilson.) 

to be constructed of concrete. The 
sewage from the house-drain is 
first screened by means of a wire 
basket so arranged as to be remova- 
ble through a convenient manhole 
with a cast iron or other solid cover 
— a second basket being substituted 
while the first is emptied and cleaned. 
The small residue caught by the bas- 
ket should be promptly spaded into 
the ground. 

The object of this flush tank is 
merely to collect the household wastes 
for a period of from 13 to 24 hours 
to admit of their intermittent dis- 
charge at fixed intervals. Hence the 
tank, if equipped with an automatic 
syphon as shown in the illustration, 
need be only large enough to hold the 
household wastes for the desired 
period between the automatic dis- 
charges. A capacity of 48 cubic feet 
is sufficient for a family of 6 using 
60 gallons of water a day for each 
person. The depth of the tank may 
he determined by the syphon, the 
other two dimensions to give the re- 
quired cubic capacity being a matter 
of convenience. Tlie necessary con- 
crete "forms" for this flush tank or 



HOME SANITATION AND HYGIENE 



119 



the sejitic tank previously illustrated 
can be built by any cai'penter or per- 
son handy with tools from the accom- 
panying drawings. The concrete for 
the walls can be mixed and laid by 
any householder who will follow the 
instructions elsewhere given. The av- 
erage cost for material in most local- 
ities for this flush tank will be about 
$35. For the septic tank previously 
shown about $150. 

Tilting- Tank. — In houses where a 
sewerage system is not available and 



C<J5kiron.TOoti?a3te-fviafiaei5 oovat? 




OuHef ptp^. 



Tilting tank. {E. T. Wilson.) 

the liquid waste consists only of 
kitchen slops, these may be accumu- 
lated by means of a tilting tank as 
shown in the illustration. Install this 
in a suitable concrete trough with a 
convenient manhole and equip it with 
an outlet pipe of 4-inch vitrified tile. 
Furnish the sinks and laundry tubs 
emptying into this tank with brass 
strainers to prevent the entrance of 
anything which might clog the kitchen 
waste pipe or outlet pipe. The tilt- 
ing tank collects the irregular flow 
and discharges only when full. This 
provides for the necessary intermit- 
tent discharge. 

Or provide a concrete or other suit- 
able tank of sufficient capacity to 
hold the sink drainage and domestic 
slops for 24 hours or more and equip 
it with a check valve to be operated 
by hand. Furnish a tell-tale to show 
when this tank is sufficiently full to 
require attention. 

Or provide a simple wire pan into 



which the slops may be poured from 
pails. All these devices require an out- 
let of vitrified drain pipe with tight 
joints long enough to carry waste 
water without leakage to a point 
where it may be finally disposed of. 

Or to make a cheap temporary 
drain for waste water from the 
kitchen sink use 4-inch vitrified tile 
costing about 7 cents a foot. Run a 
drain about 25 feet in the opposite 
direction from the well, and convey 
the waste to a tub or barrel. Thence 
run it off to the garden by a small 
pipe or carry it away in pails. If a 
barrel can be provided with two 
wheels, and a tongue like a cart, it 
can be easily drawn away from time 
to time and emptied. The expense of 
such a drain is nominal: 26 feet of 
vitrified tile, $1.75; sink, $1.35; pipe 
and trap, $1. Total, $4. 

Irrigation Beds. — Whether the 
liquid household wastes are collected 
in a septic tank, a simple flush tank, 
tilting tank or otherwise, provision 
must be made for their final recep- 
tion and purification by contact with 




Details of a typical surface irrigation 
plant in plan and section. Courtesy 
titate Board of Health of North 
Carolina. 

the ordinary surface soil, or by spe- 
cially prepared filtration beds. 

Surface Irrigation. — The final dis- 
posal of household sewage — prefera- 
bly after it has passed through a sep- 
tic tank to remove grease and dissolve 
solid substances — may be on the sur- 
face of the ground. But in such 
case it must be carried not less than 
300 feet — and the farther the better 
— from buildings, and with due care 
not to contaminate any source of 
water supply. Select for this pur- 



120 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



pose preferably a sloping tract of 
grass land, where the soil is a porous 
sandy or gravelly loam. If the soil 
is of clay, a much larger tract will 
be required. If wet. It must be un- 
der-drained. Carry the drain pipe 
along the side of the ridge and let it 
discharge at intervals upon the sur- 
face. Or receive the sewage into a 
transverse drain pipe across the head 
of the irrigation field and provide a 
series of outlets closed by suitable 
check valves or gates to admit of irri- 
gating different portions of the field 
at intervals. Mark off the field into 
plats by means of low dykes and 
broad shallow ditches, or by means of 
furrows made with a plow. 

Or, if the land is flat, with proper 
grading the sewage may be disposed 
broadly over the surface. The 
amount of solids in household sewage 
is so small that, if discharged inter- 
mittently at rather frequent intervals 
and in such a way as to give the 
different portions of the field enough 
rest to prevent them from becoming 
saturated, this system will prove by 
far the best and cheapest for isolated 
dwellings. If a suitable piece of 
land is available it can be operated 
without the slightest offense. 

Filtication Beds. — This plan con- 
sists in receiving the sewage upon a 
specially prepared bed of sand. It 
may be preferred where the amount 
of land available is small, or the soil 
is of clay and poorly drained. Make 




Section of filter bed. 



Wilaon.) 



an excavation from 3 to 5 feet deep 
and under-drain with 3-inch red un- 
glazed land drainage tiles. A filter 
bed from 15 to 30 feet square having 
an area of from 336 to 400 square 
feet should be sufficiently large for a 
family of five persons. Discharge 



the sewage intermittently from a sep- 
tic or flush tank and distribute evenly 
over the surface by means of wooden 
troughs, 4-inch red drain tile, or a 
6-inch galvanized roof gutter pierced 
with small holes at frequent inter- 
vals. The efficiency of the filtration 
bed increases with the lapse of time, 
especially if the surface is raked over 
to the depth of an inch or more each 
week. The capacity of the septic or 
flush tank may be reduced at least 
one-half if a filter bed is used instead 
of sub-surface irrigation. 

Sub-Surface Irrigation. — The ad- 
vantage of this system, when prop- 
erly installed, is that household sew- 
age may be disposed of without of- 
fense beneath the lawn or garden and 
within a very limited distance of the 
house. The first cost is greater than 
that of surface irrigation or a filtra- 
tion bed, but such a system may be 
regarded as the best and most sani- 
tary method of sewage disposal. A 
well-made septic or flush tank if 
properly covered is free from odor. 
It may be located as near the house 
as may be desired, provided the 
tank and outlet pipe are made water- 
tight up to the point of sewage dis- 
posal. This admits of convenient ac- 
cess, especially if no automatic sy- 
phon is provided and the sewage 
must be discharged by means of a 
check valve by hand. 

To provide for a system of sub- 
surface irrigation it is first necessary 
to under-drain the land provided it is 
hard or clayey and not naturally dry. 
Lay the drain tiles for this purpose 
3 or 4 feet below the surface and 
carry off the ground water by means 
of a suitable outfall. But this will 
not be necessary if the soil is a 
porous, sandj"^, or gravelly loam. Now 
open a system of trenches from 8 to 
13 inches deep, distinct from the 
trenches for under-drainage, if any, 
and in these lay red unglazed land 
drainage tiles to receive the sewage. 
Select tile 3 inches in diameter and 1 
foot in length. Lay them end to end 
with the joints open for a space of 
^ to i of an inch between the tiles 



HOME SANITATION AND HYGIENE 



121 



and with a very slight grade of about 
3 inches to 100 feet. If the grade is 
much gi-eater the lower end of the 
system will be flooded. 

After laying the tile, fill in the 
trench so as to cover them 2 or 3 
inches deep with small pebbles, gravel 
or very coarse sand. This will as- 
sist in distributing the sewage 
through the soil. Lay down the tract 
to grass or cultivate it as a kitchen 
garden, taking care to work the 
ground when necessary with a spade 
or fork and not deep enough to dis- 
turb the tiles. The total capacity 
of these tiles should equal that of the 



LAUNDf{Y\ 



may be as broad as it is long. A 
header or central pipe may be used to 
throw the sewage into long branches. 
Or laterals may be thrown off from 
the main drain at intervals of 4 or 5 
feet at any angle or to any desired 
distance. Or preferably the drains 
may be so laid as to constitute two 
or more distinct systems. Thus the 
sewage may be diverted from one to 
another so as to allow the land inter- 
vals of rest. The accompanying illus- 
trations show a number of the vari- 
ous schemes that may be devised. The 
importance of the intermittent dis- 
charge of sewage is greatest hi sub- 





— -iiirrrrrrmi -^ 



Rectangular tanks close to Jiouse. Separate settling tank for laundry building. 
Underdrains in disposal area to drain out underlying ground toater and ivater 
from purified sewage in naturally loet or dense soil. Courtesy State Board of 
Health of North Carolina. 



discharge tank from which the sew- 
age comes. Hence the total length of 
irrigation tiles needed for the family 
consuming 360 gallons of water a day 
would be not to exceed 1,000 feet. 
And probably in porous well drained 
soil, 35 per cent less or 800 feet 
would be sufficient. To ascertain the 
number of tiles required divide the 
total number of gallons reckoned as 
60 for each member of the family, by 
the capacity of each tile. This may 
be estimated roughly as one-third of 
a gallon. 

The system of tile may be laid out 
in any form best suited to the size, 
shape and contour of the available 
land, provided that the lines should 
be laid at least from 3 to 5 feet 
apart. The plot of ground occupied 



surface irrigation. A septic tank 
must be provided large enough to 
hold at least a 34 hours' supply with 
an automatic syphon that will flush 
the tank properly at 34-hour inter- 
vals. Or the tank must be flushed 
by hand if necessary each day at a 
regular time. 

Cess-pools. — The ordinary cess-pool 
is not a solution of the problem of 
sewage disposal. It is merely a 
method of getting the sewage out of 
sight. It is now regarded as abso- 
lutely unsanitary and highly objec- 
tionable. The necessary depth of a 
cess-pool is such as to contaminate 
the soil beyond the reach of the puri- 
fying bacteria which require the 
presence of oxygen. The ground sur- 
rounding the cess-pool becomes con- 



122 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



taminated for a constantly increasing 
radius and eventually the resulting 
poisonous liquids and gases find their 
way to strata of the soil through 
which they reach and pollute the air 
of cellars or sources of water sup- 
ply. If, however, a cess-pool is 
deemed necessary, it may be convert- 
ed into a rude form of septic tank by 
turning down the inlet pipe to a 
point below the water level and pro- 
viding an outlet pipe similarly turned 
clown so that the inward and outward 
flow of sewage will not disturb the 
processes which are going on in the 
surface scum and in the sludge at 
the bo om. Such a cess-pool should 
preferauly be made water-tight by 
lining it with concrete or stone set in 
Portland cement mortar. The ef- 
flTient from the outlet must then be 
carried to a considerable distance 
from the house and disposed of by 
surface irrigation, or by means -of a 
small filtration bed as above sug- 
gested. 

Where water sewage is not availa- 
ble, proper sanitation demands a 
strictly separate method of disposal 
of the three kinds of waste matters, 
namely, solid excreta, slops and gar- 
bage. The garbage should be fed to 
pigs or'* chicken, burned or buried in 
a trench at a suitable distance from 
dwellings and sources of water sup- 
lily. Kitchen drainage and domestic 
slops should invariably be disposed of 
by one of the methods above rec- 
ommended. They should never be 
tlirown on the surface of the ground 
near the house or well, allowed to ac- 
cumulate in an open drain or pool, or 
deposited in an open privy vault. 
The cost of a simple system of dis- 
posal of these liquid wastes is slight 
and the danger to health requires 
that this, at least, be done at any 
sacrifice. 

The Sanitary Privy. — A recent in- 
vestigation of the subject of soil pol- 
lution from open vaults of the ordi- 
nary type has been made by Charles 
Warden Stiles in connection with his 
study of the spread of the hookworm 
disease, especially in the southern 



states. The following suggestions are 
condensed and adapted from his re- 
port to the Surgeon-General. This 
plan if generally adopted throughout 
the United States would eliminate a 
nuisance which is practically univer- 
sal and which is perhaps the greatest 
menace to health now existing in the 
vicinity of most rural dwellings. 

HOW TO BUILD A PRIVY 

The following are the essential 
features: There is a closed portion 
(box) under the seat for the recep- 
tion (in a receptacle) and safeguard- 







The average style of privy found in the 
South. It is knoicn as a surface privy, 
open in bacR. Notice how the soil 
pollution is being spread, and how 
flies can carry the filth to the house 
and thus infect the food.. 

ing of the excreta; a roor^ for the 
occupant; and, proper ventilation. 

The receptacle consists practically 
of a box, with a top represented by 
the seat, with a floor which is a con- 
tinuation of the floor of the room, 
with a front extending from the seat 
to the floor, with a hinged back which 
should close tightly, and with two 
sides continuous with the sides of 
the room and provided with wire 
screened ventilators, the upper mar- 
gin of which is just under the level 
of the seat. The seat should have 
one or more holes accoi'ding to the 
size of the privy desired, and each 



HOME SANITATION AND HYGIENE 



123 



nole should have a hinged lid 
which .lifts up toward the back 
of the room; there should be a 
piece of wood nailed across the 
back, on the inside of the room, 
so as to prevent the lids from 
being lifted suflBiciently to fall back- 
ward and so as to make them fall 
forward of their own accord as soon 
as the person rises. In this box there 
should be one or more water-tight 
tubs, half barrels, pails, or galvanized 
cans, corresponding to the number of 
holes in the seat. This receptacle 
should be high enough to reach nearly 
to the seat, or, better still, so as to 
fit snugly against the seat, in order 




A sanitary privy shoioing firmly closed 
door, thus preventing flies, atiimals, 
etc., from having access to the fecal 
material. 



to protect the floor against soiling, 
and sufficiently deep to prevent 
splashing the person on the seat; it 
should be held in place by cleats 
nailed to the floor in such a way that 
the tub will always be properly cen- 
tered. The back should be kept 
closed, as shown in the illustration. 

The room should be water-tight 
and should be provided in front with 
a good, tightly fitting door. The 
darker this room can be made the 
fewer flies will enter. The roof may 
have a single slant, or a double slant. 



but M'hile the double slant is some- 
what more sightly, the single slant is 
less expensive in first cost. The room 
should be provided with two or three 
v/ire-screei ed ventilators, as near the 
roof as possible. 

The ventilators are very important 
additions to the privy, as they per- 
mit a free circulation of air and thus 
not only reduce the odor but make 
the outhouse cooler. These ventilators 
should be copper wire screened in 
order to keep out flies and other in- 
sects. There should be at least 4 
(better 5) ventilators, arranged as 
follows: One each side of the box; 
one each side the room near the 
roof; and a fifth ventilator, over the 
door, in front, is advisable. 

latticework, Flowers and Vines. — 
At best, the privy is not an attractive 
addition to the yard. It is possible, 
however, to reduce its unattractive- 
ness by surrounding it with a lattice- 
work on which are trained vines or 
flowers. This plan, which adds but 
little to the expense, renders the 
building much less unsightly and 
much more private. 

Disinfectant. — It is only in com- 
paratively recent years that the privy 
has been thought worthy of scientific 
study, and not unnaturally there is 
some difference of opinion at present 
as to the best plan to follow in re- 
gard to disinfectants. 

Top Soil. — Some persons prefer to 
keep a box or a barrel of top soil, 
sand, or ashes in the room and to 
recommend that each time the privy 
is used the excreta be covered with a 
shovelful of the dirt. While this has 
the advantage of simplicity, it has 
the disadvantage of favoring careless- 
ness, as people so commonly (in fact, 
as a rule) fail to cover the excreta; 
further, in order to have the best re- 
sults, it is necessary to cover the dis- 
charges very completely; finally, at 
best, our knowledge as to how long 
certain germs and spores will live un- 
der these conditions is very unsatis- 
factory. 

lime. — Some persons prefer to 
have a box of lime in the room and 



124 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



to cover the excreta with this ma- 
terial. Against this system there is 
the objection that the li ne is not 
used with sufficient f requc .\cy or lib- 
erality to keep insects a*vay, as is 
shown by the fact that flies carry the 
lime to the house and deposit it on 
the food. 

Water and Oil. — A very cheap and 
simple method is to pour into the 
tub about 3 or 3 inches of water; 
this plan gives the excreta a chance 
to ferment and liquefy so th;it the 
disease germs may be more easily de- 
stroyed. If this plan is followed a 
cup of oil (kerosene will answer) 
should be poured on the water in 
order to repel insects. 

Cresol. — Some persons favor the 
use of a 5 per cent crude carbolic 
acid in the tub. but probably the com- 
pound solution of cresol (U. S. P.) 
will be found equally or more satis- 
factory if used in a strength of 1 
part of this sclution to 19 parts of 
water. 

If a disinfectant is used the family 
shoidd be warned to keep the reserve 
supply in a place that is not accessi- 
ble to the chilJren, otherwise acci- 
dents may result. 

Cleaning the Eeceptacle. — Tlie fre- 
quency 'of .leaning the receptacle de- 
pends upon (a) the size of the tub, 
(6) the number of persons using the 
privy, and (c) t' e weather. In gen- 
eral, it is best lo clean it about once 
a week in winter and twice a week in 
summer. 

An excellent ])ian is to have a dou- 
ble set of pails or tubs for each 
privy. Suppose the outhouse is to be 
cleaned every Saturday: Then pail 
No. 1 is taken out (say January I), 
covered, and set aside until the fol- 
lowing Saturday; pail No. 3 is placed 
in the box for use; on January 8 
pail No. 1 is emptied and put back 
in the box for use while pail No. 3 
is taken out, covei-ed, and set aside 
for a week (namely, imtil January 
15); and so on Ihroughout the year. 
The object of this plan is to give an 
extra long iiiuc for the germs to be 
killed by feniKiitatiou or by the ac- 



tion of the disinfectant before the 
pail is emptied. 

Each time that the receptacle is 
emptied, it is best to sprinkle into 
it a layer of top soil about a quarter 
to half an inch deep before putting 
it back into the box. 

Disposal of the Excreta. — For the 
present, imtil certain very thorough 
investigations are made in regard to 
the length of time that the eggs of 
parasites and the spores of certain 
other germs may live, it is undoubt- 
edly best to burn or boil all excreta; 
where this is not feasible, it is best 
to bury all human discharges at least 
300 feet away and down hill from 
any water supply (as the well, spring, 
etc.). 

Many farmers insist upon using the 
fresh night soil as fertilizer. In 
warm climates this is attended with 
considerable danger, and if it is so 
utilized, it should never be used upon 
any field upon which vegetables are 
grown which are eaten uncooked; 
further, it should be promptly plowed 
under. 

In our present lack of knowledge 
as to the length of time that various 
(/erms (as spores of the ameba which 
produce dysentery, various eggs, etc.) 
mai/ live, the use of fresh, unboiled 
night soil as a fertilizer is false econ- 
omy ivhich may result in loss of hu- 
man life. This is especially true in 
warm' climates. 

Directions for Building a Sani- 
tary Privy. — In order to put the 
construction of a sanitary privy for 
the home within the carpentering 
abilities of boys, a practical carpen- 
ter has been requested to construct 
models to conform to the general 
ideas expressed in this article, and 
to furnish estimates of the amount 
of lumber, hardware, and wire 
screening required. Drawings of 
these models have been made dur- 
ing the process of construction and 
in completed condition. The cai'pen- 
ter was requested to bold constantly 
in mind two points, namely, economy 
and simplicity of construction. It is 
believed that any 14-year-old school- 



ITOMK SANI'I'A'I'IOM AND HYCiFKNE 



125 



hoy of (ivcr.'ig*; iiilclli^ciicc .'iiid iiic- 
clianicul iii/.^Miiiily ciux, \>y I'Dllowiiif^ 
tli(!,s« ])lari,s, build a sanilary privy 
for liis hofrw; al an (^xjx^nsi; for biiild- 
iiij^ niaUrrials, exclusive of rcccplMcIc, 
of $.'> to -iilO, accordinf^ to iocalily. 
II is furllicr believed llial, the, pl.nis 
snbruitled cover IIk; essential poiiils 
to he considered. They can he (ilul)- 
oraled to 8iiit. tlie individual lastc! 
of ))ersons who j)ref(;r a inon; «;lej^anl; 
and more expensive strucliirc. I''or 
iiislf,ii(<', the roof <;in h.ivo a double 




Tlic, Hanliory privy. Ii'ront vUiw. 

iiislr.'id of a sin{i;le sl;uil, ;uid can be 
shingled; the sidi-s, front, and back 
<an b(! cla|)boarded or they can be 
shingled. Instead of one seat;, there 
may be two, three, four, or five seats, 
elc, according to necessity. 

A Single-Seated Privy ^or tho 
Home. — Nearly uU privies ii/.- tin; 
home have seats for two persons, 
but a, singhr privy can be made more 
economically. 

Framework. — 'I'la; liirnbcr rcquiri-d 



for IIh; f r.iiricwork of Hie oiilli<)u:;e 
.shown is as follows: 

A. 'I'wr» piccirs of luHibcr (scant- 
ling) -1. feel, long and (i iiir'lics stjuare 
a I ends. 

I>. One |)iccc ()(' JiiMilicr (sc/nil- 
ling) .'{ (eel. 10 inches long; A> inches 
sijiiare al, <-n(ls. 

('. 'J'wo j)iece.'-. of lumb(;r (scant- 
ling) .'{ feet 4 inches long; 4 inches 
sqmirc; at ends. 

i), 'J'wo j)ieces of lumber (scanl- 
ling) 7 (eel. !) inches long; H by 4 
inches at ends. 

K. Two j)i(rces of lumber (scant- 
ling) a feet 7 inches long; ii by 4 
in<h(rH at ends. 

I'', 'j'wo pi(!Ces of lumber (scant- 
ling) a f('A:t .'{ inches long; 2 by 4 
inches at ends. 

(J. 'I'wo pieces of linnber (scant- 
ling) r> feet long; 2 by 4 incluis at 
ends. 

II. One piece of linnber (scant- 
ling) '.', led 10 inches long; 'J by 4 
iiicjies nl ends. 

I. Two |)ieces of linnber (scant- 
ling) ;{ feet 4 inches long; 2 l)y 4 
inclies at ends. 

.J. 'j'wo [)i(*ces of lumber (sc.inl- 
ling) .'{ inches long; ;J by 1' inclu-s at 
ends. 

K. Two pieces of lumber (scant- 
ling) 4 feet 7 inches long; (i inches 
wide by I inch thick. The cndr; of 
K should be trimmed after being 
iiiiiled in plac('. 

I/. 'J'wo pieces of lumber (scant- 
ling) 'li feet long, (> inches widi', /iiid 
I inch thi<'k. 

l"'irst lay down the sills mark<'d A 
and Join tht^m with the joist nnirked 
|{; then nail in position the; two 
Joists marked C, with their etuis '.i 
inches from the outer edge of A; 
raise the corner posts (I) and I''), 
spiking Ihem at bottom lo A and (', 
and Joining them with L, I^, (1, and 
K ; raise door posts V], fastening 
llicm at J, and then spike I, in |)osi- 
lion; H is fastened to K. 

Sides. — J<'>ach side requires four 
boards (a) 12 inches wide by I inch 
lliick and H feet (i inches long; lliese 
are n;iHed to K, I,, jind A. 'I'lie cor- 



126 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



nor boards must be nolched i\t G, 
fiIlowin}>; tlioni to pjiss to boltom of 
rool"; next drnw n ,sl;int from front 
lo bftck (it G-G, on tlip outside of the 
bojirds, nnd saw the four side boards 
to e()rres])ond M'ith this slant. 

Back. — 'I'he back requires two 
boards (b) 1)3 inches wide by 1 indi 
thick aiul 0" feet 11 inciies long, and 
two boards (c) 13 inches wide by 
1 incli thick and 6 feet 5 inciies 
Um^. Tlie two longest boards (b) are 
nailed next to tlie sides; llie shorter 




FroDicirork of flic f^anitdrii pririi. 

boards (c) are sawed in two so that 
one ])iece (ci) measures 4 feet 6 
inches, the other (c2) 1 foot 11 
inciies; the longer portion (ci) is 
nailed in position above the seat; the 
shorter portion (c-) is later utilized 
in niaiiing tlie back door. 

Floor. — Tiie door requires four 
boards (d) which (when cut to (it) 
measure 1 inch thick, 1;2 inches wide, 
and :5 feet 10 inches long. 

Front. — The front boards may next 
be nailed on. Tiie front requires 
(;iside from the door) two boards 
(e) wliiili (when cut to lit) measure 



1 inch thick, 9 inches wide, and 8 
feet a inches long; these are nailed 
next to the sides. 

Roof. — Tiie roof may now be fin- 
ished. This requires five boards (f) 
measuring (when cut to fit) 1 inch 
tliick, 12 inches wide, and 6 feet 
long. They are so placed that they 
extend 8 iiu-hes l)cyond the front. 
The joints (cracks) are to be broken 
(covered) by laths one-half inch 
thick, :J inches broad, and 6 feet long. 

Box. — The front of the box re- 
quires two boards, 1 inch thick and 
3 feet 10 inches long. One of these 
(g) may measure 13 inches wide, the 
otiier (h) 5 inches wide. These are 
nailed in place, so that the back of 
the boards is 18 imiies from the in- 
side of the backboards. The seat of 
tlie box requires two boards, 1 inch 
thick, 3 feet 10 inches long; one of 
these (i) may measure 13 inches 
wide, the other (j) 7 inches wide. 
One must be jogged (cut out) to fit 
around the back corner posts (F). 
An oblong hole, 10 in( hes long and 
71 inciies wide, is cut in the seat. 
't"he edge should be smoothly rounded 
or beveled. An extra (removable) 
seat for children may be made by 
cutting a board 1 inch thick, 15 inches 
wide, and 30 inches long; in this seat 
a hole is cut, measuring 7 inches long- 
by ii inches wide; the front margin 
of tills iiole shoxdd be about 3 inches 
from the front edge of the board; to 
prevent Marping, a cross cleat is 
nailed on top near or at" each end of 
the board. 

A cover (k) to the seat should 
measure 1 inch thick by 15 inches 
wide by 30 inches long; it is cleated 
on top near the ends, to prevent 
warping; it is hinged in back to a 
stri]) 1 inch thick, 3 inches wide, and 
30 inches long, which is fastened to 
tiie seat. Cleats (m) may also be 
nailed on the seat at the sides of 
the cov(M\ On the inside of the back- 
boaid, 1.' iiu'lies above the seat, there 
sliould be nailed a block (1), 3 inclieS 
thick, 0" inches long, extending for- 
ward 3 1 inciies; tliis is intended to 
invvciit the cover from falling back- 



HOME SANITATION AND HYGIENE 



127 



ward ancl^ to make it to fall down 
over the hole when the occupant 
rises. 

On the floor of the box (under- 
neath the seat) two or three cleats 
(n) are nailed in such a position 
that they will always center the tub ; 
the position of these cleats depends 
upon the size of the tub. 

Back Boor. — In making the back 
of the privy the two center boards 
(c) were sawed at the height of the 
bottom of the seat. The small por- 
tions (c2) sawed off (33 inches long) 
are cleated (o) together so as to 




The sanitary privy. Rear and side vieiv. 

form a back door which is hinged 
above; a bolt or a button is arranged 
to kee}-) the door closed. 

rront Boor. — The front door is 
made by cleating (p) together three 
boards (q) 1 inch thick, 10 inches 
wide, and (when finished) 6 feet 7 
inches long; it is best to use three 
cross cleats (p) (1 inch thick, 6 
inches wide, 30 inches long), which 
are placed on the inside. The door 
is hung with two hinges (6-inch 
"strap" hinges will do), which are 
placed on the right as one faces the 
privy, so that the door opens from 
the left. The door should close with 
a coil spring (cost about 10 cents) 



or with a rope and weight, and may 
fasten on the inside with a catch or 
a cord. Under the door a cross- 
jiiece (r) 1 inch thick, 4 inches wide, 
30 inches long (when finished) may 
be nailed to the joist. Stops (s) 
may be placed inside the door as 
illustrated in the cut. These should 
be 1 inch thick, 3 inches wide, and 6 
feet 6 inches long, and should be 
jogged (cut out) (t) to fit the cross 
cleats (p) on the door. Close over 
the top of the door place a stri]) 
(v) 1 inch thick, 2 inches wide, 30 
inches long, nailed to I. A corre- 
sponding piece (v) is placed higher 
up directly under the roof, nailed to 
G. A strap or door pull is fastened 
to the outside of the door. 

Ventilators. — There should be five 
ventilators (w). One is placed at 
each side of the box, directly under 
the seat; it measures 6 to 8 inches 
square. Another (13 inches square) 
is placed near the top on each side 
of the privy. A fifth (30 inches 
long, 8i inches wide) is placed over 
the door, between G and I^. The 
ventilators are made of 15-mesh cop- 
per wire, which is first tacked in 
place and then protected at the edge 
with the same kind of lath that is 
used on the cracks and joints. 

Lath. — Outside cracks (joints) are 
covered with lath one-half inch thick 
by 3 inches wide. 

Receptacle. — For a receptacle, saw 
a water-tight barrel to fit snugly 
under the seat; or purchase a. can 
or tub, as deep (17 inches) as the 
distance from the under surface of 
the seat to the floor. If it is not 
possible to obtain a tub, barrel, or 
can of the desired size, the receptacle 
used should be elevated from the 
floor by blocks or boards so that it 
fits snugly under the seat. A gal- 
vanized can measuring 16 inches deep 
and 16 inches in diameter can be 
purchased for about .$1, or even less. 
An empty candy bucket can be pur- 
chased for about 10 cents. 

Order for Material. — The carpenter 
has made out the following order 
for lumber (pine, No. 1 grade) and 



us 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



h.irdw.'irc tn he used in IniiUling a 
l»rivy such <us heiv illust rated: 

1 piece scantling, (i by (> inches by 
S feet h>ng, .'Jl square feet. 

1 piece scantling, •!• by l inciics by 
1\) feet long, 1() square feet. 

5 pieces scantling, ^2 by 4 inches 
by 1() feet long, 51. square feet. 

3 pieces board, 1 by 6 inches by 
10 feet long, 21 square feet. 

2 pieces board, 1 by 9 inches oy 
9 feet long, 11. square feet. 

3 pieces board, 1 by 10 inches by 
7 feet long, 18 square feet. 

l;") pieces board, 1 by 13 inches by 
hi feet long, ISO sqiuire feet. 

13 pieces board, .} by 3 inches by 
1() feet long, 48 square feet. 

3 poiuids of 30-])enny spikes. 

0" pounds of lO-penny nails. 

3 pounds of (v-penny nails. 

7 feet screen, 15-uiesh, copper, 12 
inches wide. 

4 hinges, (i-ineh "straji," for front 
and back doors. 

X? hinges, G-inch "T," or 3-ineh 
"butts," for cover. 

1 coil spring for front door. 

According to the carpenter's esti- 
mate, these materials will cost from 
Ji<j to $10, according to locality. 

There is some variation in the size 
of hnnber, as the pieces are not abso- 
lutcly miifoi-m. Tiie sizes given ni 
tlie Ivunber order represent the stand- 
ard sizes which slionld be ordered, 
but the purchaser need not expect to 
lind that the pieces delivered cor- 
respond with nuithematical exact- 
ness to the sizes called for. On 
lliis account the pieces must be 
n\easured and cut to measure as they 
are put together. 

Elimination of Flies. — .V link be- 
tween the subject of home sanitation 
and hygiene and that of the preven- 
tion of disease has been forged by 
the discovery that the deadly germs 
of enteric diseases, — such as typhoid 
fever, cholera, cholera infantum and 
tropical dysentery — are frequently 
eommmiicated to man by the com- 
mon house fly. Otlier diseases whieli 
are less commonly transmitted by 
Hies are tuberculosis, antlirax, bu- 



bonic phigue (black death), tracho- 
ma, seiiticemia, erysipelas, leprosy, 
yaws, and, perhaps, smallpox. The 
jirolilem of eliminating the house fly 
belongs to the subject of sanitation 
because flies commonly become in- 
fected with noxious bacteria from 
feeding upon infected garbage or 









The (iiivnvil of flics in comminiicatiiiii 
di.scufC. CourtCfiH of the i^tato Board 
of Health of Florida. 

other domestic refuse or the excreta 
of persons suft'ering from typhoid or 
otiier conuuunieabic disease, or tlvose 
of healthy carriers. The elimination 
of these nuisances by the various 
metliods of disposal above recom- 
meiuled is half the battle in the pre- 
vention of disease. Flies infest and 



HOME SANITATION AND HYGIENE 



129 



feed upon decaying- organic matter 
of all sorts, such as accumulations of 
swill in the vicinity of pig pens, gar- 
bage and animal excreta. If these 
substances are exposed in the vicinity 
of dwellings tiiey will become in- 
fested with flies in such enormous 
mnnbers that it will be practically 
impossible to keep them out of the 
house, or to avoid their coining into 
contact with human food. 

The following catechism, which is 
being distributed in great numljers by 
boards of lieaKtli in many cities 
throughout the world, is a digest of 
scientific opinion on this subject. 

Where is the fly born? In manure 
and filth. 

Where does tlie fly live? In every 
kind of filth. 

Is anything too filthy for the fly 
to eat? No. 

Where does he go when he leaves 
the vault and the manure ])ile and 
the spittoon? Into the kitchen and 
dining room. 

What does he do there? He walks 
on the bread, fruit and vegetables; 
he sticks in the butter; he swims in 
the milk. 

Does the fly visit the patient sick 
with consumption, typhoid fever and 
cholera infantum? He does and may 
call on you next. 

Is the fly dangerous? He is man's 
worst ])cst, and more dangerous than 
wild beasts. 

What diseases does the fly carry? 
He carries typhoid fever, tubercu- 
losis and summer complaint. How? 
On his wings and hairy feet. What 
is his correct name? Typhoid fly. 

Did he ever kill anyone? He killed 
more American soldiers in tlie Sj)an- 
ish-American war than the bullets of 
the Spaniards. 

Where are the greatest number of 
cases of typhoid fever, consumption, 
and summer complaint? Where there 
are the most flies. 

Where are the most flies? AVhere 
there is the most filth. 

Wliy should we kill the fly? Be- 
cause he maj-^ kill us. 

How shall we kill the flv? Destrov 



all the filth about the house and 
yard; poUr lime into the vault and 
on the maimre; kill the fly with a 
wire screen ])addle or sticky paper 
or kerosene oil. 

Kill the fly in any way, but kill 
the fly. 

Extirpation of Flies. — A very great 
deal of attention has been drawn to 
this subject by recent scientific in- 
vestigations and many practicable 
suggestions have been made since the 
publication of tiie first edition of this 
volume. The control of the house 








aimplc and rcrij isuvcoisful //;/ trap for 
a fjarb(if/c run. Cloth curtain turned 
up to hIioio vleutH. It catches the 
flicH ontnidc the house. Flies enter 
the i/arbaije can throuf/Ii, the crack be- 
tween the cover and the can, and also 
around the edjjc of tlie trap placed 
over a two or three inch hole in the 
can. After feeding then fly toward 
the light and come out this hole in the 
cover into the trap. (O. 7''. llodfjc.) 

fly is now regarded as one of the 
most important of all sanitary prolj- 
lems. A nation-wide cfmipaign to 
this end has been set on foot. It has 
been shown by actual experience dur- 
ing the last few years that the 
method of excluding flics from horse 
manure as elsewhere reconnnendcd, 
will greatly lessen the number ol)- 
served in tlie localil}\ Several cities 
have adopted ordinances iiroviding 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



that the floors of stables shall be 
solid and free from cracks, and that 
horse manure shall be collected in 
tight cans or barrels, covered so as 
to exclude flies, and removed daily 
beyond the city limits. Some such 
means of depriving flies of their 
natural breeding places is the most 
essential step in the vi^arfare against 
these pests. Any householder may 
greatly abate this nuisance by proper 
sanitary precautions on his own 
premises. And such means will be 
found very eff^ective in localities 
where dwellings are fairly distant 
from one another. But since flies 
may come from considerable dis- 
tances and bring with them infection 
from sources beyond one's control, 
it will still be found necessary to 
adopt preventive measures. In addi- 
tion to those elsewhere recommended 
several ingenious methods of trap- 
ping flies in large numbers have re- 
cently been devised and may here be 
recommended. 

Trapping Flies. — Prof. C F. 
Hodge offers a number of practical 
suggestions derived from experience 
in catching flies in large quantities 
to feed bob-white and partridge 
chicks. His method is, in substance, 
to provide a number of large traps 
and either to bait them artificially 
with garbage and meat scraps in con- 
siderable quantities or set them at 
the flies' natural feeding grounds. 
The working principle of these traps 
is that a fly seeks its food entirely 
by smell and Mill crawl to it through 
any dark crack. Thence, after feed- 
ing, it will fly or crawl toward the 
light. Hence, if a suitable trap is 
placed over the garbage can or swill 
iDarrel, or in a room or shed in homes, 
hotels, restaurants or markets, in 
which waste matter is collected, the 
great bulk of the flies which are 
drawn to these feeding grounds from 
the entire locality can be captured 
and disposed of. 

Small traps of wire net can be 
bought for about 10 cents apiece in 
most localities. Or they can be 
readily made at home of two pieces 



of ordinary wire netting. The outer 
may be of any shape and size de- 
sired. The inner is merely an in- 
verted cone with an opening just 
large enough to permit the flies to 
crawl in. One or more of these 
traps may be attached to the lid of 
the garbage pail, swill barrel, or hog 
trough over a hole through which the 
flies may find their way into the 
trap after feeding. Lift the lid or 
cover of the receptacle a little way 
to admit the flies and hang some- 
thing over the edge so as to keeiJ out 
the light. Or a strip of burlap from 
an old potato sack may be thrown 
over the lid to keep the sun out. 




Box fly trap designed hy C. F. Hodge. 

Or if there is no accumulation of 
garbage, swill or other natural feed- 
ing ground for flies in the locality, 
construct one or more large traps in 
the form of a screened box, as shown 
in the illustration. Artificially bait 
these by placing, in old tomato cans 
or other receptacles, meat scraps and 
similar refuse beneath tlie platform 
on which the traps are located. Bring 
the side boards below this platform 
nearly to the ground so that the 
space beneath, where the bait is 
placed, may be dark. The cones in 
the illustration may be readily made 
from pieces of ordhiarj' wire netting. 
One small boy in "Worcester, Mass., 
has a record of capturing about three 
bushels of flies in a trap of this kind 
during a single summer. 

If the small woven wire traps are 



HOME SANITATION AND HYGIENE 



131 



used, the flies may be killed by im- 
mersing them in boiling water. Or 
hold the traps over the flames of 
burning newspaper. Or if the large 
screen boxes are employed, equip 
them with one or more small vessels 
containing liquid fly poison. A good 
fly killer consists of a teaspoonful of 
40 per cent solution of formaldehyde 
and one-half teaspoonful of sugar 
dissolved in a cup of water. This 
may be exposed inside the fly trap 
in a shallow vessel, as an earthenware 
plate or pie tin, and also in saucers 
or other suitable receptacles, in any 
part of the house. While deadly to 
flies it is nonpoisonous, in small 
quantities, to children or domestic 
animals. 

Or dissolve 1 dram of bichromate 
of potash in 3 ounces of water, add 
a little sugar and expose in shallow 
receptacles. These poisons are quickly 
eff'ective in fly traps because the flies 
cannot get to any other source of 
water supply. 

Or fill a half pint or a pint bottle 
having a nick in the top of it with 
the poison mixture. Quickly invert 
this in a small shallow dish. Sup- 
port the bottle in that position upon 
a bracket and hang it up where the 
flies abound. A nick of the right 
depth in the mouth of the bottle will 
keep in the dish a shallow pool of 
poison all the time. 

Or to make an efficient, cheap and 
safe fly poison, for use in the house- 
hold, markets, store windows, etc., 
mix 1 cupful milk, 1 cupful water, 
1 teaspoonful 40 per cent solution of 
formaldehyde, 1 tablespoonful sugar. 

Pour enough of this solution over 
a small slice of bread placed on a 
saucer to thoroughly saturate it and 
leave surplus liquid in the saucer. 
Place these saucers on window sills 
and other places where flies swarm, 
but out of reach of children and 
animals. 



Another ingenious method sug- 
gested by Prof. Hodge is to attach 
a small wire trap to the wire screen 
with which windows and doors are 
protected against insects in summer. 
Two small guide boards tacked on 
the screen lead the flies to a small 
opening near the top and thence 
through a hole in the screen into the 
trap. A similar trap may be at- 
tached to the inside of the same or 
another window and thus flies may be 




Device for poisoning flies. 

caught both "coming and going." 
This method is equally well adapted 
to the house and to the barn and 
stable. 

A little ingenuity and reasonable 
pains in providing and caring for a 
sufficient number of traps of this 
character will, according to Prof. 
Hodge, reduce the number of flies in 
most localities to a point such that 
the few that do finally get into the 
house may be readily killed with the 
ordinary fly swatter. The importance 
of the campaign against flies from 
the standpoint of sanitation and the 
prevention of disease can hardly be 
overestimate'! 



CHAPTER IV 

INFECTION AND DISINFECTION 

CONTACT INFECTION — DISINFECTION — STANDARD SOLUTIONS — 
FUMIGATION OR GASEOUS DISINFECTION— FORMALDEHYDE 
AND SULPHUR FUMIGATION— ADDITIONAL DISINFECTION 



CONTACT INFECTION 

Before the germ theory of disease 
became fully established, a distinction 
was made between what were called 
"infectious" as opposed to "conta- 
gious" diseases. These words are now 
used interchangeably. It was for- 
merly supposed that "infectious" dis- 
eases could be "caught" by merely 
breathing the air in the vicinity of 
the patient. A superstition to this 
eifect still lingers in some localities. 
Many persons, otherwise well in- 
formed, attempt to hold their breath 
while passing pest houses or dwell- 
ings where patients with virulent 
commTj.nicable diseases are quaran- 
tined. This notion that the germs of 
disease are usually communicated 
through the air has been completely 
exploded. On the other hand it was 
formerly supposed that "contagious" 
in the sense opposed to "infectious" 
diseases, could be communicated only 
by actual contact of the diseased 
part Avith the body of another person. 
Some diseases were thought to be 
both contagious and infectious. Many 
cases of the transmission of disease 
were observed, however, which could 
not be explained upon either of these 
theories. Hence there was formerly 
a good deal of doubt, even among 
medical men, as to the exact way in 
which certain diseases were commu- 
nicated. 

This confusion of thought is now 
to a large extent cleared away. The 
contact infection theory may be said 



to be fully established. According 
to this theory the living bacteria, or 
germs, which cause contagious dis- 
eases are most commonly transmitted 
from a diseased to a well person 
within a comparatively short space 
of time, and through the medium of 
"some solid object or liquid, rather 
than through the air. Two kinds, or 
types, of infection are loosely dis- 
tinguished — direct and secondary. 
Direct infection is, in general, that 
which gives rise to new cases in fam- 
ilies or on premises that have been 
previously free from disease. In- 
direct, or secondary, infection is that 
whereby a disease is communicated 
from a patient to his nurse or other 
attendant, or to other members of 
the same household. Direct infection 
is thought to occur chiefly through 
the contamination of the sources of 
water or milk supply, or by chance 
contact with persons ih the early 
stages of a communicable disease, or 
those suffering from mild cases, or 
from healthy "carriers." Especial 
attention has also been directed of 
late to the part played by insects, 
especially the house fly, as carriers 
of disease. The bedbug, the body 
louse, the various species of fleas, 
mosquito and ticks have also been 
found to communicate the germs of 
disease from certain animals to man 
and from one person to another. 

Direct infection may, and often 
does, occur from unavoidable acci- 
dent. But secondary infection is in- 
variably the result of ignorance or 



132 



INFECTION AND DISINFECTION 



133 



carelessness. The most usual vehicles 
of secondary infection are thought to 
be the bed covers or clothing of the 
patient; his handkerchief; his dis- 
charges; remnants of food and drink 
left by him on the tray, or the dishes 
or other utensils by means of which 
he is served; and the person or 
clothing of the nurse or other bed- 
side visitors. The cardinal principle 
of preventive medicine is that secon- 
dary infection must and shall not 
occur. 

According to the contact infection 
theory all the germs of disease by 
which healthy persons are infected 
had quite recent origin in the body 
of some diseased person. They left 
the patient through some of his dis- 
charges, as his sputum or excreta, 
possibly through perspiration, or in 
the case of smallpox, chickenpox, or 
scarlet fever, through the scabs or 
scaling of the outer surface of the 
body. Thence they were transmitted 
to the neighborhood of the infected 
person, through some fairly direct 
route, by the agency of solid bodies 
or liquids, and under conditions rea- 
sonably favorable to germ life. They 
then found their entrance into his 
body through some of its main or- 
ifices, usually by being breathed in or 
swallowed. When these essential 
principles are well understood and 
sufficiently considered, they will usu- 
ally enable the responsible head of a 
family to trace a case of infection 
to its source. Steps may then be 
taken to avoid further infection 
and prevent the spread of the dis- 
ease. 

The open vault, sink drain, or ac- 
cumulation of garbage or other filth, 
so located as to contaminate the soil 
or the sources of the water supply, 
and the flies or other insects which 
feed in and about them, may be com- 
pared to an unloaded gun. Their 
deadly possibilities are latent until 
they become infested (loaded) with 
the living germs of typhoid or otlier 
communicable diseases. Such germs 
are not the product of putrefaction. 
They do not develop spontaneously 



in fecal or decayed matter such as 
night-soil, garbage, and kitchen slops. 
Nor do disease germs multiply in 
such locations. Indeed, the bacteria 
which cause human diseases will or- 
dinarily die out within a compara- 
tively short time when deliberately 
added to such substances for the 
purpose of scientific investigation. 
When a case of typhoid or other con- 
tagious disease occurs, through the 
pollution of the soil or water supply, 
or through the medium of flies, by 
contagion from an open vault or 
drain or similar nuisance, the real 
source is often overlooked and dis- 
regarded, because these nuisances 
have existed before the patient was 
taken sick and no one had previously 
been made ill by them. The explana- 
tion of science is that only at rare 
intervals and as a consequence of 
direct infection from some diseased 
person, do these nuisances become ac- 
tive sources of contagion and deadly 
menaces to the public health. The 
danger is that this may happen un- 
known to the responsible head of the 
family. The result may be an epi- 
demic in which many lives are need- 
lessly sacrificed. 

A good illustration may be found 
in a case reported by a milk inspec- 
tor of a western city. An outbreak 
of typhoid was traced to the milk 
supply from a certain farm dairy. 
On investigation it was found that 
two of the dairyman's children were 
convalescing from that disease. The 
family water supply used for drink- 
ing purposes and also for cleansing 
milk pails and other receptacles was 
a dug well in the farmer's yard. It 
was located not far from an out- 
house of the open vault type. The 
milk inspector suggested that the well 
water might be contaminated from 
this source. The dairyman responded 
that this could not be the case be- 
cause the water v/as clear, cold and 
tasteless. A few days later this far- 
mer called up the milk inspector on 
the telephone and inquired if the 
germs of typhoid fever would make 
water pink. The inspector respond- 



134 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



ed, No ! but that if the well water 
was pink, it might be due to a quan- 
tity of red dye which he had poured 
into the vault of the outhouse. Later, 
the dairyman himself succumbed to 
typhoid fever. The milk supply from 
this dairy having been shut oflF, fur- 
ther spread of the disease among 
its patrons was prevented. 

A practical suggestion may be 
drawn from this incident for cases 
where it is suspected that the source 
of drinking water may be contami- 
nated from open vaults, drains or 
similar sources. A bushel or more of 
coarse salt may be deposited in the 
vault or drain and care taken to ob- 
serve whether or not the water, espe- 
cially after the next heavy rain, 
tastes in the least salty. 

But, as the amount of salt that 
might be transmitted in solution 
through the soil may not be enough 
to be detected when diluted by the 
contents of a deep well, it is safer 
and better in all such cases to have 
a bacteriological test of the water 
made at the State laboratory. The 
commissioner of health in most States 
will forward on request a suitable 
bottle properly packed for mailing, 
with full directions how to select and 
forward the necessary sample. In 
some States such tests will be made 
free. But in any case the cost will 
hardly exceed that of a doctor's visit. 
The result may be the saving of one 
or many lives. 

The bacteria which cause germ dis- 
eases are parasites, that is, they do 
not normally occur in nature outside 
the bodies of men or other animals. 
These they regard as their natural 
home. Hence they can thrive and 
multiply only under very similar con- 
ditions of warmth, moisture, absence 
of direct sunlight and presence of a 
supply of food suitable to their 
necessities. They are so exceedingly 
small as to be totally invisible to 
the naked eye, and are without color, 
taste or odor. Hence the presence in 
an ordinary well of bacteria sufficient 
to kill all the inhabitants of a great 
city could not be detected without 



the use of a microscope except 
through their fatal consequences. 

It was formerly supposed that the 
introduction into the human body of 
one or more germs of any contagious 
ailment was certain to result in the 
contraction of a typical case of the 
disease. The use of the microscope 
has proved that this is by no means 
the case. The germs of pneumonia, 
diphtheria, tuberculosis and others 
are often found in the throat and 
lungs of perfectlj^ healthy persons. 
The germs of various diseases may be 
swallowed without injurious results. 
The likelihood of contagion depends 
in part upon the number of the bac- 
teria that may gain lodgment in the 
system, in part upon their vitality, 
and in part upon the state of health 
of the afflicted person. Most germs 
tend to breed and multiply in colon- 
ies. They do not live long outside 
of the human body, or other living 
host, except under favorable condi- 
tions, and the body when in perfect 
health has considerable power to re- 
sist their invasion. 

The vitality of different species, 
or of the same species under differ- 
ent conditions, varies considerably. 
The germ which causes consumjation, 
the tubercle bacillus, is among the 
most resistant. The germs expecto- 
rated by the consumptive may be 
found in a state of full vitality, in 
the dry sputum of the patient, float- 
ing in the air as dust. With this ex- 
ception, however, it is believed that 
exposure to dry heat and esi^ecially to 
direct sunlight kills most disease 
germs or greatly weakens them. The 
effect of cold is merely to suspend 
their activities. Freezing for an in- 
definite time does not injure most 
germs. But all are destroyed by ex- 
posure to heat at or near the tem- 
perature of boiling water, or by con- 
tact with various substances known 
as germicides or disinfectants. 

The most virulent bacteria will die 
of themselves within a comparatively 
short time after they are thrown off 
from the body of a diseased person, 
unless by chance they find congenial 



INFECTION AND DISINFECTION 



135 



lodgment in warm, dark places such 
as open vaults or drains or in an- 
other human body. 

The germs of diphtheria, typhoid 
and some other diseases will multi- 
ply quite rapidly in fresh milk, al- 
tliough they are commonly destroyed 
by the lactic acid which forms in 
milk in the process of souring. They 
will, however, live for some time in 
cheese and butter. Hence contamina- 
tion of the milk supply is one of the 
most frequent sources of infection. 
Bacteria do not appear to multiply 
in ordinary drinking water. On the 
contrary, it is believed that the germs 
of typhoid will die out of wells and 
cisterns in about a week or ten days 
if there is no further contamination 
in that interval. The contamination 
of water supplies is, however, among 
the most frequent causes of fatal 
epidemics of tyishoid and some other 
diseases. The pollution is usually 
continuous and often increases in 
amount and virulence until attention 
is drawn to it by an outbreak of dis- 
ease. 

The discharges of patients suffer- 
ing from typhoid and similar dis- 
eases contain myriads of the living 
bacteria. When these find their way 
by seepage, or surface drainage from 
open vavdts to streams, springs, wells 
and cisterns, or through the outflows 
of sewage being in too close prox- 
imity to the intake of water supplies, 
the number of germs swallowed is 
almost sure to bring on the disease 
in its most virulent form. 

Other common sources of infection 
are vegetables, contaminated by pol- 
luted soil, pet cats and other animals, 
and, in short, anything which may 
serve as a vehicle to transport the 
living germs in a fairly direct route 
from one human body to another. 

While a person in perfect health 
may come in contact with the germs 
of disease with impunity, especially 
if they are few in number, and if 
their vitality has been impaired by 
exposure to drying heat or otherwise, 
yet every precaution that science can 
suggest should he taken to avoid such 



contagion. Persons in the best of 
health may become susceptible to the 
attacks of bacteria by the lowering 
of tone due to over-fatigue, to a 
sudden cold, or similar causes. Or 
the disease may be taken in such mild 
form that its true character may not 
be recognized. Such an attack may 
cause the patient little inconvenience, 
but may result, in the absence of 
proper precautions, in the spread of 
the disease to others in its most 
virulent form. Indeed, such cases, 
and those called healthy "carriers" 
are known to be among the most 
common agencies in the spread of 
epidemics. 

Healthy "carriers" of disease, in 
medical parlance, are patients who 
have recovered and become immune 
to the bacteria of a germ disease, 
but who are still breeding such germs 
in large numbers in their bodies. Or- 
dinarily, the germs of disease disap- 
pear at or near the time of the pa- 
tient's recovery, but in exceptional 
cases persons have been known to be 
"carriers" for many months or even 
years. Such persons are especially 
dangerous, because the liability of 
infection from them is not usually 
suspected. Yet, in the absence of ab- 
solute cleanliness and proper precau- 
tionary measures, they may be the 
means of infecting others, or con- 
taminating sources of water supply. 
A typical case is that known to medi- 
cal men as "Typhoid Mary." This 
woman is known to have infected 
about twenty-four persons in six dif- 
ferent families where she was em- 
ployed as a cook. Another recorded 
instance is that of a dairyman, a 
carrier of typhoid, who caused no 
fewer than three epidemics in a west- 
ern city through the contamination 
of the water supply which was iised 
by him for cleansing milk cans and 
other receptacles. 

Prevention, of Contact Infection. — 
There are two distinct lines of ac- 
tion which must be adopted to insure 
against infection. The first consists 
in preventing all possibility of the 
containination of the soil, ])ollution 



136 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



of water supply, or transmission of 
the germs of disease by flies and 
other insects. This may be done by 
abolishing all open vaults and drains 
and by the sanitary disposition of 
all slops, garbage, dead animals and 
other household or farm refuse. 
Statistics show that such steps, if 
properly taken, will reduce the likeli- 
hood of infection about one-half. 
Thus, in the city of Springfield, 111., 
the death rate from typhoid contin- 
ued to increase even after the intro- 
duction of an efficient water supply 
and sanitary sewerage. An investiga- 
tion by the Board of Health disclosed 
that only about one-third of the 
property owners were availing them- 
selves of these improvements. Two- 
thirds of the families were still de- 
pendent upon cess-pools and open 
vaults. When these were abolished 
by city ordinance, the death rate 
from typhoid was reduced about one- 
half. A similar result was observed 
in the city of Providence after all 
cess-pools and open vaults were 
abolished by municipal ordinance. 

The other line of defense consists 
in the observance of absolute sanitary 
cleanliness and the proper use of 
disinfectants, especially in times of 
epidemijC or when there are cases of 
contagious illness in the family or 
neighborhood. It has been proved 
beyond question that, if proper pre- 
cautions are taken to avoid infection 
from milk or water supplies, insects 
and similar causes, and if sanitary 
])recautions are observed, a patient 
\A'ith any contagious disease may be 
nursed in his own home without in- 
fecting other members of the family. 
In certain high-class French hospi- 
tals, patients suffering from all sorts 
of contagious diseases, such as diph- 
theria, smallpox, typhoid fever, scar- 
let fever and others, are treated in 
the same open wards and waited upon 
by the same physicians, nurses and 
attendants. The only separation of 
one patient from another is by means 
of low screens or partitions made of 
cotton cloth. Even these are some- 
times omitted and the space allotted 



to each patient is defined merely by 
a line of tape or by marks chalked 
or painted upon the floor. The ob- 
ject of these is simply to call the 
nurse's attention to the necessity of 
observing sanitary precautions before 
crossing the territory of one patient 
into that of another. 

No object which has touched the 
person of a patient or been contam- 
inated by any of his discharges is 
permitted to touch the person of any 
other patient. The nurse and the at- 
tending physicians wash their hands 
in a disinfectant solution each time 
they touch or handle the patient or 
anything which has come into con- 
tact with him, before approaching 
the bedside of another sufi^erer. Un- 
der this plan, which is known as the 
French cubicle system, instances in 
which a patient sufl"ering from one 
contagious disease has become in- 
fected with another are extremely 
rare, while all are being treated in 
the same i-oom and are breathing the 
same air. 

DISINFECTION 

The purpose of disinfection is to 
kill the germs of contagious diseases 
after they leave the body of the pa- 
tient and before they find another 
victim. This may be done by means 
of heat by boiling, baking or burning 
the infected material, or by means 
of various chemical poisons known as 
disinfectants or germicides. These 
are usually applied in liquid or gas- 
eous form. Germs can be killed by 
heat or disinfectants only under the 
following conditions: The heat must 
be sufiiciently intense or the disin- 
fectant sufficiently strong; the germs 
must be thoroughly exposed to the 
heat or disinfectant; and for a suf- 
ficient length of time. 

Disinfection by heat may be by 
fire, boiling water or live steam. No 
special apparatus is needed if fire or 
boiling water is used. The infected 
articles are simply burned or boiled. 
Articles to be disinfected by boiling 
should be weighted, if necessary, and 



INFECTION AND DISINFECTION 



137 



kept under the water while actually 
boiling for not less than half an 
liour. The addition of common wash- 
ing soda to the water, at the rate of 
one moderate tablespoonful to each 
gallon of water, increases its effi- 
ciency. 

Steam disinfection, on a small 
scale, may be accomplished by means 
of an ordinary wash boiler contain- 
ing a wooden rack resting upon 
bricks, or otherwise suspended above 
the level of the boiling water. Pack 
the articles to be disinfected closely 
upon this rack, put the cover on 
tight and boil briskly at least an 
hour. Be sure to use enough water 
so that the boiler will not go dry. 
Many kinds of clothing and other 
objects which would be injured by 
boiling can be safely disinfected in 
this manner. 

All stains should be removed be- 
fore disinfection by steam or boiling 
water, as heat tends to fix them. 

Disinfection in General. — Most of 
the so-called disinfection practiced in 
families is inefficient and useless. The 
burning of coifee, tar, or other sub- 
stances in the sick room or elsewhere 
in the presence of the patient or 
others, operates at most only as a 
deodorizer. Such fumes do not de- 
stroy the germs of disease. Open 
vessels containing chloride of lime, 
carbolic acid or other disagreeable- 
smelling substances have no value for 
disinfecting purposes, unless the in- 
fected material is actually immersed 
in them. If bad odors exist, remove 
the source and admit an abundance 
of fresh air. Never use disinfect- 
ants not vouched for by reliable au- 
thorities. Disinfectants, germ killers, 
and the like, sold like patent medi- 
cines are most often expensive and 
worthless. They should never be re- 
lied upon. The following solutions 
are for use during illness and for 
general family use as directed. 

Allow nothing to go from the sick 
room in case of communicable dis- 
eases without having been disinfected 
with one of these solutions. It should 
be an unceasing duty of the nurse 



or other attendants to see that dis- 
infection as here indicated is carried 
out to the minutest particular. 

STANDARD DISINFECTANT SOLU- 
TIONS 

Substances recommended as reli' 
able disinfectants for general exter- 
nal use in contagious diseases are (1) 
chloride of lime; (2) quick lime; 
milk of lime; (3) bichloride of mer- 
cury (corrosive sublimate), either 
with or without the addition of muri- 
ate of ammonia, or permanganate of 
potash; (4) carbolic acid, and (5) 
solution of formaldehyde (formalin). 
Such substances as Lysol, Kreolin, 
Tri-Kresol and other much adver- 
tised patented preparations are no 
better than the above and are too 
expensive for general external use in 
sufficient quantities. The following 
standard disinfectant solutions are 
those endorsed and recommended by 
public health authorities throughout 
the United States. They are the 
cheapest, best known and most reli- 
able disinfectants. No others need 
be employed for general external use. 
Most of these solutions are highly 
poisonous. None are suitable for 
washing out the mouth, gargling the 
throat, or other internal use. 

No. 1. Standard Solution of Chlo- 
ride of Lime (chlorinated lime). — 
This is one of the most effective and 
highly recommended disinfectants. It 
is used in the form of an aqueous 
solution, i. e., dissolved in water, in 
strength varying from 3 per cent 
(weak) to 10 per cent (strong) solu- 
tion. For a 10 per cent solution add 
1 pound of good chloride of lime to 
1 gallon of water and mix thoroughly. 
For a 5 per cent solution use ^ 
pound to the gallon of water, and for 
a 3 per cent solution use 1 pound to 
3 gallons or 5^ ounces to the gal- 
lon. Authorities variously recom- 
mend from 5i to 61 ounces chloride 
of lime to the gallon of water, or a 
solution of slightly more than 3 per 
cent, as a standard solution for free 
general use. 



138 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Chloride of lime is not fully solu- 
ble in water. A clear solution may 
be obtained by filtration or decanta- 
tion, but the insoluble sediment does 
no harm and this is an unnecessary 
refinement. The solution should 
stand at least ten minutes before 
using. 

The chloride of lime must be of the 
best quality. It should contain at 
least 25 per cent of available chlo- 
rine. Poor chloride of lime is use- 
less. Prepare only as needed and 
keep, preferably, in a stone jug with 
a tight-fitting stopper. Do not de- 
pend upon this solution unless freshly 
prepared from chloride of lime of 
good quality. This substance ought 
to be obtained anywhere for about 
10 cents a pound retail or about 3J 
cents wholesale, making the cost of 
a 3 per cent solution only about 1 
to 3 cents a gallon. Hence, in addi- 
tion to being among the most effec- 
tive disinfectants and germicides 
available for general use, it is also 
one of the cheapest. 

Directions for Use. — Use one quart 
of the half-strength (5 per cent) 
solution for each discharge from a 
patient suffering from any contagious 
or infectious disease. Mix well and 
leave in the vessel for an hour or 
more before throwing into privy 
vault or water closet. The same for 
vomited matter. For a very copious 
discharge, especially in cholera, use a 
larger quantity ; and for solid or semi- 
solid matter, use the full strength 
(10 per cent) solution. Receive dis- 
charges from the mouth or throat in 
a cup half full of the half-strength 
(5 per cent) solution, and those from 
the nostrils upon soft cotton or linen 
rags. Burn these immediately. 

As the fecal discharges of the sick 
are the chief vehicles of communica- 
tion in many contagious diseases, 
their disinfection should be thorough- 
ly performed. Especially should care 
be taken as to their disposal, so that 
no portion of them can gain access, 
either directly or indirectly, by sur- 
face drainage, percolation, filtration, 
or otherwise, to any water-supply. 



Use a quart or more of the solu- 
tion full-strength (10 per cent) each 
day in an offensive vault, and such 
quantities as may be necessary in 
other places. Use it in a sprinkler 
in stables, and elsewhere. In the 
sick room place it in vessels, cuspi- 
dors, etc. Immerse sheets and other 
clothing used by the patient in a pail 
or tub of this solution, diluted one 
gallon of the full-strength (10 per 
cent) solution to ten of water, for 
two hours, or until ready for the 
wash room or laundry. This solution 
is non-poisonous and does not injure 
white clothing. It should be used, 
however, only for white, cotton or 
linen fabrics. It bleaches colored 
goods and injures wool, silk and oth- 
er animal fibers. Body and bed 
linen thus treated should afterwards 
be thoroughly cleansed by boiling for 
a half hour in soap and water and 
by two or more rinsings. 

It may also be used in one-third 
strength (3 per cent) solution for 
washing the hands or parts of the 
body which may have been exposed 
to infection from excreta, etc. 

For a free and general use in 
privy-vaults, sewers, sink drains, ref- 
use heaps, stables, and wherever else 
the odor of the disinfectant is not 
objectionable, this is perhaps tlie 
cheapest and most effective disinfect- 
ant and germicide available for gen- 
eral use. It should be used so freely 
as to wet everything required to be 
disinfected. Its odor does not dis- 
infect. It only covers up other 
odors. 

Chloride of lime in dry form may 
also be applied in large quantities to 
vaults and cess-pools. Dilute it for 
this purpose with 9 parts of plaster 
of Paris or the same proportion of 
clean dry sand to admit of more con- 
venient application. 

No. 2. Standard Solution Milk of 
Lime (quick lime). — Slake a quart 
of freshly-burnt lime (in small pieces) 
with J of a quart of water — or to be 
exact, 60 parts of water (by weight) 
with 100 of lime. A dry product of 
slaked lime (hydrate of lime) results. 



INFECTION AND DISINFECTION 



139 



Make from this, milk of lime, im- 
mediately before it is to be used, by 
mixing 1 part of this dry hydrate of 
lime with 8 parts (by weight) of 
water. The dry hydrate may be pre- 
served for some time if enclosed in a 
covered fruit jar or other air-tight 
container. 

Or, prepare milk of lime by slak- 
ing freshly burnt quick lime in about 
four times its volume of water, i. e., 
about 1 pound of fresh unslaked lime 
to 1 gallon of water. Milk of lime 
must be used within a day or two 
after preparation or its value as a 
disinfectant is lost. It should be 
kept in some air-tight container, pref- 
erably an earthenware jug and close- 
ly stoppered. 

Air-slaked lime has no value as a 
disinfectant and should not be used 
for this purpose. 

Quick lime is one of the cheapest 
of disinfectants, and may take the 
place of chloride of lime if desired. 
Use freely in a quantity equal in 
amount to the material to be disin- 
fected. Use also to whitewash ex- 
l^osed surfaces, to disinfect excreta 
in the sick room, or on the surface 
of the ground, in sinks, vaults, drains, 
stagnant pools and the like. 

No. 3. Standard Solution of Bi- 
chloride of Mercury (corrosive sub- 
limate). — The most convenient way 
to prepare this solution is by the use 
of bichloride of mercury tablets 
which can be obtained at any drug 
store. The directions for using these 
tablets are given on the package. 
But if large quantities of bichloride 
solutions are to be used, it will be 
found cheaper to have a strong so- 
lution prepared by a druggist and 
tlien add at home, under his direction, 
sufficient water to reduce it to the 
required strength. Two tablets dis- 
solved in 1 pint of water, or sixteen 
tablets (3 drams) corrosive sublimate 
to the gallon, makes a solution of 
1 to 500. This may be improved by 
adding 2 ounces of common salt to 
the gallon of water. 

Or, dissolve corrosive sublimate and 
muriate of ammonia in water in the 



proportion of 2 drams, 190 grains or 
i ounce of each to the gallon. 

Or, dissolve corrosive sublimate and 
permanganate of potash, 2 drams 
each to 1 gallon of water. 

Or, dissolve corrosive sublimate, 
permanganate of potash and muriate 
of ammonia in pure soft water in 
the proportion of 2 drams each to the 
gallon. 

All the above substances may be 
obtained at any first-class drug store. 
The simple solution of bichloride in 
water first mentioned is a good dis- 
infectant and may be preferred 
whenever it is necessary to practice 
economy. But, if the additional cost 
of such substances as muriate of 
ammonia (sal ammoniac) and per- 
manganate of potash can be afforded, 
the solution will be more efficient 
and will keep better. If permanga- 
nate of potash is not used, it is a 
good plan to add a little blue vitriol 
or common bluing to color the solu- 
tion. This lessens the danger of its 
being swallowed by accident. 

Cautions. — All the above solutions 
or others containing bichloride of 
mercury (corrosive sublimate) will 
corrode metals and even tarnish gold. 
In so doing their disinfecting power 
is lost. Hence, these solutions must 
be mixed in a wooden tub, barrel or 
pail, or an earthen crock. They 
must be kept in a glass or earthen- 
ware receptacle — as a glass fruit jar 
or earthenware jug — tightly stop- 
pered to prevent evaporation, and la- 
beled "Poison". They should never 
be poured into metal drains without 
thorough and repeated flushing. Oth- 
erwise they will injure plumbing. 
Nor should they be permitted to 
come into contact with the metal fix- 
tures of the bath room. The better 
plan is to bury them, after using, at 
least one foot deep in the ground. 
Rings must be removed from the 
hands before they are immersed in 
the bichloride solutions. 

Use any of the above solutions full 
strength (1:500) to disinfect ex- 
creta in the same manner and quan- 
tity as the Chloride of Lime Solution 



140 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



No. 1, They are equally as effective 
but slower in action. Hence it is 
necessary to let the mixture, disin- 
fectant and infected matter, stand at 
least four hours. It is best to empty 
the mixture into a wooden pail and 
leave it for twenty-four hours. It 
may then be thrown into a vault or 
buried. The chief advantage of these 
solutions over No. 1 is that they pos- 
sess no odor. Hence they may be 
preferred for use in vessels, cuspidors 
and the like, if Solution No. 1 is 
objectionable on account of its smell. 
They are not as good disinfectants 
for vaults, sink drains, sewers and 
the like as the chloride of lime so- 
lution, nor are they trustworthy as a 
disinfectant of fresh sputum. 

Also use any of these solutions 
one-half strength, that is, diluted with 
an equal quantity of water (1 : 1,000), 
for the disinfection of soiled un- 
derclothing, bed linen and other 
fabrics. Mix the solution well by 
stirring and immerse the articles for 
two hours. Then wring them out and 
boil at least half an hour. Bichloride 
solutions tend to fix stains. Hence 
remove stains by approjDriate process 
before disinfection. 

Also use one-half strength (1 : 
1,000) i-of any of these solutions for 
washing all hard surfaces not metal- 
lic, as walls, floors, furniture and the 
like, and for moistening cloths with 
which to wipe off dust from the 
woodwork and furniture. For wash- 
ing metallic surfaces use disinfectant 
No. 5, 2 per cent solution of formal- 
dehyde. 

Also use this solution one-half 
strength (1 : 1,000) for washing the 
hands and general body surfaces of 
the attendants and convalescents — 
the latter, however, only by direction 
of the physician. 

Bichloride of mercury, either in 
solid form or in mixtures is a vio- 
lent corrosive poison. One ounce of 
any of the above solutions, full 
strength, contains nearly a grain of 
corrosive sublimate and will quickly 
cause death by poison if swallowed. 
Hence all these solutions must be la- 



beled "Poison" and kept out of reach 
of children. Their use should always 
be under the direction of some intelli- 
gent person. 

Antidote. — If by accident one of 
these solutions is swallowed, send for 
a physician at once. Do not wait, 
however, until he arrives. Give the 
proper antidote quickly. Give freely 
white of egg mixed with water, or if 
this is not at hand, give wheat flour 
mixed with water, or give milk. Try 
to provoke vomiting so as to empty 
the stomach. For this purpose give 
mustard and water, or salt and 
water, or tickle the back of the 
throat. 

No. 4. Standard Solution of Car- 
bolic Acid. — Carbolic acid is one of 
the most generally useful disinfect- 
ants in the sick room, but is rather 
-expensive when properly used and its 
odor is objectionable to some persons. 
Carbolic acid may be used dissolved 
in water in a strength from a 3 per 
cent (weak) to a 5 per cent (strong) 
solution. For a 5 per cent solution 
add 1 pint or pound of either 
the crude or purified liquid car- 
bolic acid to 2§ gallons of hot 
water, or about 6 ounces to the 
gallon. Stir frequently until no 
red or colorless droplets remain in 
the bottom of the mixture. The keep- 
ing power and efliciency of this solu- 
tion may be increased by the addition 
of 12 to 14 ounces of common salt to 
each gallon, when used for the disin- 
fection of excreta or other uses where 
the salt is not objectionable. Use 
this 5 per cent solution in the same 
way and for the same purposes as 
Standard Solution No. 1 of Chloride 
of Lime. 

Use one-half strength, i. e., diluted 
in an equal quantity of water (3^ per 
cent solution) for the tub in which 
body or bed linen is immersed. Also 
for washing woodwork, floors and 
other hard surfaces and for the 
hands and person. Immerse fabrics 
four hours, then rinse and boil for 
half an hour. 

Antidote. — Carbolic acid, like bi- 
chloride of mercury, is a violent cor- 



INFECTION AND DISINFECTION 



141 



rosive poison. Hence take great care 
to see that it is properly labeled and 
kept out of reach of children. In 
case of poisoning send for a physi- 
cian at once, but do not wait until 
he arrives. Diluted alcohol is the 
best antidote. Give this in the form 
of vi'hisky, brandy or cologne water, 
if pure alcohol is not at hand. Do 
not use wood alcohol, which is itself 
poisonous. Epsom salts or glauber 
salts, in doses of one tablespoonful, 
rank next to alcohol as antidotes. All 
cases, however, require the immediate 
attendance of a physician. Olive oil, 
castor oil and glycerine are also anti- 
dotes for carbolic acid. Try to pro- 
voke vomiting so as to empty the 
stomach. For this purpose give mus- 
tard and water, salt and water or 
tickle the back of the throat. 

Pure carbolic acid will burn the 
skin. Should an accident of this 
kind happen, immediately apply ordi- 
nary alcohol, whisky, brandy or co- 
logne water. 

No. 5. Standard Solution of For- 
maldehyde (formalin). — Dissolve 12 
ounces 40 per cent solution of formal- 
dehyde (formalin) in 1 gallon pure 
soft water. This mixture contains 6| 
per cent of formaldehyde. It should 
be kept in tightly corked bottles to 
prevent loss of strength by evapora- 
tion of the gas. This solution, while 
somewhat more expensive, is prefera- 
ble for the disinfection of clothing and 
other fabrics, since it does not bleach 
or injure them. Use full strength 
for cuspidors, vessels and sputum 
cups in the sick room. Dilute one- 
half for the tub in which fabrics are 
immersed and for washing floors, 
woodwork and the like. It is especial- 
ly recommended for washing furni- 
ture, woodwork and metallic surfaces 
and for washing the hands and per- 
son of both nurse and patient. 

Formaldehyde is a gas. It is sold 
in a solution containing 40 per cent of 
formaldehyde either under the simple 
designation, "Forty per cent solu- 
tion of formaldehyde," or under the 
proprietary designations, "Formalin" 
and "Formal"; always ask for "for- 



maldehyde" else you may pay extra 
for the same thing. For disinfecting, 
it may be used either in solution or 
in gaseous form. In household dis- 
infection it is generally used as a gas. 
Formaldehyde tends to fix stains. 
Hence they should be removed by ap- 
propriate processes before disinfec- 
tion. Formaldehyde in gaseous form 
does not injure even the most deli- 
cate fabrics. It has a slightly cor- 
rosive action on polished steel, but 
does not affect other metals. 

Antidote. — If by chance formalde- 
hyde solution is swallowed, give at 
once one to two tablespoonfuls of so- 
lution of acetate of ammonia (spirit 
of mindererus), or 1 teaspoonful of 
aromatic spirits of ammonia, diluted 
with water; or 10 to 20 drops of ordi- 
nary ammonia, well diluted with cold 
water. Send for a physician at once. 
The doses stated are for adults. The 
dose for children must be in propor- 
tion to their age. But none of the 
antidotes mentioned are poisonous, 
and they can be given in any approxi- 
mately cori'ect quantity without fear. 

FUMIGATION OR GASEOUS DISIN- 
FECTION 

Preparations. — The sick room in 
all cases and preferably every room 
in the house, especially in case of 
smallpox, diphtheria, typhoid and 
other virulent diseases, should be 
thoroughly disinfected by fumigation. 
This may be accomplished by formal- 
dehyde gas or by the fumes of burn- 
ing sulphur. During convalescence 
following cases of scarlet fever, 
smallpox or measles, the body of the 
patient should be daily rubbed with 
vaseline to prevent scales and dry 
particles of dead skin from being car- 
ried by air currents. When suffi- 
ciently recovered, the patient should 
have a warm bath every day until the 
skin has ceased to peel. When the 
patient leaves the sick room he should 
be given a disinfectant bath in Stand- 
ard Solution No. 3 or No. 5 (bi- 
chloride 1:1,000 or formaldehyde 
2 per cent). This should be followed 
by a cleansing bath including a sham- 



142 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



poo or thorough washing of the hair 
and scalp. The patient should then be 
dressed in clean garments and should 
not again enter the infected room 
until it has been disinfected and 
cleansed. The nurse or attendant 
should exercise the same precautions 
against spreading the infection. 
After the room has been vacated by 
the patient and nurse it is ready for 
final disinfection. This should be 
done preferably by a duly qualified 
officer of the Board of Health, but 
may be done successfully by any one 
if the following directions are care- 
fully observed. 

Fumigation by Formaldehyde. — 
First send to the drug store for the 
necessary materials. To ascertain the 
quantity required measure the room 
and find the length, breadth and 
height in feet. Multiply the fig- 
ures together, disregarding fractions. 
This gives the cubical contents of the 
room in feet. Divide by 1,000 (point 
ofi" three places) to find the number 
of thousand cubic feet in the room. 
For example, a room 10 feet square 
and 10 feet high contains 1,000 cubic 
feet. Use 6f ounces crystals of po- 
tassium permanganate for each 1,000 
cubic feet of room space, or 10 
ounces ,.when the temperature is be- 
low 60 degrees F. Over these pour 
16 ounces of 40 per cent aqueous so- 
lution of formaldehyde (formalin) 
for each 1,000 cubic feet of room 
space, or 24 ounces when the tempera- 
ture is below 60 degrees F. 

Thoroughly seal the room from 
within so as to prevent the escape of 
the gas until disinfection has been 
accomplished. Carefully close all 
windows and doors except one door 
for exit. Leave the windows un- 
locked so that they may be opened 
from without. Securely paste wet 
strips of paper over all registers, 
transoms, keyholes and cracks above, 
beneath and at the sides of windows 
and doors, over stove holes and all 
openings in walls, ceilings and floor. 
Use several thicknesses of paper if 
the openings are large. Gummed 
paper put up in rolls is made for this 



purpose. Or adhesive surgeon's plas- 
ter may be used. But common news- 
paper cut into narrow strips will do. 
It should be thoroughly wet with the 
Standard Solution No. 3 or No. 5 
(bichloride 1:500 or formaldehyde 
5 per cent), in order to disinfect the 
surfaces upon which it is used. Soft 
soap may be used for pasting paper 
strips so that they may later be eas- 
ily washed off. Or use paperhanger's 
paste, which may be prepared, and 
afterwards removed, by methods de- 
scribed elsewhere in this volume. 
After the strips are in place go over 
them on the outside with the brush 
dipped in the paste so as to wet them 
thoroughly. 

Stop up the fire place with a sheet 
of tin or zinc and paste strips of pa- 
per around the edges. Or securely 
_paste large sheets of heavy wrapping 
paper over the opening so that they 
cannot be displaced by the draft. 
There must be no opening through 
which gas can escape. 

Now spread out on chairs, or 
clothes-racks, all articles that can- 
not be boiled. Clothing, bed covers 
and the like should be hung on a 
line stretched across the room. Open 
the mattresses and set them on edge. 
Stretch the window shades and cur- 
tains to their full length. Open the 
doors of closets or clothes-presses. 
Lift the lids of trunks or chests and 
remove and spread out their contents. 
Open one of the long seams of pil- 
lows so that the fumes can reach the 
feathers. Do not pile articles to- 
gether. Open books and spread out 
the leaves. In short, arrange the 
room and its contents so as to secure 
free access of gas to all parts and to 
every object. If the room has been 
properly cleansed and ventilated dur- 
ing the course of the disease and 
especially if it was stripped of car- 
pets and unnecessary furniture wlien 
first set apart as a sick room, the dif- 
ficulties of disinfection will be great- 
ly reduced. 

Humidity. — When all is in readi- 
ness make the air of the room damp. 
This is absolutely necessary for dis- 



INFECTION AND DISINFECTION 



143 



infection either by sulphur or formal- 
dehyde. Dampness may be produced 
by boiling a quantity of water in a 
wash boiler on a gas or gasoline stove, 
by pouring boiling water from a tea 
kettle into a tub, or by pouring cold 
water onto hot bricks or stones, or 
dropping hot bricks or stones into 
vessels containing cold, or preferably 
hot water. Under no circumstances 
is efficient disinfection possible with- 
out in some way making the air of 
the room quite damp. The tempera- 
ture should be from 60 to 70 degrees 
F. or over, the higher the better, but 
there must not be any fire or exposed 
flame in the room. 

Formaldehyde Generators. — For- 
maldehyde is a gas which may be 
generated in large quantities by the 
addition of formaldehyde solution 
(formalin) to crystals of potassium 
permanganate in the right propor- 
tions. A number of patented genera- 
tors and processes for disinfection 
with formaldehyde have been placed 
upon the market. Many of these are 
inefficient and the use of any of them 
is an unnecessary expense. A home- 
made device equal to the best patent 
generator ever devised may be ar- 
ranged by means of a common wood 
or fiber wash tub, two or more ordi- 
nary red bricks and a tin or galva- 
nized iron pail, such as a common 
milk or water pail, having the seams 
rolled, not soldered. Place the tub 
in the middle of the room with the 
pail inside resting upon two or more 
bricks standing edgewise. Now fill 
the tub with water nearly but not 
quite up to the level of the top of the 
bricks and the generator is ready for 
use. If the bricks can be previously 
heated in a very hot oven and the 
water poured in at, or near the boil- 
ing point, so as to give off a quantity 
of steam, so much the better. 

Before the pail is put in place 
spread the potassium permanganate 
crystals evenly over the bottom. 
Meantime have in readiness wet 
strips of paper and paste, or ad- 
hesive plaster, with which to seal up 
the cracks of the door immediately 



on leaving the room. When every- 
tlilng is in readiness and the pail 
containing the permanganate crystals 
is in place, pour over them the for- 
maldehyde solution. Leave the room 
and seal up the door on the outside 
as quickly as possible. The formal- 
dehyde is promptly liberated in great 
quantities. Hence the necessity that 
all preparations be made in advance 
and that the operator leave the room 
at once on the combination of the two 
chemicals. Leave the room closed for 
at least four hours. 

Quantities and Proportions. — Care 
must be taken not to put too much 
formaldehyde into a single container. 
The reaction is violent and there is 
great effervescence and bubbling. If 
the rooms are large, as in the case of 
school rooms, public halls and the 
like, more than one container should 
be used. 

The following quantities may be 
used safely in the containers recom- 
mended : 

10 or 13-quart milk-pail. 
Formaldehyde, 16 ounces. 
Permanganate, 6f ounces. 

14-quart milk-pail. 
Formaldehyde, 24 ounces. 
Permanganate, 10 ounces. 

A receptacle of ample capacity, not 
less than mentioned above, should al- 
ways be used, as otherwise, the effer- 
vescence resulting from the reaction 
between the two substances may 
carry the mixture, or some of it, over 
the sides of the receptacle and stain 
the carpet or floor. As permanga- 
nate of potassium is liable to stain 
anything with which it comes into 
contact, use great care in handling it. 

Remember that the permanganate 
must always be put in before the for- 
maldehyde solution. 

Conservation of Heat. — If the 
bricks and water which are placed in 
the tub are cold, it is a good plan to 
set the tin pail snugly into a wooden 
or pulp bucket. Or wrap it tightly 
with several layers of asbestos paper. 
This is done to retain within the 
generator the heat, which is very im- 



144 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



portant to the proper generation of 
the gas. If the bricks and water are 
hot this will not be necessary. 

Selection of Materials. — The chem- 
icals required for formaldehyde disin- 
fection are not expensive and the 
best quality should be obtained from 
a reliable dealer. Secure the higiiest 
grade 40 per cent aqueous solution of 
formaldehyde on the market. An in- 
ferior grade may fail to do its woric 
and thus bring about unfortunate re- 
sults by giving a false sense of se- 
curity. The fine needle-shaped crys- 
tals of potassium permanganate are 
better than the rhomboid. See that 
you get this substance in crystals. 
Do not accept the dust which often 
contains impurities. Never use for- 
maldehyde candles. They are not re- 
liable. Do not rely upon advertised 
apparatus, disinfectants, and procf 
esses. Nothing can be better or 
cheaper than the plan above set forth. 

Formaldehyde Solution. — The fair- 
ly rapid liberation of gas may be se- 
cured by sprinkling 40 per cent for- 
maldehyde solution over sheets hung 
in the room requiring disinfection and 
containing the articles to be disinfect- 
ed. One pint of formaldehyde should 
be used for every 1,000 cubic feet of 
air spape in the apartment, if there is 
not too much opportunity for the es- 
cape of the gas through cracks, win- 
dows, doors, etc. If the gas can find 
easy escape, proportionately more of 
the solution must be used. Since by 
either the permanganate method or 
by the sheet method, formaldehyde 
gas is rapidly liberated, it is essen- 
tial that all preparations be made in 
advance for the operator to leave the 
room promptly. The door should be 
closed and sealed and the room left 
closed for not less than six hours, 
after which the door and windows 
may be opened and the room aired. 

The odor of formaldehyde, if it 
persists so as to be objectionable, can 
be removed, or at least moderated, by 
hanging up towels or sheets in the 
room and sprinkling them with am- 
monia water. 

Cautions. — Formaldehyde is in- 



tensely irritating to the eyes, nose and 
mouth. It kills the upper layers of 
the skin if applied in too strong solu- 
tions. The inhalation in ordinary 
quantities of such formaldehyde as is 
given off while sprinkling sheets in a 
room about to be disinfected, is un- 
comfortable, but not dangerous. The 
discomfort may be lessened by tying 
a moist towel over the mouth and 
nose while engaged in such work. In- 
jury to the hands can be avoided by 
greasing them well before they come 
into contact with the formaldehyde 
solution, or by wearing rubber gloves. 

Sulphur Fumigation. — Sulphur will 
be found a thoroughly reliable gase- 
ous disinfectant of considerable pene- 
trating power if it is intelligently 
employed. To obtain satisfactory re- 
sults the following essentials of suc- 
_cessful disinfection, established by 
repeated experiments, must be ob- 
served: (a) the infected room, or 
rooms, must be thoroughly closed, 
every crack and crevice sealed; (b) 
sufficient sulphur must be used; (c) 
there must be ample moisture in the 
room; (d) the time of exposure must 
be sufficient. Ten hours is the mini • 
mum. 

If sulphur is preferred for disin- 
fection, use four pounds of powdered 
sulphur to every thousand cubic feet 
in the room. Seal and otherwise 
prepare the room in all respects as 
for disinfection with formaldehyde. 
Place a common wood or fiber tub on 
a table — not on the floor. In this 
place an iron pot or earthenwai*e 
crock supported by two or more 
bricks placed edgewise. Pour in 
water to the level of the top of the 
bricks. The disinfecting apparatus 
will then be in working order. Now 
fill the room with steam. Fumiga- 
tion with sulphur is not efficient un- 
less the air is very moist. Pile the 
sulphur in the form of a low cone 
with a depression on top about as 
large as the bowl of a tablespoon. 
Fill this with alcohol, turpentine or 
coal oil, and set it on fire. Immedi- 
ately leave the room and close and 
seal the door. The sulphur in burn- 



INFECTION AND DISINFECTION 



145 



ing throws oflf sulphurous acid gas 
which, in the presence of steam, kills 
all infection. Keep the room closed 
for ten hours at least and preferably 
for twenty-four hours after starting 
the fumes. Then open the windows 
from the outside for ventilation and 
thoroughly air the room before using. 

Sulphur candles can be used in- 
stead of crude suljihur but take care 
to use sufficient candles. The average 
candle on the market contains one 
pound of sulphur. Four of these 
will be required in the disinfection 
of a small room 10x10x10. Do not 
use a smaller number, no matter what 
directions may accompany the candle. 
The water- jacketed candle is to be 
preferred. Partly fill the tin around 
candles with water and place them in 
a pan on a table, not on the floor. 
Let one-half pint of water be vajsor- 
ized with each candle. 

Cautions. — There is one serious ob- 
jection to the use of sulphur, which 
must be fully understood. The 
fumes have a destructive action on 
fabrics of wool, silk, cotton and linen 
as tapestries and draperies and tend 
to injure brass, copper, steel and gilt 
work. Colored fabrics are frequently 
changed in appearance and the 
strength impaired. Hence such ar- 
ticles should be separately disinfect- 
ed, as hereafter described, and re- 
moved from the room before it is dis- 
infected by sulphur. 

Sulphur fumigation has the ad- 
vantage over formaldehyde that it 
kills insects and thus prevents their 
conveying the disease. An ideal plan 
of fumigation is to use first one 
method and then the other. 

Additional Disinfection. — After 
the sick room has been fumigated 
with formaldehyde or sulphur, thor- 
oughly wash the floor and woodwork 
and all out of the way places, window 
ledges, picture moulding, etc., and 
thoroughly wet all dust and dirt in 
cracks with the half-strength Standard 
Solution No. 3, Bichloride of Mercury 
(1:1,000). Follow this up with hot 
soap suds, afterwards rinse with 
cloths wet in the disinfectant. Do 



not attempt to mix soap suds with 
the disinfectant solution. Scrape off 
and burn the wall paper. Whitewash 
the ceiling and walls before re-pa- 
pering and open the room to sunlight 
and air for several days. Apply a 
fresh coat of paint to the woodwork. 

Cotton Fabrics. — Disinfect all cot- 
ton and linen fabrics by immersing 
them in Solution No. 3 (1:1,000); No. 
4 (5 per cent) or No. 5 (10 per cent), 
for four hours, after which boil them 
for at least half an hour, then lavm- 
der as usual. Immerse soiled clothing 
in a disinfectant solution before it is 
dried. Before transporting dry cloth- 
ing or other infected material from 
the sick room to any other part of 
the house, wrap the articles in a sheet 
wet in No. 3 (1:1,000), or No. 4 
(5 per cent), or in the absence of 
these wet in water. 

Woolen Fabrics. — Disinfect woolen 
goods with formaldehyde fumigation 
in an empty trunk, wooden box or 
wash boiler, or in tight closets or oth- 
er air-tight enclosed spaces. All un- 
washable clothing, bed clothing, mat- 
tresses and simiKr objects may be 
disinfected in this manner. Place one 
layer at a time in any air-tight en- 
closure having a close fitting door, lid 
or other cover. Sprinkle each suc- 
cessive layer with a 40 per cent solu- 
tion of formalin, full strength, by 
means of a sprayer or small sprinkling- 
pot, at the rate of about two table- 
spoonfuls of the solution to each gar- 
ment. Protect silks or other delicate 
fabrics which might be spotted by di- 
rect contact with the drops of moist- 
ure by means of cotton sheets or tow- 
els placed between each layer. Spray 
the formalin on this protective cover- 
ing. Now close the receptacle, seal 
all cracks and crevices by means of 
wet strips of paper and leave it un- 
opened in a warm room for at least 
twelve hours. Afterwards expose the 
articles for a day or more to direct 
sunshine. If the smell of formalde- 
hyde persists, sprinkle a little aqua 
ammonia on the articles to remove it. 

Or, disinfect by soaking in corro- 
sive sublimate or formaldehyde solu- 



146 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



tions No. 3 (1:1,000), and No. 5 (fi% 
l^er cent), in a wooden or fiber wash 
tub. Afterwards boil for half an 
hour and launder as usual. 

Money, jewelry, letters, valuable 
papers and similar articles may be 
disinfected by spraying with a 40 per 
cent solution of formalin, full strength, 
by means of a hand atomizer. Place 
them in a small wooden or pasteboard 
box with a tight-fitting cover, seal 
and keep in a warm room for twelve 
hours. Burn all books, magazines, 
newspapers and other articles the 
value of which is not great enough 
to warrant disinfection. 

Bedding-. — Throw straw beds out of 
the window, empty out and burn the 
straw, and disinfect the tick as for 
cotton clothing. Disinfect feather 
beds, pillows, quilts, comforters and 
blankets in a steam disinfector when 
practical, or if not soiled, with for- 
maldehyde in large quantities. If 
mattresses have been soiled by the 
patient's discharges and steaming dis- 
infection is not practical, burn them. 

Rugs and Carpets. — These should 
be removed from the sick room be- 
fore the patient is installed, but if 
they remain and become infected, dis- 
infect with steam or by soaking in 
corrosive sublimate or formaldehyde 
solutions. If their value is slight 
burn them. 

Lounges, Couches and Other TIp- 
holstered Furniture. — Leave in place 
when the room is fumigated. Strip 
off and disinfect the covering as for 
cotton and linen clothing. Burn the 
filling and replace with new. 

The hands of nurses and others 
who have attended to the wants of 
the sick should be disinfected with 
thorough and prolonged washing and 
scrubbing with hot soap and water, 
and then immersed for several min- 
utes in a carbolic, bichloride or for- 
maldehyde solution. 

Sputum. — Receive on pieces of pa- 
per or rag or in paper sputum cups 
and burn. Or receive in cuspidors 
containing carbolic or formaldehyde 
solutions. 



Disinfection of the Dead. — Bodies 
of persons dying of smallpox, scar- 
let fever, diphtheria, membranous 
croup or measles, should be wrapped 
in several thicknesses of cloth wrung 
out of full strength corrosive subli- 
mate, carbolic or formaldehyde solu- 
tion and should not thereafter be ex- 
posed to view. The funeral should 
be private and no persons except the 
undertaker and his assistant, the 
clergyman and the immediate family 
of the deceased should attend. Car- 
riages used by persons attending the 
funeral ceremony should be fumi- 
gated. No person should enter the 
sick room until it has been thoroughly 
disinfected. 

Rules for the Sick Room. — Sun- 
light kills disease germs and should 
be admitted freely to the sick room 
Hnless the patient is suffering from 
some condition which renders dark- 
ness necessary. 

Proper ventilation diminishes the 
number of disease germs in the sick 
room by carrying some such germs 
into the open air. The number of 
germs likely to pass from an ordi- 
narily well-kept sick room into the 
open air by means of ventilation is 
so small that such germs cannot be 
regarded as dangerous to people on 
the outside. Moreover, such organ- 
isms speedily die because they are not 
adapted to live in the open air. The 
ventilation of a sick room should not, 
however, be such as to permit air to 
pass from the sick room into the rest 
of the house. 

Have all utensils and materials nec- 
essary for disinfection placed where 
they can be used with the least possi- 
ble trouble. Failure to disinfect is 
often due to the fact that proper 
facilities for disinfecting are not con- 
veniently at hand. 

See that every bottle and box con- 
taining a disinfectant is properly la- 
beled and see that all such bottles 
and boxes are kept apart from bot- 
tles and boxes containing medicines 
for internal use. Accidental poison- 
ing may be thus avoided. 



CHAPTER V 

PREVENTION OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASE 

TYPHOID FEVER— THE SICK ROOM— TUBERCULOSIS OR CONSUMP- 
TION — SMALLPOX — VACCINATION — CHICKENPOX — MALARIA — 
YELLOW FEVER— HOOKWORM DISEASE-FOREIGN DISEASES — 
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES OF ANIMALS 



Since the rise of the germ theory 
there has been a complete revolution 
in the attitude of well-informed per- 
sons toward the subject of disease. A 
large number of the most common 
and heretofore fatal enemies of man- 
kind are now well known to be abso- 
lutely preventable. 

The appearance of the first case of 
any communicable malady may be 
due to unavoidable accident; the 
spread of the disease must be attrib- 
uted to ignorance or to criminal care- 
lessness. In cities, persons ill with 
contagious diseases are either isolated 
in hospitals set apart for that pur- 
pose, or quarantined in their own 
homes by law. The necessary sani- 
tary regulations are enforced by 
trained inspectors under the authority 
of the Board of Health. The absence 
of such officials in most rural neigh- 
borhoods shifts this responsibility to 
the head of the family. Unless par- 
ents in such localities take the pains 
to inform themselves so that they 
can intelligently co-operate with the 
attending physician, unnecessary 
deaths from preventable diseases will 
continue to occur. 

No attempt will be made here to 
discuss the treatment of contagious 
or other diseases. In all suspected 
cases a physician should be promptly 
summoned. Our purpose here is sim- 
ply to make clear the causes of pre- 
ventable disease and to describe the 
ordinary sources and channels of in- 
fection. When these are fully under- 
stood and proper preventive measures 



taken, the likelihood of infection will 
be reduced to a minimum. Or, if by 
some unhappy accident a member of 
a family becomes infected, such 
knowledge will enable those in charge 
of the patient to prevent the spread 
of the disease. A careful study has 
been made of all the recent publica- 
tions of Boards of Health of city, 
state and nation throughout the 
United States. The most essential 
knowledge which they impart is here 
condensed for ready reference. Many 
of these bulletins, however, contain 
detailed information on each of the 
principal contagious diseases which 
would extend far beyond the limits of 
the present chapter. Hence, on the 
appearance of any contagious disease, 
in any family or neighborhood, ad- 
dress a postal card to the Secretary 
of the Board of Health at the near- 
est metropolitan city. Address an- 
other to the Secretary of the State 
Board of Health at the State Capital. 
Also a third to the Surgeon-General 
of the United States, Washington, 
D. C. Name the disease and request 
copies of all available circular mat- 
ter relating to it. Three cents thus 
spent on postal cards will bring back, 
without charge, full detailed practical 
information and instruction of great 
value. Also ask to have copies of 
these bulletins mailed to the heads of 
other families where contagious dis- 
eases have broken out, or where, 
through ignorance or neglect, condi- 
tions are so unsanitary as to threaten 
the public health. 



147 



148 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



No ordinary person would know- 
ingly give poison to the members of 
his own family or those of his neigh- 
bor. Yet, through ignorance, many 
well meaning persons are permitting 
the existence of conditions within 
their control which result directly in 
the poisoning of others through the 
germs of contagious diseases. 

Contagious Diseases. — The most 
usual communicable diseases among 
adults are consumption (tubercu- 
losis), typhoid fever (typhus fever), 
smallpox, and, in some localities, yel- 
low fever, naalaria and hookworm 
disease. 

Several other communicable dis- 
eases are most common among chil- 
dren, as diplitheria (membranous 
croup, diphtheritic sore throat), scar- 
let fever (scarlatina, scarlet rash), 
measles (German measles), chicken- 
pox, mumps, and whooping cough. 
Another class is most prevalent 
among small infants, as infantile pa- 
ralysis (anterior poliomyelitis), cere- 
brospinal meningitis, summer com- 
plaint, congenital blindness (ophthal- 
mia neonatorum). The preventable 
diseases of children are discussed in 
the succeeding chapter. 

There is a small class of virulent 
contagipus diseases the infection 
from which may usually be traced to 
immigration from foreign parts. 
These include Asiatic cholera, bubonic 
plague and leprosy. Another com- 
municable disease to which especial 
attention has been directed in recent 
years is hookworm disease. In addi- 
tion, pediculosis, trachoma, ringworm, 
scabies and impetigo contagiosa, are 
held to be so contagious as to be dan- 
gerous to the public health. 

Most of the above diseases ai'e 
known to be preventable. It is con- 
fidently believed that all can be con- 
trolled and their communication from 
one person to another prevented, if 
certain well understood precautions 
are observed. 

TYPHOID FEVER 

Typhoid Fever (Enteric Fever, 
Abdominal Typhus) is an infectious 



disease caused by a specific germ 
known as the typhoid bacillus. This 
is a low form of vegetable life be- 
longing to the group of bacteria. It 
was discovered by Eberth in 1880. 
Each germ is a minute vegetable cell 
shaped like a cylinder with round 
ends. Each is equipped with a num- 
ber of long, leg-like processes called 
flagella which give it the power of 
swimming rapidly in liquids. These 
bacteria can be seen only by the aid 
of the most powerful microscope. 
They are so small that half a million 
would scarcely cover the head of a 
pin. Yet, each is descended from 
another germ of the same kind, has 
its own individual life and can be 
produced in no other way. These 
germs, under favorable conditions, 
multiply very rapidly. Each splits 
into two, each two into four, each 
four into eight and so on. A single 
colony of a few score germs may, 
within forty-eight hours, develop into 
a billion. 

We do not "catch" typhoid, we 
swallow it. The germs invariably 
enter the system through the mouth. 
Thence they pass into the stomach. 
Here they may be destroyed by the 
acids present in the gastric juice, a 
fact which may explain why some 
persons who are known to have swal- 
lowed the germs do not develop ty- 
phoid fever. But if not destroyed in 
the stomach, they pass on into the 
intestine. The conditions present in 
the lower third of the small intes- 
tine seem especially to favor their 
growth. Here they multiply rapidly 
and become very active. It takes 
anywhere from seven days to three 
weeks to bring on the symptoms of 
the disease after the germs are swal- 
lowed. This is called the incubation 
period. The average is from ten to 
twelve days. The germ attacks pri- 
marily the glands of the intestines, 
causing small abscesses by which the 
intestinal walls are often perforated 
through and through. It also at- 
tacks other organs during the course 
of the disease and may attack any 
part of the body. 



PREVENTION OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASE 149 



Typhoid fever exists at all seasons 
of the year, but is most prevalent in 
autumn. The greatest number of 
deaths occur in September and Octo- 
ber. 

Symptoms. — Typhoid fever is a 
very insidious disease since there may 
be no symptoms whatever during the 
period of incubation, that is, on an 
average, for ten to twelve days after 
infection has taken place. It is often 
diiiicult to determine the day on 
which the disease begins to make it- 
self manifest. Cases are usually 
dated from the day on which the 
patient gives up work and takes to 
his bed. The disease may then have 
been in existence for a considerable 
time. In cases known as "walking" 
typhoid, the patient is never pros- 
trated. The patient and his family 
may be unaware of the nature of the 
disease. Yet germs are being given 
off which may infect others with ty- 
phoid in its most malignant form. 
For these reasons it is advisable to 
summon a physician promptly in all 
suspected cases and to treat every 
case of fever as tyjihoid until the 
physician has completed his diag- 
nosis. 

Every case of so-called "typho- 
malarial fever" and every case of 
doubtful origin continuing more than 
seven days, should be reported to the 
local health officer, and due precau- 
tions taken. 

Painless diarrhoea, or simple "loose- 
ness of the bowels," occurring in 
one who has never had typhoid 
fever should excite suspicion if the 
disease is known to exist in the 
neighborhood. The mild, "walking" 
cases are by no means uncommon. 
Hence it is advisable that all diar- 
rhoeal discharges shoidd be disinfect- 
ed especially during the existence of 
typhoid fever in a community. 

As a rule the disease comes on 
slowly. The first symptoms are head- 
ache, with a general sense of fatigue 
and loss of appetite. The headache 
may be severe and confined to the top 
of the head, or may consist of more 
or less general soreness. Abdominal 



pain occurs in about one-third of 
all cases. A low fever is almost 
always present from the outset. But 
this may be so slight that the patient 
is unaware of it. Women or chil- 
dren in the first stages of the disease 
often keep up about the house, or 
they may be compelled to lie down a 
part of the day. Men frequently 
give up work for a day or two and 
after a little rest go to work again. 
When such symptoms are observed 
as tiring easily, digestive disturb- 
ances, headache, drowsiness, and ab- 
dominal pain that cannot be attrib- 
uted to any special condition, a physi- 
cian should be promptly consulted. 

If the onset of the disease is more 
sudden, there may be nausea and 
vomiting, accompanied by a chill and 
high fever. A slight cough and oc- 
casional nosebleed may be present. 
Whenever there is doubt as to the 
diagnosis, the attending physician 
should have a blood test made. The 
Widal test is made free for health 
officers and physicians in the public 
laboratories of most states. 

Prognosis. — During the first week 
of the disease, the symptoms gradu- 
ally grow worse, fever develops and 
the patient suffers chilly sensations. 
The temperature gradually rises to a 
height of 103 to 105 degrees F. In 
severe forms of the disease, diar- 
rhoea commences during the first 
week and is then continuous. 

During the second week the above 
symptoms become more severe. Ner- 
vousness and delirium develop. Mi- 
nute reddish spots resembling flea 
bites are frequently observed over 
the chest, abdomen and thighs. 
These spots disappear after a few 
days. Then a fresh crop ajipears in 
other situations. The bronchial tubes 
frequently become inflamed. Some- 
times pneumonia develops. Bleeding 
from the bowels is an occasional 
symptom in the second week of this 
disease and is highly characteristic. 

During the third week, in normal 
cases, the symptoms gradually abate. 
The fever lessens. The diarrhoea im- 
proves. The nervous symptoms and 



150 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



delirium diminish. The patient, 
though much emaciated, gradually 
returns to a normal condition. Or 
the symptoms may increase in se- 
verity, the patient become profound- 
ly prostrated, the delirium deepen 
and death occur. The hemorrhage 
from the bowels in some instances 
may be so severe that death is pro- 
duced even in comparatively early 
stages of the infection. This is 
quite as frequent in the mild cases 
known as walking typhoid as in oth- 
ers; hence the patient should receive 
equally careful attention. 

The mortality varies from five to 
twenty per cent, depending upon the 



The germs, or typhoid bacilli, can 
enter the body in no other way than 
through the mouth. Direct infection 
is thought to occur most often 
through contaminated milk or drink- 
ing water, but secondary infection— 
that is, where one member of a fam- 
ily "catches" the disease from an- 
other — is believed to occur chiefly by 
transmitting the germs to the mouth 
with the fingers. This may come 
about by handling the patient or 
something which has come in contact 
with him, or by means of food or oth- 
er articles which have been handled 
by the nurse or others with unwashed 
hands after coming into contact with 








•- • . . ■ ■>-«y-/^>--.-- • ■ 



X-.-' 



^^-s^a^^ 



:'^>^ 




Privy vaults and wells which connect underground lead to funeral processions. 



character of the disease and the na- 
ture of the nursing and treatment. 
A physician should be summoned 
and his directions implicitly followed. 
Nothing in this disease is of more 
importance than careful nursing. It 
is absolutely necessary that the pa- 
tient receive only liquid diet until 
the physician permits other food. 
Solid food given prematurely will 
cause death. 

Modes of Infection. — There is a 
common opinion among the laity that 
typhoid fever is contracted from foul 
drains and other things which con- 
taminate the atmosphere; this is 
probably never the case, although 
such conditions may be injurious to 
health. 



the patient. A little reflection will 
show how easily the virus may get 
upon cooking utensils, drinking cups, 
bed linen, door knobs and similar ar- 
ticles, or may be carried from place 
to place by pets or insects, particu- 
larly flies. 

The germs leave the patient's body 
in the discharges of the bowels and 
bladder, in some cases in the sputum 
and possibly in perspiration. Espe- 
cially must it be borne in mind that 
the urine of a typhoid fever patient 
is even more dangerous than the 
stools. 

The germs may be found in very 
large numbers in these discharges, 
upon the bed linen, in the water with 
which the patient is bathed and upon 



PREVENTION OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASE 151 



the utensils used in nursing and feed- 
ing him. They are probably never 
carried on dust through the air. If 
every typhoid germ was destroyed as 
soon as it left the human body the 
disease would be speedily eradicated. 
But this, unfortunately, is by no 
means the case. 

Infection from Water Supply. — 
Investigation has shown that most 
epidemics of the disease are caused 
by the excreta of the patient having 
been thrown upon the ground or into 
an open vault or drain, whence by 
seepage or surface drainage they 
were carried into a spring, well, or 
other source of water supply. A well- 
known instance is an epidemic in an 
eastern city of about eight thousand 
population. Within a few weeks 
there were more than one thousand 
cases and over one hundred deaths. 
The water supply of this community 
is obtained from a mountain brook. 
It was contaminated by the discharges 
from a single typhoid fever patient 
thrown upon the snow, in winter, 
near the headwaters of the stream. 
The consequent expense to this small 
community in loss of wages and care 
of the sick was estimated as in excess 
of $100,000. The annual losses 
throughout the United States from 
this disease, which must be regarded 
as almost entirely preventable, are 
estimated at many hundred thousand 
dollars. Investigation shows that 
milk is usually contaminated in- 
directly through an infected wa- 
ter supply. Hence due precautions 
to secure the purity of the wa- 
ter supply is of prime impor- 
tance in the prevention of this 
disease. 

Well water is frequently a cause of 
the disease. Too often we find a 
privy, or rather a hole in the ground 
containing fecal and urinary dis- 
charges, in close proximity to a well, 
and often upon higher ground. Un- 
less the soil possesses the best of 
filtering properties, and this is fre- 
quently not the case, the well will 
certainly become contaminated. In- 
fected discharges thrown on the 



ground may be washed into the well 
by the fixst rain storm. 

Water which has a bad taste or 
odor, or which comes from a source 
that renders it likely to be impure, 
is dangerous, but unfortunately the 
reverse is not true. Dangerously 
contaminated water may be, and 
often is clear and colorless and may 
have no bad taste or odor. 

Infected Milk Supply. — Milk is a 
very common and dangerous source 
of infection, because it is what med- 
ical men call an excellent "culture 
medium," that is, germs grow and 
multiply very rapidly in fresh milk. 
Nor do they cause the milk to be- 
come sour or in any other way give 
evidence of their presence. Milk is 
never infected when it comes from 
the cow. It is always infected by 
man. This usually takes • place 
through washing the milk cans or 
other utensils with polluted water. 
Watered milk may contain the germs 
of typhoid, for a milkman who adul- 
terates milk with water is not usually 
careful of the quality of his source 
of supply. The milkers or others 
who handle the milk may infect it, 
if typhoid germs are present on their 
hands or clothing. Or, infected flies 
may fall into the milk. The germs 
from infected milk may also be 
found in butter and cheese. Hence 
no milk or other dairy products 
should be sold from a dairy, farm, 
or house where there is a case of ty- 
phoid fever. 

Infection from Ice. — The germs 
of typhoid fever are not destroyed 
by freezing. Hence ice taken from 
sewage-polluted rivers or lakes, or ice 
manufactured from such waters, is 
unsafe to use. 

Infection from Vegetables. — Veg- 
etables often become infected with 
the germs of tyjihoid by irrigation 
with polluted water, by contamina- 
tion from night-soil used by farmers 
or market gardeners as a fertilizer, 
by flies and other insects. Creel, in 
a careful review of the results of 
recent scientific investigation, asserts 
that the typhoid bacillus may retain 



152 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



its vitality in privy vaults or in 
night-soil used as a fertilizer for a 
period of several weeks, or even 
months, and that plants cultivated in 
contaminated soil may take up the 
germs on their leaves and stems in 
the process of growth. He found 
living typhoid bacilli on the tips of 
leaves that to the naked eye appeared 




117) ere the flies 
come from. 



free from any particles of soil. He 
also proved by careful observation 
that rainfall will not free vegetables 
wholly from infected material. This 
source of pollution is especially dan- 
gerous in the case of such vege- 
tables as lettuce, radishes and celery, 
which are eaten raw. The remedy is 
to thoroughly wash or scrub them 
free from earth and bacteria by 
means of a stiff brush. All vege- 
tables should be cleaned in this man- 
ner, but the danger of infection is 



less from cooked vegetables, as most 
germs of disease are destroyed by 
boiling. 

All fruits, such as grapes, apples, 
pears, berries and the like, including 
lemons and oranges, should be care- 
fully washed in at least three waters 
or for five minutes in running water, 
especially in times of epidemic dis- 
ease. Dried figs and dates are very 
commonly eaten without being cooked 
or washed, yet they have been 
exposed for an unknown space of 
time to all kinds of contagion from 
dust, flies and dirty hands. Shelled 
nuts purchased in the market should 
be washed and scalded before they 
are used, as they are commonly ex- 
posed to similar infection. 

The Typhoid Fly. — This term has 
been applied to the common house 
fly by L. O. Howard to draw atten- 
tion to the danger of infection from 
this insect. Flies cannot become the 
carriers of disease germs unless they 
have access to some source of infec- 
tion. Hence the danger is much les- 
sened by the elimination of all nui- 
sances in the neighborhood of our 
dwellings. However, since flies may 
travel from considerable distances, 
the only assurance of safety against 
infection from them is to exclude 
them by screening or destroy them by 
means of traps and poisons. 

Flies having access to privy vaults 
or sources of typhoid infection else- 
where, and then, through unscreened 
doors and windows, to living rooms, 
alighting upon food already prepared 
for the table or to be used without 
subsequent heating, are a serious 
danger. Some of these articles, 
liquid, semi-solid, or with moist sur- 
faces, thus slightly infected, serve as 
congenial culture media for the rapid 
multiplication of the infection. A 
few typhoid germs brought on the 
hairy feet of flies may increase many 
fold if deposited in milk or on the 
surface of boiled potato. 

While typhoid is not ordinarily an 
air-borne disease, care should be 
taken to avoid the typhoid patient's 
breath and not to come unneces- 



PREVENTION OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASE 153 



sarily in his immediate vicinity espe- 
cially if he has pnemnonia, or an 
explosive cough. The sputum bear- 
ing infection may be sjirayed into 
the air during coughing, but the 
range of possible danger is slight — 
hardly more than four or five feet. 

The disease is also occasionally 
spread by the dust of dried urine or 
other excreta, which is carried 
through the air, thereby contaminat- 
ing food or water. Some authorities 




The hairy foot of a flij (magnified). 

still hold that the disease may be 
communicated by inhaling these par- 
ticles by mouth or nostrils. The 
diarrhoeal discharge, when dry, may 
preserve the poison as ett'ectually 
as the crusts of smallpox, the 
scales of scarlet fever, and the dried 
membrane of diphtheria preserve the 
specific poisons of those diseases. 

Among miscellaneous sources of 
infection may be mentioned bread, 
pastry, confectionery, fruits, vege- 
tables, meats, etc., handled by in- 
fected hands in bakeries, stores, 
markets and slaughterhouses, or the 
same articles and milk infected by 
flies recently arrived from sources of 
filth. 

The general filth conditions in the 
homes of extremely untidy families 
favor the spread of tj^ahoid infec- 
tion, and in such homes or in any 



homes where there is neglect of the 
greatest possible cleanliness of the 
sick person, his bedding, clothing and 
everything else in the management of 
him, the danger from secondary in- 
fection is serious. 



THE SICK ROOM 

Care of a Typhoid Patient. — As 
typhoid fever is one of the most 
common of communicable diseases, 
full instructions will be given here 
for the management of the sick room 
in such a way as to preclude the 
possibility of other members of the 
family becoming infected. All of 
these instructions apply equally to 
other contagious diseases with the 
addition of especial precautions in 
certain other ailments which will be 
mentioned. 

Isolation. — The first and most es- 
sential precaution in the case of ty- 
phoid or other communicable disease 
is that the patient should be com- 
pletely isolated. Unless this is done, 
other members of the family are al- 
most sure to contract the malady. 
The safest course is to send the pa- 
tient to a hospital. When this is not 
possible, select a large airy room as 
the sick room. This should be lo- 
cated on the sunny side of the house, 
and should have a fire place if the 
weather be cold. It should be as far 
from living and sleeping rooms of 
other persons as jjossible. It is of 
the utmost consequence that the 
room have windows and doors by 
means of which it can be at all times 
thoroughly ventilated. At all sea- 
sons of the year a room on the low- 
est floor of the house is more satis- 
factory, since it is warmer in the 
winter and cooler in the summer. 
The room should not be uncomfort- 
ably cold, though it is much better 
to have the temperature too low than 
to have it stuffy. In most diseases 
ventilation is of supreme importance, 
and should be secured at any cost. 
There are no better disinfectants 
than pure air and sunlight. A tem- 
perature of about 70° F., if com- 



154 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



patible with thorough ventilation, is 
generally considered most desirable. 
The sick room should have its win- 
dows always open day and night, and 
there should be an open fire if pos- 
sible, otherwise recovery will be 
greatly delayed, for bad air of itself 
makes well persons sick. Keep the 
jiatient out of drafts. 

Preparing the Sick Room. — Be- 
fore installing the patient, take up 
the carpet and remove all rugs, orna- 
ments, curtains, portieres, bureau 
scarfs and hangings of every descrip- 
tion. Empty bureau drawers, remove 
the contents of closets and clothes- 
presses, in short, take everything out 
of the room that is not necessary, 
and especially all sorts of fabrics 
which may serve as catch-alls for the 
germs of the disease. The room 
should contain no more furniture 
than is necessary. Metal bedsteads, 
plain wooden chairs and tables, are 
best. Remove all scarfs from tables 
and cushions, doilies and the like 
from chairs. Seal up door cracks 
and keyholes communicating with 
other rooms by pasting over them 
strips of wrapping paper. Suspend 
over the doorway a sheet reaching 
from the top to the floor, moistened 
with full strength carbolic or bi- 
chloride solutions No. 3 and No. 4, 
Tack this across the top and one side, 
leaving the other side free to be 
pushed aside to gain entrance. Only 
such toys, books and the like should 
be given the patient as can be de- 
stroyed after recovery or death. 

The floor, woodwork and furniture 
should be frequently wiped with 
cloths moistened with half strength 
Standard Disinfectant Solution No. 
3, 4 or 5. Throw away the broom 
and duster. Use only damp cloths 
moistened with half strength Solu- 
tion No. 3, 4 or 5, for cleaning floor 
and furniture. These should be at 
once thrown into the disinfectant so- 
lution or burned. It is well to wash 
the floor each day with one of the 
. same solutions. 

Cleanliness. — Keep the premises 
clean. All decaying animal and 



vegetable master and every kind oj 
filth in and around the house should 
be removed, and disinfectants freely 
used. Surface drains and gutters, 
areas, outhouses, privies, shelters for 
domestic animals, fowls, etc., should 
receive close and constant attention. 
Use Standard Disinfectant No. 1 or 
No. 2, freely and regularly, in every 
such place. 

Odors. — Never allow bad smells to 
exist. If free ventilation, sunshine 
and cleanliness do not keep out bad 
smells, sprinkle diluted formalde- 
hyde, one part formaldehyde to 50 
parts of water, upon the floor, or 
spray it into the air with an ato- 
mizer. 

Bed and Bedding. — Place the pa- 
tient's bed in the middle of the room, 
or at least away from the wall. Do 
not suff^er the bed covers to come in 
contact with the walls or floor so as 
to contaminate them. The bed should 
be narrow. A mattress is much to 
be preferred to a feather bed. The 
cover should consist of a sheet long 
enough to fold back at the head 
over the other coverings for some 
distance. Blankets should be used 
for warmth in preference to quilts. 
Keep the bed scrupulously clean, and 
remove the linen and coverings 
promptly when soiled. The nurse 
should see to it that bread crumbs do 
not remain in the bed. 

The best way to make up the bed 
for the typhoid patient is the follow- 
ing: (1) Over the mattress (no 
feather bed) spread smoothly and 
tuck in the sheet. Under the sheet 
have preferably a once-folded sheet 
or blanket. (3) Next spread a rub- 
ber sheet crosswise the bed, the two 
ends tucked smoothly under the 
edges of the mattress. (3) A folded 
sheet (draw-sheet) also crosswise 
over the rubber sheet. (4) A second 
rubber sheet. (5) Over that a sec- 
ond draw-sheet. 

To Remove Soiled Bed Clothes. — 
Move the patient to one side of the 
bed as near the edge as possible, and 
loosen the sheet beneath him at the 
head and foot and on the opposite 



PREVENTION OF COAIMUNICABLE DISEASE 155 



side. Then roll it up toward the pa- 
tient and push it well up under him, 
leaving the side of the bed opposite 
to that upon which he is lying bare. 
Upon this place the new sheet. Tuck 
this under the edges of the mattress, 
and pull the patient back over on it. 
Now remove the soiled sheet and pull 
the edges of the fresh one over the 
l^ortions of the bed still uncovered, 
and secure in the usual way. 

Cleanliness greatly aids recovery, 
hence the utmost cleanliness of the 
patient and his surroundings should 
be the rule. If there is diarrhoea, 
the mattress should be protected by 
an impervious rubber sheet placed 
under the linen sheet, or by newspa- 
per pads. Oilcloth cracks and wrin- 
kles too badly to be suitable. Pro- 
vide two or more rubber sheets so 
that they can be changed and cleaned 
as often as required. Sponge the 
rubber sheets with standard carbolic 
acid solution No. 4 (5 per cent) and 
dry and air them in the sun for sev- 
eral hours daily. If the condition of 
the patient makes it diflBcult to avoid 
the soiling of his bed, provide smaller 
squares of rubber sheeting and fold- 
ed sheets to be placed above the ordi- 
nary sheets. Remove all soiled sheets 
and clothing promptly before drying 
occurs. (See Disinfection.) Take 
care to cleanse and disinfect the pa- 
tient locally with a solution of corro- 
sive sublimate 1:2,000 — half a dram 
to tlie gallon of water, or one tablet 
to the quart. 

Bathing. — All patients, if the at- 
tending physician approves, should 
have a daily bath, special attention 
being given to the hair, teeth, mouth 
and nails. In many cases it is neces- 
sary to wash the patient's mouth fre- 
quently with some antiseptic wash. 
But this should only be done on the 
express instructions of the doctor. 

Disinfection. — A pail or tub should 
be kept in the room, containing a 
standard disinfectant solution such 
as No. 3, 4 or 5 for the purpose of 
disinfecting every article of clothing 
before it is carried through the house. 
One of these solutions should be kept 



standing in the tub and renewed at 
frequent intervals. All blankets, 
sheets, towels, napkins, bandages and 
clothing, used either by the patient 
or the attendant should be at once 
immersed in this tub and remain at 
least three hours. After this they 
should be boiled for at least one- 
half hour. The body linen of the 
patient should be changed daily or 
oftener if soiled. When removed 
it should be immersed immediately in 
this tub. Rags, closet paper or other 
material used about the person of 
the patient should be immediately 
burned. 

The discharges from the throat, 
mouth and nose are especially dan- 
gerous and must be cared for at 
once. It is well to prepare a num- 
ber of squares of old soft cloth — 
old sheets or pillow cases are good — 
to receive these discharges. These 
cloths should be burned as soon as 
soiled. If there is no fire in the sick 
room, it is convenient to have a small 
tub containing any strong standard 
disinfecting solution, to receive these 
cloths until they can be carried from 
the room and burned. 

The nurse or attendant should 
wear washable clothing and over all 
a washable gown, preferably with a 
hood attachment for the protection 
of the hair. The gown and hood 
should be removed and the exposed 
surface disinfected when leaving the 
sick room, even though temporarily. 
A good rule is to consider that every- 
thing which has been brought into 
the sick room has become infected 
and should be carefully disinfected 
before it is carried out. 

The hands of the attendant should 
be immediately washed and disinfect- 
ed after any contact with the patient 
or his clothing. A good supply of 
towels and tin or porcelain basins 
for this purpose should be kept on 
hand. Probably the best disinfectant 
for this purpose is standard solu- 
tion of corrosive sublimate No. 3, 
consisting of one gram to one quart 
of water. No one should ever leave 
the sick room without first thoroughly 



156 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



washing the hands in a disinfectant 
solution, or with carbolic or other 
antiseptic soap, with especial care to 
clean and scrub the finger nails. It 
is best to then soak the hands for 
two or three minutes in lialf strength 
disinfectant solution No. 3 or 4, and 
then wash them off in fresh water. 

A large bottle of such a solution 
should be kept in tlie sick room for 
this purpose. Otherwise the nurse 
may handle something outside the 
room leaving the germs thereon to 
be picked up by some one else. It is 
probable that 90 per cent of all cases 
of secondary infection are brouglit 
about in this manner. The nurse 
should carefully avoid soiling door 
knobs or anything else which may be 
touched by others. While typhoid 
fever is both contagious and infec- 
tious there is no danger of contract- ■ 
ing the disease if we prevent the 
germs from getting into our mouths. 
This can be easily done. The only 
occasion for a second case occurring 
in a household must come either 
from ignorance or carelessness. "With 
proper disinfection of the hands and 
general cleanliness the nurse or at- 
tendant may take her meals at the 
household table. At all events she 
shouM not eat in the sick room. 

Food and Drink. — The tray, 
dishes, and other utensils used in the 
sick room should be set apart for 
the exclusive use of the patient. 
Never wash them in the same pan as 
other dishes for the family. Use a 
separate dish cloth and wiping towel. 
First immerse these articles for an 
hour in a half strength standard dis- 
infectant solution No. 3, 4. or 5 and 
then boil for half an hour and keep 
apart from all other household uten- 
sils. It is best to use paper napkins, 
which should be burned. If cloth 
napkins are used they should be im- 
mersed in the same disinfectant so- 
lution as the bed and body linen. 
All solid food brought into the sick 
room and not consumed by the pa- 
tient should be placed in paper bags 
to be removed by the attendant and 
burned. Liquid foods should be 



poured into a disinfectant. Neither 
the nurse nor any other person should 
be permitted to eat any portion of 
the food remaining. Nothing should 
be eaten by a well person while in 
the sick room nor should anything 
which has been in the room be eaten. 
Nurses and attendants should al- 
ways wash their hands in a disinfect- 
ant solution before eating or put- 
ting anything into their mouths. It 
is absolutely necessary that this rule 
be scrupulously observed. 

If milk is delivered to the house 
in bottles, never let these be taken 
into the room of the typhoid 
case. If you do, these bottles may 
be the means of carrying the disease 
to someone else. Keep special bot- 
tles of your own for the patient's 
milk. Empty the milk into one of 
these as soon as received. Then 
scald out the dairy bottle and keep 
it as far as possible from the sick 
room until it is given back to the 
driver. 

Quarantine. — -Vll imnecessary vis- 
itors should be excluded from the 
sick room. If a nurse can be pro- 
vided, all members of the family 
should be kept away. Otherwise, one 
or two persons should be detailed as 
attendants and all others should be 
excluded. Certainly there is no need 
that all the relatives, neighbors and 
friends should visit the patient. This 
can do no good but in the majority 
of instances will do harm, and they 
take a chance of getting the disease. 
The quieter the patient is kept, both 
during illness and convalescence, the 
better for him. Children, especially, 
should be carefully excluded. They 
have little or no sense of cleanliness 
and are constantly putting their fin- 
gers and other things into their 
mouths. It has been shown that chil- 
dren contract communicable diseases 
much more readily tlian grown per- 
sons. If visitors are permitted to see 
the patient they shoidd touch nothing 
in the room, or if they do, should 
wash their hands in a disinfectant 
solution upon leaving. All visitors, 
including members of the family. 



PREVENTION OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASE 157 



should be cautioned not to shake 
hands with or kiss the patient. No 
one should sit for any length of time 
in the sick room unless compelled to 
do so. 

Removal of Excretions. — The dis- 
charges from the bowels and kidneys 
should be received into a bedpan or 
vessel containing at least a quart of 
full-strength disinfectants No. 1 or 
No. 2. Enough of the same should 
be added to cover them and be thor- 
oughly mixed by stirring. Solid 
masses should be broken irp with a 
stick which can be burned, or a glass 
rod which can be disinfected. See 
that all lumps are thoroughly broken 
up. Disinfectants cannot kill germs 
unless they come in contact with 
them. They should stand in the ves- 
sel for not less than an hour. Where 
there are sewers they may then be 
emptied into the water closet, tak- 
ing care not to soil the seats or 
covers. In the country it is best to 
deposit the contents of the vessels 
in a trench. This must be remote, 
and, if possible, down hill from the 
well or nearest watercourse. The 
trench should be about four feet 
deep and two wide. Each deposit 
should at once be well covered with 
quicklime and earth well beaten 
down. When half filled in this man- 
ner the trench should be covered in 
with earth. But care must be taken 
that none of the excretions from per- 
sons afflicted with typhoid are ever 
emptied until thoroughly disinfected. 
Under no circumstances should these 
be poured out in the neighborhood of 
springs or wells. It should also be 
remembered that the water in which 
typhoid fever patients are bathed 
necessarily becomes infected. This 
should also be thoroughly disinfected 
before being emptied out. Vomited 
matter and the sputum from the pa- 
tient also contains the germs of ty- 
phoid and should receive the same 
care and thorough disinfection. These 
precautions should be continued for 
some time after the patient has re- 
covered. About three per cent of 
all cases are carriers of the disease 



for many months or even years. It 
is well to request the attending 
physician to ascertain by means of 
blood tests whether or not the germs 
of typhoid have left the system. 

A great responsibility rests upon 
the household in the management of 
a case of typhoid fever. To pour 
out the discharges from a patient in 
the back yard or expose them in 
open vaults or drains may be, and 
often is, equivalent to the murder of 
innocent neighbors by poisoning. Yet 
this is being done, in many thousands 
of irtstances, as the result of ignor- 
ance of the fatal nature of the in- 
visible germs of the disease. 

Vermin. — Steps should be taken, if 
necessary, to destroy all such vermin 
as fleas, bedbugs, lice and especially 
rats and mice, by means described 
elsewhere in this volume. The sick 
room should be carefully screened 
against flies and mosquitoes. In- 
sects worry sick people and hinder 
recovery. Above everything else flies 
should not be permitted to enter the 
room, or, if they get in, should be 
killed before they get out. Screens 
are cheaper than additional cases of 
typhoid in the family. If flies are 
numerous in the vicinity a number 
of vessels containing fly poison 
should be exposed in the room. If 
sticky fly paper is used, it must hz 
burned at frequent intervals. Fly 
traps may be used if care is taken 
to destroy the insects with boiling 
water and to burn their bodies or de- 
posit them in a disinfectant. Or 
single flies may be killed by means of 
the ordinary fly swatter and then 
dropped into a disinfectant solution. 

After recovery and during con- 
valescence the patient is to be con- 
sidered dangerous so long as the in- 
testinal discharges continue to be 
more copious, liquid and frequent 
than natural; and these should be 
disinfected until the attending physi- 
cian advises that it is no longer 
necessary. 

In the event of death the body 
must be wrapped in a sheet thor- 
oughly soaked in full-strength Stand- 



158 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



ard Disinfectant No. 3 or 4, and 
placed in an air-tight coffin. This 
must remain in the sick room until 
removed for burial, ^ublic funer- 
als and wakes over such bodies are 
forbidden. 

Quarantine. — It is entirely un- 
necessary to quarantine a case of 
typhoid fever, or the premises in 
which it exists, provided proper care 
is given to all the details of the sick 
room, as recommended. The use of 
placards has been largely discontin- 
ued in this disease. If the disinfec- 
tion is practiced as strictly as it 
should be, there is no danger of the 
disease being communicated to others 
from a given case; but constant 
cleanliness and disinfection are ab- 
solutely necessary to secure such re- 
sult. 

Anti-Typhoid Vaccination. — Ty- _ 
phoid fever in normal cases is a self- 
limiting disease. That is, unless the 
patient dies, the body develops within 
itself the power of resisting the virus. 
The patient then recov.s and re- 
gains his health even though the 
germs are still developed in large 
numbers in the intestines. In recent 
years many attempts have been made 
by scientific men to perfect a serum 
for lanti-typhoid vaccination and a 
number of different typhoid vac- 
cines are now upon the market. The 
use of typhoid vaccine was first pub- 
licly advocated in 1896 by Pfeiffer 
and Kolle in Germany and by A. 
Wright in England. In 1904 elabor- 
ate experiments were made and since 
I'.iat time the results obtained have 
been very encouraging. The degree 
of immunization obtained has not 
yet been equal to that secured by 
vaccination against smallpox, but sta- 
tistics indicate that the likelihood of 
infection is greatly reduced by this 
means and that the death rate may 
be reduced at least one-half. It has 
been shown that, if proper precau- 
tions are observed, anti-typhoid vac- 
cination in healthy persons is harm- 
less and that the personal discom- 
fort caused by its application is or- 
dinarily very slight. The duration of 



immunity is not yet determined, but 
it is thought to be at least two and a 
half years and probably longer. It 
is the most effective method of pre 
tection yet devised against the chron- 
ic bacillus carrier. Every member 
of the American army from the Sec- 
retary of War down is now required 
to be vaccinated against typhoid. 
And this is believed to be the princi- 
pal cause of the immunity of the 
troops in recent army maneuvers. 

Anti-typhoid vaccination should al- 
ways be done by a competent physi- 
cian. The infection often gives rise 
to slight fever and some painful local 
and general symptoms. These dis- 
appear in from 24 to 48 hours. It 
may also result in temporarily weak- 
ening the power to resist infection. 
Hence preventive vaccination should 
be undertaken before the usual time 
that epidemics appear. Persons vac- 
cinated should take the strictest pre- 
cautions to avoid the chance of ty- 
phoid infection by carefully boiling 
all water that is drunk and cleansing 
the food that is eaten and by rigor- 
ous personal hygiene and cleanliness. 
These precautions need only be taken 
during a period of two or three 
weeks at most. No one should be 
vaccinated who has been exposed to 
typhoid fever or during the begin- 
ning of an attack. In such cases 
vaccination may aggravate the dis- 
ease. It should be practiced only 
upon perfectly healthy subjects, free 
from all organic or other defects 
and from local or general ailments 
no matter what their nature, espe- 
cially tuberculosis. The vaccination 
of debilitated or delicate persons 
should be avoided. Anti-typhoid vac- 
cination is especially recommended 
for physicians, internes, medical stu- 
dents, male and female nurses in 
hospitals; persons, members of fam- 
ilies in which bacillus carriers have 
been found; and the population of 
localities where the disease is fre- 
quent, especially young persons of 
both sexes who have recently come 
to such localities from more salubri- 
ous regions. 



PREVENTION OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASE 159 



MALARIA 

This is a germ disease produced by 
a parasite belonging to the very low- 
est order of animal life. It attacks 
and destroys the red cells of the 
blood. It also produces a toxin or 
poison that causes the characteris- 
tic symptoms of the disease. 

Symptoms. — The most common 
and well-recognized symptoms occur 
in the cases known as malarial or 
intermittent fever, fever and ague, 
or chills and fever. Chilly sensa- 
tions occur at intervals for several 
days together with a feeling of full- 
ness in the head and general bodily 
depression. Then come chills fol- 
lowed by a high fever, with subse- 
quent profuse perspiration. After 
a few hours the patient returns to 
a normal condition and feels about 
as usual until the next attack occurs. 
The paroxysms of chills and fever 
occur at various intervals depending 
upon the particular parasite which 
produces them. A common form is 
that which produces a chill every 
other day. Or there may be a con- 
tinuous slow fever, or attacks of 
fever at irregular intervals. In 
severe cases the brain becomes affect- 
ed and the malady often terminates 
in chronic Bright's disease. 

Treatment. — Home doctoring is 
often thought sufficient for malaria, 
quinine usually being considered a 
specific. But the constitutional ef- 
fects of this disease are so serious 
that a physician should be consulted 
and his recommendations implicitly 
followed. 

Prevention. — The germ or parasite 
which causes malaria can be com- 
municated to man only by the bite 
of the Anopheles mosquito. This 
species as shown in the illustration 
has a body which is placed parallel 
to and almost on the same plane 
with the front portions of the in- 
sect. Hence, when at rest on walls 
or other objects, the back portion 
sticks out almost or quite at right 
angles with the surface upon which 
it is resting. Observe that the back 



portion of the common mosquito 
forms an angle with the front part 
of its body. Hence both ends of the 
mosquito point toward the object 
upon which it rests. There are other 
diflferences that clearly differentiate 
the malarial from the common mos- 
quito, but the one given serves to dis- 
tinguish between them. The malarial 
mosquito is preeminently a house 
gnat. It is scarcely ever seen in the 
woods or open, but may be found 
oftentimes in great numbers in all 
malarial localities, lying quietly dur- 
ing the day in dark corners of rooms 
or stables. This mosquito practically 
ne\'er bites in the day, but will do 
so in a darkened room, if a person 
will remain perfectly quiet. Their 
favorite time for feeding is in the 
early part of the night and about 
daybreak. This accounts for the 
fact, long observed, that malarial 
fever is almost invariably contracted 
at night. 

The malarial mosquito bites and 
then goes back to some dark corner 





a b 

Anopheles Culcx 

{Malarial Mosquito) (Common Mosquito) 

Courtesy State Board of Health of 

Georgia. 

where it remains quiescent for forty- 
eight hours. Then it again comes 
out to feed. Contrary to the gen- 
eral opinion mosquitoes bite many 
times. They frequently remain alive 
for months. The malarial mosquito, 
particularly, oftentimes lives in cel- 
lars and attics throughout the entire 
winter. If one of these mosquitoes 



1()0 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



bites a person with malaria, the para- 
sites are sucked in along with the 
blood. They pass into the stomach 
of the gnat and make their way ulti- 
mately into the body substance. Here 
the parasites undergo a series of mul- 
tiplications. A single bacterium 
sometimes produces as many as ten 
thousand young malarial parasites. 
After these have developed fully, 
which requires eight days in warm 
weather, they make their way into 
the venom gland of the mosquito. 
Here they remain imtil it bites. They 
are then injected into the body of 
the individual attacked along with 
the poison. 

After getting into the human 
blood, each parasite attacks a red 
blood cell, bores into it, and grows 
at the expense of the cell until it 
reaches maturity. It then divides up 
into from seven to twenty-five young" 
parasites which are liberated and 
each in turn attacks a new cell. This 
process goes on until a sufficient 
number of parasites are produced in 
the individual to cause the symptoms 
of malaria. The new subject of the 
disease thereafter becomes a source 
of danger to others in the vicinity 
through the intervention of still other 
malarial mosquitoes. 

Hence the proper way to avoid 
malaria is to screen houses so that 
mosquitoes cannot enter them. Per- 
sons in malarial districts should not 
sit on open porches at night. They 
should also be very careful to sleep 
under properly constructed nets. If 
these measures are taken there is ab- 
solutely no danger of any one ever 
contracting the disease. These pre- 
cautions are not necessary in the 
daytime. 

Those who have the disease are 
a constant source of danger to peo- 
ple living in the vicinity. Hence 
they should be doubly careful to 
avoid being bitten by mosquitoes at 
night. They should vigorously treat 
the disease until the parasites are no 
longer present in their bodies. They 
then cease to he a menace to others. 

Manv children have malaria with- 



out showing symptoms. If allowed 
to sleep without being properly cov- 
ered with a net, they are very apt 
to infect a large number of malarial 
mosquitoes. The blood of children 
in malarial localities should be ex- 
amined from time to time. If the 
parasites be found they should be 
given the proper remedies until a 
cure is effected. 

Almost all negroes in malarial lo- 
calities harbor the parasites, though 
Aery few of thcna show sjTuptoms of 
their presence. It is, therefore, very 
important tliat they be treated prop- 
erly. Their white neighbors should 
see to it, for their own safety, that 
negroes do not sleep in houses un- 
protected by nets. 

If the precautions herein detailed 
were properly carried out every- 
A\here for even a few months, malaria 
would practically cease to exist. Nor 
could it recur in any locality until 
individuals suffering from the dis- 
ease imported it from other places. 

Yellow Fever. — Yellow fever like 
malaria can be communicated to man 
only by the bites of mosquitoes, in 
this case the Stegomyia Calopus 
variety. From the standpoint of pre- 
ventive medicine the procedure indi- 
cated for the two diseases is entirely 
similar. 

TUBERCULOSIS OR CONSUMPTION 

A nation-wide campaign has been 
set on foot for the extermination of 
consumption — often called "The 
Great AVhite Plague" — the ravages 
of which justify the characterization 
of this disease as "the captain of the 
men of death." Several voluntary 
associations are engaged in this cam- 
paign and a number of the great 
insurance companies are giving their 
active co-operation. The following 
is a summary of the latest scientific 
information upon this subject pre- 
]iarcd imder the supervision of the 
JNIetropolitan Life Insurance Com- 
pany of New York: 

Its Nature. — This disease, known 
also as "phthisis," is caused by a 



PREVENTION OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASE 161 



living germ, called the "bacillus lu- 
berculosis," which multiplies with 
great rajjidity. The germ is called 
"bacillus" because it resembles a little 
rod, this being the meaning of the 
word "bacillus." A picture of these 
germs, much magnified, is shown 
on another page. 

Outside of the human body, the 
germ may live in warm, moist, dark 
places for a long time. By direct 
sunlight the germ is killed in a few 
hours, in a few days by ordinary 
daylight, and immediately by boiling 



whole communities. Nearly every- 
body at some period of his life 
breathes in the living germs of the 
disease, but owing to the power of 
resistance of a healthy body they are 
not able to multiply. If they do not 
immediately die they produce little 
lumjjs called "tubercles," from which 
comes the name "tuberculosis." If 
these form in the lungs, they con- 
tinue to grow, soften, break open, 
and are eventually expelled by cough- 
ing or otherwise. For this reason, 
the sputum, or "spit," of an individ- 








aWSUMPnVESPlTTWOMFUlORjTHE SPrr DRIES TkNO CARELESS the BOWES OF aUlOllEII WSMUiOmBSTHECDUIS. I PinTWC FOOD, MONEY, PEKCILS ETC, 

FlIESFaoiriGOKiT.CHaBYTHC SWEEPING.OOSTING OR DRAUGHTS PUYIM ON THE FIBOR. SPRAY GIVEN OFF IH SEEaictOtCOTBMS, I INro-tKE hMm »fT£3 A CON$'JKmVE 

6£RM5 Of mC DISUSE TO fOOl jCAUSE THE G£R«S TO fUlAT IN THE A1B.| ,,jjjU5l, jj^j_,l^^ | n»inKStUWI3HIAMUTAKr>cnvE>S1III. | MAS POISONED THEM WTTrt H15 SPIT- 

Uow the (jcrms of consumption are carried from the sick to the well. 




INTEMPERANCE AMO r^^.^_^. l'^ 
OTHER EXCESSES. THECUKUWINOOIIF- 
Consumption's allies 



MOUTH BREATHING 
SNOKE ANO OUST. OFTEtiOUE TDAIEMOOS. 

avoid them and sjou are safeguarding against the disease. 



water. If the germ finds its way into 
the lungs it rapidly increases in 
number. A strong, healthy person 
will resist the germs, but in an in- 
dividual who is wealv, they rajiidly 
multiply until the lungs are con- 
sumed and the person dies. 

The germ generally obtains access 
to the body through the mouth, and 
most frequently lodges in the air 
passages of the lungs. It may, how- 
ever, get into the glands of the neck, 
attack the throat, the bowels, the 
kidneys, the brain, or any other or- 
gan of the body as well as the bones 
of the joints. Fortunately, strong, 
healthy people possess the power of 
resisting these germs, otherwise it is 
likely that the disease would kill off 



ual who has consumption is fiUed 
with the germs of tuberculosis. 

In early stages of the disease the 
germ is found in small numbers in 
the sputum, in larger numbers as 
the disease progresses, and in count- 
less millions in the later stages. Un- 
less this sputum is destroyed by 
burning or by disinfectants, it may 
become the most common method of 
carrying tuberculosis to other in- 
dividuals. 

Not Hereditary. — It is generally 
believed now that consumption is not 
inherited. It is true that the children 
of consumptives are frequently of 
low vitality and generally of poor 
physique. This does not mean, how- 
ever, that they are bound to become 



162 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



consumptives. They will get con- 
sumption only if the germ enters 
their body. Being weak, however, 
and being unable to resist the action 
of the bacillus, they are more sus- 
ceptible than individuals who are 
physically well and strong. There is 
no reason whatever why such chil- 
dren, if properly cared for, should 
not grow to healthy and M'ell-devel- 
oped men and women who will never 
be consumptive. 

It is possible to have the disease 
for some time and not know it or 



will be seen that as consumption is 
a germ disease, it is a communicable 
disease and as such a preventable 
disease. If it is treated properly in 
its early stages it is a curable dis- 
ease. 

The Extent of the Disease. — Tu- 
berculosis is the great disease of 
middle life. It causes about one- 
third of all the deaths that occur be- 
tween the ages of twenty and fifty 
years. More deaths result from con- 
sumption than from any other dis- 
ease. It is estimated that two hun- 




rOUCHS, SPITS AND 
SNEEZES INTO 
mPER ORCtOTH,- 



WASHES HER HtNOS 
«R PUTS IT INTO UTDRE Um AFTER EATIMG- 

A DISINFECrUNT.- 



MWirSUKSlNESAMC 
DISHES AND BOILS THCN 
IN WATER BEFORE WASH UTS 
wnn OTHER DISWES.- 



A careful consumptive — not dangerous to live icith. 




AND SLEEPS ALONE 



,.1///;^ 





THE DOCTOR. 



SUNIIGHT. OUT-DdbR AIR. GOOD FOOD. 

In case of consumption look to these for cure. 



REST, 



suspect it. An examination of the 
patient's chest bj^ a competent physi- 
cian and a microscopical examination 
of the sputum may discover it, but 
if both of these tests fail, it does not 
definitely mean that tuberculosis is 
not present. 

Repeated examinations should be 
made from time to time if the eai'lier 
symptoms of tuberculosis are present. 
Among these (if they are present, 
the individual should consult a physi- 
cian at once) are the following: 
Slight cough, lasting a month or 
longer; loss of weight; slight fever, 
each afternoon; bleeding from the 
lungs; tired feeling. We repeat, if 
these symptoms are present, do not 
delay, but consult a physician at 
once. 

From what has been said above, it 



dred thousand people die each year 
in the United States from tuberculo- 
sis. Between the ages of fifteen and 
forty-five years, one-third of all 
deaths are from tuberculosis. Be- 
tween the ages of twenty and thirty- 
five, one-half of all deaths are from 
tuberculosis. During the four years 
of the Civil War, the total loss of 
life was two hundred and five thou- 
sand and seventy. In the same time, 
the tubercle bacillus destroyed in the 
United States alone over seven hun- 
dred thousand people. 

When we hear of yellow fever, we 
make ev-ery possible effort to stamp 
out the disease at once. The same 
is true of smallpox and other so- 
called contagious diseases, and yet 
it is estimated that the total number 
of deaths from yellow fever in the 



PREVENTION OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASE 163 



United States during one hundred 
years was only one hundred thou- 
sand. The annual economic loss 
from consumption in the United 
States is $330,000,000. 

The Spread of the Disease. — The 
great medium for the spread of the 
disease is the consumptive's spit. 
When the consumptive coughs or 
sneezes, he fills the air before him 
with particles of moisture, almost too 
small to be seen, which are filled with 
germs. When he spits upon the floor, 
or the walk, millions of germs are 
deposited, and are ready to find their 
way ujpon the clothes or hands and 



Jf 



/ 



-t'Jl 



i"\. "^ij^ 



Bacteria of consumpUon. 

thus into the mouths and into the 
lungs, stomach and intestines of chil- 
dren who play upon the floor, or 
walk. The careless consumptive's 
handkerchief, the pocket in which 
he carries it, the bedding, especially 
the pillow cover, and the towel 
used by him, are laden with 
germs. 

When a member of the family has 
consumption and the spit is not care- 
fully collected and destroyed, the 
house is apt to become infected and 
other members of the family take the 
disease. 

When a consumptive removes or 
dies, and other persons move into 
the house, some of them are very 
apt to take the disease unless the 
house is thoroughly cleaned and dis- 



infected, particularly the floors and 
walls. 

Impure air and deficient sunlight 
favor the development of the bacil- 
lus. For this reason a consumptive 
is more frequently met with in the 
crowded parts of cities, where houses 
are built closely together, air can- 
not circulate freely, and sunlight 
does not enter. Overcrowded, poorly 
ventilated houses, offices and work- 
shops, all tend to spread the disease. 
Consumption is much less com- 
mon where people live in separate 
houses. 

Dirt, dampness and darkness are 
three of the most active allies of the 
tuberculosis germ. On the other 
hand, sunshine, pure air and cleanli- 
ness are its greatest enemies. It is 
highly desirable for this reason that 
you keep your home perfectly clean 
and constantly remove from it dust 
and dirt. Every room should have 
a thorough spring and fall house 
cleaning each year. Rooms which 
have been occupied by consumptives 
frequently become infected with the 
germs. Such rooms should never be 
used without having been previously 
disinfected. Remember that the most 
active agent for spreading tubercu- 
losis is the spit of the consumptive. 
If this is thoroughly burned or 
destroyed at once, there is little dan- 
ger of infection. 

If the body is weakened by over- 
work, or by dissipation or by ex- 
cesses of any kind, the individual is 
more apt to contract tuberculosis than 
if he keeps himself strong and well. 
In fact, healthy persons, living a 
proper life, when infected frequently 
get over the disease so quickly and 
so readily that they do not even 
know that they have had it. 

People addicted to the use of alco- 
hol in any form are more likely to 
have tuberculosis than others. 

The Cure of the Disease. — Con- 
sumption is no longer the hopeless 
disease of the past — it is curable. 
The earlier it is detected in an in- 
dividual case, the surer the cure. 
Therefore, help your friend, your 



164 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



neiglihor, your relative, to recognize 
and treat his disease at the start. 

If you should be unfortunate 
enough to be afflicted with tubercu- 
losis or consumption, first of all get 
the advice of a reliable physician, and 
follow his instructions conscientiously 
and religiouslj'. There is no anti- 
toxin for treating tuberculosis such 
as is used for diphtheria. The only 
cure we know for tuberculosis is to 
increase the bodily strength, so that 
the body will resist and gradually 
destroy the germ. This is a slow 
process. Its principal means are 
plenty of fresh air all the time, 
plenty of good food, rest, freedom 
from worry and out-of-door life. 
Medicines are of comparatively little 
use in the cure of consumption. Pat- 
ent medicines do not cure consump- 
tion. ]\Iost of them are alcoholic 
drinks in disguise, which are danger- 
ous to the consumptive. 

Sanatoria. — For the best treatment 
of tuberculosis, so as to afford tlie 
patient outdoor treatment as much 
as possible, si^ecial hospitals, called 
sanatoria, have been erected in all 
parts of the United States and Eu- 
rope. It is highl}'^ desirable, in order 
to cure the consumptive as rapidly as 
possible, that he be treated in such 
a sanatorium. There are, however, 
as yet not sufficient of these to ac- 
commodate everybody, and for this 
and for other reasons it is frequently 
necessary for the patient to be treat- 
ed at home. If the latter method be 
resorted to, it should be done under 
tlie advice of a physician. 

Home Treatment. — The physician 
will tell you how to carry on this 
home treatment in the best manner. 
A person who has pulmonary tuber- 
culosis, or consumption, is not dan- 
gerous to have in the house if he is 
careful and clean, and if he follows 
the usual rides laid down to prevent 
infection of other members of the 
family. The patient's window should 
be open day and night and he should 
occupy the room alone. Preferably 
there should be no carpet or rug on 
the floor. The sheets and the body 



linen should be frequently washed 
and well boiled. The room should be 
dusted with a damp cloth or a damp 
broom. The food which he eats 
should be used by him exclusively 
and should be well boiled. 

The Prevention of the Disease. — 
To prevent consumption, two things 
are required: (1) the removal of the 
source of contagion; (2) the removal 
of the predisposing cause. These 
can be accomplished, (1) by collect- 
ing and destroying the germs in tlie 
consumptive's spit, and (^) by keej}- 
ing the body in good general health, 
so that it will be able to resist the 
germs. 

The consumptive, if he carefully 
destroj^s all his spit, is hai'mless. He 
should preferably use paper napkins, 
which can be burned immediately. 
_ They should not be carried loose in 
the pocket after using. When cough- 
ing or sneezing, he should hold one 
of these before his mouth. If the 
handkerchief is ever used for this 
purpose it should be immediately 
disinfected, by being placed either in 
boiling water or in a 3 per cent solu- 
tion of carbolic acid. 

He should spit into a pasteboard 
sputum cup, which at the end of 
each day can be burned, or into a 
vessel which can be easily and com- 
pletely cleaned daily. The ordinary 
spittoon is most difficult to clean, 
and should never be used by a con- 
sumptive. When the consumptive is 
at work, riding on the street car, or 
traveling, he should use a pocket 
sputum cup or flask which can be 
kept tightly closed until he can 
empty it at night. 

The Careful Consumptive is Not 
Dangerous. — Tuberculosis is not con- 
tagious by the breath (except when 
the consumptive coughs or sneezes), 
or in the same way as smallpox, or 
diphtheria, or scarlet fever, but 
through the sputum. 

Even though every effoi-t is made 
to collect and destroy the germ it 
is probable that every one of us, on 
account of the prevalence of the dis- 
ease and the large number of con- 



PREV£:NTI0N of communicable disease 165 



Sumptives who are careless or do not 
understand the importance of de- 
stroying their spit, will receive at 
some time or other the germs in our 
lungs. It is most important, there- 
fore, that the lungs be in proper 
condition and that the general health 
be good. 

Thorough ventilation of bedrooms 
is one of the most important means 
to this end. Too often the bedroom 
is small, dark and unventilated, the 
windows sometimes being nailed shut. 
To nail one's bedroom window shut 
is to drive a nail in one's coffin. We 
spend more hours each day in our 
bedrooms than in any other room in 
the house, yet they are usually the 
smallest, worst lighted, and least ven- 
tilated. 

Sleeping out of doors is urged 
upon the consumptive, and it is prob- 
able that most of us would be in 
far better condition to resist tuber- 
culosis if we slept out of doors a 
good portion of the year. 

Excessive hours of hard work, 
whether on the farm or in the fac- 
tory, lower the vitality. Insufficient 
food or indigestible food also in- 
jures the health. The steady drink- 
ing of alcoholic liquors, whether or 
not we become drunk, injures the 
body. 

SMALLPOX AND CHICKENPOX 

Smallpox is an acute, contagious, 
infectious disease characterized by 
the well-known eruption of small 
boils or pustules all over the body. 
Varioloid and variola are terms 
sometimes applied to mild cases of 
smallpox under the mistaken impres- 
sion that they are a different and 
less virulent disease. This is not the 
case. The mildest cases communicate 
the disease in its most malignant 
form. Smallpox is sometimes called 
by false names, such as Cuban itch, 
Porto Rico itch, Porto Rico scratch- 
es, or elephant itch, to conceal its 
existence in the community. There 
are, in fact, no such diseases and 
tills practice is most reprehensible. 



Smallpox has all the characteristics 
of a germ disease, but tlie germ 
which causes it has not yet been iden- 
tified. It may occur at any season 
of the year, but is most i^revalent in 
winter. 

History. — No other disease, not ex- 
cepting the bubonic plague or "Black 
Death," has contributed an equally 
interesting chapter to the history of 
mankind. It is known to have pre- 
vailed in the far east many centu- 
ries before the Christian era. Europe 
was first visited with smallpox in the 
sixth century. Later it was widely 
disseminated by the crusades. It de- 
populated an entire colony in Green- 
land in the thirteenth century, con- 
tributed largely to the conquest of 
Mexico by Cortez in the sixteenth cen- 
tury, and destroyed far larger num- 
bers of the American Indians than 
did the firearms and fire water of 
the white man. By the eighteenth 
century smallpox was distributed 
throughout Great Britain and the 
continent of Europe. Over 90 per 
cent of the population is said to 
have been affected and about one- 
tenth of the entire mortality was 
caused by this disease. More than 
one-half of all the living are said 
to have been scarred and disfigured 
by it. Historians aver that women 
whose faces were not pockmarked 
were the exception. Not a little of 
the great reputation of famous beau- 
ties of this period is said to have 
been due to chance immunity from 
this disease. Smallpox before the 
days of vaccination spared neither 
high nor low. It spread its terrors 
alike in the homes of rich and poor, 
and even penetrated into the palaces 
of princes. More than a score of 
deaths in royal families were thus 
caused. A half dozen reigning mon- 
archs were attacked but recovered. 
More than once it threatened the 
total extinction of representative 
European dynasties. George Washing- 
ton, during his early manhood, was 
"strongly attacked by the smallpox" 
while on a visit to the West Indies. 

Smallpox is now a rare malady and 



166 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



is rapidly vanishing. This great 
change has been wrought in a single 
century by the discovery of vaccina- 
tion on May 14, 1796, by Edward 
Jenner. On that day Jenner per- 
formed the first vaccination on a hu- 
man being. Eight weeks later he 
fearlessly exposed his patient in 
smallpox hospitals and brought him 
into contact with smallpox patients 
without causing him to contract the 
disease. Vaccination has been called 
the greatest discovery ever made for 
the preservation of the human spe- 
cies. Millions of lives have been saved 
by it, and a thorough and continuous 
practice of vaccination will undoubt- 
edly blot out smallpox from the face 
of the earth. 

Jenner's discovery was based on a 
widespread belief that persons who 
had become infected with a similar 
disease of cattle, known as cowpox, 
were thereafter immune from small- 
pox infection. A remark made in 
his presence to this effect by a milk- 
maid was the "awakening impulse 
which after years of study and ex- 
periment culminated in the discovery 
which has conferred the greatest 
benefits upon the human race." 

The practice of vaccination up to 
a comparatively recent date was not 
always surrounded by proper sani- 
tary safeguards. The vaccine was 
sometimes impure and sufficient care 
was not always taken to prevent in- 
fection of the sore with the germs 
of tetanus (lockjaw) and other dis- 
eases. The progress of modern 
science has now overcome all these 
dangers. Vaccination at the hands 
of a competent physician is not only 
an entirely safe and almost painless 
operation: it is an absolute preven- 
tive of smallpox and the only possi- 
ble safeguard against its ravages. 
Vaccination against smallpox is com- 
pulsory upon all inhabitants by law 
in Germany and Japan. In both 
countries it has been practically 
stamped out. The vaccination of 
school children is compulsory by regu- 
lation of the school board or board 
of health in many American cities, 



but is not enjoined upon the general 
public by state or national legisla- 
tion. Hence sporadic outbreaks are 
constantly occurring. The disease in- 
variably attacks persons who have 
never been vaccinated and may also 
attack those who were vaccinated in 
childhood, but have not been revac- 
cinated after an interval of ten or 
more years. In such cases, however, 
the disease assumes a milder form. 

Opposition to compulsory vaccina- 
tion when not due to mere ignorance 
or prejudice is based upon one of 
the following grounds: i. e., (1) that 
vaccination does not protect, (2) 
that it may transmit other diseases 
or is otherwise harmful cr dangerous, 
or (3) that compulsory vaccination 
is an invasion of the rights of an 
individual. The experience of Japan 
and Germany, and especially the im- 
munity of the German army as the 
result of vaccination during the 
Franco-Prussian war, 1870-1 (when 
the opposing French army was rav- 
aged by smallpox), and the universal 
testimony of expert sanitarians, 
proves that the first of these objec- 
tions is totally unfoimded. 

The chance that vaccination may 
transmit other diseases, or otherwise 
prove injurious to the patient has 
now been entirely overcome. Ai'm 
to arm vaccination was formerly the 
custom, i. e., the scab from a suc- 
cessful vaccination was used as a 
vaccine for others. Occasionally such 
diseases as tuberculosis "and syphilis 
were transmitted in this way. But 
this method is a practice of the past. 
The only vaccine now employed is 
prepared from healthy young calves 
under Government supervision. It is 
true that there is the possibility of 
blood poisoning or lockjaw if the 
sore become infected. But this will 
not occur if the vaccination is prop- 
erly performed and protected by a 
suitable dressing. The danger from 
this source is much less than that 
from pricks and scratches from 
thorns or minute splinters, or the 
claws of domestic pets. In a word, 
the possible danger from vaccination 



PREVENTION OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASE 167 



is grossly exaggerated. Pure vac- 
cine is harmless and it is doubtful 
whether a single death has been 
caused by vaccination conducted in 
a proper manner. 

The notion that compulsory vac- 
cination is an invasion of the rights 
of an individual might be sustained 
if a person could suffer from the 
disease without requiring the care of 
other members of society, and sub- 
jecting them to the dangers of in- 
fection. The loathesomeness of 
smallpox, the helplessness of the suf- 
ferer and the necessity of providing 
pesthouses for the treatment of pa- 
tients of this disease bring the sub- 
ject of vaccination well within the 
police power of state and nation. 
Every effort should be made to 
arouse public sentiment in favor of 
a state and national compulsory vac- 
cination law. 

A Vaccination Creed. — Seven 
years ago the Department of Health 
of Chicago made the following dec- 
laration of their faith in vaccination: 

"First. — That true vaccination — re- 
peated until it no longer 'takes' — al- 
ways prevents smallpox. Nothing 
else does. 

"Second. — That true vaccination — 
that is, vaccination properly done on 
a clean arm with pure lymph and 
kept perfectly clean and unbroken 
afterwards — never did and never will 
make a serious sore. 

"Third. — That such a vaccination 
leaves a characteristic scar, unlike 
that from any other cause, which is 
recognizable during life, and is the 
only conclusive evidence of a suc- 
cessful vaccination. 

"Fourth. — That no untoward re- 
sults ever follow such vaccination; 
on the other hand thousands of lives 
are annually sacrificed through the 
neglect to vaccinate — a neglect be- 
gotten of lack of knowledge." 

How to Vaccinate. — Vaccination 
should, as a rule, be performed only 
by a competent physician, but may 
be safely performed by anyone if 
the following instructions are care- 
fully observec}; Secure the pure vac- 



cine from a first-class drug store, or 
if there is no drug store in the vicin- 
ity, write or telegraph the state board 
of health at the capital city of your 
state, and ask them to forward 
through the mails enough vaccine for 
the required number of persons. If 
buying from a drug store ask for 
glycerinized lymph. It is both safer 
and more reliable than the vaccine 
from dried points. A good plan is 
to make the inoculation on the in- 
side of the arm above the elbow 
where the scar will be out of sight. 
But if preferred, the wound may be 
made on the leg or, indeed, on any 
part of the body. The part should 
be thoroughly washed with soap and 
hot water. Then rinse with a 50 
per cent solution of alcohol. But 
this must be allowed to fully evap- 
orate. Otherwise it may kill the 
vaccine. The operator's hands should 
be thorouglily scrubbed with hot wa- 
ter and soap, preferably carbolic or 
green soap, with especial attention 
to the finger nails. If the virus 
comes on bone points, it is best not 
to use a knife at all. Scrape the 
parts with the point over a spot 
about as large as the little finger 
nail, until the upper layers of the 
skin have been rubbed away and 
serum appears and mingles with the 
virus which thus gains entrance into 
the system. If a knife is used for 
scarifying the parts thoroughly dis- 
infect it in standard solution No. 4, 
carbolic acid (5 per cent) and after- 
wards rinse free of the antiseptic 
solution in boiling water. In either 
case dry the parts thoroughly before 
the operation is attempted. If the 
knife is used, scarify very lightly 
and stop as soon as the serum ap- 
pears and before the red blood com- 
mences to flow. If the wound is 
deep enough to draw blood there is 
much more danger of infection and, 
moreover, the flow of blood tends to 
wash the virus away. 

When the serum begins to run, rub 
in the vaccine with the knife or vac- 
cine point. If the virus is dry, first 
dip the point m tepid water which 



168 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



has been freshly boiled. After the 
virus has been thorouglily rubbed in, 
leave the scar uncovered until it is 
dry. Now cover tlie wound with an- 
tiseptic gauze or sterilized gauze, or 
cotton, and bandage with great care 
so that the bandage will not get out 
of place and the wound become in- 
fected. The best plan, after covering 
the wound with gauze, is to cover the 
gauze and adjacent parts with strips 
of adhesive surgeon's plaster. The 
dressing should be changed every day 
or two until the scab falls off. Sani- 
tary precautions must be taken at 
every dressing to avoid infecting the 
wound. 

If the vaccination "takes" a small 
red spot appears at the site of in- 
oculation on the third day. The tem- 
perature rises slightly on the third 
or fourth day, and ma^;^ continue a 
little above normal until the eighth 
or ninth day. On the eleventh or 
twelfth day the soreness begins to 
subside and a brownish scab forms 
over the wound. This becomes dry 
and hard and falls off on the twenty- 
first to the twenty-fifth day. It 
leaves a circular pitted scar. The 
sore must be kept clean and free 
from irritation and disturbance. It 
must nbt be rubbed or scratched. If, 
after six or seven days there is an 
undue degree of inflammation, a 
physician should be consulted. Prac- 
tically every case of ill effects from 
vaccination is due to scratching or 
picking at the sore, or otherwise 
handling or dressing it with dirty 
hands or fingers. 

A successful vaccination usually 
confers immunity from smallpox for 
life. In other cases the power of re- 
sistance seems to decrease with time. 
Hence adults vaccinated in childhood 
should be revaccinated if exposed to 
smallpox or if an epidemic of the 
disease breaks out in a community. 
The second vaccination will "take" 
only on those who need it. 

When to Vaccinate. — Every child 
should be vaccinated during the first 
year and again at the age of puberty, 
i. e., twelve or fourteen years of 



age. If a case of smallpox occurs 
in the family or neighborhood, or 
even if it is known to exist in the 
community, every member of the 
family should be promptly revaccin- 
ated. Inoculation within three days 
after exposure has been found to 
give immunity, and if performed as 
late as the fifth day the attack will 
be averted or much modified. This 
is especially the case when revaccin- 
ation is performed In one recorded 
case a mother and three small chil- 
dren were vaccinated after the father 
was taken down with the smallpox. 
The wife nursed her husband during 
the disease and took care of her 
children, but no other member of 
the family became infected. 

Symptoms. — The period of incuba- 
tion varies from 7 to 20 days, the 
-average being 13 days. Inoculation 
shortens the time to 7 or 8 days. 
During this period the symptoms are 
very slight. The invasion of the dis- 
ease is sudden. It begins with a 
chill which may be followed by 
others. There is severe aching in the 
small of the back, sometimes in the 
limbs, intense headache, vomiting and 
fever. The pulse is rapid and strong. 
Convulsions often occur in children. 
An initial rash in the form of a dif- 
fused redness somewhat similar to 
the rash of scarlet fever occurs in 
a few cases on the second day. The 
distinctive eruption appears on the 
third day on the forehead, around the 
mouth, and on the wrists. Now the 
temperature, which has been continu- 
ously high, begins to fall. Within 
twenty-four hours the eruption 
spreads all over the body, and at this 
stage the disease strongly resembles 
measles. On the fourth and fifth 
days the eruption is papular and a 
characteristic "shotty" sensation is 
obtained by passing the fingers over 
the skin. 

In the milder cases commonly 
called varioloid or variola, the fever 
falls at once after the appearance 
of the eruption on the third or fourth 
day, and the patient feels comfort- 
able. The eruption is slight, scat- 



PREVENTION OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASE 169 



tered, and often limited to the face 
and hands. 

There is danger that this disease 
may be mistaken for measles, scarlet 
fever, chickenpox or some other in- 
fection. The characteristic symp- 
toms are the severity of the attack 
together with chills, backache, head- 
ache and vomiting. The presence of 
these symptoms associated with a 
high fever from 103-^^ to lOoj^V F. 
continuing for three or four days 
and falling on the appearance of an 
eruption should excite suspicion of 
smallpox, especially when the disease 
is prevalent. 

The symptoms of measles have 
been described elsewhere. The erup- 
tion occurs about the fourth or fifth 
day without the fall of temperature 
which is characteristic of smallpox. 
In scarlet fever the eruption ap- 
pears on the second day and gradu- 
ally fades after two or three days. 

Chickenpox (Varicella). — This is a 
mild disease of children of impor- 
tance chiefly because the mild cases 
of smallpox may be mistaken for tliis 
disease. Chickenpox is ordinarily 
confined to children under six years 
of age. The initial symptoms are 
much milder than smallpox, although 
there may be fever, vomiting and 
pains in the back and legs. The 
eruption appears during the first 
twenty-four hours on the back, chest, 
or face in tlie form of red pimples 
which in a few hours become filled 
with a clear or turbid fluid. In three 
or four days the eruption dries up 
into scabs which soon fall off". There 
is little or no scarring. 

Prognosis of Smallpox. — From the 
sixth to tlie eighth day after the on- 
set of the disease the vesicles change 
to pustules with a slight depression 
in the center surrounded by a red 
border or halo. The temperature 
rises again, what is known as the 
secondary fever sets in, and the gen- 
eral symptoms return. Pustules are 
especially thick on the face which 
is much swollen and disfigured. On 
the twelfth or thirteenth day, about 
four or five days from their first 



appearance, the pustules begin to dry 
up. A few days later the scabs be- 
gin to fall off first from the face and 
later from other parts of the body- 
The temperature falls to normal and 
convalescence begins. 

Or, in severe cases such as the con- 
fluent form or hemorrhagic smallpox, 
the symptoms become more severe 
and death occurs, usually at the state 
of maturation, about the tenth or 
eleventh day. When recovery takes 
place, the process of desquamation, 
or peeling off" of the scales, is usually 
completed in three or four weeks, 
but may extend to six or eiglit weeks. 

Modes of Infection. — The virus of 
smalljaox has an extraordinary vitali- 
ty. Infected clotliing and other ar- 
ticles may transmit the disease after 
an interval of months or even years. 
Contagion may be direct from con- 
tact with the patient, or may be car- 
ried from the sick room on the per- 
son or clothing of the nurse or physi- 
cian or by means of bedding and 
other articles. AH who enter the 
sick room should wear a washable 
hooded gown. This should be disin- 
fected on leaving the room as else- 
where recommended. After leaving 
the room the hands, face and hair 
should be washed in a disinfectant 
solution. The contagion exists in all 
the secretions and excretions of the 
body, and the exhalations from the 
lungs and perspiration. The pus 
from the pustules is the most fertile 
source of contagion and the dust 
from dried pus scales is the usual 
medium of its dissemination. The 
disease is most contagious while the 
eruption is in active progress, but 
begins to be contagious before the 
eruption appears and so continues 
until the process of scaling is com- 
plete. 

Quarantine. — As soon as the case 
is known to be smallpox, convey the 
patient if practicable to a hospital 
or pesthouse, or isolate in a sick 
room prepared in all respects as for 
typhoid fever. Placard the premises. 
Vaccinate every member of the fam- 
ily. Allow no one to leave the house 



170 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



until the vaccination "takes" or it 
appears that the person is immune 
by reason of previous vaccination. 
The bread-winners may then leave the 
premises, after proper disinfection 
under the advice of a physician or 
public health officer, but must board 
and room elsewhere during the prog- 
ress of the disease. Do not allow the 
nurse and other members of the fam- 
ily to leave the premises or mingle 
with other persons. All members of 
the family who have been success- 
fully vaccinated and revaccinated at 
the outbreak of the disease will be 
immune. They are in no danger 
from the disease themselves, but 
should not come in contact with other 
persons as they may communicate 
the disease on their person or cloth- 
ing. Household pets, flies and in- 
sects should be rigidly excluded from 
the premises. No visitors should be 
admitted under any pretext. Every 
sanitary precaution described under 
typhoid fever should be observed 
with redoubled vigilance on account 
of the virulence of the germs. All 
excreta should be thoroughly disin- 
fected and afterwards buried. After 
the recovery or death of the patient, 
not only the sick room but every 
room in the dwelling should be thor- 
oughly fumigated with formalde- 
hyde or sulphur or preferably with 
both. 

Quarantine should be observed un- 
til the process of desquamation is 
complete. The length of time will 
depend entirely on the individual 
case. A safe rule is to await the 
disappearance of the peculiar red 
specks at the bottom of the pits or 
scars. As long as these spots are 
visible the desquamation is going on. 

HOOKWORM DISEASE 

This disease has existed from time 
immemorial, but especial attention 
has been directed to it in the United 
States in recent years. Investiga- 
tions by Dr. Chas. Wardell Stiles of 
the United States Public Health arid 
Marine Hospital Service and those 



made under the supervision of the 
Rockefeller Institution, have proved 
that this disease is widely prevalent, 
esi^ecially in the southern states, and 
is of enormous economic importance. 
It is caused by soil pollution. The 
eggs and larvae of the hookworm are 
passed in large numbers in the dis- 
charges of infected persons. Thence 
they may be communicated to others 
by contaminated food or water or 
directly from the soil through the 
skin. This mode of infection is per- 
haps the most common in rural dis- 
tricts where all children and many 
adult members of the population go 
barefoot in summer and are thus 
more or less constantly in contact 
with infected soil. In the rural sec- 
tions of the southern states all the 
factors necessary for the propaga- 
tion of this disease are found. The 
Conditions most favorable to its de- 
velopment are warmth, moisture, an 
open porous soil and infected people 
who pollute the soil. North of the 
Ohio and Potomac Rivers the climate 
is too cold and in the arid west too 
dry to favor the disease. 

The adult hookworm is about one- 
third or two-thirds of an inch in 




This shows the head of a hookworm as 
the parasite is feeditig, attached to 
the wall of the iowels. (P. H. & 
M. H. Serrice.) 

length and about the thickness of a 
small hairpin, or a No. 30 thread. 
Its head bends back on its neck like 



PREVENTION OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASE 171 



a hook, hence the name. The mouth 
is equipped with lances which pierce 
the flesli and make openings through 
which the blood can escape. These 
carry a poisonous secretion from a 
gland in the worm's head which 
keeps the blood from clotting. In 
severe cases, the worms occur in 
enormous numbers and take large 
quantities of blood from the system. 
Much more is lost from constant ooz- 
ing of the wounds. The secretion 
injected by the worm is poisonous 
and causes a chronic inflammation 
which impairs digestion. The wound 
also aifords entrance for disease- 
producing bacteria to the system. 
There is also a general lowering of 
the body tone which exposes the vic- 
tim to all sorts of diseased condi- 
tions. 

The symptoms in general are those 
of malnutrition and may be mild, 
medium or severe. In general the 
patient becomes very much weak- 
ened, the body looks bloodless and 
development is stunted. The prover- 
bial laziness of the Georgia "crack- 
er" and other so-called "poor whites" 
in southern states is now believed to 
be the result of hookworm infection. 
Treatment and Prevention.— Hap- 
pily this disease may be readily and 
quickly cured and is entirely pre- 
ventable. The following method of 
treatment is advised by Dr. Stiles, 
the leading authority on the subject. 
He says: 

"The fundamental principle under- 
lying the treatment of hookworm dis- 
ease is the same as that which under- 
lies the treatment of all other zoo- 
parasitic diseases, namely, first treat 
the parasite, not the patient. After 
the parasite is treated, attention may 
be directed to treating the patient. 
"Although hookworm disease may 
- occur in persons in any walk of life, 

H|^ it is particularly among the poorer 
■ classes that it is found, and the 

average hookworm patient (children 
excepted, to a certain extent) can 
not afford to lose several days' wages 
to undergo treatment. It is there- 
fore frequently expedient to conduct 



the treatment Saturday evenings and 
Sunday mornings. It will often be 
found difficult to arouse the interest 
of a community in regard to the 
presence of hookworm disease and 
the need of treatment. This can fre- 
quently be done, however, if it is 
borne in mind that the resulting ane- 
mia is, in common with other ane- 
mias, a frequent cause of amenor- 
rhea. 

Warning. — "Notwithstanding that 
primarily we are to treat the para- 
site, not the patient, it should be re- 
membered that if too great a quan- 
tity of thymol is absorbed by the pa- 
tient, alarming symptoms and even 
death may occur. Accordingly, the 
patient and the patient's family 
should be carefully warned not to 
permit the patient under any circum- 
stances to have on the Sunday during 
which the treatment is given any 
food or drink containing alcohol, 
fats, or oil. Patent medicines should 
be mentioned in particular, because 
of the alcohol many of them con- 
tain, and even milk and butter should 
be forbidden. I know of one case of 
serious thymol poisoning which fol- 
lowed promptly after the patient 
took a copious drink of milk the day 
thymol was taken. 

Preliminary Treatment. — "On Sat- 
urday evening give a dose of Epsom 
salts. The reason is this: The hook- 
worms are surrounded by more or 
less mucus and partially digested 
food. Unless this is removed, the 
thymol may not reach the parasites, 
but may reach the patient, and this 
is contrary to what is desired, as 
thymol is intended for the parasite, 
not the patient. 

Thymol Treatment on Sunday. — 
"Position of patient: Instruct the 
patient to lie on his right side im- 
mediately before taking the drug and 
to remain in that position for at 
least half an hour. The reason for 
this is that many of these patients 
have enlarged stomachs, and if they 
lie on their right side, the drug has 
the benefit of gravity in passing rap- 
idly from the stomach to the intes- 



172 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



tine; but if any other position is 
assumed, the drug may remain in 
the dilated cardiac portion of the 
stomach for some hours and result 
in considerable complaint on the part 
of the patient and delay of the drug 
reaching the worms. 

"Time of dosage: The time of giv- 
ing and size of dose should be ar- 
ranged on one of two plans, depend- 
ing on existing conditions. 

"The plan usually followed is: At 
6 a. m., one-half of the total dose 
of thymol; at 8 a. m., one-half of the 
total dose of thymol; at 10 a. m., 
Ej^som salts (never castor oil). 

"If the case is an especially severe 
one, or if the patient has, upon the 
first Sunday's treatment, complained 
of burning or other effects of thymol, 
the following plan is adojjted: At 
6 a. m., one-third of the total dose 
of thymol; at 7 a. m., one-third of 
the total dose of thymol; at 8 a. m., 
one-third of the total dose of thy- 
mol (if unpleasant symptoms, as a 
sensation of severe burning in the 
stomach, have apjjeared this third 
dose should be omitted) ; at 10 a. m., 
Epsom salts (never castor oil). 

"Food: No food is allowed until 
after the 10 o'clock dose of Epsom 
salts, but- the patient is permitted to 
take a glass or so of water after the 
thymol, if he desires. 

"Thymol: Finely powdered thymol 
in capsules, preferably in five-grain 
capsules, should be used. 

"General rule as to age: In the 
table of dosage given in the next 
paragraph, the maximum dose per 
day to be adopted as a routine is 
given for various age groups. In 
determining the dose, however, the 
rule should be followed of taking the 
apparent rather than the real age 
and of not hesitating to cut down the 
dose even lower in case of unusually 
severe cardiac symptoms or other un- 
favorable conditions. Thus for a 
boy sixteen years old, who appears to 
be only twelve years old, or in wliom 
the anemia is especially marked,, 
resulting in severe cardiac symp- 
toms, the quantity of thymol should 



be reduced to the twelve or even the 
eight-year dose. Some authors give 
the impression that it is useless to 
give thymol for this disease imless 
the full dose is administered. This 
view is not in harmony with my ex- 
perience. 

"Size of dose: The following doses 
represent the maximum amount to 
be used during one day's treatment 
for the age groups in question. It 
is practically the same table that the 
Porto Rican Commission has been 
using; 

Grains. 

Under 5 years old 7i 

From 5 to 9 years old 15 

From 10 to 14 years old 30 

From 15 to 19 years old 45 

From 20 to 59 years old 60 

Above 60 years old 30 to 45 

Total dose, to be divided as pre- 
viously indicated. 

Repetition of Treatment. — "The 
foregoing treatment is repeated once 
a week, preliminary treatment Satur- 
day evening and thymol on Sunday 
morning, until the patient is dis- 
charged. 

Duration of Treatment. — "To rec- 
ognize whether the parasites are all 
expelled, and therefore to determine 
when to end the thymol treatment, 
either of two plans may be adopted, 
namely: 

"Microscopic examination : On 
Saturday morning make ten micro- 
scopic preparations of a fresh stool. 
If eggs are still present repeat the 
treatment; if eggs are not found, 
discontinue the thymol. It takes 
about forty to sixty minutes to make 
this examination of ten slides thor- 
oughly, 

"Cheese-cloth method: A much 
easier way of recognizing the com- 
pletion of the treatment, and for 
practical results nearly as satisfac- 
tory as the miscroscopic examination, 
is the following: Instruct the pa- 
tient to wash all of his stools Sun- 
day, Monday and Tuesday, through 
a cheese cloth and to keep the cheese 
cloth moist and bring it to the office 



PREVENTION OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASE 173 



on Tuesday. While the fecal ma- 
terial will wash through, the worms 
will be retained in the cloth. Con- 
tinue treatment as long as worms are 
found in the cheese cloth. 

Other Treatment. — "If desired, 
iron may be administered on the days 
on which the tliymol is not taken. It 
is a good j^lan, however, not to give 
iron during the first week, for it is 
quite important to convince the pa- 
tient that the thymol treatment is the 
one which is really accomplishing the 
lasting good. If the drug is taken 
Sunday, the patient is likely to begin 
to feel some benefit by Wednesday 
or Thursday; his family is likely to 
notice it on Thursday or Friday. If 
iron is given during the first week, 
the conclusion may possibly be drawn 
by the patient that it is really the 
iron which is causing the improve- 
ment, and he may discontinue the 
thymol. Of the two, the thymol is, 
of course, the far more important, 
for it reaches the parasite, while the 
iron reaches only the patient." 

The prevention of hookworm dis- 
ease lies in proper sanitation to pre- 
vent soil pollution, and especially in 
the construction of sanitary privies. 
State laws to this end, if properly 
enforced by an adequate system of 
local supervision, would undoubtedly 
put an end to the disease v/ithin 
comparatively few years. ThoEc in- 
terested in this subject should ad- 
dress a letter or r>ostal card to the 
Surgeon-General of the United 
States, Washington, D. C, requesting 
detailed information. 

FOREIGN DISEASES 

A small class of communicable dis- 
eases sometimes occur in the United 
States as the result of infection from 
foreign parts. Notable among these 
are Asiatic cholera, bubonic plague 
and leprosy. 

Asiatic Cholera. — This disease is 
native to India. Thence it has 
spread in epidemic form from time 
to time throughout the civilized 
world. It is caused by a specific 



micro-organism sometimes called the 
"comma" bacillus on account of its 
shape. The presence of this is often 
the only test by which this disease 
can be distinguished from gastro- 
enteritis, ptomaine poisoning and 
other similar diseases. Asiatic chol- 
era closely resembles typhoid fever 
as regards modes of infection, and 
should be treated in an entirely simi- 
lar manner. Like typhoid it may be 
spread by healthy carriers and com- 
municated by the mild or "walking" 
cases of the disease. There is an 
anti-cholera vaccine similar to the 
anti-typhoid vaccine, by means of 
which the death rate has been greatly 
lowered. This disease is entirely 
preventable if the precautions recom- 
mended under typhoid fever are ob- 
served. Needless to say a physician 
should always be summoned even in 
the mildest cases. 

The period of incubation is from 
one to five days, although it may be 
greatly prolonged. The symptoms 
are similar to ptomaine poisoning: 
vomiting, diarrhoea, sub-normal tem- 
perature, loss of pulse, suppression 
of urine and collapse. They are 
common to the action of various poi- 
sons and can only be distinguished by 
a competent physician. 

Bubonic Plague (Black Death). — 
This historic disease which destroyed 
upwards of 50 per cent of the 
population of England in the four- 
teenth century has, from time to 
time, ravaged nearly every part 
of the civilized world. It is 
caused by a vegetable micro-or- 
ganism, the Bacillus pestis. Rats 
and otlier small rodents are very sus- 
ceptible to this disease and it is com- 
municated by them to man through 
the medium of fleas. There are three 
types of jjlague: (a) bubonic, char- 
acterized by glandular swelling. This 
is the form transmitted from rats to 
man by means of fleas; (b) pneu- 
monic, which is very mudi like pneu- 
monia and which may be transmitted 
by contact infection in tlie same 
manner as typhoid fever; (c) septi- 
cemic, in which the patient is liter- 



174 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



ally saturated with plague bacilli. 
This is transmitted by contact infec- 
tion. The mortality ranges from 
15 per cent up to as high as 50 per 
cent or 75 per cent. Death in the sep- 
ticemic type is a matter of hours; in 
the pneumonic type, of days; and in 
the bubonic type, of one or two weeks. 
In rats the disease may become chronic. 
It is most prevalent among rats when 
they are shut up in their holes in 
winter, but is most often communi- 
cated to human beings during sum- 
mer. Then the rats are abroad and 
the fleas which have bitten the in- 
fected rodents are widely scattered 
through the community. The disease, 
however, may be communicated at 
any season of the year. The only 
remedy is the destruction of rats by 
means elsewhere recommended. 

Leprosy. — Leprosy is a communi- 
cable disease of the skin occurring 
very rarely in the United States, 
fewer than three hundred cases hav- 
ing been reported. The chief inter- 
est in this malady is due to its sup- 
posed frequency in Biblical times. 
An almost insane fear of leprosy has 
been caused by a general knowledge 
of what is said about it in the Bible, 
but its virulence, at least in modern 
times, is believed to be greatly exag- 
gerated. There are said to be fifty 
or more lepers engaged in various oc- 
cupations in the city of London. 
These are not regarded as dangerous 
to the public health. 

CONTAGIOUS DISEASES OF ANI- 
MALS 

There is a small group of conta- 
gious diseases of animals which are 
occasionally contributed to man. 
These include, notably, anthrax, glan- 
ders and rabies. Anthrax and glan- 
ders may be communicated by contact 
infection, but rabies occurs only from 
the bite of dogs or other infected 
animals. A veterinary physician 
should be promptly sent for in all 
cases of anthrax, glanders or farcy 
and his recommendations faithfully 
observed. Carcasses of animals 
dead of these diseases should be im- 



mediately buried in a grave not less 
than six feet deep. Eight or ten 
inches of unslaked lime should be 
placed in the bottom of the grave 
and a similar amount spread over the 
carcass before the earth is filled in. 
The site for burial should be distant 
from any stream or other source of 
water supply and a strong fence 
should be erected to enclose it. Sta- 
bles and all objects with which the 
dead animal has come in contact 
should be thoroughly disinfected. 
The germs of these diseases and their 
spores often retain their vitality for 
many years. Hence too much care 
cannot be given to the process of dis- 
infection. 

Rabies (Hydrophobia). — This is a 
specific communicable disease which 
afi'ects chiefly the canine race, al- 
though all warm-blooded animals, in- 
cluding man, are susceptible to it. 
There is a widely prevalent belief 
that if persons or animals are bitten 
by a dog they are liable to become 
rabid if the dog should contract the 
disease at any future time. It will 
be a great comfort to many persons 
who have been bitten by animals to 
know that there is no foundation for 
this impression. Rabies is transmit- 
ted only by animals that are actually 
diseased at the time the bite is in- 
flicted. Every animal or person bit- 
ten does not necessarily develop the 
disease. This depends on the location 
and size of the wound, the flow of 
blood produced and other conditions. 
The nearer the bite is located to the 
central nervous system and the deep- 
er it is, the greater danger of a fatal 
result. Rabies is believed to be 
caused by a specific germ but this 
has not yet been identified. 

Symptoms. — There are two types 
of rabies: (1) the furious, violent 
or irritable; (3) the dumb or para- 
lytic. Cases of furious rabies in a 
dog usually develop between three 
weeks and three months after the 
animal has been infected. A marked 
change in the disposition of the ani- 
mal should arouse suspicion. An af- 
fectionate dog may become morose 



PREVENTION OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASE 175 



and depressed. A snappy, treacher- 
ous dog may become mild or aifec- 
tionate. Then comes an irresistible 
tendency to roam. A dog will fight 
or bite at any restraint which inter- 
feres with its freedom. He may roam 
about for several days, aimlessly, in 
a nervous and irritable condition. 
He tends to eat or chew indigestible 
objects such as rags, leather, straw, 
feathers, sticks and the like. He be- 
comes unable to swallow and his sa- 
liva becomes frothy from constant 
champing of the jaws. But foaming 
at the mouth is not a reliable symp- 
tom, nor is fear of water, since rabid 
dogs sometimes swim streams. When 
tired of roving a dog tends to return 
home and hide in some secluded 
place. 

Paralysis of the throat sets in 
early. This changes the normal bark 
of the' affected dog to a long, reson- 
ant, peculiarly drawn-out cry, like 
the yelp of a coyote. Later the pa- 
I'alysis extends to the muscles of the 
jaw. This causes the lower jaw to 
drop and the tongue to hang out, 
collect dirt and appear dry and black 
in color. The pupil of the eye di- 
lates, the paralysis extends to the 
hind legs and the dumb form of the 
disease results. Death follows in 
from four to eight days after de- 
velopment of the first symptoms. 

The dumb or paralytic form of 
rabies in the dog is much more infre- 
quent. The dog is depressed and 
seeks quiet spots in which to hide. 
The first symptom observable is 
often paralysis of the lower jaw, 
suggesting that the animal may^ave 
a bone in its throat. Paralysis quick- 
ly progresses and death results in 
from one to three days. 

Rabies in Cattle. — The symptoms 
are similar to those of the dog. 
There is loss of appetite, stoppage of 
the secretion of milk, great restless- 
ness, anxiety, manifestation of fear 
and change in the disposition of the 
animal. Then comes excitation or 
madness, loud bellowing, violent but- 
ting, with an insane desire to attack 
other animals and sometimes the de- 



sire to bite. The paralysis progresses 
rapidly with loss of flesh and finally 
the animal lies in a comatose condi- 
tion and dies, usually in from four 
to six days. The temperature re- 
mains normal or even sub-normal. 

Eabies in Cats. — The animal hides 
in a dark corner and dies unobserved 
in the course of a day or two, or 
becomes violent and suddenly attacks 
animals or persons, especially chil- 
dren. The cat loses its voice or mews 
hoarsely. It becomes emaciated and 
succumbs within a few days. 

Other animals as horses, sheep, 
goats, hogs, chickens and wild ani- 
mals exhibit much the same symp- 
toms. 

Rabies appear to be spreading, but 
can be readily controlled by proper 
local regulations for licensing and 
muzzling dogs, since the disease is al- 
most always spread to other animals 
by dogs. As many as sixteen persons 
have been bitten by a single small 
dog, which also wounded a great 
many other animals. 

Treatment for Eabies. — Any 
wound made by a dog or other ani- 
mal showing symptoms of rabies 
should be promptly cauterized. Go 
to a doctor or drug store, if there is 
one at hand. Otherwise cauterize the 
wound with nitric acid, carbolic acid 
or if necessary red-hot iron. Or 
tincture of iodine may be used, if 
nothing better is at hand. The best 
agent is nitric acid. Carry this on a 
swab or glass rod to every recess and 
part of the wound. Carbolic acid 
and other acids are less efficient; ni- 
trate of silver is useless. A red-hot 
iron is not as effective as a suitable 
acid, is very painful and makes a 
wound more severe than is necessary. 
Great care must be observed when 
using strong acids or red-hot iron 
about the face. Children or very 
nervous subjects should preferably 
be put under an anaesthetic before 
the cautery is used. 

Capture the suspected animal alive, 
if possible, by means of a lasso or 
net, or by turning a box or barrel 
over it. Or snare it by means of a 



176 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



loop of stout cord on the end of a 
pole. Put the animal into a stout 
box or pen but take care not to in- 
jure or mistreat it, or deprive it of 
food and water. If it remains alive 
and well for ten days there is no 
danger of rabies. But if it dies or 
the symptoms become immistakable, 
send the head to the nearest labora- 
tory for examination. 

In killing an animal suspected of 
rabies avoid shooting through the 
head or beating on the head. This 
may interfere with a proper exami- 
nation. Shoot the animal through the 
back or behind the shoulders. Cut 
off the head close to the shoulders, 
wrap it in a cloth wrung out of a 
standard solution of bichloride of 
mercury (1:500), place it in a new tin 
pail with a tight-fitting cover and 



pack the pail in a larger bucket or 
box surrounded by ice. Ship by ex- 
press to the laboratory and notify 
the director by telegram of the ship- 
ment. 

Should the investigation show the 
existence of rabies, the only method 
of treatment which offers any protec- 
tion is immunization by the Pasteur 
vaccine. This requires about three 
weeks and usually demands attend- 
ance at a hospital or sanitarium, but 
may be given by any competent 
physician. The Pasteur treatment, 
if given in time, is almost always 
successful. The proportion of fail- 
ures is less than 1 per cent, whereas 
from 10 per cent to 15 per cent of 
untreated persons who iiave been bit- 
ten by rabid animals develop the dis- 
ease. 



CHAPTER VI 

PREVENTABLE DISEASES OF CHILDREN 

SAVE THE BABIES— HEALTH AND DISEASE— DISEASES OF THE EYES- 
DIGESTIVE DISTURBANCES— SOOTHING SIRUP— SYMPTOMS OF 
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES— INFANTILE PARALYSIS— CEREBRO- 
SPINAL MENINGITIS— DIPHTHERIA— SCARLET FEVER— MEASLES 
—CHICKENPOX— WHOOPING COUGH— MUMPS— PARASITIC DIS- 
EASES 



SAVE THE BABIES 

A normal, well born baby is hard 
to kill. Nature intends that every 
such baby shall be well and strong, 
and grow to maturity. Yet the cen- 
sus shows that of the two and one- 
half million babies born every year 
in the United States, one-half die be- 
fore they reach their twenty-third 
year. One-fourth never reach their 
fifth birthday; one-eighth, or nearly 
one-third of a million, die within the 
first year of life. One-third of all 
deaths occur under the fifth year of 
age; one-fifth, during the first year 
of life. The chance of living a week 
is less for a new born child than for 
a man of ninety. The chance of 
living a year is less than for a man 
of four score. 

Since the rise of the germ theory 
of disease, wonderful discoveries 
have been made by the high power 
microscope as to the effects of germ 
life upon human health. It has now 
been proved that a large part of the 
mortality among infants is due to 
preventable causes. Much of this 
death rate is due to dirt. By this is 
not necessarily meant uncleanliness 
in the ordinary sense of dirt which 
can be seen, but a lack of sanitary 
precautions in the scientific sense, 
resulting in dirt invisible to the 
naked eye but which under the micro- 
scope is seen to contain millions of 



injurious bacteria. The best proof 
of the vitality of infants is that so 
many do live and grow up in spite 
of the unsanitary conditions with 
which they are surrounded, and the 
poisonous milk and other substances 
they are compelled to swallow. 

Now that science has shown that 




Save the halies. 

so many deaths among infants are 
preventable, a nation-wide campaign 
to save the babies has been set on 
foot. A special effort has been made 
to discover the sanitary and other 
rules that must be followed by moth- 
ers to keep their babies well, and 
cause them to thrive and grow 
strong. The following is a collection 
of these rules as laid down by the 
public health authorities throughout 



177 



178 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



the United States. It contains the 
latest and most authentic scientific 
information obtainable. 

What Kills Babies? — Out of every 
himdred deaths under two years of 
age, thirty-five are the result of im- 
proper food and feeding. About 
ninety-five per cent of these are 
avoidable. Twenty-six are due to ac- 
cidents and defects at birth. Aliout 
one-half are avoidable. Eighteen 
are caused by impure air diseases 
(pneumonia and bronchitis) ; seven- 
ty-five per cent avoidable. Two 
are caused by tuberculosis and six by 
acute contagious diseases. All of 
these are avoidable. The remainder 
are due to miscellaneous causes, 
many of which could be and ought to 
be avoided. 

The two principal factors which 
multiply the deaths of infants are 
the denial of its birthright — its moth- 
er's breasts — and the heat of summer. 
In other words, the bottle feeding of 
infants in warm weather is what 
causes the death rate to run extreme- 
ly high. Ten times as many bottle- 
fed babies succumb to diarrhoeal dis- 
eases as breast-fed babies. When the 
motlier from necessity or convenience 
takes away the natural food of the 
child — tier own breasts — she takes 
from it nine-tenths of its chance of 
life. Hot weather in itself has little 
to do with the death rate of infants 
from diarrhoea, as breast-fed chil- 
dren do not show much, if any, in- 
crease of death rate during the sum- 
mer months. The two factors that 
bring about the high death rate, 
namely, bottle feeding and the hot 
season, combine to produce a single 
condition, namely, milk containing a 
dangerous quantity of injurious bac- 
teria or germs. When the child takes 
nourishment from its mother's breast 
it gets a practically sterile or germ- 
free food. When it is fed modified 
cow's milk or other artificial food 
from a bottle, especially in hot 
weather, it may be, and often is, 
swallowing a quick or slow poison. 
This, however, is wholly preventable 
if proper sanitary precautions to in- 



sure strict scientific cleanliness are 
observed. 

HEALTH AND DISEASE 

Fontanelles. — In the middle line 
from before bacltwards on the top 
of a baby's head in the eai'ly weeks 
of his life, are two openings or soft 
places not yet covered with bony 
formation. The one in front is called 
the "anterior fontanelle." This closes 
in five or six weeks. But the larger 
one, just back of the forehead, is 
usually not closed until the child is a 
year and a half old or a little older. 
If widely open as the time for clo- 
sure approaches, or if the closure is 
much delayed, it may indicate rickets 
or other serious diseased condition. 
In such cases the advice of the fam- 
_ily physician should be had. 

Respiration. — Trustworthy infor- 
mation about respiration, pulse and 
temperature are a great help in judg- 
ing when to send for the doctor. The 
normal standards are given below. 
But remember that the action of a 
baby's lungs and heart is quicklj'^ 
accelerated by exercise or by excite- 
ment. And respiration, pulse and 
temperature are often much affected 
by causes which are comparatively 
trivial. Both the pulse-rate and 
respiration are more regular and 
slower in sleep than while awake. 
There is a progressive decrease in 
the rapidity of the pulse ^nd respira- 
tion from infancy to adult life. 

Approximately, the number of 
respirations per minute at different 
ages are: 

At birth, 35 or more 

" 1 year, 27 
" 3 years, 25 
" 6 " 2^2 
" 12 " 20 
In adult life, 15 to 17 

In serious illness, as, for instance, 
in pneumonia, young children may 
breathe as rapidly as 60 to 80 times 
in the minute. 

Pulse. — The rate of the pulse in 
health at different ages is: 



PREVENTABLE DISEASES OF CHILDREN 



ltd 



In the first month, 120 to 140 



At 1 year, 


110 to 130 


" 2 years. 


100 to 110 


« 6 " 


90 to 95 


" 12 " 


80 to 88 


In adult life. 


72 or lower. 



These are the rates while at rest. 
During infancy a rise of twenty, 
tliirty or more beats per minute is 
not uncommon as the result of slight 
effort or disturbance. In the serious 
acute diseases, as in scarlet fever or 
pneumonia, the pulse may run to 160, 
180, or higher. 

Temperature. — A training in moth- 
erhood should include the use of the 
clinical thermometer so that correct 
observations on the temperature and 
its variations may reveal indications 
of the approach of serious conditions. 
Buy a good clinical thermometer at 
your drug store. Or ask your physi- 
cian to get one for you and explain to 
you how to use it. 

The normal temperature of the hu- 
man body is about 98^° F. In early 
infancy, it is slightly higher than 
from later childhood on. The tem- 
perature of 100° indicates the pres- 
ence of fever; 103° to 103° consti- 
tutes moderate fever; 104° to 105° 
shows a high fever; above 105° means 
a very high and very dangerous fever. 

DISEASES or THE EYES 

Ophthalmia Neonatorum (Infan- 
tile Blindness). — About 15 per cent 
of all cases of total blindness are 
caused by inflammation of the eyes in 
nev/-born babies. This disease is al- 
ways due to an infection entering the 
eyes of the baby at the time of, or 
shortly after birth. It may be almost 
always prevented by proper care and 
by early and correct treatment. If 
precautions are not taken, and the 
disease develops and runs its course 
unchecked, the sight is totally de- 
stroyed, often within a fortnight. 

Tor All Mothers. — All women dur- 
ing pregnancy should thoroughly per- 
form daily external cleansing with 
soap and water and a clean wash 



cloth. Should the pregnant woman 
have any irritating discharges, or 
even profuse white discharge, she 
should be instructed to immediately 
consult her physician or the nearest 
dispensary. 

For All Children. — Immediately 
after the delivery of the head, and 
before the delivery of the body, the 
eyelids should be carefully cleaned 
by means of absorbent cotton or a 
soft linen cloth, dijijDed into warm 
water that has been boiled or boric 
acid (saturated) solution. A sejia- 
rate cloth should be used for each 
eye, and the lids washed, from the 
nose outward, free from all mucus, 
blood or discharges. All wipes 
should be burned after using. No 
opening of the lids should be at- 
tempted. At this time also the lips 
and nose should be wiped free of 
mucus in like manner, and the little 
finger, wrapped with a piece of 
moist linen, should be passed into the 
child's mouth and any accumulated 
mucus removed by an outward sweep 
of the finger. As soon after birth 
as . possible, the eyelids should be 
again wiped clean of mucus, and two 
drops of a one per cent solution of 
nitrate of silver should be dropped 
into each eye. One application only 
of the silver solution should be made. 
Ordinarily no further attention 
should be given the eyes for several 
hours. 

The silver nitrate solution is best 
kept in a dark-colored bottle with a 
ground glass stopper. The neck of 
the bottle should measure about half 
an inch in diameter. The glass rod 
used is six inches long, very smooth 
and round at each end. The silver 
solution will keejD for many months, 
but it is best to renew it about once 
in six weeks. 

Each time that the child is bathed, 
the eyes should be first wiped clean, 
as above described, with the boric 
acid solution. The hands of the per- 
son charged with the care of the 
child must be washed with soap and 
dried with a clean towel before the 
eyes of the child are touched. Every- 



180 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



thing that is brought near the eyes 
must be, in every instance, absolutely 
clean. 

The cotton that is used on the eyes 
of the child must, in every instance, 
be immediately burned after using. 
The water, towels, old linen and the 
cotton that have been used on the 
mother must, under no circum- 
stances, be applied to the child. The 
air of the bedroom must be kept as 
pure as possible, and the linen should 
never be dried in the sick room. 

Inflammation of the Eyes. — Should 
the lids become red and swollen, or 
gummed along their borders, or 
should a mattery discharge be mixed 
with the tears as the child sleeps or 
cries, call an oculist or a physician 
immediately, or take the child to the 
nearest dispensary. Each hour of 
delay adds to the danger. While 
waiting, bathe the child's eyes every 
half hour with pledgets of cotton 
dipped in a warm solution of boric 
acid. Open the lids wide and allow 
the warm solution to flood the eyes 
and wash out any matter which may 
have gathered there. 

AH of those in the home should be 
warned of the danger of catching the 
disease by getting the matter into 
their own eyes. Do not fondle the 
child. Take care that nothing which 
has been used about its eyes or face 
shall be used for any other purpose. 
Do not listen to those who say it will 
amount to nothing, or to those who 
say to bathe the eyes of the child 
with the mother's milk. Such advice 
is bad. The milk is a means of 
spreading the germs of this disease. 
The slightest delay may result in 
blindness. 

Trachoma. — This is an infectious 
disease of the eyelids which often 
results in total blindness. It occurs 
chiefly among children who are 
brought up under unsanitary condi- 
tions. Contributory causes are lack 
of cleanliness and lack of proper 
nourishment. It may be communi- 
cated from one person to another by 
the use of a common towel, by inter- 
changing or lending handkerchiefs, or 



by the contact of infected hands 
among children at play. This disease 
is most prevalent among school chil- 
dren and in institutions, work-shops, 
army camps and other places where 
large numbers of persons are herded 
together and toilet or other facilities 
are used in common. 

Any symptoms of redness, or in- 
flammation of the eyes, or granula- 
tion of the eyelids should be brought 
to the attention of a physician, espe- 
cially if accompanied by pain, sensi- 
tiveness to light, swelling or dis- 
charge. About 15 per cent of all 
cases of preventable blindness are due 
to this disease. Diligent effort should 
be made to prevent it from spreading. 
When a case occurs, all possibility of 
the infection of other persons should 
be eliminated. The patient should 
have separate towels, wash basins and 
the like set apart for individual use. 
Children with this disease should be 
excluded from the public schools 
until the acute stage is over. Under 
proper treatment, if taken in its early 
stages, blindness can ordinarily be 
prevented. 

INTESTINAL DISEASES 

Summer Complaint (Cholera In- 
fantum). — This fatal disease which 
kills thousands of infants every year 
attends continued high temperature. 
Excessive heat if long endured pro- 
foundly affects the nerves and fret- 
fulness (nervousness) always pre- 
cedes attacks of cholera infantum. 
The digestion is depressed by ner- 
vousness. Then if the child happens 
to over-eat, or to be fed unwhole- 
some food, it quickly develops this 
dreaded disease. The micro-organ- 
isms (germs) which cause this and 
other intestinal diseases of infancy 
are most numerous and active in hot 
weather. Thus they are always at 
hand to attack infants when their 
powers of resistance have become les- 
sened by a long continued heated 
term. 

Cholera Morbus (summer diar- 
rhoea and dysentery) also occurs 



PREVENTABLE DISEASES OF CHILDREN 



181 



principally during the summer and 
autumn. This is caused by improper 
food and sudden chilling of the body 
after exposure to great heat. Cer- 
_ tain substances will produce it in cer- 
tain persons, as, for instance, veal or 
shell fish. And all dishes cooked with 
milk such as rice pudding, cream 
puffs and even ice cream, are dan- 
gerous when tliey have been kept too 
long. Take care that the baby does 
not get any remnants of stale food. 
Under-ripe and over-ripe fruit — 
especially if taken with large 
draughts of ice water — ^will cause this 
disease. But sound ripe fruit is a 
natural food in hot weather for chil- 
dren over two years of age, and 
wholesome. Avoid chills during 
sleep. In temperate and changeable 
climates have a light blanket always 
at hand to draw over an infant, if 
the weather suddenly becomes cold 
during the night. Persistent summer 
diarrhoea is sometimes caused by ma- 
laria or impure water. Any condi- 
tions liable to contaminate air and 
water should be carefully sought out 
and remedied. Water of doubtful 
purity can and should be rendered 
safe by boiling. Mosquitoes and flies 
should be exterminated. As dysen- 
tery is often epidemic, it is wise to 
consider every case as a possible 
source of danger to others and to dis- 
infect all diarrhceal discharges with 
the greatest care. 

Symptoms of Intestinal Diseases. 
— Vomiting of soured and partly di- 
gested food (not simple regurgita- 
tion or "raising" of milk from over- 
feeding in young infants) is often 
the first sign of approaching illness. 
Vomiting may indicate one of the 
serious diseases of childhood or, more 
commonly in hot weather, "summer 
complaint" or simple diarrhoea. Diar- 
rhoea does not come from teething 
but from too mucli food, too fre- 
quent feeding, too little water, too 
little sleep and too much handling. 
The most frequent cause is over- 
feeding. This often causes pro- 
longed sickness and finally death. 
Vomiting due to this cause may be 



the first sign of trouble. The bowels 
may not become loose until several 
days later. A certain symptom of 
danger is loose, green passages from 
the bowels, or passages containing 
mucus or curds. A healthy bottle- 
fed infant should have at least one 
and not more than two or three 
movements of the bowels each day. 
These should be yellow or "ginger- 
bread color" and not too hard to be 
passed easily. If they become green- 
ish, frotliy, or otherwise unnatural, 
and more frequent than two or three 
a day, consult your doctor. In sum- 
mer it is dangerous to wait. Any 
diarrhoea or simple looseness of the 
bowels indicates the presence of some 
irritation in the intestinal tract. 

These diseases are often mild at 
the beginning. There may be no 
fever and the child may show no 
signs of illness other than diarrhoea 
or vomiting. Such a baby — often in 
a few hours — may become danger- 
ously, if not fatally, ill. The sim- 
plest cases of diari-hoea and vomiting 
during the summer must not be ig- 
nored. Neglect of the first symp- 
toms of indigestion may lead to in- 
fection and inflammation and be fol- 
lowed by the death of the child. If 
taken in hand promptly, this condi- 
tion will almost always yield to sim- 
ple remedies and serious trouble may 
be averted. If the movements remain 
green in color and increase in num- 
ber to five or six or more in twenty- 
four hours, the baby is beginning to 
have bowel trouble or summer diar- 
rhoea. 

Causes and Remedies. — When the 
baby vomits or has diarrhoea the first 
thing to do is to find and remove the 
cause. The trouble is probal)ly due 
to improper feeding or over-feeding. 
The child may be given too much 
food, the milk may be too strong for 
its age, or it may be dirty and un- 
sanitary. A child gets diarrhcEa 
more ofbr^n in summer than in win- 
ter because the heat makes him weak 
and spoils his food, and because you 
fail to re alize that he needs less food 
in hot j.veather. Stop all food at 



182 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



once. Evefy drop of milk that goes 
into the baby's mouth after this 
warning simply adds to the poison 
that is already there. You will cause 
serious or fatal illness by feeding 
your baby after the bowels become 
loose and the movements green in 
color. Give nothing but pure boiled 
water or barley water. Send for the 
doctor and do not begin feeding the 
baby again without the doctor's or- 
ders. Meantime stop the milk at 
once. Give only cool boiled water or 
barley water until the child can be 
seen by a physician. 

Do not give any medicine, except 
perhaps a teas^Doonful of lime water 
every hour, to modify the acidity of 
the stomach. If the baby should 
have a convulsion before the doctor 
comes, put it in a warm bath and 
pour cool water on its head. But 
this must not be done if the convul- 
sion occurs immediately after a meal. 
Do not give any "cordials" or "teas" 
or diarrhoea mixtures to stop vomit- 
ing or check the bowels. Nothing but 
harm can be done by such means. 

If you cannot get a doctor prompt- 
ly, give the baby two teaspoonfuls of 
castor oil to remove the irritating 
matter from the bowels. Also wash 
out the bowels with an enema of 
tepid water containing two level tea- 
spoonfuls of salt to the quart. This 
should be given from a fountain 
syringe. Do not hold the bag more 
than eighteen inches or two feet 
above the baby, so that the water 
will run slowly. Babies under fifteen 
months almost invariably pass part 
of the water back by the side of the 
tube while it is flowing in. 

When vomiting occurs give the 
baby as much water as it will take. 
This will help to wash the remaining 
undigested food out of the stomach. 
After this for eight or ten hours 
give only one or two teaspoonfuls of 
boiled water every ten or fifteen min- 
utes, if wanted. A larger amount 
will be vomited. Give no food for at 
least six hours after the vomiting 
has stopped, then give barley water 
or rice water in gradually increas- 



ing quantities, or give broth or white 
of egg. Later, when the child is en- 
tirely well, it may be gradually 
worked back to its regular food. A 
weak mustard plaster on the pit of 
the stomach, left until there is a 
rosy color, then promptly removed, 
will assist in counteracting vomiting. 

OTHER DISEASES OF INFANCY 

Fever. — If the child becomes weak 
in hot weather, is fretful and espe- 
cially if it has fever and the skin is 
hot and dry, take off all its clothes 
except the diaper and put on a night 
dress. Sponge it all over with cool 
water at frequent intervals and do 
not wipe it quite dry. Let the water 
evaporate and thus carry off some of 
the fever. Give it all the cool water 
it will drink. No matter how high 
■ the fever a baby with bowel trou- 
ble always does better out of doors 
in pleasant weather than in a hot, 
stuffy room. A child with fever will 
not take cold if you keep it out of 
strong, cold drafts. 

Great care must be exercised in 
treating for fever. There are two 
principal kinds. In outer or sur- 
face fever, the hands and feet are 
warm and the skin hot. Place cold 
applications to the head, hot water 
bottle to the feet and bathe in cold 
water. In case of inward fever 
the hands and feet are cold and the 
skin cool and pale and mottled. 
Place cold applications at the head, a 
hot water bottle to the feet and batlie 
in hot mustard water to bring the 
blood to the surface. A sense of 
touch is unreliable as to fever. E%'ery 
mother should have a clinical ther- 
mometer and ask her physician to in- 
struct her in its use. 

Eruptions. — If the baby has any 
eruption or breaking out of the skin, 
consult the doctor promptly. Every 
rash is not prickly heat. It may be 
some serious disease like scarlet 
fever, smallpox or chickenpox and 
may require the promptest possible 
treatment. 

Teething. — A few words as to 
baby's teething. The first teeth — 



PREVENTABLE DISEASES OF CHILDREN 



183 



the two lower front ones — are usually- 
cut when the baby is from six to 
seven months old. Some babies cut 
their teeth with little trouble; others 
are restless, uneasy and wakeful. 
The latter is especially the case if 
the baby is constipated. 

The teeth are usually cut in pairs: 
v^'irst the two lower (in the center), 
next the two upper, then the outside 
two above, then two below, next to 
those first cut. These teeth usually 
are all present by the twelfth month. 
The cutting, however, does not al- 
ways follow the above order, and all 
children do not cut their first teeth 
by the sixth or seventh month. 

Symptoms of diiScult teething are 
fever, restlessness, sleeplessness and, 
locally, swollen or tender gums. 
There is often loss of appetite and 
thirst caused by fever. These symp- 
toms are present only in severe cases. 
"\\"hen a child's teeth begin to come, 
it should be given less food and 
more water. It will often take more 
food than it can digest because it is 
thirsty and the food is liquid. The 
result is diarrhoeal trouble due to in- 
testinal irritation from over-feeding. 
This is often mistakenly supposed to 
be due to teething, whereas if babies 
are properly fed and hygienic rules 
observed, very few will have any 
bowel trouble during the first or sec- 
ond year regardless of whether teeth 
are coming or not. 

For the sleeplessness and irritabil- 
ity which so often accompany teeth- 
ing, much can be done by the mother. 
Drugs should not be given, except un- 
der the direction of a j^hysician. A 
hot foot bath will often have a sooth- 
ing effect by relieving the congestion 
in the head and mouth. Mustard can 
often be added to the foot bath with 
benefit. A little castor oil will be 
beneficial, for a good movement of 
the bowels will relieve congestion in 
the gums. The mother's finger 
dipped in sirup of lettuce can be 
gently carried over the tender and in- 
flamed gum, and now and then by a 
little firmer pressure may allow the 
point of the tooth to free its way 



through. The baby may be allowed 
to bite on a small chicken or ham 
bone, or if over nine months, on a 
piece of rare roast beef. 

Beware of soothing sirups which 
merely "dope" the baby, and often 
cause great harm. 

Constipation. — If a bottle-fed baby 
is constipated, wash out the bowels 
with an enema of tej^id water con- 
taining salt in the proportion of a 
level teaspoonful to the pint. Give 
one or two teaspoonfuls of castor oil. 
If this does not afford relief within 
four hours consult your physician. 
At this time you will be able to pre- 
vent a serious summer comi^laint with 
which the baby is threatened. 

When the food does not agree 
•with the baby it will fail to gain 
weight or will be constipated, have 
colic, "rolling of gases in the stom- 
ach" (flatulence), loose stools and 
diarrhoea. Consult your doctor with- 
out delay. Remember the stitch in 
time. The fact that an infant under 
one year of age does not gain in 
weight may show that it needs a dif- 
ferent kind of liquid food, but does 
not indicate that it requires any sort 
of solid food and under no circum- 
stances should solid food be given to 
babies under twelve or thirteen 
months of age. In hot weather reduce 
the amount of food and give more 
water. Pour out about one-fourth 
of the milk, replace with water and 
make the feedings farther apart, giv- 
ing water between. These simple 
rules are intended to help you take 
care of the babj' when it is well and 
to prevent its becoming sick. But 
the first thing to do when the baby is 
sick is to send for your physician. 
The home rem.edies above given will 
help you to check the trouble and 
keep it under control until the doctoi 
comes and prescribes the proper 
course of treatment. 

DON'T DRUG YOUE BABY 

Soothing Sirups. — There is no such 
thing as a harmless soothing sirup, 
teething powder or "baby's friend", 
as such drugs are ironically called by 



184 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



unprincipled manufacturers. This is 
a fact which all right-thinking moth- 
ers should take to heart and seek to 
impress upon others who are respon- 
sible for the care of infants. Hun- 
dreds of thousands of children have 
been poisoned to death in infancy by 
such compounds. Other children 
have survived their use with weak- 
ened constitutions, or have become 
the victims of drug habits in later 
life from the effects of these mix- 
tures. The chief active agents in 
most of these compounds are opium, 
morphine, heroin, codein, chloroform 
and chloral hydrate — all active poi- 
sons and especially deadly to chil- 
dren. 

Since the passage of the Pure 
Food Law, the manufacturers of 
preparations containing habit-form- 
ing drugs, or drugs dangerous to life, 
have been compelled to print on the 
label a list of these substances. 
Hence mothers should read carefully 
the labels of any cough mixtures, 
soothing sirups or other preparations 
recommended for children and dis- 
card them if they are found to con- 
tain any of these ingredients. You 
may safely regard with grave susjii- 
cion the manufacturer, dealer or 
physician who tells you that these 
substAnces are not likely to occur, in 
the widely advertised preparations, 
in quantities dangerous to your 
baby's health or life. 

Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Sirup is 
a well known preparation with which 
thousands of helpless infants have 
been drugged into insensibility by 
ignorant or indiiferent mothers and 
nurses for more than a generation. 
It contains opium in the form of 
morphine sulphate. There is little 
doubt but that this nostrum has 
caused the death of many children 
and has done incalculable injury to 
others. Collier's Weekly — to which 
much credit is due for its exposure 
of the nostrums which are such a 
menace to the lives and health of the 
American people — tells the following 
story: "A prominent New York 
lawyer was asked by his office scrub- 



woman to buy a ticket to some asso- 
ciation ball. He replied: 'How can 
you go to these affairs, Nora, when 
you have two young children at 
home?' 'Sure, they're all right,' 
she returned blithely. 'Just wan tay- 
spoonful of Winslow's and they lay 
like the dead till marnin'.' " 

The great demand for soothing 
sirup by mothers who wish their ba- 
bies to "stay put" has produced a 
rival to the late Mrs. Winslow under 
the touching name of "Kopp's Baby's 
Friend." This also contains opium. 
Collier's states that it is made of 
sweetened water and morphine sul- 
phate. It is well styled "the king of 
baby soothers," since it is said to 
contain in each teaspoonful enough 
morphine to kill an infant. Morphine 
should be given to a child under ten 
years of age only in very rare in- 
stances and never except under the 
direction of a physician. Read care- 
fully the following list of such prep- 
arations and what they contain. This 
was compiled by the Bureau of 
Chemistry of the United States De- 
partment of Agriculture: 

Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Sirup, 
morphine sulphate. 

Children's Comfort, morphine sul- 
phate. 

Dr. Fahrney's Pepsin Anodyne 
Compound, onorphine sulphate. 

Dr. Fahrney's Teething Sirup, 
morphine and chloroform. 

Dr. Fowler's Strawberry and Pep- 
permint Mixture, morphine. 

Dr. Grove's Anodyne for Infants, 
morphine sulphate. 

Hooper's Anodyne, the Infants' 
Friend, morphine hydrochloride. 

Jadway's Elixir for Infants, 
codein.* 

Dr. James' Soothing Sirup Cor- 
dial, heroin.* 

Kopp's Baby's Friend, morphine 
sulphate. 

Dr. Miller's Anodyne for Babies, 
morphine sulphate and chloral hy- 
drate. 



* Heroin and Codein are derivatives of opi- 
um, the same as morphine, and their action is 
similar. 



PREVENTABLE DISEASES OF CHILDREN 



18^ 



Dr. Moffett's Teethina, Teething 
Powders, powdered opium. 

Victor Infant Relief, chloroform 
and cannabis indica. 

To allay the fears of mothers, 
manufacturers and dealers often 
print on the label of such prepara- 
tions statements of the following 
character: "Contains nothing injuri- 
ous to the youngest babe"; or "Moth- 
ers need not fear giving this medi- 
cine, as no bad effects will come from 
its continued use." All such state- 
ments associated with the presence of 
opium or any of its derivatives — mor- 
phine, codein, heroin — chloroform, 
cannabis indica (hasheesh) or chloral 
hydrate, are deliberate falsehoods 
made with the calculated intention to 
deceive. There is always danger that 
an undue proportion of these drugs 
may be present in a given bottle or 
that an over-dose may be given and 
the baby put to sleep never to awake 
again. Numerous such cases are on 
record. In other instances when the 
remedy is freely used, the child does 
not succumb but develops a craving 
for the drug comjDarable to a drug 
habit in adults. As soon as one dose 




SootJiing sirups are poisons to hahies. 
They contain opium. Opium kills 
hahies. Don't dope your baby. 

of the drug passes away, the child 
becomes irritable and fretful with 
the result that another dose is ad- 
ministered. When the craving is thus 



met the child is quieted and the 
mother or . nurse feels j ustified in 
"recommending" the remedy to her 
neighbors. Sometimes such children 
look plump and healthy when, as a 
matter of fact, their flesh is soft and 
flabby and they are jjoorly prepared 
to withstand the attack of disease. 

Don't Dope Colicky Babies. — Sooth- 
ing sirup is most often recommended 
and used in case of colic. Paregoric, 
whisky, brandy or soothing sirup are 
improper remedies for that disease. 
Colic is often a symptom of some 
condition which needs attention. 
Drugging the baby into insensibility, 
or making it drunk, will not remove 
the cause of illness. Colic is often 
due to constipation, in which case an 
enema of warm water — with the addi- 
tion of salt at the rate of a level tea- 
spoonful to the pint — is required fol- 
lowed by one or two teaspoonfuls of 
castor oil or other gentle laxative 
medicine. 

Or, colic may come from cold 
hands and feet. Keejj a flannel belly 
band on a "colicky" baby both sum- 
mer and winter, but don't dope or 
drug the baby. When it is sick 
enough to need soothing sirup, it is 
sick enough to need a doctor. Proper 
feeding will usually overcome the 
trouble. In correcting errors in feed- 
ing a physician is your best ad- 
visor. 

SYMPTOMS OF COMMUNICABLE 
DISEASES 

Mothers, school teachers and other 
persons in immediate charge of small 
children should be constantly upon 
the look-out for symptoms of com- 
municable diseases and other common 
conditions requiring medical atten- 
tion. In general, any marked de- 
parture from the normal is a danger 
signal. The most common symjjtoms 
of acute contagious diseases are as 
follows: very red or pale face; red 
or discharging eyes, ears or nose; un- 
usual dullness or sleepiness; evi- 
dences of sore throat; coughing, 
vomiting or diarrhoeal discharges. 



186 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Eruptions of any sort demand espe- 
cially prompt attention. Chronic dis- 
eases may be suggested by emacia- 
tion; defective vision of one or both 
eyes; deafness; mouth constantly 
open; marked odors from the ear, 
nose, mouth or person; peculiar pos- 
tures when sitting or walking; fre- 
quent requests to go out or to the 
toilet; pain or swelling, or constant 
scratching of any part of the body. 

The following summary will be 
found convenient for ready refer- 
ence : 

Symptoms of Fever. — Headache, 
dullness or sleepiness and indisposi- 
tion for play or study; languid ex- 
pression of the eyes; sometimes 
flushed cheek and other times pallor; 
heat of skin and increased frequency 
of pulse, all indicate fever. Take the 
child's temperature promptly with a 
clinical thermometer. A normal tem- 
perature is between 98° and 99°. 

Eruptions. — The rash of scarlet 
fever is of a bright color. It usually 
appears on the neck and chest 
spreading thence to the face. A very 
characteristic symptom is a pale ring 
about the mouth. There is usually 
sore throat. 

The eruption of measles is a rose 
or pur,ple red. It occurs in blotches 
about the size of a pea. It appears 
first on the face and is associated 
with running of the nose and eyes. 

The eruption of chickenpox ap- 
pears first as small red pimples 
which quickly become small red blis- 
ters. 

Colds and Sore Throat. — Symp- 
toms of a cold in the head with run- 
ning eyes, sneezing and discharges 
from the nose and sore throat may 
mean nothing more than coryza or 
tonsilitis. But very often they indi- 
cate diphtheria, scarlet fever or 
measles. A thin watery nasal dis- 
charge which irritates the nostrils 
and upper lip indicates diphtheria. 
Weak and running eyes indicate 
measles. 

Coughs. — A cough may mean a 
simple cold or slight bronchitis. But 
^ spasmodic cough which occurs in 



paroxysms and is uncontrollable indi- 
cates whooping cough. A croupy 
cough — harsh and ringing — indicates 
diphtheria. A painful cough indi- 
cates diseases of the lungs, especially 
pleurisy or pneumonia. A long-con- 
tinued, hacking cough indicates tu- 
berculosis. 

Vomiting'. — This may mean only 
some digestive disturbance. But it 
may indicate the onset of diphtheria, 
smallpox or scarlet fever, 

Quarantine. — All children or other 
persons exposed to infection from the 
following diseases should be kept 
under observation and excluded from 
schools and other public places dur- 
ing the following period of incuba- 
tion dated from the latest exposure 
to such infection: Infantile paraly- 
sis (anterior poliomyelitis), 14 days; 
_ diphtheria, 8 days; scarlet fever, 8 
days; measles, chickenpox, whooping 
cough and mumps each 14 days. Pa- 
tients convalescing from any of the 
above diseases should be isolated for 
the following periods reckoned from 
the date of onset or final diagnosis 
of the disease, namely: Infantile 
paralysis (anterior poliomyelitis), 28 
days; chickenpox, 15 days and there- 
after until all scabs have fallen off; 
diphtheria, 15 days and thereafter 
until two successive negative cultures 
have been obtained from the site of 
the disease secured at least twenty- 
four hours apart; measles, 21 days 
and thereafter until all catarrhal 
symptoms have ceased; mumps, 21 
days and thereafter until all gland- 
ular swelling has disappeared; scarlet 
fever, 42 days and thereafter until 
desquamation (peeling) is complete 
and all discharges from mucous mem- 
branes have stopped; whooping 
cough, 35 days and thereafter until 
all spasmodic cough and whooping 
have ceased. 

Children afflicted with ringworms, 
scabies or impetigo contagiosa should 
be kept from school and contact with 
other persons until the disease is 
cured, or until a reliable physician 
can certify that they are not liable to 
spread infection, 



PREVENTABLE DISEASES OE CHILDREN 



187 



Diphtheria. — This disease often 
runs a very mild course. A child 
may hardly feel sick enough to take 
to its bed. Such cases may, and 
often do, give other children the form 
that kills. Hence every case of fever 
with sore throat in children should 
be looked on with suspicion. Look 
out especially for nasal diphtheria 
marked by a thin watery discharge 
from the nose which irritates the 
nostrils and may cause bleeding from 
the nose and sores about the nostrils 
and upper lip. Any hoarseness or 
thickness of the voice should suggest 
an examination of the throat. If the 
tonsils, the palate and surrounding 
mucous membrane are inflamed and 
swollen, and particularly if there are 
white patches in any part of the 
throat, have a culture taken and 
tested for diphtheria. 

Scarlet Fever. — A sudden attack 
of vomiting, redness of the throat, 
headache and fever suggests scarlet 
fever. The rash appears on the first, 
or more often the second day and ex- 
tends from the back of the neck to 
the chest and thence all over the 
body. It is usually uniformly scat- 
tered but may be patchy. The color 
is a characteristic deep red which 
may become more livid, approaching 
purple. A very characteristic sign is 
a pale ring about the mouth. The 
eruption lasts from three to five days 
and fades. Peeling follows in the 
shape of scales and persists for sev- 
eral weeks. 

Measles. — The early symptoms are 
those of a feverish cold. Observe 
esi^ecially that the eyes are red and 
sensitive to the light. There is a 
discharge from the nose, sneezing and 
a dry hacking cough. Look for Kop- 
lik's sign, i. e., minute, pearly white 
blisters on the inside membrane of 
the mouth near the molar teeth. This 
is a sure sign. But observe that 
these may be few in number and not 
surrounded by any inflammation. 
Hence be sure to examine the patient 
carefully in a good light. The rash 
comes out the third or fourth day, 
first on the forehead and face and 



then over the front and down the 
sides. As the red spots increase in 
number they form distinct crescent- 
shaped figures composed of papules 
just raised above the skin. In se- 
vere cases the color may deepen to 
purple. The rash lasts four or five 
days, then fades and is followed by 
peeling. The disease is highly con- 
tagious from the beginning of the 
symptoms. 

Whooping Cough. — A persistent 
paroxysmal cough frequently accom- 
panied by vomiting is indicative of 
whooping cough, whether or not there 
is any distinct whoop. But as a rule, 
whooping cough comes in distinct 
spasms. During these the face is 
puflFed and reddened, the eyes con- 
gested and watery, and the charac- 
teristic whooping sound is made. A 
paroxysm is often followed by vomit- 
ing. 

Mnmps. — Any swelling of the 
glands behind the angle of the jaw 
should suggest mumps. The swell- 
ing extends just in front, just be- 
hind and below the ear and is ex- 
tremely painful. A very frequent 
symptom is swelling inside the mouth 
and opposite the second molar 
tooth. 

Smallpox. — The first symptoms are 
severe headache, backache, rapid rise 
of temperature and vomiting. The 
eruption appears about the third day. 
Then the fever subsides and the pa- 
tient sometimes feels perfectly well. 
In mild cases a child may be able to 
play or return to school. The symp- 
toms in mild cases are very similar 
to chickenpox. But observe that 
smallpox cannot occur if a child has 
been successfully vaccinated. If not, 
it is best to be on the safe side and 
promptly call a physician. 

Chickenpox. — The symptoms are 
those of a cold in the head with a 
slight fever. The characteristic rash 
breaks out the first or second day 
in the form of small blisters. A few 
of these may be seen about the roots 
of the hair, but they occur mostly 
on the body. These soon break and 
produce a drying scab. 



188 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Scabies (Itch). — Small pimples are 
hotlced on the back of the hands and 
especially the spaces between the fin- 
gers or on the arms or whole body. 
These are caused by an animal para- 
site which burrows in the skin. They 
are seldom seen on the face or scalp. 
Itching and an irresistible desire to 
scratch are the principal symptoms. 
These become more intense when the 
patient stands near a hot fire or 
about the time of going to bed at 
night. 

Pediculosis (Lice).— Intense itch- 
ing and scratching of the hair and 
scalp are indications of vermin. 
Constant scratching may cause in- 




Protect your haiy from the preventable 
perils surrounding it. 



flammation of the scalp and skin of 
the neck. Look for the eggs (nits) 
which are always stuck on to the 
hair and not readily brushed off. 

Bingworm. — All eruptions of the 
skin in the form of circles or rings 
should be examined by a physician 
for ringworm. This is a vegetable 
parasitic skin disease which is com- 
municable. 

Impetigo. — This is a contagious 
disease which is often spread by tow- 
els, toys and other things handled by 
children. It is characterized by large 
or small pustules (boils) or festers 
upon the skin. These usuallj^ appear 
on the face, neck or hands and occa- 
sionally upon the scalp. 



INFANTILE PARALYSIS (ACUTE 
POLIOMYELITIS) 

This is a communicable disease 
which has become epidemic in recent 
years and seems to be spreading rajD- 
idly throughout the United States. 
It is due to a germ which attacks the 
spinal cord and to a less extent the 
brain. It injures and destroys the 
tissues, and causes temporary or per- 
manent paralysis of the muscles. 

It attacks chiefly young children 
during the first year of teething, but 
may also be communicated to older 
children, and adults are not exempt. 
Hence the name infantile paralysis 
is somewhat misleading. The nature 
and source of this disease were for- 
merly obscure, but recently Flexner 
has proved it to have all the char- 
acteristics of a germ disease and 
early in 1913 he announced that the 
specific germ by which it is caused 
has been isolated. 

If the germs of this disease become 
as widespread as those of measles 
or scarlet fever, the result will be 
appalling. Not only is the death rate 
high, but tlie after eff^ects, in about 
three- fourths of all cases, are more 
or less severe permanent paralysis 
of the arms or legs, or other parts of 
the body. About 30,000 cases have 
been reported in the last few years in 
the United States, with 5,000 deaths 
and upwards of 15,000 children crip^ 
pled. The death rate varies in dif- 
ferent localities from 5 p6r cent to 30 
per cent. The disease is most preva- 
lent in July, August and September. 
In respect to its permanent after ef- 
fects it is one of the saddest of all 
diseases. 

Modes of Infection. — The germs 
gain entrance into the S3^stem through 
the mucous surfaces of the nose and 
throat. Infection may be direct by 
inhaling germs from the breath 
laden with infection from the mucous 
surfaces of the patient's nose and 
throat; or indirect, from the clothing 
of the nurse, phj'sician, or other bed- 
side visitor, or from objects contam- 
inated in the sick room. There is 



PREVENTABLE DISEASES OF CHILDREN 



189 



danger also from the healthy carriers 
of the disease. Epidemics are prob- 
ably due to mild cases and to "car- 
riers" attending day or Sunday 
schools, fairs, or other public gather- 
ings. 

Symptoms. — The period of incuba- 
tion is from one to fourteen days. 
The average is from five to ten days. 
This is one of the most difficult of all 
diseases to recognize, unless the phy- 
sician is put on guard by the pres- 
ence of other cases in the locality. 
It is especially difficult to recognize 
in the case of children. The onset 
of the disease is usually sudden. The 
fever rises from 101° to 103° in the 
first twenty-four hours. There is 
usually malaise, profuse sweating, 
vomiting and general severe pains in 
the arms and back, sometimes re- 
ferred to the joints. Convulsions 
frequently occur in children. Ten- 
derness, generally in the lower ex- 
tremities, less frequently in the spine 
and trunk, but sometimes in the up- 
per limbs and neck, is a frequent and 
highly important symptom. 

Paralysis of one or both legs gen- 
erally occurs within from twelve 
hours to three or four days, but the 
paralysis may extend to any part of 
the body. The fever lasts from five 
to nine days, accompanied by deliri- 
um, but rarely rises above 104° even 
in fatal cases. Diarrhoea often sets 
in on the second day. 

This disease often occurs in a mild- 
er form without paralysis, and these 
cases may give the form that kills. A 
physician should be promptly sum- 
moned in suspicious cases, especially 
if this disease has been reported in 
the locality. The patient should be 
isolated until a positive diagnosis can 
be made. 

Prevention. — The work of Flexner 
gives strong hope of the discovery of 
an antitoxin for poliomyelitis, but 
at present there is no certain means 
of cure. Hence the only safety lies 
in preventive measures. Children 
should be kept absolutely away from 
homes in which this disease has ap- 
peared and from association with 



members of the afflicted families, 
even though they are apparently well. 
The patient should be isolated and 
the sick room should be prepared in 
all respects as for typhoid, and every 
sanitary precaution suggested for 
that disease should be observed. As 
the infection is present chiefly in the 
discharges from the nose and throat, 
special care should be taken to re- 
ceive them on soft cloths which 
should be promptly burned. The 
nurse and physician should take the 
precaution to suspend a cloth moist- 
ened in a disinfectant solution over 
their inouth and nostrils when ap- 
proaching the patient closely enough 
to take his infected breath. 

The use of a 10 per cent solution of 
peroxide of hydrogen as a gargle or 
spray for the throat is advised both 
for the patient and also for the 
nurse, physician and members of the 
family, or others who may have been 
exposed to the infection. Contact 
with this substance kills all germs of 
this disease. 

Special care should be taken to dis- 
infect all excreta from the patient. 
The germs have great vitality, and 
being extremely small, it is probable 
they may be scattered through the 
air on particles of dust. Hence spe- 
cial care should be observed to wash 
floors, rather than sweep them, and 
to dust only with cloths wet with a 
disinfectant. After the death or re- 
covery of the patient, the room 
should be disinfected with about dou- 
ble the ordinary quantity of sulphur 
or formaldehyde, and on account of 
the extreme vitality of the germ, the 
entire exposed floor and all surfaces, 
woodwork and furnishings should 
also be washed with full strength 
standard solution. No. 3, bichloride of 
mercury. 

Quarantine. — Most boards of 
health now require all cases to be re- 
ported, the premises to be placarded, 
and strict quarantine maintained. 
No one except the nurse and physi- 
cian should be admitted to the sick 
room during the sickness, or for 
some months after recovery. There 



190 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



is danger that the patient may con- 
tinue to carry the germs of the dis- 
ease. Several epidemics have been 
stamped out by strict quarantine. 
The period of infection is not pre- 
cisely known, but is supposed to be 
chiefly while the fever lasts — usually 
about three weeks. The quarantine 
of the other members of the family 
than the patient need not extend 
beyond this period. The bread win- 
ners should board and room else- 
where, especially during the quaran- 
tine period and for three weeks after 
their last exposure. They should 
avoid all public gatherings and min- 
gle as little as possible with other 
persons. Or, preferably, the patient 
should be removed to a hospital at 
the outset of the disease. 

CEREBKOSPINAL MENINGITIS 

This malady, also called spotte^ 
fever, or simply meningitis, was for- 
merly one of the most terrible and 
fatal of all diseases, the mortality 
in some local epidemics running up 
to as high as 100 per cent. It is an 
inflammation of the membrane cover- 




Germs of ceretrospinal meningitis: a, 
pus-cell; b, pus-cell containing germs 
of meningitis shonn at c; d, the same 
germ lying outside of pus-cells. 

ing the brain and spinal cord and is 
caused by a specific germ. 

Flexner has discovered a serum 
which cures this disease and leads to 
the hope that a similar antitoxin may 
be discovered for the control of in- 
fantile paralysis. The germ of this 
disease has been identified, and is al- 



ways present in the brain and spinal 
cord of the patient, and in the spinal 
fluid. It may also occur in the 
nasal passages of the patient and of 
healthy carriers who have been in- 
fected from him. It attacks most 
frequently children between one 
and ten years of age. It is most 
prevalent in the late winter and 
spring months, especially in March, 
April and May. It is always pres- 
ent in certain neighborhoods and 
may occur at any season of the year. 

Modes of Infection. — The germ 
of meningitis occurs in the discharges 
from the mouth, nose and ears of the 
patient, and the infection may be 
spread by direct contact with the 
patient or healthy carriers, or by ob- 
jects infected by them. The germ is 
not thought to live long outside the 
human body. Hence the spread of 
'the disease is easily controlled by the 
isolation of the patient and by 
proper sanitary precautions. 

Symptoms. — The first symptoms of 
infection are those of an ordinary 
cold. But when the brain is attacked, 
the onset of the disease becomes very 
sudden. There is usually a chill 
with intense headache, vomiting, rest- 
lessness, and a great dread of noises 
and bright light. In many cases the 
reddish spots appear beneath the 
skin, which suggests the name, spot- 
ted fever. These spots are usually 
quite tender on pressure. The mus- 
cles of the neck become very stiff and 
contract, drawing the head backward. 
This is a characteristic symptom. 
The chill is followed by irregular 
temperatures, sometimes very high. 
After a few hours or days, unless the 
antitoxin serum is injected, the pa- 
tient becomes unconscious and shortly 
dies. Or, in mild cases, the symptoms 
quickly subside and recovery is 
rapid. 

Prevention, — The symptoms of an 
ordinary cold in the head should be 
regarded with suspicion during an 
epidemic of meningitis. A physician 
should be summoned in all suspicious 
cases, and the patient isolated in the 
sick room as for typhoid fever, until 



PREVENTABLE DISEASES OF CHILDREN 



191 



a positive diagnosis can be made. 
This may be done by withdrawing a 
sample of the spinal fluid from the 
spinal column by means of a hypoder- 
mic needle. This is a simple proced- 
ure when performed by a competent 
physician, and quite free from dan- 
ger. If the germs of meningitis are 
present, both local and state health 
authorities should be promptly noti- 
fied and the Flexner serum should 
be obtained and Injected into the 
spinal column by an experienced 
physician. Prompt action is impera- 
tive, as death will occur in most 
cases within a few days unless this 
remedy is administered. 

The sick must be kept away from 
the well. All discharges, especially 
from the nose and throat, must be 
thoroughly disinfected. The nurse 
or attendant in the sick room, the 
physician and all the members of the 
family who may have been infected 
before the nature of the disease was 
recognized, should thoroughly disin- 
fect the nasal passages and throat by 
a spray or gargle of one part per- 
oxide of hydrogen to three parts of 
water, or with equal parts of water 
and liquor antisepticus U. S. P. 
This should be followed by a spray 
of menthol, gum camphor and liquid 
alboline. As an immunizing dose, 
about 10 c. c. of Flexner serum may 
be injected for three or four days, 
twenty-four hours apart, in cases of 
known exposure. 

The use of urotropin in doses of 
from 5 to 10 grains dissolved in 
water an hour after meal time, three 
times a day^ — ^under the advice of a 
physician — as a preventive, is also 
recommended. Observe that if this 
drug is taken too soon after eating, 
digestive disturbances may result. 

These measures with the ordinary 
sanitary precautions in the sick room, 
including disinfection of all excreta, 
have been found to thoroughly con- 
trol this disease. Fresh air and sun- 
shine quickly destroy the germs. 

ftuarantine. — Placard the prem- 
ises and keep the members of the 
family to themselves until cultures 



taken from their nasal passages are 
found to be free from germs of the 
disease. After recovery or death, 
disinfect the house thoroughly with 
formaldehyde or sulphur. The effect 
of sanitary precautions is shown from 
the fact that nurses and attendants 
very rarely contract this disease. 

DIPHTHERIA 

Diphtheria is a germ disease caused 
by the growth of the diphtheria ba- 
cillus, usually in the throat, nose or 
bronchial tubes. This bacillus was 
discovered by Klebs (1803) and 
shown to be the cause of diphtheria 
by Loeffler (1884), hence it is called 




Diphtheria germs greatly magnified. 
These minute plants, by growing in 
the throatj cause diphtheria. 

the Klebs-Loeffler bacillus after its 
discoverers. It throws off in process 
of growth a powerful poison, or 
toxin. This is absorbed in the blood 
and tissues and produces the symp- 
toms of the disease. Adults are not 
as susceptible to this poison as 
are children over one year old, nor 
are all persons equally susceptible. 
Hence all cases are not equally se- 
vere. The germs are often found in 
the throat or nasal passages of per- 
sons who are perfectly well or who 
may exhibit only the mildest symp- 
toms. But if there is any redness 
or soreness in the throat and the 



192 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



diphtheria bacillus is present, the dis- 
ease should be regarded as diphtheria 
and treated accordingly. These ba- 
cilli frequently live and grow for 
months and even years in the throats 
and noses of persons who have re- 
covered from diphtheria even after 
they have become quite well and 
strong. Recovery from the dis- 
ease does not necessarily mean 
freedom from the germs that caused 
it. 

Symptoms. — The symptoms of 
diphtheria vary from a mild redness 
of the throat to the formation, in 
severe cases, of a thick, grayish- 
white membrane which may cover the 
whole throat and cause death by 
choking. It is extremely important 
to recognize this disease at the out- 
set, since there is an antitoxin which 
cures diphtheria if administered 
promptly. It is the delay in securing 
treatment that kills. A case treated 
on the first day very rarely termi- 
nates in death. Every case of simple 
sore throat in children should be sus- 
pected as possibly diphtheritic. Call 
the doctor early. Give antitoxin as 
soon as a diagnosis of diphtheria is 
made. 

The patient first complains of sore 
throat. This gradually grows worse 
and in a few hours fever is ob- 
served. But sometimes the throat is 
not complained of until the fever has 
appeared. Or nausea and vomiting 
may be the first symptoms. After 
the fever appears the child usually 
becomes sleepy. This condition is 
brought about by the absorption of 
the poisonous product of the germs. 
In severe cases this drowsiness may 
pass into a stupor from which the 
child is hard to rouse. The germs 
do not usually circulate in the blood 
but grow in masses in the throat. 
First a small whitish speck will ap- 
pear on one or both tonsils. The ex- 
tent of this growth varies with the 
severity of the disease from small 
patches to the entire surface of the 
throat. Any grayish deposit on the 
tonsils or other part of the throat, if 
attended with the slightest fever, 



should arouse suspicion and a physi- 
cian should be promptly consulted. 

The first symptom of membranous 
croup or diphthei'ia of the larynx 
may be a harsh cough or difficulty in 
breathing. Croupy conditions, not 
promptly relieved by ordinary reme- 
dies, should always be suspected as 
possibly diphtheritic, especially if 
there is diphtheria in the community. 
Diphtheria of the lining membrane 
of the nose is frequently mistaken 
for ordinary cold. The discharges, 
however, are different, being fre- 
quently tinged with blood and caus- 
ing lip sores. Such conditions when 
diphtheria is prevalent should be re- 
garded as suspicious. 

Diphtheria occurs chiefly in chil- 
dren between the ages of two and fif- 
teen years. Girls are attacked in 
larger numbers than boys. But adults 
- are not infrequently infected. The 
disease is most prevalent in late fall. 
It prevails more in winter than in 
summer. It develops in from two to 
seven days, oftenest two days after 
exposure. 

If a child or adult has sore throat 
with the formation of a thick gray- 
white membrane in any part of the 
mouth, throat or nose, the disease is 
diphtheria. The sick room should be 
made ready, as recommended under 
typhoid fever, and the patient 
promptly isolated. If there is no 
membrane formation, but the patient 
appears to be stupid, drowsy or much 
prostrated, the case may be diph- 
theria and should be isolated until a 
positive diagnosis can be obtained. 
A "culture" should be taken from the 
throat of all persons who have come 
into contact with the patient before 
he was isolated. If the germs of 
diphtheria are present they should be 
protected by an immunizing dose of 
1,000 imits of diphtheria antitoxin. 

Prevention and Disinfection. — 
Isolate the patient in a sick room pre- 
pared as recommended for typhoid 
fever and observe all the precautions 
therein suggested to prevent secon- 
dary infection. The germs are most 
numerous in the discharges from the 



PREVENTABLE DISEASES OF CHILDREN 



193 



nose and throat. Hence take especial 
care to receive the sputum on soft 
rags which should be i?romptly 
burned, or in a sputum cup contain- 
ing disinfectants No. 4, carbolic acid 
(5 per cent), or No. 5, formalin (5 
per cent). The nurse and attending 
physician should wear a gown of 
washable material, preferably with a 
hood, to avoid carrying the infection 
in their hair and clothing. After the 
recovery or death of the patient, the 
sick room should be thoroughly dis- 
infected by formaldehyde or sulphur 
fumigation. 

Quarantine. — Quarantine the en- 
tire household as recommended under 
scarlet fever. Keep children from 
day and Sunday school. Keep the 
members of the family indoors and 
arrange for the bread-winners to 
board and room elsewhere. Quaran- 
tine must be continued until the 
diphtheria bacilli disappear from the 
throat of the patient. This will or- 
dinarily require about four weeks 
after recovery. "Cultures" should 
then be taken by the physician and 
quarantine should not be lifted until 
the bacilli are found to be absent 
from two successive "cultures." Re- 
member that the mild cases and well 
persons who are carrying the germs 
of the disease are the most danger- 
ous sources of infection. The only 
sure precaution is the bacteriological 
test made by a competent physician 
and the isolation of all infected per- 
sons until the bacillus disappears. 

SCARLET FEVER 

Scarlet fever has all the character- 
istics of a germ disease, though the 
specific germ which causes it has not 
yet been identified. Hence there is 
no antitoxin against scarlet fever and 
no etficient method for its control. 
Scarlatina, scarlet rash, canker rash, 
fever rash and Duke's disease are 
merely other names for scarlet fever. 
They are often applied to the mild 
cases under the mistaken belief tliat 
these are a different and less danger- 
ous malady, but this is not the case. 



The mild cases will give the form 
that kills. Scarlet fever is highly 
contagious, but, like other germ dis- 
eases, is wholly preventable. It is, 
or should be, among the most dread- 
ed of all the acute diseases of child- 
hood. It attacks chiefly children be- 
tween the ages of one and 10 years, 
although about 5 per cent of all cases 
occur in adult life. The death rate 
is about one out of every fifteen or 
twenty cases. 

Occasionally parents expose a child 
to a mild case from the mistaken no- 
tion that all children must have the 
disease and that it is best to have 
it light. Parents frequently permit 
children suffering from mild cases or 
convalescing to play about the house 
or even run about the neighborhood 
at wiU. Such contacts of infected 
with healthy children are of great 
assistance in spreading the disease. 
Persons who knowingly permit them 
often cause cases of death, and with 
the increase of sanitary knowledge 
the law will undoubtedly recognize 
such crimes and visit them with ap- 
propriate penalties. After childhood 
the liability to take the disease is 
very much lessened. Many persons 
who escape the disease in childhood 
have been immune to it although 
many times exposed in later life. 
Two-thirds of all deaths occur in 
children under five. When the dis- 
ease does not kill it frequently leaves 
its victim crippled for life. The 
commonest after-effects are inflam- 
mation of the kidneys, heart, ears, 
glands and joints. Deafness some- 
times results. Hence, although one 
attack usually renders a patient im- 
mune, the utmost care should be 
taken to protect all children from 
exposure. 

Symptoms. — The period of incuba- 
tion after exposure varies from one 
to fourteen days. Hence, a child ex- 
posed to scarlet fever should be care- 
fully watched during the following 
two weeks. Upon the first symptoms 
of shivering, lassitude, headache, fre- 
quent pulse, hot, dry skin, flushed 
face, furred tongue with much thirst 



194 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



and loss of appetite, the sick room 
should be prepared as for typhoid 
fever and the patient isolated until 
a positive diagnosis can be made by 
a pliysician, 

^'onliting is usually among the first 
positive symptoms. Other symptoms 
are sore throat, intense fever with 
lieadache or backache, and the char- 
acteristic scarlet rash. This usually 
ai)])ears in from twelve to twenty- 
four hours, first upon the lower part 
of the neck and adjacent parts of 
the chest and afterwards gradually 
spreading over the entire body. This 
disease, like typhoid or diphtheria, 
appears in varying degrees of sever- 
ity. It may cause deatli within twen- 
ty-four hours or may be so mild that 
the patient does not feel sick enough 
to stay in bed. There are many true 
cases of this malady with a very low 
fever and without vomiting or other 
acute symptoms, or even without the 
characteristic rash. A child with a 
sore throat is under suspicion of scar- 
let fever or diphtheria and should be 
kept away from school and from 
other children until a positive diag- 
nosis can be made. 

E-unniiig Ear. — During the third 
or fourth week of the disease, it is 
possible that the ears may become 
diseased and lead to what is known 
as a "running ear." The child by 
this time has had no fever for a 
number of days. He suddenly be- 
comes more or less feverish and rest- 
less, and complains at the same time 
of pain in the ear. This is a danger 
signal and calls for immediate action 
by the doctor. If this condition goes 
untreated, it may result in a running 
ear which sometimes lasts for years. 
With proper treatment, however, most 
of these cases are soon cured; 

Acute Nephritis, or inflammation 
of the kidneys, develops, at times, in 
the third to the fifth week of the 
disease. The child, who has seemed 
to be almost well, suddenly develops 
a fever. He complains of headache, 
usually vomits and may have convul- 
sions. The amount of urine pa:ssed 
is small. The patient may complain 



of trouble with the eyes, and of not 
being able to see distinctly. Should 
any of these symptoms develop, the 
doctor should be called immediately. 
Modes of Infection. — This disease 
is spread through carelessness. Every 
case comes directly, or indirectly, 
from some previous case, either by 
direct infection from inhaling the 
breath of a scarlet fever patient, or 
by secondary contact infection. Most 
cases of direct infection are due to 
neglect of mild cases and careless- 
ness of those recovering from the dis- 
ease. If every case could be thor- 
oughly isolated — quarantined — the 
disease would disapjjear from the 
face of the earth. The only safe 
course to pursue is to isolate the pa- 
tient and to quarantine and disinfect 
the sick room in all respects as for 
typhoid fever. 

The nurse and attending physician 
should wear a hooded gown of wash- 
able material to avoid carrying in- 
fection from the sick room upon the 
hair or clothing. On leaving the sick 
room this gown may be disinfected 
by sprinkling it with one or two 
tablespoonfuls of 40 per cent solu- 
tion of formaldehyde and packing it 
in a small valise or other tightly 
closed receptacle. Both the nurse 
and physician should avoid direct in- 
fection from the patient's breath. No 
one else should be permitted to enter 
the sick room. 

The chief danger from contact in- 
fection is from scales from the skin, 
the spittle from the throat and mouth 
and the nose and ear discharges. But 
all the discharges of the patient 
should be disinfected as for typhoid 
fever. By confining the patient ab- 
solutely to the sick room until the 
danger of infection is passed and by 
proper and efficient disinfection, as 
elsewhere recommended, the spread 
of the disease can be absolutely pre- 
vented. 

The germs of scarlet fever are 
very long-lived. They may communi- 
cate the infection after many months 
and at long distances by means of 
clothing, playthings, books, maga- 



PREVENTABLE DISEASES OF CHILDREN 



195 



zines, bedding, towels or any articles 
of household furniture or otlier ob- 
jects on which the contagion from the 
patient may have lodged. Heace 
nothing should be removed from the 
sick room without having first been 
thoroughly disinfected. 

Quarantine. — Most cities require 
strict quarantine in cases of scarlet 
fever. Keep the children from both 
day and Sunday school. Take care 
that the nurse and all members of 
the family remain indoors. Arrange 
for the bread-winners to room and 
board elsewhere during the course of 
the disease. Have milk and grocer- 
ies left at the door and disinfect 
all articles even including letters and 
postal cards. This may be done by 
baking them in a suitable receptacle 
at a temperature of about 250 de- 
grees. 

Or, place the articles in an air- 
tight receptacle with a closely-fitting 
cover, sprinkle them freely with a 
40 per cent solution of formaldehyde, 
cover tightly and leave the recep- 
tacle in a warm room for at least 
four hours. No milk or groceries 
should be sold in, or accepted from, 
premises quarantined for scarlet 
fever. Milk from infected dairies 
is a frequent source of contagion. 

Desquamation or "Peeling" is a 
highly characteristic phase of scarlet 
fever. After the rash begins to fade 
the fever disappears and the patient 
usually feels good and is anxious to 
get out and play. The skin affected 
by the rash now begins to scale or 
peel from all parts of the body, 
sometimes in large or small flakes, 
but often in the form of a dry mealy 
powder. This is charged with the 
virus of the disease in its most in- 
fectious form. The process of peel- 
ing occupies a variable time from 
ten days to six weeks and this is the 
most contagious period of the dis- 
ease. The infectious dry skin is eas- 
ily spread about the room and may 
be carried elsewhere upon the cloth- 
ing of members of the family, or 
other objects. Or it may remain at- 
t^che^ to airticles of furpltvre, or 



as dust in out-of-the-way jilaces, to 
infect others with whom it may come 
in contact. To present all this, the 
patient must be confined to the sick 
room and bathed daily, under the ad- 
vice of the attending physician, with 
soap and warm water. Bathing with 
disinfectants is not advisable. But 
the water used for the bath 
must afterwards be thoroughly dis- 
infected. 

After the bath the patient should 
be anointed with sweet or olive oil 
containing a little oil of Eucalyptus, 
or 3 per cent of carbolic acid, or 
with 3 per cent carbolized vaseline, 
or a boracic acid ointment at the 
discretion of the attending physician. 
This will not only allay the itching 
from the rash, but will confine the 
dry scales to the body and bed linen 
and facilitate the work of disinfec- 
tion. This should be continued until 
the skin is entirely smooth. The 
soles of the feet and palms of 
the hand are usually the last to 
peel. 

Duration of Quarantine. — The 
length of time during which a scar- 
let fever patient is dangerous to 
others differs widely. Isolation must 
be enforced until all peeling or scal- 
ing off of the skin is completed, and 
until there is no further discharge 
from the ears, nose, throat, suppu- 
rating glands or inflammation of the 
kidneys. The time required for scal- 
ing varies from four to eight weeks. 
The soles of the feet and palms of 
the hands are the last to peel. Mild 
cases with very little scaling and 
without ear, nose, throat, kidney and 
glandular complications, should be 
isolated not less than four weeks, 
and severe cases not less than six 
weeks. This period must be pro- 
longed if the ears, nose, throat, 
glands or kidneys continue to be dis- 
eased. The advice of a reliable 
physician should be followed in all 
cases. 

Disinfection. — After death or re- 
covery disinfect the sick room and 
its contents thoroughly as elsewhere 
described. 



196 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



MEASLES 

Measles is the most contagious 
eruptive disease of childliood. It is 
probably a germ disease, but the 
germ by which it is caused has not 
yet been identified. German measles 
— more properly Rotheln or Rubella 
— is not a form of measles nor is it 
a mild type of scarlet fever. It is 
a distinct disease. Black measles — 
the malignant type of the disease — 
is very fatal. The black color is 
due to hemorrhages in the skin. 
Measles may occur at any time dur- 
ing the year, but is most prevalent 
in the fall and winter months. 

Symptoms. — The period of incuba- 
tion is from ten to fourteen days 
after exposure. The symptoms for 
the first two or three days are very 
much like those of an ordinary cold, 
in the head. The eyes become red 
and watery and are sensitive to light. 
The nose is stopped up or there is 
a discharge from the nose, with 
sneezing. The throat is sore and 
there is a dry, hard, high-pitched 
cough. The tonsils may be swollen 
or red, headache, fever, loss of ap- 
petite, drowsiness and irritability are 
usually observed. 

Oceasionally the disease comes on 
suddenly with vomiting and high 
fever, but usually the fever is not 
very high. It may disappear on the 
second or third day with improve- 
ment of all the other symptoms. 
Then the temperature again rises and 
continues very high until the fourth 
day when the eruption appears. The 
disease is contagious from the outset 
of the earliest symptoms. Hence any 
one suffering from these symptoms 
should be isolated and kept under 
observation for three or four days, 
especially if measles is prevalent. 
Children should be kept from both 
day and Sunday school. 

The characteristic skin eruption ap- 
pears on the fourth day on the face 
and neck and thence over the whole 
body as dull red blotches a little 
raised, and later running together. 
It gives the skin a peculiar mottled 



appearance. Before this occurs one 
cannot be positive that the case is 
one of measles. But generally there 
is an eruption of some light red spots 
on the inside of the cheeks two or 
three days before the external erup- 
tion. If care is taken to be on the 
lookout for this symptom the nature 
of the disease may be determined 
early. The eruption lasts usually 
four or five days and disappears as 
the other symptoms improve. It is 
followed by a fine bran-like desqua- 
mation or peeling, which is usually 
complete in about a week. 

Prognosis. — Measles is quite com- 
monly regarded as a slight and triv- 
ial disorder. Hence parents not in- 
frequently expose young children to 
this malady from the mistaken no- 
tion that they are certain to contract 
it some time and the sooner it is 
over the better. It is true that the 
disease is more severe in adult life. 
But on the other hand it is a very 
fatal disease among young children. 
It causes about three times as many 
deaths as smallpox and nearly as 
many as scarlet fever. Measles and 
whooping cough together cause near- 
ly as many deaths as diphtheria. The 
mortality from measles is much 
higher than is generally supposed. 
Ninety-five per cent of all deaths oc- 
cur in children under five years of 
age, and far more deaths occur under 
than over two years of age. The 
death rate from measles in times of 
epidemic ranges from 4 per cent to 
6 per cent and not infrequently ex- 
ceeds that from scarlet fever. 

The danger from measles is chiefly 
due to complication with other dis- 
eases, such as whooping cough and 
bronchial pneumonia, or to after-ef- 
fects, such as consumption, paralysis, 
meningitis, diseases of the skin and 
nervous disorders. Inflammation of 
the ear is a not infrequent compli- 
cation of measles. This often leads, 
to deafness or w^orse. Latent tuber- 
culosis in a child often becomes ac- 
tive after an attack of measles. If 
a child "seems to have caught cold" 
after measles consult a doctor at 



PREVENTABLE DISEASES OF CHILDREN 



197 



once. Hence exposure to infection 
should be avoided and every case 
should receive skilled medical atten- 
tion. 

Modes of Infection. — Measles is 
contagious from the beginning of the 
symptoms — usually three or four 
days before the eruption occurs. It 
is during this first stage of the dis- 
ease, when the symptoms can hardly 
be distinguished from those of an 
ordinary cold in the head, that direct 
infection is most often communi- 
cated. The disease is usually con- 
veyed to others by direct exposure 
but may be conveyed by the dis- 
charges of the nose and throat and 
possibly from the fragments of skin 
thrown off from the surface of the 
body during peeling. Infection may 
be carried by the clothing of the 
patient, or those who come in con- 
tact with him, and by otiier objects. 
But the germs are not nearly so long- 
lived as those of diphtheria and scar- 
let fever. Hence the danger from 
secondary infection is much less. 
Mild cases may give the disease in 
its most malignant form and are 
equally as contagious. 

Quarantine. — When measles is 
prevalent and especially if there is 
likelihood that exposure has occurred, 
children should be kept under close 
observation for ten days to two 
weeks and promptly isolated on the 
appearance of the first symptoms. 
If red spots are not observed on the 
inside of the cheeks within two days, 
or if the eruption does not break 
out within four or five days after 
the first feverish symptoms, the case 
may be regarded as a simple cold in 
the head. But if there is any evi- 
dence of eruption, however mild, iso- 
late the child in the sick room pre- 
pared as for typhoid fever and 
promptly summon a physician. 

Practically everyone is susceptible 
to measles. One attack usually pro- 
tects a person against others, but 
this rule is by no means invariable. 
The course of the disease is usually 
more severe in adult life, hence in 
the management of the sick room ob- 



serve all the usual sanitary precau- 
tions. 

Quarantine. — Isolate all suspicious 
cases, especially during periods of 
epidemic. Placard the premises. 
Keep all visitors out of the sick 
room. Protect, especially, children 
under five years of age and adults 
who have never had the disease. The 
disease is communicable until the 
peeling is complete, which will be, 
as a rule, within three weeks from 
the onset of the malady. 

The quarantine must be continued 
until the patient's temperature has 
been normal for forty-eight hours. 
Persons exposed to measles and who 
have never had the disease should 
be quarantined for two weeks from 
time of exposure. Adults who have 
had the disease may go about their 
ordinary business, providing they 
keep entirely away from the sick 
room. But no person from a home 
quarantined for measles should at- 
tend school, church, theater, or other 
public gathering. Everything coming 
from the patient's room should be 
disinfected. After recovery or death 
the sick room should be thoroughly 
disinfected with formaldehyde or 
sulphur as elsewhere recommended. 

WHOOPING COUGH 

This is a highly contagious disease 
characterized by severe inflammation 
of the bronchial tubes and accom- 
panied by a peculiar cough ending in 
the familiar "whoop." It has all 
the characteristics of a germ dis- 
ease but the germ which causes it 
has not yet been identified. Persons 
of all ages are liable to the attacks 
of this malady but practically all 
deaths occur under the age of five 
years. One-half of these occur un- 
der one year of age. The average 
age of death is one and a half years. 

Whooping cough, when severe, is 
a debilitating disease at any time of 
life. It lasts for several weeks and 
is not infrequently complicated with 
pneumonia. It often leads to chronic 
invalidism from exhaustion, with 



198 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



heart and lung changes which may be 
permanent. The disease may occur 
at any time of the year but the great- 
est mortality is in July and August. 
Children should never be knowingly 
exposed to whooping cough and great 
care should be taken to protect chil- 
dren under five years of age from 
infection. After this period the like- 
lihood of infection is much lessened 
and the danger of death from this 
disease is practically over. Many 
persons escape this malady alto- 
gether. 

Symptoms. — The period of incuba- 
tion is from four to fourteen days 
after exposure. The symptoms for 
the first few days are those of an 
ordinary cold or simple catarrh but 
with less fever than measles. The 
cough is more severe than the other 
symptoms seem to warrant and grows 
harsher from day to day. After a 
week or ten days the characteristic 
whoop develops. This continues with 
varying degrees of severity for a 
month or six weeks. Then the par- 
oxysms cease, often leaving a simple 
catarrhal cough which may last in- 
definitely. 

Modes of Infection. — Infection is 
ordinarily by direct and fairly inti- 
matet- contact between the infected 
and healthy person. The virus of 
the disease is not as long lived as 
that of diphtheria or scarlet fever 
and hence not so likely to be con- 
veyed from the sick room on the 
hands and clothing of the nurse or 
by means of other objects. The dis- 
ease is probably not spread through 
the air except within the range of 
the fine spray thrown from the mouth 
of the patient while coughing. 

Quarantine. — Isolate the patient in 
a sick room prepared as recommend- 
ed for typhoid fever, especially if 
there is an infant in the family un- 
der two years of age. Keep on the 
safe side by observing all the sani- 
tary precautions recommended for 
the sick room in other communicable 
diseases and disinfect the sick room 
after the death or recovery of the 
patient. 



MUMPS 

Mumps is a glandular swelling in 
the angle between the jaw and the 
ear. It is a highly contagious but 
wholly unnecessary and preventable 
disease. It chiefly affects children, 
but may attack older persons who 
have not become immune from hav- 
ing had the disease in childhood. It 
usually develops in from two to three 
weeks after exposure. 

Symptoms. — The early symptoms 
are fever with pain below the ear on 
one or both sides. A slight swelling 
below one ear may be first noticed. 
Within two days there is great en- 
largement of the neck and side of 
the cheek. The other side usually 
becomes affected within a day or two. 
The swelling persists from seven to 
ten days then gradually subsides. A 
second or even a third attack may 
occur and troublesome complications 
are quite common. It is always ad- 
visable to consult a physician. 

Quarantine. — Isolate the patient in 
the sick room and exclude other chil- 
dren and adults who have not had 
the disease. Keep children from 
school for a period of three weeks 
following their last exposure. 

PARASITIC DISEASES 

Pedicnlosis (Lice). — There are 
three varieties of these parasites 
which infest human beings, the head 
louse, body louse and crab louse. A 
single family of children so infested 
may communicate them to many 
others through the contacts of outer 
clothing hung up in school dressing 
rooms, or in play, or otherwise. In 
most states such children may be ex- 
cluded from schools until these para- 
sites have been exterminated. The 
following methods of treatment for 
killing parasites and nits are recom- 
mended : 

Add two teaspoonfuls of chloro- 
naphtholeum disinfectant to a pint of 
warm water. Wet the hair with this 
mixture. Put a towel around the 
head and let it dry on. When the 



PREVENTABLE DISEASES OF CHILDREN 



199 



hair is dry comb with a fine comb. 
Repeat this two or three times until 
the head is clear of vermin. The 
nits may be removed by combing the 
hair after it has been moistened with 
vinegar. 

Or obtain half a pint of crude pe- 
troleum at a drug store and wet the 
hair thoroughly with this. Keep it 
wet for three hours. Then wash the 
whole head with warm water and 
soap. Repeat this process on three 
successive days. The nits may then 
be removed by combing the hair very 
carefully with a fine-tooth comb wet 
with vinegar. Repeat the combing 
for several days until no more nits 
can be found. To make the treat- 
ment easier and more thorough, the 
hair may be cut short, if there is 
no objection. 

All the children in a family are 
likely to be affected, and should 
also be treated as above. 

Brushes and combs should be 
cleansed by putting them in boiling 
water for a few minutes. 

Or head lice may promptly be 
destroyed with common kerosene. 
Pour a little into a small dish. 
Moisten a small rag with it. After 
squeezing the rag somewhat, moisten 
the hair with the kerosened rag. Do 
this in the afternoon, after the chil- 
dren return from school, or in the 
evening. Before morning the oil will 
have evaporated so that little or no 
odor will remain. Or remove both 
oil and odor with soap and water. 
Or to disguise the odor of kerosene, 
pour a small quantity into a vial, 
and add an equal amount, or less, of 
oil of sassafras. Shake until there 
is a complete mixture. 

Or, dip a small, clean hairbrush 
into kerosene oil or oil of sassafras 
poured into a shallow dish. Then 
brush and moisten the hair with it. 

Make these applications by day- 
light and be very careful not to let 
the children go near fire or lights. 
For the night, cover the head with 
a cap, which can be improvised by 
knotting the corners of a handker- 
chief, or wrap a cloth around it. 



Repeat this treatment several times 
to ensure complete destruction of the 
lice and nits. Applied as recom- 
mended, kerosene is not in any way 
injurious to the scalp or hair. 

Body Lice (Pediculus Vestimen- 
torum). — This parasite belongs to 
the same family as head lice but is 
somewhat larger. It is found com- 
monly on the body, where it goes 
only for the purpose of feeding. In 
the adult form it can be difi"eren- 
tiated from the head louse by dark 
transverse bands across the back. 
The parasite lives and reproduction 
occurs chiefly in the various folds 
and seams of the clothing, and espe- 
cially where the skin is most con- 
veniently reached. Hence the. vari- 
ous lesions are to be found most 
often around the neck, across the 
shoulders, the upper part of the back, 
around the waist and the outside of 
the thighs. 

Treatment should be directed to 
the infested clothing where the para- 
site and nits are to be found. In or- 
der to destroy these, all garments 
should be thoroughly baked, boiled 
or lightly sprinkled and gone over 
with a very hot iron. 

However, it has been observed that 
some of the ova or nits are attached 
to the fine hairs (lanugo) of the 
body surface. Hence a general tub 
bath disinfected with corrosive sub- 
limate is advisable. Eight tablets of 
bichloride of mercury to a tub of 
water makes a strong enough solu- 
tion. After the bath, flush the tub 
thoroughly to avoid injury to the 
plumbing and fixtures. 

Or clothing, beds and bedding, and 
the like may be rid of these insects 
and parasites of all other kinds, by 
fumigation with sulphur. 

Crab Lice (Phthirius Ingulnalis). 
— These are a smaller species of the 
same family as head or body lice but 
are quite distinct on account of their 
shape. They are nearly as wide as 
long. Their strong legs, spread out 
laterally, give them tlie appearance 
of crabs. They are of whitish color, 
somewhat shaded on the shoulders. 



200 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



and the legs have a slightly red tinge. 
Each is about one-tenth of an inch 
in length. They are to be found on 
the various hairy regions of the body 
other than the scalp. They do not 
thrive among the fine hairs of the 
head, though they have often been 
observed in the eyebrows. 

Treatment. — Repeated washings 
with vinegar or diluted acetic acid 
will free the hairs of ova. This 
should be followed by a careful daily 
shampoo of all the regions involved. 
After the shampoo, apply freely a 
solution of corrosive sublimate con- 
taining one tablet to a pint of water. 
If not desirable to use the mercury 
wash, apply a lotion consisting of 
tincture of larkspur, 4 ounce; com- 
mercial ether, 8 ounces. Or use. a 
stronger solution, consisting of equal 
parts of the two ingredients. After- 
wards cover the parts with a closely 
applied dressing. 

Cautions. — Corrosive sublimate 
(bichloride of mercury) is a power- 
ful poison. Ether is highly inflam- 
mable. 

The Itcli Mite. — This is a minute 
bug which gives rise to the condition 
commonly known as "Itch," "Seven- 
Year Itch," "Army Itch," "Jackson 
Itch" *^ and many other synonymous 
names. The female burrows into the 
superficial skin forming a tortuous 
or, at times, a straight, dotted, 
slightly elevated line. This varies in 
length from one-eighth to one-half 
inch. The burrow is dark gray or 
blackish in color, thread-like, and 
may be slightly more elevated at one 
end. 

This mite is transmitted from one 
individual to another by occupancy, 
either of the same bed, or of one 
on which the sheets have not been 
changed. It may also be transmitted 
by the use of a common towel and by 
shaking hands. It is commonly found 
in the moist surfaces of the body, such 
as between the fingers, on the hands 
or folds of the wrist, in the folds 
under the shoulder, the lower por- 
tion of the abdomen and about the 
neck. Its entire existence is spent 



on its human host. It is believed not 
to have any power to transmit dis- 
ease, but may be inimical to the 
health of the individual from secon- 
dary infection of the burrows or of 
the excoriations produced by scratch- 
ing. There may be also varying de- 
grees of papular or pustular lesions 
over the infected regions. 

These mites usually thrive best in 
unsanitary conditions. To destroy 
them, thoroughly boil or bake aU bed 
linen and clothing used by the in- 
fected individual. If woolens are in 
use, bake them or sprinkle lightly and 
thoroughly iron them with a very hot 
iron. Take a hot bath, and rub 
down with a coarse washcloth or 
brush. This opens up the burrows 
and exposes the eggs for destruction. 
After the bath, rub in an ointment 
made up as follows: Sublimed sul- 
phur, 1 dram (1 teaspoonful) ; bal- 
sam of Peru, 1 dram (1 teaspoon- 
ful) ; vaseline, 1 ounce (3 table- 
spoonfuls). Repeat morning and 
evening from two to four days. In 
particularly serious cases, repeat this 
entire treatment at the end of one 
week. 

Or use either of the following 
preparations : 

(1) Mix equal parts of balsam of 
Peru and lard. Rub these together 
thoroughly in a shallow plate with a 
steel table knife to form an oint- 
ment. Or use vaseline in place of 
lard, or still better, lanolin. 

(2) Or mix flowers of sulphur, 1 
tablespoonful; balsam of Peru, two 
tablespoonf uls ; lard or vaseline, 8 
tablespoonfuls. Make into an oint- 
ment. 

Take a hot bath and give the whole 
body a thorough scrubbing with soap 
and hot water. Dry the body well. 
Now with the palm of the hand, rub 
one of these ointments thoroughly 
into every part of the body from the 
neck downward, or, at least, anoint 
all parts of the body which are af- 
fected. Sometimes the only parts 
afi^ected at first are the hands and 
the arms to the elbows. To make 
sure work, particularly in bad cases, 



PREVENTABLE DISEASES OF CHILDREN 



201 



make two or three applications with- 
in twenty-four or thirty-six hours. 
Take another hot bath twelve hours 
or so after the last application. 
Thorough scrubbing and cleanliness 
go a long way toward effecting a 
cure. 

To avoid reinfection put on clean 
clothes, particularly underclothing, 
and change sheets and blankets, 
particularly after the last soap 
and water bath. Deposit all infected 
clothing and bed linen in a standard 
disinfectant solution of carbolic acid 
(5 per cent), or formaldehyde (3 
per cent), or boil in soap and water 
at least one hour. 

Balsam of Peru is sometimes 
painted on pure, or mixed with an 



equal amount of glycerine. To make 
this mixture fill a bottle half full, 
heat by putting the bottle in moder- 
ately hot water and shake vigorously. 
Contagious Impetigo. — -This erup- 
tion first appears on the exposed sur- 
faces of the body, particularly on 
the face, hands or wrists. It takes 
the form of a simple-looking pimple 
or pustule. This enlarges in size and 
the patch becomes covered by a 
brownish or yellowish crust. Other 
patches then appear caused by con- 
veyance of the infection by the fin- 
gers or otherwise. Medical advice 
should be promptly taken. Conta- 
gious impetigo sometimes spreads 
rapidly in schools, but it can be 
readily cured by medical treatment. 



CHAPTER VII 



THE CARE OF BABIES 

BEFORE THE BABY COMES— THE NEW BORN CHILD— SAVE THE 
BABIES — GENERAL RULES — BREAST FEEDING — ARTIFICIAL 
FEEDING— MILK MODIFICATION— MATERIALS FOR MILK MODI- 
FICATION — BOTTLE FEEDING — ARTIFICIAL FOODS — OTHER 
FOODS FOR INFANTS— DRUGS— CARE OF MILK IN THE HOME 



BEFORE THE BABY COMES 

A poorly fed oi- sickly mother 
cannot give birth to a vigorous, 
healthy infant and successfully nurse 
it. Such a mother rarely carries her 
baby for the full nine months. A 
woman who has had repeated mis- 
carriages or whose previous labors 
have come on before time should, 
early in pregnancy, consult her physi- 
cian in order that the underlying 
cause may be cured or alleviated. 
During pregnancy and especially in 
the letter months, the expectant 
mother must have abundant rest and 
spare herself as much as possible. 
An extra amount of sleep is required 
and daytime rest for an hour or two 
is desirable. Select and consult your 
physician early in pregnancy. Keep 
yourself in good health. Hard house- 
hold labor or factory work during 
the latter months tend to bring about 
miscarriages or the birth of puny and 
undersized children. 

Exercise. — Exercise in the open air 
in the form of walks should be taken 
throughout the entire course of preg- 
nancy. Violent exercise in any form 
should be prohibited. Unnecessary 
stair climbing must be avoided in 
the latter months. The sewing ma- 
chine must not be used towards the 
end. Should labor be threatened 
before the proper time, go to bed at 
once and remain perfectly quiet until 
the danger is well passed. 



Care of the Breasts. — Small, flat- 
tened or depressed nipples should be 
drawn out with the forefinger and 
fhumb and held for five minutes 
"night and morning during the two 
months before the baby is born. The 
nipples should also be carefully 
anointed each night with white vase- 
line. This will soften and remove 
the milky substance which is secreted 
at this time, and which may other- 
wise form hard crusts, and ulcerate 
the soft tissues beneath. Wash the 
nipples every day with castile soap 
and water and put boracic acid solu- 
tion on them, a heaping tablespoon- 
ful to the pint of water. Or better, 
use warm water, two-thirds, and al- 
cohol, one-third. Proper attention 
to the care of the nipples will inake 
nursing a pleasure and satisfaction, 
instead of a pain and discomfort. 

After the baby comes, always wash 
the nipples carefully both before and 
after nursing, in pure, cold water 
containing a teaspoonful of baking- 
soda to each pint of water. This 
will prevent them from becoming 
tender. 

Food for the Baby. — No food is as 
good for a baby as its mother's milk. 
This is why so many more bottle ba- 
bies are sick and die than breast 
babies. One or two feedings a day 
from the breast are a great deal bet- 
ter than none at all. Hence keep 
the body well nourished before the 
birth of the baby in order to seci^re 



202 



THE CARE OF BABIES 



203 



a good supply of milk. Exercise, 
freedom from excessive worry and 
massage of the breast and nipples be- 
fore tlie child is born will, in nearly 
every instance, insure the child being 
nursed. Every mother should expect 
and plan to nurse her child. 

Diet. — The diet should be care- 
fully regulated, but abundant. A 
full, wholesome and liberal diet is 
essential. What to eat, however, will 
depend largely on individual tastes 
and habits, as food which agrees with 
one will not agree with another. 
Highly seasoned or very rich food 
should be avoided as well as fatty 
foods and coarse vegetables. 

The following dietary is recom- 
mended during pregnancy and nurs- 
ing: 

Soup — Any kind. 

Fish — Fresh fish, of any kind, 
boiled or broiled. Raw oysters and 
raw clams. 

Meats — Chicken, beef, ham or ba- 
con, veal, lamb, tender lean mutton. 
Red meat in moderation but only 
once a day. 

Cereals — Hominy, oatmeal, farina, 
cream of wheat, rice mush, shredded 
wheat biscuits, etc. 

Breads — Stale bread, corn bread, 
Graham bread, rye bread, brown 
bread, toast, crackers. 

Vegetables — Potatoes, onions, spin- 
ach, cauliflower, asparagus, green 
corn, green peas, beans, lettuce or 
other salads, with oil. 

Desserts — Plain puddings, custard, 
junket, ripe raw fruits, stewed fruits, 
ice cream. No pastry. 

Drinks — Tea and cofl'ee very spar- 
ingly, never more than one cup a 
day. No alcoholic beverages, beer, 
or liquors. At least two quarts of 
water a day. Milk, buttermilk, co- 
coa, malted milk. 

At least one satisfactory move- 
ment of the bowels should take place 
daily; if there is any difficulty about 
this, consult the doctor. But observe 
that strong medicines must not be 
used to open the bowels. Costiveness 
can be avoided by sufficient exercise 
and suitable food as brown lircpd. 



stewed vegetables, fruit and abun- 
dance of water. 

Work. — The expectant mother may 
do her usual work, but should not 
work hard enough to get very tired. 
Work in stores and mills is not good. 
It should be stopped as soon as pos- 
sible, at least four weeks before the 
expected birth of the child. She 
should go out of doors every day, 
but must not run for cars, or jump, 
or over-exert herself in any way. 

Once in four weeks, at the times 
when the woman would have been 
unwell, if she were not to have a 
baby, she should be even more care- 
ful than usual about over-exertion, 
because at these times there is more 
danger of miscarriage. 

Clothing-. — All clothing should be 
loose. As soon as she begins to show 
her condition, the mother should 
leave off' her corsets, and have noth- 
ing about the waist that is at all 
tight. A loose corset waist should 
be worn. To this attach side gar- 
ters instead of wearing circular ones 
about the legs. 

Baths. — It is important to keep 
the skin in a healthy condition, and 
this is best done by frequent bath- 
ing. Sea-bathing is not good, how- 
ever, because it is too violent. 

When the Baby Comes. — Send for 
the doctor when the labor pains be- 
gin. He prefers being called too 
early than too late. A sudden gush 
of water signifies that the membranes 
have rujDtured and the mother should 
go to bed at once. 

The bed should be prepared as fol- 
lows: Place a rubber sheet or sev- 
eral thicknesses of newspapers next 
to the mattress and over this a clean 
sheet. Next place three thicknesses 
of newspapers over the middle and 
edge of the side of the bed and cover 
with a folded sheet and then cover 
with a clean sheet. This top layer of 
papers and sheets can be easily re- 
moved after the labor and the mother 
will lie on a clean, dry sheet. 

Everything should be in readiness 
for the reception and care of the 
Have at hand a warmed flan- 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



nel blanket in which to place the 
baby after birth, and hot water bot- 
tles with which to surround it if the 
room is cold. Expose the baby as 
little as possible during the bath. The 
clothes and diapers should be 
warmed. Everji:hing that comes in 
contact with the baby, should be 
scrupulously clean. 

The mother should insist that a 
drop of silver solution be placed in 
the baby's eyes. This will prevent 
blindness. If the baby weighs less 
than four pounds it can best be 
taken care of in incubators which are 
to be found in any well-equipped hos- 
pital. Your physician is required to 
make a prompt report of the birth 
to the registrar or local board of 
health. This is a matter of great 
importance. Don't let him forget it. 
The mother should remain in bed 
for at least two weeks after con- 
finement. The womb does not re- 
turn to its normal state for five or 
six*weeks and no hard work or ac- 
tive exercise should be taken during 
this period. 

THE NEW BORN CHILD 

If a new born infant is to live its 
first requirement is air, its second 
warmth. It is extremely sensitive to 
cold and may be seriously or fatally 
inj ured by slight exposure to cool air. 
Wrap up the child quickly and care- 
fully and do not expose it, except 
momentarily, to a temperature be- 
low blood heat. Do not handle the 
baby during the first few days more 
than is required to insure local clean- 
liness. 

The death rate among infants is at 
its highest point the first week. The 
second week it drops enormously. 
Many babies die thus early because 
the care M'hich they receive within 
the first few hours or days is not in- 
telligent. The first bath coming too 
early kills many. A full bath should 
not be given before the child is ten 
or twelve days old. The first cleans- 
ing of the skin can be done much 
better with olive oil or even lard. 



Apply this to only a small portion 
of the body at a time, then wipe it 
off with pieces of old, soft cotton or 
linen. 

Next to air and warmth among the 
life needs of the new born child is 
sleep. After it has had its initial 
cry, see that the breathing is well 
established and the child is made 
comfortable. Then let the infant 
sleep undisturbed during the first two 
or three days, eighteen or twenty 
hours out of the twenty-four. 

Immediately after birth of a child 
two drops of a 1 per cent fresh solu- 
tion of nitrate of silver should be 
placed in each eye by the nurse or 
attending physician. This prepara- 
tion costs about two cents and will 
prevent blindness. The eyes should 
be carefully shielded from the light 
-until they gradually become accus- 
tomed to it. The need of food is not 
immediate. Nature does not usually 
provide a supply of food for the 
first two or three days and some- 
times not for the first five or six 
days. Hence it is safe to infer that 
a preliminary fast is the best and 
safest for the baby. Observation 
shows that feeding within this time 
is most often injurious. 

When, a baby is well it wiU sleep 
twelve hours or more in every twen- 
ty-four, without being rocked. It 
will nurse every three or four hours 
during the daytime, and after the 
sixth month will be satisfied without 
nursing in the night. It will gain 
about six ounces in weight every 
week. It will have a movement of 
the bowels every day, soft and yel- 
low in color, without the aid of medi- 
cine or other help. It will be happy 
and contented. It will cut its first 
tooth at about the sixth month; sit 
lip without aid at the seventh or 
eighth month; creep at the ninth or 
tenth month; walk at from the 
twelfth to the fourteenth month, and 
talk at about the fifteenth month of 
age. 

To keep a baby well you must 
satisfy its needs in respect of the 
following essentials, namely: food. 



THE CARE OF BABIES 



205 



clothing, fresh air, bathing (with 
sanitary cleanliness of both the baby's 
body and clothing), sleep at night 
and naps in the daytime with all the 
rest and quiet possible. The follow- 
ing simple rules sum up a world of 
practical wisdom on this subject: 

Give the baby pure outdoor air 
both night and clay. Give it no food 
but mother's milk or milk or food 
from a clean bottle as directed by 
the physician. Let the baby alone 
when not feeding or bathing it. 
Whenever it cries or is fretful, don't 
offer it food, but give it water. Be 
sure that it gets sleep and at least 
two naps during the day. Don't 
wake the baby to feed it. Don't put 
too much clothing on it. Bathe it 
in a tub every day. 

"Why Babies Cry. — Because they 
are tired of lying on one side and 
are unable to turn over. Turn a 
baby once in a while. Because their 
diapers are wet or soiled and there- 
fore uncomfortable. Because their 
hands or feet are cold. Because they 
are thirsty. Babies must have water 
(boiled and cooled, but not iced) to 
drink. Because they are too warm 
(sweating) and possibly irritated by 
"prickly heat." Because they are 
sleepy and wish to lie down and be 
let alone. Because the air of the 
room is foul and smelly. Babies re- 
quire lots of fresh air. Because their 
clothes are too tight, or perhaps a 
pin is sticking into them. Because 
crying is the only way they have to 
tell you something is wrong with 
them. 

Of course babies cry when in pain 
from colic or other cause, but you 
should find out if it is not some of 
the above stated causes before decid- 
ing that it is pain which is causing 
the crying. Above all else, get the 
notion out of your head that every 
time the baby cries it is hungry. If 
you are sure that none of the things 
spoken of above are the cause of the 
crying, then the most probable cause 
is intestinal indigestion and the 
quickest way to relieve it is by an 
enema of salt solution (a level tea- 



spoonful of salt in a pint of warm ^ 

water). 

Children often cry when put down 
to sleep. If they are let alone they 
will soon stop crying and go to sleep. 
Don't get nervous about it. Don't 
fear that the crying child will rup- 
ture itself. Crying is one way in 
which children learn to develop their 
lungs. If children were let alone 
and allowed to have their cry out, 
instead of being tossed and petted 
and hushed, they would be far better 
for it. 

Many babies suffer because they 
are used to amuse older people and 
are tossed about and excited when 
they should be resting or sleeping. 
Try to have people leave the baby 
alone. Think how tired and irritable 
you get yourself on a hot clay and 
shield the baby as much as possible 
from excitement and "attention." 

Kissing'. — There are many serious 
objections to babies being kissed by 
other children and by older people. 
Tuberculosis, diphtheria, and other 
dangerous diseases may be communi- 
cated in this way. 

GENERAL RULES 

Clothing'. — The clothing of infants 
should be simple, warm, light in 
weight and not too tight fitting. For 
the first four or five months provide 
an abdominal band of thin, soft 
wool or flannel about six inches wide 
and twenty inches long. This will 
prevent serious effects from sudden 
changes of temperature. It should 
be only wide enough to cover the 
belly and should be wound two or 
three times around the body, accord- 
ing to the season of the year. This 
bellyband, or pinning blanket, should 
be wound smooth and free from 
creases or folds, and fastened with 
safety pins, or preferably with a few 
stitches of soft darning cotton. It 
must not be pinned so tightly as to 
interfere with the movements of the 
child's bowels or it will tend to cause 
diarrhoea. Nor should it be wide 
enough to impede the free movement 



206 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



of the legs, else it will prevent 
proper exercise and make the child 
fretful. All the baby's clothing 
should at all times be loose enough 
to allow it to breathe and move its 
limbs easily and to admit of the free 
circulation of blood. Never use 
clothing with tight waistbands. Skirts 
should be supported from the shoul- 
ders by straps. Never, for appear- 
ance sake, put starched, stiff or un- 
comfortable clothing on a baby. 

Infants are very susceptible to 
changes of temperature. The cloth- 
ing should be modified with each 
change in the weather. Either over- 
heating or sudden chill tends to pro- 
duce stomach or intestinal complaints. 
Healthy infants are, however, warm 
blooded and need less covering than 
adults, especially in hot weather. 
Cool outdoor air will not harm them 
even in winter or in cold climates, 
if they are well wrapped up, pro- 
tected from changes of temperature 
and kept out of drafts. 

More babies are made sick by being 
wrapped up too warmly, especially in 
summer or in hot climates, than by 
taking cold. Babies feel the heat 
more than grown folks. Keep them 
cool in summer. They will not take 
cold. '-All through the hot season 
dress the child very lightly and keep 
it cool. Unless the baby is very deli- 
cate, limit its clothing in hot weather 
to a shirt, petticoat, cotton dress, 
narrow bellyband of thin wool, and 
the diaper. During the height of 
summer one thin piece, as a loose 
muslin slip or gauze shirt, is enough 
both day and night, in addition to a 
narrow bellyband of light wool and 
a diaper. On very hot days take oif 
all the clothing but the diaper, un- 
less the baby is under four months 
old, or is delicate or colicky, in which 
case the bellyband should be worn. 

A baby with fever should never be 
wrapped up. It will not take cold. 
Remove nearly all the clothing and 
give a sponge bath every two or 
three hours. If the baby breaks out 
with nettle rash or "prickly heat" 
add to the basin of water a teaspoon- 



ful of baking soda or a tablespoon- 
ful of vinegar. After bathing with 
this mixture leave a slight moisture 
on the skin. Remove all clothing 
except the diaper and lay the baby 
in a cool place, but not in a draft. 
Keep the feet warm, the head cool. 
It is a mistake to suppose that ba- 
bies must be kept wrapped up in 
flannel at all seasons of the year. 

The Diapers. — Use great care in 
the selection of the baby's diapers at 
all times, and especially during the 
summer months when it is so easy 
to overheat and irritate the bladder 
and the bowels. Make the diapers of 
the softest cotton cloth. Change 
them promptly when wet or soiled 
and keep them in a bucket or other 
receptacle containing water in which 
baking soda has been dissolved in 
- the proportion of about one teaspoon- 
ful to the pint. Cover tightly to 
prevent odors and to exclude flies. 
A big lard pail or tin cracker box 
is suitable. Remember that summer 
diarrhoea and cholera infantum are 
infectious diseases and contagion 
may be carried to other children or 
grown persons by flies. Wash soiled 
diapers as soon as possible with pure 
refined soap or, preferably, in hot 
soda water. Rinse, air and dry 
thoroughly before using again. Never 
dry and use a diaper a second time 
before washing it. Boil all diapers 
at least once a week. Diapers fresh- 
ly washed should never be put on a 
child suffering from diarrhoea. If 
there are no more at hand which have 
been washed several days previous, 
go through the house and gather all 
the clean soft pieces of old linen and 
muslin you can find. Cut these into 
proper shape for temporary use. If 
the supply is still insufficient, borrow 
from someone else. In summer, 
diarrhoea diapers must never be used 
until they have been exposed several 
days to sunlight and fresh air to kill 
the germs which they contain. 

After every movement of the 
bowels change the diaper promptly. 
Babies often get sick from being left 
with soiled diapers on. Wash the 



THE CARE or BABIES 



207 



baby well and pay especial attention 
to the creases in the flesh. The baby 
may become sore and chafed because 
it is not well washed, or because 
baby powder is put on when it is 
still dirty, or because the diapers are 
not washed out but only dried and 
used again. If the baby is chafed 
apply to the irritated surfaces a little 
zinc oxide ointment, sweet oil or olive 
oil instead of powder. 

Clothing worn during the day 
which is to be worn again should be 
hung up to air, preferably out of 
doors, weather permitting. Garments 
worn at night should be hung up to 
air during the day. Both the baby 
and its clothing should be kept at 
all times clean, sweet and free from 
odor. 

Bathing. — Give the baby a tub 
bath every morning, preferably at a 
certain regular hour. A clean baby 
is happier and healthier tlian a dirty 
baby. A daily bath helps the baby 
to stand heat and, in liot weather, 
it may be well to bathe the baby 
twice or three times a day. Never 
bathe within an hour after feeding. 
A good plan is to give the baby its 
bath, then its bottle and then a nap. 
The first full bath should not be 
given for a week or ten days after 
birth. The water should not be be- 
low blood heat, which is between 
98° and 99°. Or, better, make the 
water one or two degrees warmer 
than your own or the baby's tem- 
perature. If the infant is vigorous, 
the temperature may gradually be 
reduced to 95° at six months, to 90° 
at one year of age, and to 80° at 
the age of two and a half years. 

Every mother should have a clini- 
cal thermometer. This can be ob- 
tained at any drug store. If you 
have one, use it when preparing the 
baby's bath. If not, test the water 
by putting your face in it. Never 
test it by the arm or hand. Until 
the infant is able to sit up unsup- 
ported, it should have only a sponge 
bath, but do not use a sponge. They 
cannot be kept clean. Use instead 
pieces of soft old toweling, or cheese 



cloth which can be balled up in the 
hand. As soon as the baby can sit 
up, obtain a small bath tub or use 
a wash tub. If the water is neither 
too cold nor too warm, the child 
will always enjoy its bath. The rea- 
son that some children do not like 




Bathing the hahy. 

the bath is because they have been 
put into water that is too hot or 
too cold. Remember that an infant 
does not react quicldy from a cold 
bath and is depressed or injured by 
water that seems only slightly cool 
to an adult. Children's skin is very 
sensitive and the baby must not be 
permitted to take cold. It should 
be bathed in a room warmed to a 
temperature of at least 75° and care- 
fully guarded against drafts. 

A cold bath indoors or outdoor 
fresh water or surf bathing, should 
not be permitted under three years. 
A child of two years may be allowed 
to run about on the sand with its 
bare feet and occasionally step in 
the water, but much harm has been 
done by immersing young babies in 
cold water. It is a good plan to 
sponge the neck and feet of a baby 
over twelve months old with cold 
water at night and follow with brisk 
rubbing. This in many cases will 
prevent its taking cold. 

Take good care of the baby's skin. 
If it is irritated the baby will be un- 



208 



HOUSEHOLD. DISCOVERIES 



comfortable, and will tend to become 
fretful and unhealthy. Buy only the 
purest kind of soap for the baby's 
bath and use it sparingly. The green 
castile Zanti soap is the best and 
can be procured through your drug- 
gist. If this is not available, white 
castile soap is the next choice. Do 
not use soap if the skin is irritated 
or raw. Place a cheese cloth bag 
containing a teacup ful of bran 
in the baby's bath and squeeze it 
until the water becomes slightly 
milky. 

On very warm days, sponge the 
baby two to four times with luke- 
warm water in which dissolve a little 
salt in the proportion of a teaspoon 
to each pint, or use a like amount of 
alcohol (not wood alcohol) instead 
of salt. For nettle rash or "prickly 
heat" bathe the a:ffected skin with 
water containing a teaspoonful of 
baking soda or a tablespoonful of 
vinegar, but remember that rough- 
ened or inflamed skin may be the 
sign of infectious disease. If it 
does not yield to this treatment con- 
sult your physician. 

If the baby has fever, sponge it 
in cool vinegar water every two or 
three hours and place cool wet cloths 
on its 'head. Sponge the baby when- 
ever the diapers are changed. Take 
especial care to cleanse the creases 
of the body, particularly after move- 
ments of the bowels. Dry the skin 
thoroughly after sponging and if 
talcum powder is used, buy only the 
unscented. 

Don't let the baby crawl on a dirty 
floor where it may pick up the germs 
of tuberculosis or other disease and 
transmit them to its mouth. Keep 
the floor clean and wash the baby's 
hands after crawling. 

Care of the Mouth. — Wash out 
the mouth at least twice a day with 
a soft clean cloth wet in water con- 
taining a teaspoonful of borax or 
baking soda to the pint, but never 
put your fingers in the baby's mouth 
without first wasliing them. Don't 
let the baby put dogs or cats close to 
its mouth. 



Fresh Air. — Fresh air is as im- 
portant to the baby's health as fresh 
food. Children, like growing plants, 
thrive best in the open air. Keep 
the baby in the largest, coolest, best 
ventilated room you have. Screen 
the windows and doors against flies 




Keep the hahy cool. 

and destroy those that get in. Also 
protect the baby from flies, mos- 
quitoes and other insects by screens 
and mosquito netting. Insects often 
carry the germs of malaria, typhoid 
and other contagious diseases. Keep 
the room clean and free from gar- 
bage, soiled clothes and rubbish. Even 
in winter and in cold climates, the 
airing of the baby's room may be 
begun when he is not more than a 
month old. Thereafter the windows 
may be kept open for a gradually 
lengthened period of time from a 
few minutes to an hour or several 
hours at a time depending on the 
weather. Protect the baby when 
thus exposed to the fresh air by put- 
ting on his bonnet and coat the same 
as for an airing out of doors. If 
thus habituated to fresh air the baby 
is much less liable to colds than if 
reared in foul or stagnant air. 

In summer keep as little fire as 
possible. In very hot weather keep 
the doors and windows wide open 
night and day. Always keep one or 
more windows open in the baby's 
sleeping room winter and summer, 
night and day, and whether the baby 
is sick or well, as soon as it has 
been projoerly accustomed to fresh 
air. Some ignorant persons have a 



THE CARE OF BABIES 



209 



superstition that night air is injuri- 
ous to health. Night air is the only 
kind of air there is at night and 
fresh outdoor air is far more whole- 
some than that which has been shut 
up in the house and breathed over 
and over again. In summer sleep 
out of doors with the baby if you 
can. 

Keep the baby out of the kitchen 
or other overheated rooms, especially 




Keep the hahy outdoors in summer. 

if you are cooking or washing. Take 
it out of doors in the early morning 
when the air is free from dust, and 
if the weather is good keep it out of 
doors, if you can, all day. Avoid 
the sun on hot days. Keep on the 
shady side of the street, under the 
trees, or in some shady place. Walk 
and move around slowly. Have a 
basket for the baby to sleep in, which 
you can hang up outdoors in some 
shady place away from dust and 
sudden winds. But when you place 
the baby in the shade be very care- 
ful to alter its position as the sun 
moves around. Be careful not to 
let the sun shine on the baby's eyes. 
Its sight may be injured if it is 
left staring up into the hot sun. 
During the fly season see that the 
baby is covered with a suitable net. 
Keep it away from crowds and 
crowded places. Babies are very sus- 
ceptible to the germs of contagious 
diseases. 

A trip to the country for city ba- 
bies, or any change to a higher alti- 
tude or cooler climate, may save the 



baby's life if summer complaint or 
diarrhoea should set in during the 
heat of midsummer. Choose pre- 
ferably some place near a large body 
of water. An ideal spot is a heavy 
wooded region on the banks of a 
lake or bay. Too much sunshine is 
harmful — natural shade is necessary 
to health and comfort. Even a few 
hours in the park every day or two 
may save the life of a baby living 
in a crowded city. When traveling 
with a sick baby, carry sufficient food 
— cow's milk, condensed milk or other 
manufactured foods — to last the 
baby during the trip. Also carry a 
supply of pure or boiled water for 
the baby to drink and for use in 
mixing its food. There is a travel- 
ing basket on the market lined with 
metal and felt, or mineral wool, 
which contains chambers for ice and 
milk bottles. In this, milk can be 
kept the same as in a refrigerator. 
This basket will also carry an alco- 
hol stove and supply of alcohol, ex- 




Traveling haslcet for iahy's food. 

tra nipples, brushes and other acces- 
sories to the nursing bottle. 

Sleep and Rest. — Under no circum- 
stances should a baby sleep with its 
mother, nurse or any other person. 
Very young babies have often been 
smothered by their mothers over- 
lying them in sleep. There is also a 
temptation to frequent nursing at 
night which is harmful to both the 



210 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



baby and mother. If there is no 
crib, a bed for the baby may be 
made up on a couple of chairs at 
the mother's bedside. The baby will 
be much more comfortable in such 
a bed and will neither disturb others 
nor be disturbed. The backs of the 
chairs will keep the baby from fall- 
ing. A Morris chair makes a good 
substitute for an infant's crib and 
can be utilized during the daytime. 
Lay the back down flat with some- 
thing under it for a support and use 
the cushions as a mattress. 

The Baby's Bed. — ^The best kind 
of a bed for a baby is a mattress 
made of excelsior covered with 
cheese cloth. A good quality of ex- 
celsior may be obtained at any fur- 
niture store or factory for a few 
cents, and cheese cloth may be found 
in any dry goods store at three or 
four cents a yard. Such a bed is al- 
ways cool, clean and comfortable. It 
helps the child to keep strong and 
well and free from colds and coughs. 
Should it become soiled, the excel- 
sior can be removed, the cover 
washed and another cover stuffed 
with excelsior substituted. This bed 
is highly recommended for sick chil- 
dren, especially in summer months. 
If an ordinary mattress is used it 
should be firm and hard. 

Never put a baby to sleep on a 
feather pillow or lay it on a rubber 
cloth or oil cloth upon a bed. Such 
beds overheat the baby's back and 
head, so that when taken up it is 
wet with sweat, and very apt to take 
cold. Never use feather pillows. 
Provide a crib for the baby and let 
it sleep alone at night. Keep the 
bed and bed clothes scrupulously 
clean. Change them promptly if they 
become soiled. Cover the bed or crib 
with mosquito netting. Flies not 
only make the baby restless, but may 
communicate the germs of malaria, 
typhoid, or other contagious dis- 
eases. 

Sleep and Naps.— Let the baby 
sleep all it will. Authorities differ 
as to whether or not a well child 
should be awakened from its nap to 



be fed at its regular feeding time. 
The prevailing opinion seems to be 
that the child should be allowed to 
awaken naturally, but that, if put 
down for its naps at regular hours 
and not handled or disturbed, it will 
sleep about the same length of time 
each day and can thus be trained in 
regular habits of sleep which will not 
interfere with the regularity of its 
feedings or turn night into day. Ba- 
bies under three years of age should 
have regular two-hour naps morning 
and afternoon. Up to six months old 
they should have eighteen hours' sleep 
and thereafter at least twelve hours' 
sleep at night, besides the daily naps. 
Older children should have at least 
one nap during the day. The want 
of sufficient sleep is a very serious 
hindrance to the child's growth and 
development. Get the baby into the 
habit of going to sleep without being 
held or rocked. This is much better 
for the baby and saves time for the 
mother or other members of the fam- 
ily. Lay the baby down in a suitable 
place and let it alone. Children 
often cry when put down to sleep. 
If they are let alone and not handled 
or talked to they stop crying 
and go to sleep. Don't fear that 
the baby will rupture itself by 
crying. Don't keep a child at the 
breast or bottle while putting it to 
sleep. 

Handling. — When the baby is 
awake don't get it into the habit of 
being held by its mother or other 
children. Most babies suffer because 
they are used to amuse older people 
and are forced to laugl- or are tossed 
about and excited when they need to 
rest or be quiet. Constant holding 
and passing from one arm to the 
other tend to make the baby fret- 
ful, cross and sick. No man or 
woman would like to be held, tossed 
or tumbled around for several hours 
daily by a much larger person. This 
is just what frequently happens to 
the child. He likes to play by him- 
self. Therefore, let him alone with 
some one to watch him, and don't 
handle him, 



THE CARE OF BABIES 



211 



Quieting- the Baby. — Never give a 
child soothing sirup to make him 
sleep. Such preparations contain 
some form of opium or other poison- 
ous, habit-forming drugs. Don't let 
it suck a nipple, "comforter" or 
"pacifier." All artificial devices for 
quieting babies are harmful. Paci- 
fiers often cause thrush or other in- 
fections of the mouth. Their use 
causes a constant flow of saliva 
which interferes with digestion. They 
sometimes cause deformities of the 
mouth and teeth, and may lead to 
the habit of sucking the fingers. 
They are wholly unnecessary and 
their use should be discontinued. 

Standing and Walking. — The free 
use of the muscles is essential to 
health even in early infancy. Do not 
swathe the baby's limbs so closely as 
to prevent their movements. Even in 
the early months it is a good plan, 
under proper conditions of warmth, 
to take off babies' outer wraps and let 
them kick. It is good for them. Do 
not encourage the baby to stand or 
try to teach it to walk. It will walk 
when it gets ready. The bones of an 
infant are plastic and if its weight 
is thrown upon them too soon there 
will be danger of bow-legs or other 
deformities. It is a mistake to en- 
courage a child to stand or walk too 
early. Few babies can walk at twelve 
months and none should be allowed to 
do so. 

BREAST FEEDING 

If you love your baby nurse it. Its 
chance for life will be nearly ten 
times greater than the chance of the 
bottle-fed baby. Nursing will also 
lay the foundations of a good con- 
stitution with which to resist the at- 
tacks of summer complaint, consump- 
tion, convulsions and rickets (bow- 
legs), and the contagious diseases of 
infancy. Children never fully re- 
cover from the efi'ects of a lack of 
proper nourishment during the first 
few months of life. Tlie chief ad- 
vantage of breast feeding over bottle 
feeding is that breast milli is the 



cleanest milk obtainable. Taken di- 
rectly from the maternal breast to 
the stomach of the infant the natural 
food of infancy is not exposed to 
anything that might contaminate or 
pollute it. Careful observation shows 
that it is not the hot weather itself 
that causes the high mortality among 
infants in summer, for breast-fed 
babies do not die excessively in hot 
weather. The difference is due to the 
freedom of breast milk from the 
micro-organisms, or germs in dirty 
cow's milk, which cause intestinal dis- 
ease. Even the difference in the 
composition of breast mUk and bot- 




The lahy's iirtJiright. 



tie milk seems to play a very minor 
role in the high summer death rate, 
because in the winter there is very 
little difference in the death rate as 
between breast-fed and bottle-fed ba- 
bies. 

There is no perfect substitute for 
mother's milk. The milk of the cow, 
goat, and other animals, condensed, 
milk, and the artificial manufactured 
foods so widely advertised, are un- 
natural and unsatisfactory make- 
shifts. Even the milk of the wet 
nurse will not agree with the infant 
as well as that of its mother. All of 
these substitutes have been often an- 
alyzed and tlie difference between 
them and the natural food of infancy 
is clearly understood. The milk of 
the she ass and the mare most closely 
resemble that of women through their 



212 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



percentage of casein. Cow's milk 
comes next. Goat's milk holds only 
the fourth place. It has no advan- 
tage over cow's milk. Condensed 
milk contains too much sugar, and 
not enough fat. None of the manu- 
factured foods most commonly used 
contain suiiicient fat; some contain 
too much starch, others too much 
sugar. At times some of these sub- 
stitutes may be used to advantage, 
but none of them can take the place 
of mother's milk, nor be safely used 
alone. 

Almost every mother can nurse her 
baby if she will. Even though there 
is but little milk at first, don't be- 
come discouraged; be patient and try, 
try again. There are very few moth- 
ers whose breasts will not give suf- 
ficient milk if they will encourage the 
baby to suck. This keeps the milk 
flowing and increases the flow. Even 
though you feel weak, you can nurse 
the baby without danger to yourself. 
Only a few serious diseases forbid 
nursing. If you are in doubt, con- 
sult your doctor. His advice is bet- 
ter than that of your neighbors or 
relatives. 

Even though the breast milk is 
scanty, you should cherish it as you 
value yoiy baby's life and health. A 
single swallow of such food is better 
than nothing. In such a case do not 
alternate the breast with the bottle 
feeding. This will tend to let the 
breasts dry up. Nurse regularly to 
the extent of the supply, and if re- 
quired, immediately make up the 
shortage at each feeding from the 
bottle. 

Care of the Nursing Mother. — A 
nursing mother must keep herself 
well in order to keep her baby well. 
Breast-fed babies often vomit or 
have diarrhcea because the mother is 
sick or tired out, or because the milk 
is poor. Causes which weaken the 
mother and injure her milk are im- 
proper food, irregular meals, exhaus- 
tion from over-work or lack of sleep, 
and too frequent or prolonged nurs- . 
ing. Mothers must not overwork, 
worry, or get over-heated. They 



should sleep as much as possible, and 
preferably outdoors, or in rooms with 
windows wide open. The above 
causes may render the milk less nu- 
tritious or even dangerous. They act 
especially in hot weather. If you 
feel that you cannot nurse your baby 
or think that you ought not to do so, 
consult your doctor before using any 
kind of artificial food. There are 
cases in which it is better to remove 
the baby from the breast, but the 
dangers are such that the mother 
should not assume this responsibility 
but should be guided by the doctor's 
advice. 

Nursing mothers should therefore 
keep themselves well and their milk 
in good condition, by eating at regu- 
lar hours three plain, well-cooked 
meals a day, consisting of milk, meat, 
v^etables and cereals. They should 
drink freely between meals of pure 
cold water. The notion that large 
quantities of tea, coff^ee and beer im- 
prove the quality of the mother's 
milk is mistaken. Beer and tea are 
always harmful and large quantities 
are positively dangerous. Mothers 
should keep their bowels regular. 
Constipation in a nursing mother 
often causes colic in her child. If the 
mother is ill or run down, or the 
baby has diarrhoea and vomiting, she 
should consult a doctor at once, and 
before giving the baby other foods or 
bottle feeding. 

Diet of the Nursing Mother. — 
Both the quantity and the quality of 
the mother's milk may be improved 
by improving her health and by modi- 
fication of her diet. 

The first rule of a good diet for 
the nursing mother is that it must 
agree with her and keep her in a 
good state of health. Hence a diet 
adopted to increase the quantity or 
quality of the milk must not be ad- 
hered to unless it proves wholesome 
to the mother. Some foods, as toma- 
toes, strawberries and lettuce, which 
may be eaten by some nursing moth- 
ers without aff'ecting their babies, 
cannot be eaten by others. For most 
mothers these fresh foods are of 



THE CARE OF BABIES 



213 



great value and may be eaten freely. 
The mother must be in good health 
to produce good milk. 

The quantity of the milk may be 
increased by the use of liquid foods. 
Drink plenty of pure water and good 
rich milk. A quart or more of milk 
a day may often be taken to advan- 
tage. The diet may be varied by the 
use of tea, coffee (taken sparingly), 
cocoa and soup, in addition to milk. 
Take care not to brew tea and coffee 
long enough to extract from them the 
tannin, caffein and other harmful 
substances they contain. Never boil 
tea or put the teapot over the fire. 
Simply put in the tea and pour boil- 
ing water over it. Pour as soon as 
it is strong enough, which will be in 
about three minutes. Do not allow 
coffee to boil. Use preferably a cof- 
fee percolator and remove from the 
fire as soon as it begins to boil. 
Drink freely of pure water, but avoid 
all sour, salt or highly spiced foods 
and alcoholic drinks of all kinds. 
Also avoid saline purgatives (salts) — 
they are highly injurious. 

Quality of Mother's Milk.— If the 
breast milk is plentiful and of good 
quality, yet fails to nourish the in- 
fant, a change of the mother's diet 
and habits will be found to give ex- 
cellent results. The richness of the 
milk may be increased by eating 
plenty of meat, eggs, animal broths, 
and other animal foods; or decreased 
by omitting or decreasing these foods 
and by eating freely of fruits and 
cereals. If the infant does not in- 
crease in weight, the use of fats and 
oils by the mother will soon cause 
improvement. 

Roth's Rules for Influencing 
Breast Milk. — To increase the total 
quantity, increase proportionately the 
liquids in the mother's diet and en- 
courage her to believe that she will 
be enabled to nurse her infant; or to 
decrease the quantity, decrease the 
liquids proportionately. 

To increase the total solids, shorten 
the nursing intervals and decrease the 
exercise and the proportion of liquids 
in the mother's diet. To decrease the 



total solids, prolong the nursing in- 
tervals and increase the exercise and 
the proportion of liquid diet. To in- 
crease the fats, increase the propor- 
tion of meat in the diet and of the 
fats which are in a readily digestible 
form. To decrease the fats, decrease 
the proportion of meat and fat in the 
diet. To increase the proteids, de- 
crease the exercise; or to decrease 
the proteids, increase the exercise up 
to the limit of fatigue for the indi- 
vidual. 

When to Nurse. — The mother's 
milk does not always come immedi- 
ately after the birth of the child. 
Sometimes it is unusually late in 
coming. In these cases, the rule 
should be to wait and be sure before 
resorting to bottle feeding. Take the 
advice of the family doctor. This is 
too serious a matter to be settled off- 
hand and without the best advice. 
Sometimes a good flow of milk is not 
established until the fourth, fifth or 
sixth day. Some young mothers 
make the serious mistake of giving 
other food to their babies during this 
time. It may be taken for granted 
that nature's method cannot be im- 
proved upon. The baby will not 
starve. If it is given anything ex- 
cept the mother's milk, it may be seri- 
ously injured. Put the child to the 
breast every six hours the first day, 
and every four hours the second day 
after birth, or oftener if it fails to 
nurse or obtain nourishment. But 
do not awaken it to nurse. Undis- 
turbed rest is what it needs. In the 
interval between nursings give it a 
clean linen rag moistened with pure, 
boiled water to suck. After the milk 
comes, usually from the third day 
on, the frequency of nursing during 
the first year is shown in the follow- 
ing table from Holt: 

■ "^^9^^^ Interval nursings 
'^^ by day. (10 p. m. 

to6A.M.) 



Period. 



hours 

1st and 2d day.. 4 6 hrs. 

3 days to 6 wks.. .10 2 

6 wks. to 3 mos... 8 2^ 

3 to 5 months .... 7 3 

5 to 12 months ... 6 3 



214 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



After the third day and for the 
next six weeks, nurse tlie baby every 
two hours during the day time, and 
not more than twice at night, or a 
total of not more than ten nursings 
in the twenty-four hours. The 
healthy child will take one or more 
naps each day. It should not be 
awakened for feeding, but aside from 
this should be fed regularly every 
two hours. 

The interval between nursings may 
be increased from the sixth week to 
the third month to two and one-half 
hours with one nursing at night, or a 
total of eight nursings in twenty- 
four hours. The interval may be fur- 
ther increased to three hours during 
the day time with one nursing at night 
from the third to the fifth month. 
From the fifth to the twelfth month 
the times of feeding remain the same, 
but the night feeding should be dis- 
continued. If the child wakes up in 
the night, give it a drink of cooled 
boiled water, or thin barley water 
without milk. It needs nothing more. 
After a short time, if it is well, it will 
sleep through the night. 

It is easy to get the baby into good 
habits, and hard to get it out of bad 
habits. By adopting regular habits 
of nursiij.g, the mother is given more 
freedom and more rest and is in bet- 
ter condition to take good care of her 
child. Form the habit of nursing 
your baby by the clock. It will soon 
learn to expect its nursing at the 
proper time, and not at any other 
time. It is a good plan to write on 
a slip of paper a memorandum of 
the hours for nursing with the date 
on which the hours are to be changed 
to longer intervals, and also which 
breast is to be used at each nursing. 
It is much better to use but one 
breast at each feeding alternating, 
than to let the baby nurse at both 
breasts at each feeding. Such a 
memorandum during the first six 
weeks would read: 

Right, 5 A. M.; Left, 7 A. M.; 
Right, 9 A. M.; Left, 11 A. M.^ 
Right, 1 P. M. ; Left, 3 P. M. ; Right, 
5 P. M.; Left, 7 P. M-; Right, 9 



P. M. ; Change to 21 hours between 
nursings on (date). 

Do not nurse except at the regular 
intervals. It is a great, but very 
common mistake to put the baby to 
the breast every time it cries. It is 
more likely to be thirsty or suff^ering 
from over-feeding than to be hungry. 
Give it a drink of water, but do not 
nurse it until the regular time. If 
you nurse oftener, your milk will be- 
come unfit. Babies when nursed too 
often or whenever they cry get in- 
digestion and then cry harder from 
pain. If a baby is not sick or un- 
comfortable from heat or from the 
pricking of a pin, it will get no 
harm from crying. Indeed, every 
baby shoidd cry during the day. It 
helps to develop its lungs. Crying, 
especially during the first few days 
of life is perfectly natural, and often 
beneficial. It does not necessarily in- 
dicate illness or hunger at any time, 
and food or medicine should not be 
given merely because the child cries. 

The nursing should not last more 
than twenty minutes. Never let the 
baby go to sleep with the nipple in 
its mouth. Never nurse the baby 
when you are very tired or very much 
wrought up with grief, anger, or 
other very strong emotion. Your , 
milk under such conditions will often 
be unfit for food. It may give the 
baby convulsions. In such cases it 
is often better to draw off the milk 
and give the infant some other food 
until you regain self control. Do 
not take drugs while nursing your 
baby, except by the direction of your 
physician. Opium, senna, rhubarb, 
and some other drugs may affect the 
milk so as to poison the child. 

Care of Nursing Bottles. — If the 
baby must be fed from a bottle abso- 
lute sanitary cleanliness is the price 
of safety. A baby cannot get clean 
milk out of a dirtj'' bottle or through 
a dirty nipple. Sore mouth, colic 
and summer complaint often come 
from improper care of bottles and 
nipples. It is true that some babies 
have lived in filthy surroundings and 
survived dirty food, but it is equally 



THE CARE OF BABIES 



215 



true that others have been killed by 
them. The only safe course is to take 
no chances. It is better to be safe 
than to be sorry. 

Clean the nursing bottle immedi- 
ately after each feeding. First rinse 
with clear cold water. Hot water 
changes the casein of milk into an in- 
soluble glue which is very hard to 
wash off. Stale milk curds sticking 
to the inside of the bottle become 
jioisonous after a few hours and may 
contaminate fresh food. After rins- 
ing, put the bottle to soak in soda 
or borax water or soap suds. Finally, 
scrub the inside with a clean wire or 
other bottle brush ; rinse with hot wa- 
ter and boil for twenty minutes. Turn 
the bottle upside down in a clean dish 
without wiping, and place in a clean 
place to dry and cool. Or, prefer- 
ably fill the bottle with clean boiled 




There's death in the dirty bottle. 

water and a little piece of cooking 
soda the size of a pea and let the 
water stand in the bottle until the 
next feeding. Never let the bottle 
stand with milk in it. Never try to 
save what is left from one feeding 
until the next. 

Nursing Bottles. — Never use 
square or paneled bottles. Sour milk 
and dirt cannot be removed from the 



corners. This lilth remaining will 
afterwards contaminate the fresh 
food. Also avoid nursing bottles 
with tubes of either glass or rub- 
ber. They may be handy for you, 
but they are death to your baby. In- 
digestion and bowel comialaint are the 




(a) Avoid corners or a tube; {b) use a 
bottle like this. 



result. Their use cannot be too 
strongly condemned. They cannot be 
jjroperly cleaned and milk taken 
through them, especially in hot 
weather, soon becomes filthy and ab- 
solutely poisonous to the infant. 
Square bottles and nursing tubes are 
baby killers and their sale has been 
forbidden in many states by law. Se- 
lect bottles with round corners and 
with the kind of nipple that fits over 
the neck and can be turned and 
washed both inside and out. Nip- 
ples of black rubber are better than 
those of white or red. 

No person ailing or sick with a 
contagious disease, or who is known 
or suspected of having been exposed 
to such diseases, should be allowed to 
touch or come near the baby's milk 
or other food, or any of the utensiis 
in which it is prepared or served. A 
small cluster of bactei'ia from a con- 
taminated finger may develop to a 
colony of several billions in a bottle 
of warm milk within a short time. 

Care of Hubber Nipples. — Use the 
kind of nipple which is slipped over 
the neck of the bottle. Have at least 
two nipples, or preferably buy a 
half dozen at a time and keep some 
on hand to replace those that are lost 
or injured. After each feeding, turn 
the nipple inside out, rinse with cold 



216 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



water, and scrub with a brush kept 
for that purpose. Wash thoroughly 
with hot water inside and out, and 
drop into a cup containing about a 
teaspoonful of soda or borax to tlie 
pint of water, until needed for use. 
Boil the nipple at least once daily for 
twenty minutes while the milk bot- 
tles are being boiled. Rinse the nip- 




(a) Brush for cleaning hottle; (b) use 
a bottle and nipple like this; (c) 
don't use a "baby killer" like this. 

pie in boiling water before using it. 
Don't py.t it into your mouth to find 
out whether the milk is warm enough, 
nor let the nurse do so. To test its 
temperature, let a few drops of milk 
fall on your wrist. 

Weaning. — Ask your doctor how 
long you ought to nurse your baby. 
It will depend partly upon your state 
of health, and partly upon the season 
of the year. Some mothers ought to 
wean their infants at six months, 
others may nurse them a full year. 
The average is about nine or ten 
months. Nursing the child too long 
is an unnecessary drain upon the 
mother. There is also great danger 
of injury to the child. Don't wean 
your baby as long as he is gaining in 
weight, and never do so except by 
the advice of your physician. His 
advice is better than that of your 
neighbors. If the baby remains well 
but stops gaining weight, don't con- 



clude that your milk does not agree 
with it. Consult your physician 
about the use of some artificial food 
to help you out. Wean gradually by 
giving one breast meal less each 
week and teach the baby to drink 
from a cup or bottle. This is better 
for the baby. Sudden weaning is 
apt to cause serious illness. 

With the advice and consent of 
your physician, you may begin dur- 
ing the fifth or sixth month to teach 
the baby to take food and water from 
a bottle. Thus the baby will be fed 
for some time with both breast milk 
and artificial food, and there will be 
time for his stomach to adjust itself 
to the change. This plan will ma- 
terially decrease both the difficulties 
and dangers of weaning. It also 
helps you to extend the period of 
nursing. Every drop of breast milk 
the baby gets adds to his health and 
strength as no other food ever can. 

In changing from breast milk to 
cow's milk, the milk used first should 
be very much diluted and modified 
unless the baby has been given a bot- 
tle in addition to the mother's milk. 
In weaning a six months old baby 
give the milk usually given to an in- 
fant one month old. If the baby is 
ten months old, give the milk usually 
given to a three months old baby. 

Wet Nurses. — A true foster moth- 
er in good health and spirits and 
equally as devoted to the welfare of 
the child as though it were her own, 
would be the ideal substitute for an 
infant deprived of its mother's milk. 
In practice, there are so many objec- 
tions to the employment of the wet 
nurse that this plan is by no means 
as popular as in years past. The 
cost for board and wages is consid- 
erable and the difficulty of finding a 
suitable person is very great. The 
mother who yields her natural func- 
tion to another must remember that 
if the nurse is not perfectly healthy 
she may infect the child with disease; 
if careless and ignorant, she may 
cause the death of the child through 
neglect; and if her own baby should 
chance to suffer through her emi^loy- 



THE CARE OF BABIES 



217 



ment, she may grieve or become so 
nervously excited as to make her milk 
unwholesome. She may also leave 
at any moment without warning. 
Hence, a wet nurse should never be 
hired unless she is known to be re- 
liable and of good moral character 
and is pronounced by a competent 
physician to be free from disease. 
Inquiries should be made as to the 
circumstances surrounding her own 
child. Reasonable assurance should 
be had that she is likely to be free 
from anxiety or worry. 

The same care should be devoted to 
the nurse's habits of life and diet as 
the nursing mother should exercise in 
her own behalf. As a rule it is nec- 
essary that the nurse should have the 
sort of food and the amount of exer- 
cise to which she has previously been 
accustomed, rather than that she be 
fed upon rich foods and suffered to 
lead a life of idleness. 

AETIFICIAL FEEDING 

All doctors of experience agree 
that the problem of the artificial 
feeding of infants is one of the most 
serious which they are called upon to 
face. Some babies have to be put on 
the bottle at birth or during the first 
few weeks or months of life. All 
must be weaned sooner or later. 
Hence, this is a problem which must 
be worked out for every single child. 
There are certain facts and princi- 
ples which every mother should know, 
because they are of equal importance 
in all cases. But every mother should 
clearly understand that no set of 
rules can be laid down which will be 
adapted in all respects to any child. 
Each baby needs a combination suited 
to his digestion. The mixture upon 
which some other baby is thriving 
may be too strong or too weak for 
your baby. The only way to learn 
what food will agree with your baby 
is by experience. The facts and 
principles herein stated are condensed 
from the official publications of 
boards of health throughout the 
United States. They may be relied 



upon as the consensus of the best 
medical opinion. But if your baby 
does not thrive upon artificial food 
prepared as here suggested, you 
should consult your family physician 
and be guided by his advice. 

It is much better for her own 
health as well as that of the child 
for the mother to nurse her own 
baby. It is also much easier and 
cheaper. Milk and other artificial 
food is expensive and so is the ice 
to keep it properly. And much time 
and trouble is required for preparing 
the food. Hence it is almost a crim- 
inal folly for a mother to refuse to 
nurse her baby, unless the physician 
advises her that it is unsafe for her 
to do so. Good artificial food is, 
however, better than bad breast feed- 
ing. Sometimes the mother or the 
infant may be actually imable to 
nurse. The milk may continue to 
disagree with the infant; it may be 
insufficient in quantity or deficient in 
quality properly to nourish the child; 
or the health of the infant's mother 
may require weaning. 

If the milk is good in quality, but 
insufficient in quantity, it is far bet- 
ter to continue the breast feeding 
and to give the baby some artificial 
food in addition, to help the mother 
out. Mother's milk is not only the 
most easily digested and the most nu- 
tritious of all baby foods. It con- 
tains a ferment such that a very 
small quantity helps to digest a 
larger quantity of cow's milk. It also 
contains certain antitoxin substances 
which afford a large degree of pro- 
tection against diarrhceal diseases, the 
ordinary infectious diseases, and some 
others. Hence, even if the supply of 
breast milk is not sufficient for the 
total nourishment of the child, this 
partial supply is of such great value 
that it should be kept up as long as 
possible. 

Even when the mother's milk has 
nearly disappeared it may sometimes 
be brought back. If the inclination 
of the child has not been spoiled by 
feeding from a cup or spoon it will, 
by regular application to the breast. 



218 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



help to stimulate the secretion of 
milk. The flow can also be encour- 
aged by proper attention to the diet. 
But if the mother is suffering from 
disease which impairs the healthful- 
ness of the milk, breast feeding 
must be wholly discontinued and ar- 
tificial food adopted. 

When Not to Nurse. — When the 
mother is consumptive or sufi^ers 
from any other chronic disease or is 
very delicate, nursing may be too se- 
vere a drain upon her and may be 
unwholesome for the child. Nursing 
a consumptive mother is not only 
dangerous to the child; it may hasten 
the progress of the mother's disease 
and make fatal its termination. 
Breast feeding is also out of the 
question when serious complications 
follow the child's birth, such as se- 
vere hemorrhage, childbed fever, 
blood poisoning, kidney disease, or 
when the mother suff"ers from epi- 
lepsy or St. Vitus Dance, or other 
chronic nervous affliction. 

Contrary to common opinion the 
nursing mother may become preg- 
nant, in which case her baby should 
be promptly weaned. The milk is 
then deficient in quality and to con- 
tinue nursing may work irreparable 
injury to- both mother and child. The 
importance of this fact cannot be 
over-estimated, as some mothers from 
a mistaken opinion to the contrary 
nurse their children for several 
months after they should be weaned 
and suffer the most unfortunate con- 
sequences. 

The menstruation of the mother 
does not affect the milk as much as 
usually believed. It may cause slight 
indigestion, but is not sufficient rea- 
son to stop nursing. Extreme sensi- 
tiveness of the breasts to the point of 
intense pain in nursing is not a good 
reason for discontinuing. Persistence 
for a few days will allow nature time 
to effect a cure. 



MILK MODIFICATION 

Cow's milk undiluted and unmodi- 
fied is entirely unfit for infants un- 



der one year old, but when properly 
diluted and mixed it is the best sub- 
stitute for mother's milk. Cow's 
milk must be diluted on account of 
its richness in curds. The cheesy 
matter it contains forms large curds 
in the child's stomach which are 
harder to digest than the smaller 
curds in mother's milk. Hence it is 
necessary to dilute the cow's milk, 
both to lessen the amount of cheesy 
matter and to break up the curds 
into small particles so that the child 
can digest the milk more easily. 
When diluted, however, it contains 
too little fats and sugar. Hence 
after dilution, it is necessary to add 
cream and sugar to the milk. This 
process imitates the milk of the 
mother as nearly as can be done. It 
is commonly known as milk modifica- 
tion. Milk so treated is called modi- 
fied milk. This is now accepted by 
all authorities as the best food for 
the infant deprived of breast milk. 
Cow's milk can be diluted either by 
water, by decoctions of cereals such 
as barley or oatmeal, or, toward the 
end of the first year, by beef or mut- 
ton broth. Both oatmeal and beef 
broth have a tendency to loosen the 
bowels. Changes have to be made 
from time to time to suit the infant's 
digestion. Your physician will ad- 
vise you as to how this can be done. 
Good cow's milk contains about 
four per cent of butter fat and may 
be called 4% milk. After- standing 




(a) Upper third 10% milk; (&) upper 
Jialf 7%; (c) ifJwle milk i%. Courtesy 
State Board of Health of Illinois. 

until the cream rises to the top, th? 
upper third of a bottle of good milk 



THE CARE OF BABIES 



219 



contains ten per cent of butter fat. 
This is called 10% milk, or cream. 
The upper half contains seven per 
cent of butter fat and is known 
as 7% milk. Always buy whole 
milk, i. e., 4% milk, never skimmed 
milk. 

Materials Required for Milk Mix- 
ing". — It is good economy to equip 
yourself at the outset with a full set 
of proper utensils for mixing the 
baby's milk. The best are none too 
good. The whole cost will hardly 
equal the doctor's fees which may re- 
sult from a single illness due to im- 
proper feeding. You will require an 
eight-ounce glass graduate, a glass 
funnel, a cream dipper, a dozen nurs- 
ing bottles, a half dozen black rubber 
nipjiles, and three bottle brushes for 
washing out the bottles. If you buy 
milk in bottles and measure it in a 
glass graduate you will not need to 
use pitchers, cups, or other measures. 
But whatever utensils you do use for 
mixing the baby's food should be 
kept by themselves, washed separate- 
ly, boiled and drained without wip- 
ing, and not jjut into the dish water 
or wiped with a dish towel in the 
ordinary way. 

The Materna Measure. — This is a 
sixteen-ounce measure with six panel 
sides. It affords a simple means of 
milk mixing in the home. On each 
side is marked the exact amount of 
sugar, lime water, water, milk and 
cream to be used in feeding. The 
six panels are labeled to measure the 
food suitable to as many ages of in- 
fancy. If your druggist does not 
carry this measure in stock ask hiin 
to order one for you. It will help 
you to avoid making mistakes. 

All utensils used in preparing 
baby food should be of glass, china, 
porcelain or granite-ironware. These 
will not rust nor present crevices for 
the accumulation of dirt. Never use 
vessels or utensils which are cracked 
or have rough edges or surfaces. Se- 
lect nursing bottles with round bot- 
toms and free from angles. The best 
l)ottles are marked with a scale of 
ounces so that the exact ajnount 



given may be measured at each feed- 
ing. It is advisable to purchase a 
dozen bottles because it is much more 
convenient to mix in the morning 
the food for the entire day. Put 
enough for each feeding in a sepa- 





(a) Bent stijle of nursing bottle; (6) 
materna measure. 



rate bottle and then place the bottles 
on ice. Ten feedings will be re- 
quired for small infants and it is 
well to have extra bottles on hand in 
case of breakage. Fewer bottles may 
be used, but no mother should at- 
temjjt to get along with less than 
two. It is better to have plenty of 
bottles so that the same bottles will 
not have to be used too frequently. 

MATERIALS FOR MILK MODIFI- 
CATION 

Water. — The purity of water with 
which infants' food is diluted is 
equally as important as the purity 
of the milk. The benefits of clean 
milk are entirely lost if it is diluted 
with dirty -water. Pure spring water, 
which can be purchased in bottles in 
many localities, is to be preferred for 
diluting infants' food, but if it is 
necessary to use water from cisterns, 
wells, or streams of doubtful purity. 



^20 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



boil the water for half an hour and 
store it in clean glass bottles stop- 
pered with cotton wool or antiseptic 
gauze. Do not allow it to stand over 
six hours. 

Lime Water. — Lime water is used 
to overcome the acidity of cow's milk 
and to lessen the consistency of the 
curd. There are some infants with 
whom it does not agree, and if used 
too freely it may cause constipation. 
Vichy water is a good substitute for 
lime water and should be used if the 
latter does not agree. Either can be 
obtained from a druggist. But in 
buying material of any kind for in- 
fant feeding, patronize only drug- 
gists in whom you can have con- 
fidence. Some unscrupulous drug- 
gists sell ordinary unfiltered tap 
water for lime water. 

Sugar. — Sugar is not added to 
cow's milk to sweeten it and make it 
more palatable, but to make it con- 
form as nearly as possible to moth- 
er's milk. Milk sugar is best if you 
can get a pure article from a reliable 
druggist. But milk sugar often con- 
tains impurities. Hence, unless you 
are very sure of the reliability of 
your dealer, use cane sugar; this is 
rarely adulterated or impure. Loaf 
sugar i^ the purest form of sugar 
and among the purest of all foods. 
Use only half the quantity of 
cane sugar that you would of milk 
sugar. 

Barley Water. — This is often used 
in diluting milk for infant feeding 
to make the curds of milk more eas- 
ily digestible. Barley flour * is pref- 
erable to pearl barley. To make 
barley water use two tablespoonfuls 
of barley flour or meal, and a small 
pinch of salt, to a quart of cold 
water. First stir the barley flour 
with a little of the water into a thin 
paste. Then add the remainder of 
the water, stir and boil fifteen to 
twenty minutes. If pearl barley is 
usecj it must be thoroughly cooked. 



* Robinson's patent barley or the prepared 
barley of the Health Food Company are stand- 
ard preparations of barley flour and can be ob- 
tained at almost any drug store. 



Place two tablespoonfuls in one quart 
of water and boil from two to three 
hours. Add more water from time to 
time so that the quantity in the end 
will be one quart. Strain through a 
clean piece of cheese cloth sterilized 
by baking in a hot oven. Barley 
water should not be kept from day 
to day, but should be made fresh 
every morning. 

A prominent physician of northern 
Illinois, who has been practicing for 
thirty-two years, says: "My food for 
babies is invariably one heaping ta- 
blespoonful -of pearl (store) barley, 
ground in a coff^ee-mill, and boiled 
in one quart of water, down to a 
pint. Strain, add the same quantity 
of milk, and let the baby have it. 
Hundreds of mothers have used this 
preparation on my direction, and the 
result has been healthy, growing, fat 
babies. I think that Professor Ja- 
cobi recommended this many years 
ago. At any rate I always use it, 
and with constant success." 

Oatmeal Water. — This is used in 
the same way as barley water, espe- 
cially if a laxative efl^'ect is desired. 
To make it, stir two tablespoonfuls 
of oatmeal with a pinch of salt in a 
quart of boiling water. Cover and 
let simmer for two or three hours. 
Replace the water as it evaporates 
so that there will be a quart when 
done. Strain the same as for barley 
water and make fresh every day. 

Or, for oatmeal or rice water, put 
three tablespoonfuls of oatmeal 
(H-0) or rice into a quart of water. 
Soak three hours or overnight. Then 
boil steadily for two hours keeping 
the quantity up to a quart with more 
water as needed. Add a pinch of 
salt and strain as for barley water. 
Keep in an ice box or other cool 
place and make fresh daily. 

BOTTLE FEEDING 

The best plan is to prepare each 
morning enough food to last for 
twenty-four hours and place the re- 
quired quantity for each nursing in a 
separate nursing bottle. Plug the 



THE CARE OF BABIES 



221 



bottles with baked absorbent cotton, 
cotton wool or antiseptic gauze. 

Or, if you do not have enough 
nursing bottles, prepare enough food 
for twenty- four hours and place it in 
a clean, freshly boiled fruit jar with 
a glass clamp top. Do not use the 
screw-top jars. They are not so 
easy to keep clean. Do not use the 
rubber ring, it is hard to keep clean 
and is not necessary. 

Get together all the necessary uten- 
sils, and put them in a saucepan, 
preferably of agate ware. Cover 
them with cold or luke-warm water, 
and bring them slowly to a boil. 
Clear off a table top to work on and 
cover it with a freshly laundered 
towel or other clean cloth. See that 
everything that comes in contact with 
the milk is absolutely clean. Wash 
your hands with soap and water and 
scrub them with a stiff brush with 
especial attention to the finger nails. 
Put the water to be used in mixing 
the food on the fire in a covered 
saucepan. Bring it to a boil and 
keep it, until ready for use, in the 
same vessel in which it was boiled. 
Now mix the food exactly as the doc- 
tor directs, or in accordance with the 
formula you have adopted. Always 
mix it exactly the same way. As 
soon as the food has been placed in 
nursing bottles or fruit jar, and stop- 
pered properly, put these on ice or 
in the coolest place you can find. 
Work quickly and do not let the milk 
or prepared food stand in a warm 
room any longer than is necessary. 

Or, if the milk is not perfectly 
fresh, or has not been freshly pas- 
teurized, it may be pasteurized after 
it has been prepared and placed in 
the nursing bottles. This is perhaps 
the safest course, as it avoids all pos- 
sibility of contamination from the 
time the food is prepared until it is 
fed. After the nursing bottles are 
filled stand them up on a plate in 
the bottom of a saucepan filled with 
luke-warm water up to within two or 
three inches of the tops of the bot- 
tles. Bring the water slowly to a 
boil. Then remove the saucepan from 



the fire and let the bottles stand in 
the hot water for fifteen or twenty 
minutes. Now cool the water sur- 
rounding the bottles by pouring in 
cold water. But take care not to cool 
the bottles so quickly as to crack 
them. As soon as they are cold 
enough to handle, plug with cotton 
stoppers and put them on the ice. 

Or, if you have no ice, springhouse 
or other means of keeping milk cool, 
especially in summer weather, it is 
better to sterilize the milk absolutely 
by leaving the saucepan on the fire 
and keeping the water just at the 
boiling point for 20 minutes. Then 
chill thoroughly with cold water. 
Plug with cotton and keep as cool as 
you can. Such milk is not as whole- 
some as pasteurized or fresh milk 
would be if kept on ice, but it con- 
tains no living germs and is therefore 
safer than unsterilized milk which 
cannot be kept cool at 40 degrees F. 
or under. 

Feeding' the Baby. — Keep the food 
on ice until ready for use and heat 
it when the baby needs it. Never 
let the bottle stand in a warm room 
with milk in it. Be sure not to heat 
a bottle when you go to bed and 
keep it in bed until nursing time, 
because you do not want to go to the 
ice box for it. This is certain to 
make the baby sick. Do not attempt 
to keep milk at a luke-warm tem- 
perature at night or any other time 
in a thermos bottle or by any other 
arrangement. Such a device simjily 
acts as an incubator for germs which, 
at this temperature, quickly grow to 
enormous numbers and render the 
milk dangerous. 

Place the nursing bottle in hot 
water when needed and warm the 
food to about body heat. Do not 
give the baby cold milk. Do not give 
the baby hot milk. Make the tem- 
perature just right. Wash your 
hands in soap and water before ad- 
justing the nipple. Never put the 
nipple in your own mouth to find out 
whether the milk is warm enough. 
Try it on your wrist. Taste a little 
from a spoon. If the milk is not 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



sweet do not give it to the baby. 
Shake the bottle before using it. 

Don't feed a baby undersix months 
of age from a cup or spoon. Suck- 
ing is the natural way by which a 
baby takes its food. It 'leeds the 
sucking action of the lips, mouth and 
tongue to mix its food with the 
fluids of the mouth, and for the 



proper development of the mouth and 
teeth. 

How and When to Teed. — In feed- 
ing your baby from the bottle follow 
as nearly as you can the same rule 
as feeding from the breast. Write 
down on a slip of i:)aper the hours 
for feeding and feed by the clock at 
regular intervals. Break away from 



TABLE OF TIMES AND AMOUNTS FOR INFANT FEEDING FOR THE FIRST YEAR 



AGE 


Hours 
between 
feeding 


Number 
of feed- 
ings be- 
tween 
10 p. M. 
and 

7 A. M. 


Number 
of feed- 
ings in 

24 hours 


Ounces 
to eacli 
feeding 


Ounces 

in 
24 hours 


3rd to 7th day 


2 
2 

2 

2h 
3 
3 
4 


2 
2 
1 

1 
1 




10 
10 
10 
8 
7 
6 
5 


lJ-3 

2J-3J 
3-5 
4-6 

5-7J 
7-9 


10-15 




15 30 




95 35 




25 40 




28 42 


5th to 9th month 


30 45 


9th to 12th month 


35-45 







FEEDING ACCORDING TO BABY'S WEIGHT, THE BEST WAY, OR BY AGE 



Child'^' 
Weight in 
Pounds for 
Age in Mos. 


Total Amts. for 
24 hours 


At each feeding 


How Often 


In 24 
Hours 


From 

A. M. 

to 
6 p. M. 


From 

6 p. M. 

to 

6 A. M. 


1 




CJ-- 

H5 


1 


1 


d S 

Ml 
3 

C.CO 


6, 7 and 8 
up to 2 Mos. 


802. 


16 oz. 


5 


1 oz. 


2oz. 


1 


1 bottle every 
2 hours 


8 bottles 


6 bottles 


2 bottles 


9 and 10, 
2-3 Mos. 


12 oz. 


20 oz. 


5 


1] oz. 


2J oz. 


^ 


1 bottle every 
2 hours 


8 bottles 


6 bottles 


2 bottles 


11, 12, 13 and 14 
3-6 Mos. 


18 oz. 


18 oz. 


6 


2| oz. 


2i oz. 


a 


1 bottle every 
2 J hours 


7 bottles 


5 bottles 


2 bottles 


15 and 16, 
6-8 Mos. 


24 oz. 


18 oz. 


7 


35- oz. 


2| oz. 


1 


1 bottle every 
2§ hours 


7 bottles 


5 bottles 


2 bottles 


17 and 18, 
8-10 Mos. 


30 oz. 


12 oz. 


6 


5 oz. 


2oz. 


1 


1 bottle everj' 
3 hours 


6 bottles 


5 bottles 


1 bottle 


19 and 20, 
10-12 Mos. 


48 oz. 






80Z. 





If 


1 bottle every 
3 hours 


6 bottles 


5 bottles 


1 bottle 



Two tablespoonfuls make one ounce. 



THE CARE OF BABIES 



223 



night feedings as soon as possible. 
Hold the balby in the same position 
as for nursing at the breast and take 
tare to tip the bottle so that the 
neck is always full. The baby should 
not take its food in less than ten 
minutes. If it sucks too rapidly, 
withdraw the bottle occasionally for 
a minute or two, or use a nipple witli 
a smaller hole. But do not jjrolong 
the feeding over fifteen or twenty 
minutes. Never let the child suck the 
emiJty bottle. Do not let it go to 
sleep with the nijjple in its mouth. If 
you start right and get the, baby into 
the habit of nursing at regular inter- 
vals, it will not cry for food at other 
times. If the baby cries, look at the 
clock, if not feeding time the trou- 
ble is something else. Infants and 
children are frequently fretful from 
thirst. 

How Much to Teed. — Measure tlie 
food and give regular amounts at 
each feeding. Never coax the baby 
to take more food than it wants. 
Too much food and too frequent 
feeding does greater harm than too 
little. It over-taxes the digestion and 
leads to stomach and intestinal dis- 
turbances. Regurgitation, or the 
"raising" of the milk after feeding 
indicates over-feeding. Cut down 
the amount and avoid digestive trou- 
bles and diarrhoea. If the baby does 
not take the whole feeding throw it 
away. Do not attempt to save it for 
the next time. 

During days of extreme heat give 
not more than half the usual food 
at each feeding, but give the baby all 
the cold boiled water — not ice water 
— that it craves. At all seasons take 
care to give the baby water at fre- 
quent intervals in sufficient quanti- 
ties to quench its thirst. 

Feeding Problems. — If a bottle- 
fed baby does not thrive the difficulty 
may be that the food is too rich, or 
not rich enough; that the amount fed 
is too much, or too little; or that 
the food spoils before it is fed from 
not being kept clean and cold. The 
food must be kept clean and cold to 
be wholesome at any age. But the 



quality of the food, the amount to 
be given at each feeding, and the fre- 
quency of the feedings must be modi- 
fied and adapted to the needs of the 
growing child. It is usual to give 
rules for feeding according to the 
age of the child, but regard must also 
be had to its weight in pounds. 
Tliere is a relation between the 
weight of the baby and size of the 
stomach. Large babies require more 
food than small babies. Most author- 
ities agree that a child should not be 
fed oftener than once in two hours, 
nor more than ten times in each 
twenty-four hours during the first 
few weeks of life, and that the in- 
tervals between feedings should be 
lengthened and the number of feed- 
ings decreased progressively up to 
the end of the first year. The exact 
time to make these changes must be 
determined in each case by the state 
of the baby's health, but the tables on 
the opposite page may be taken as a 
fair general average and will be 
found helpful and suggestive. 

It is best to begin with a weak 
food, as the first milk mixture in the 
accompanying table, for babies from 
birth to three or four months of age. 
The food should be increased gradu- 
ally both in strength and quality. Do 
not increase the quantity more than 
half an ounce at a time. Never in- 
crease both the quantity and the rich- 
ness of the food at the same time. 
Never feed oftener than suggested by 
this table. The child's stomach needs 
some rest. Too rich food or too much 
food at the beginning makes later 
feeding difficult. Over-feeding at 
any time will upset the baby's diges- 
tion and may lead to serious illness. 

Weight and Height. — The age of 
a child alone is not a trustworthy 
guide as to the amount or strength 
of the food which it should have. 
The weight is a much more correct 
index. Weigh the baby every week. 
Measure its length (or height) and 
keep a record for future reference. 
Compare this record with the follow- 
ing standard table of the growth and 
development of a normal infant. 



2M 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



This will show you at once whether 
or not your baby is enjoying a nor- 
mal development. The average 
weight of a child at birth is 7 or 7| 
pounds. During the first week there 
is a loss of a few ounces. There- 
after the normal gain is about six 
ounces a week for the first three 
months, and after that about four 
ounces a week to the end of the first 
year. 

All weights during the first year 
should be taken without any clothing. 
Loss of weight is a danger signal 
which must not be ignored. If your 
baby does not gain weight every 
week consult your doctor and be 
guided by his advice. In doubtful 
cases the weighing should be daily or 
every other day. Use suitable baby 
scales and record the weight for con- 
tinuous reference. The weighing of 
children often brings surprises. Loss 
of weight indicates that the milk is 
insufficient in quantity or in nutritive 
value, or there are faults of digestion 
and assimilation. Weighing of a 
breast-fed baby just before and then 
just after nursing will show the 
quantity of breast milk obtained. 

The growth of the child in length 
(or height) is another important aid 
in proper feeding and care of in- 
fants. 'A normal increase of weight 
does not prove a normal develop- 
ment. An unsuitable food, such as 
condensed milk, may increase the 
weight rapidly enough, or even fatten 
the baby too much, yet the develop- 
ment may be faulty and the degree 
of resistance against disease low. 
Hence both weight and height should 
be taken into consideration. 

LENGTH AND WEIGHT OF A 
NORMAL BABY 



Age 
At birth 


Length 
19.5 in... 


Weight 
7 lbs. 


1 Mo 


.... 20.5 in. . . 


7? lbs. 


2 Mo 


.... 21. in. . . 


9i lbs. 


3 Mo 


.... 22. in . . . 


. 1 1 lbs. 


4 Mo 


.... 23. in... 


. 12| lbs. 


6 Mo 


.... 23.5 in . . . 


. 14 lbs. 


6 Mo 


.... 24. in . . 


. 15 lbs. 


7 Mo 


24.5 in . . . 


. 16 lbs. 


8 Mo 

9 Mo 


.... 25. in... 
2.5.5 in . . . 


. 17 lbs. 
18 lbs. 


10 Mo 


.... 26. in . . . 


. 19 lbs. 


H Mo 


26.5 in... 


. 20 lbs. 


12 Mo 


27. in... 


.. 21 lbs. 



The character of the stools is a 
most important guide in infant feed- 
ing. Foul smelling, frothy or green- 
ish passages indicate illness and may 
be the forerunner of fatal sickness. 
When the stools are unnatural in 
character or more frequent than four 
a day, a physician should be promjjt- 
ly called. 

Milk Mixtures. — The following 
method of preparing the milk mix- 
tures given in the accompanying ta- 
bles is recommended by the Illinois 
State Board of Health as the most 
convenient and satisfactory for those 
using bottled milk. 

Set apart a separate quart of milk 
for the baby and do not shake it or 




The Ohapin cream dipper. Courtesy 
State Board of Health of Illinois. 

pour any milk out of it until after 
the baby's food has been prepared. 
Then what is left may be used by 
others. The top part of the milk, 
the upper third, or upper half, as re- 
quired, may be taken off^ with a 
spoon by tilting the bottle gently 
without shaking, and dipping from 
it with care not to lose sight of the 
cream line. But it is much better to 
order through your druggist what is 
known as the Chapin cream dipper. 
This inexpensive little device is 
shown in the illustration. It holds 
just one ounce and is convenient 
both for dipping and measuring. If 
a spoon is used, remember that eight 
teaspoons are equivalent to one 



THli CARE OF BABIES 



225 



ounce, or four dessertspoons, or two 
tablesjjoons. 

The 10% milk required by the table 
for milk mixtures from birth to three 
or four months of age, may be se- 
cured from the upper third of a bot- 
tle of good 4% milk, or by mixing 
two parts of good whole millc with 
one part of cream. The 7% milk re- 
quired by the table from the third or 
fourth month to the end of the ninth 
or tenth month may be secured from 
the upper half of a bottle of whole 
milk, or by mixing three parts of 
whole milk with one part of cream. 
A pinch of salt may be added to the 
food if desired. 

The milk sugar required should al- 
ways be dissolved in hot water. It 
sours quickly when dissolved, so do 
not prepare more than one day's sup- 
ply at a time. Or, use one-half 
the quantity of pure granulated 
or, preferably, lump sugar. Dis- 
solve in hot water and thoroughly 
mix. 



The quantity given in the first ta- 
ble is twenty ounces. This is tlie 
amount that will be used by an aver- 
age baby during the first four weeks 
of life if fed every two hours at the 
rate of about two ounces eacli feed- 
ing. It is easy to estimate the quan- 
tities required for larger amounts. 
For a twenty-five ounce mixture add 
one-fourtli more of each ingredient. 
For a thirty ounce mixture, add one- 
half more of each ingredient. If the 
baby is fed artificially from birth, 
begin with mixture No. 1 in the first 
table. Substitute the succeeding mix- 
tures gradually until the third or 
fourth month. Observe carefully 
how the baby thrives and especially 
any change in weight. After the 
fourth month the above mixtures are 
not strong enough and those given in 
the second table should be substi- 
tuted. 

When weaning older infants use 
the mixture suited to its age from 
one of the accompanying tables. 



TABLE FOR MILK MODIFICATION PREPARED BY STATE BOARD OF HEALTH 

OF ILLINOIS 

I.Iilk Mixtures. — (From Birth to Three or Four Months of Age.) 

1. Milk-sugar, 1 oz. (3 level tablespoonfuls.) 
Lime water, 1 oz. 

Enough hot * water to make 20 ounces. After the milk-sugar is dissolved add two ounces 
of_,upper third milk (10% fat). 
This is a suitable modified milk for the infant immediately after birth. 

2. Milk sugar, lime water and water same as for No. 1, with the addition of 3 ounces of upper 
third milk. 

3. Milk sugar, lime water and water as in No. 1, with the addition of 4 ounces of upper third 
milk. 

4. Milk sugar, lime water and water as in No. 1, with the addition of 5 ounces of upper third 
milk. 

5. Milk sugar, lime water and water as in No. 1, with the addition of 6 ounces of upper third 
milk. 

6. Milk sugar, lime water and water as in No. 1, with the addition of 7 ounces of upper third 
milk. 

(From the Third or Fourth Month to the end of the Ninth or Tenth Month.) 

1. Milk sugar, 1 oz. (3 level tablespoonfuls.) 
liime water, 1 oz. 

Enough hot * water to make 20 ounces. After the milk sugar is dissolved add 3 ounces 
of upper half milk. 

2. Milk sugar, lime water and water as in No. 1, with the addition of 4 ounces of upper half milk. 

3. Milk sugar, lime water and water as in No. 1, with the addition of 5 ounces of upper half milk. 

4. Milk sugar, lime water and water as in No. 1, with the addition of 6 ounces of upper half milk. 

5. Milk sugar, lime water and water as in No. 1 , with the addition of 7 ounces of upper half milk. 

6. Milk sugar, lime water and water as in No. 1, with the addition of 8 ounces of upper half milk. 

7. Milk sugar, lime water and water as in No. l,with the addition of 9 ounces of upper half milk. 

8. Milk sugar, lime water and water as in No. 1, with the addition of 10 ounces of upper half 
milk. 

9. Milk sugar, J oz. 
Lime water, 1 oz. 

Enough water to make 20 ounces. To this add 12 ounces of upper half milk. 

Of the above formulas, it is seldom necessary for the healthy infant to use a mixture of less 
strength than No. 5. Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 are of value, however, during temporary disturbances of 
digestion when it is desired to relieve the digestive organs of as much work as possible. 

The infant which can take Mixture No. of the above formulas without difficulty is usually able to 
begin o?i No. 6 of the following formulas, in which whole milk (4%) is used. 

* Not boiled. 



226 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Milk Mixtures. — (For the latter part of the First Year.) 

1. Milk sugar, 1 oz. 
Lirue water, 1 oz. 

Enough hot * water to make 20 ounces. After the milk sugar is dissolved add 5 ounces 
of whole milk. 

2. Milk sugar, lime water and water as in No. 1, with the addition of ounces of whole milk. 

3. Milk sugar, lime water and water as in No. 1, with the addition of S ounces of whole milk. 

4. Milk sugar, lime water and water as in No. 1, with the addition of 10 ounces of whole milk. 

5. Milk sugar, j oz. 
Lime water, 1 oz. 

Enough water to make 20 ounces. To this add 12 ounces of whole milk. 

6. Milk sugar, lime water and water as in No. 5, with the addition of 14 ounces of whole milk. 

7. Milk sugar, lime water and water as in No. 5, with the addition of 16 ounces of whole milk. 



* Not boiled. 



Other Mixtures. — For mothers who 
oaiiiiot get milk in bottles and who 
have difficulty in using the mixtures 
given in the above tables, the follow- 
ing are recommended by the Illinois 
State Board of Health. They are 
easily prepared and prove satisfac- 
tory for most health}^ infants. 

For a new-born baby, or one a 
month or two old, take one ounce of 
fresh milk; three ounces of water; 
one ounce of fresh cream, and two 
level teaspoonfuls of milk sugar. 
This makes about five ounces. For 
twenty ounces use four times as much 
of each ingredient. This closely re- 
sembles mother's milk. 

For older babies, take two ounces 
of fresh milk; two ounces of water; 
one oimce of fresh cream; two level 
teaspoonfuls of milk sugar and a 
teaspeonful of lime water. Larger 
quantities may be made by increasing 
the amounts of each ingredient in 
proper proportion. More milk and 
less water will be used as the infant 
increases in age. 

If cream disagrees with the infant 
its use should be stopped tempora- 
rily. The following is a good sub- 
stitute for mother's milk suitable for 
an infant of three months or less: 
Pure milk, cupful; water, two cup- 
fuls; sugar of milk, one heaping ta- 
blespoonful; lime water, one table- 
sjDOonful. 

The following table contains the 
milk mixtures recommended by the 
Providence (R. I.) Health Depart- 
ment: 

For Babies Under One Month. — 
Milk, 5 ounces; lime water, 1 ounce; 
boiled water, 15 ounces; milk sugar, 
li tablespoons. 



Dissolve the sugar in the boiling 
water and tlien add the milk and 
lime water. Keejj in a cool place. 
Give the baby 2 ounces every i3 hours 
during the day and once at night. In 
all 10 feedings. Add a little more 
milk to the whole mixture every few 
days and give the baby a little more 
in each bottle. 

One Month to Three Months. — 
Milk, 12 ounces; lime water, I5 
ounces; boiled water, 24 ounces; milk 
sugar, V, tablespoons. 

Dissolve the sugar in the boiling 
water and then add the milk and lime 
water. Keep in a cool place. Give 
the baby 3^ ounces every 3 hours 
during the day and once at night. 
Ten feedings. Add a little more 
milk to the whole mixture e^'ery few 
days and give the baby a little more 
in each bottle. 

Three Months to Six Months. — 
Milk, 1 pint; lime water, 3 ounces; 
boiled water, IJ pints; milk sugar, 2 
tablespoons. 

Dissolve the sugar in the boiled 
water and then add the milk and lime 
water. Keep in a cool place. Give 
the baby 5 ounces every 3J hours 
during the day and once at night. 
Eight feedings. Add a little more 
milk to the whole mixture e\'ery few 
days and give the baby a little more 
in each bottle. 

Six Months to Ten Months. — Milk, 
11 pints; lime water, 2 ounces; 
boiled water, 11 pints; milk sugar, 2 
tablespoons. 

Dissolve the sugar in the boiled 
water and then add the milk and lime 
water. Keep in a cool place. Give 
the baby 6 or 7 ounces or about 1 
cupful every 3 hours during the day. 



THE CARE OF BABIES 



Seven feedings. Every few days put 
1 tablespoon less water and 1 table- 
spoon more milk into this mix- 
ture. 

Use of Barley Water and Oatmeal 
Water. — Some authorities recommend 
the use of barley water from birth 
in place of the plain Vi^ater used for 
the dilution of infants' food in the 
above mixtures, and in the same pro- 
portions. But others who have made 
a special study of feeding infants, 
think that the use of barley water or 
oatmeal water is not advisable until 
after six months of age. The use of 
barley water has been found, in prac- 
tice, to enable some young infants to 
digest the curds of milk who would 
otherwise have been unable to do so. 
But as a rule it is probable that 
these cereal waters are not required 
until after the sixth or seventh 
month. They should not be fed to 
very young infants except under the 
direction of a physician. 

The late Prof. A. Jacoby of New 
York, an author of international rep- 
utation, stated that if he were re- 
stricted to the use of any one food 
in addition to cow's milk, it would be 
barley meal or oatmeal water, and 
that he preferred barley water to 
oatmeal water for a steady diet be- 
cause the latter tends to relax the 
bowels. Hence after the sixth or sev- 
enth month use barley water to dilute 
the baby's food in place of plain 
water unless you find from experience 
that it does not agree with your child. 
When the infant is constipated, sub- 
stitute oatmeal water for the barley 
water. As the barley water is added 
the amount of sugar should be re- 
duced. 

ARTIFICIAI FOODS 

Condensed Milk for Infants. — 
Condensed milk is the artificial food 
most commonly used, especially 
among the poor, but is not easily di- 
gestible especially by very young and 
frail infants. Its effects are not 
satisfactory. It contains too much 
sugar and not eRough fat. Babies 



fed on condensed milk alone are 
often fat but seldom strong. A fat 
baby is not always a healthy baby. 
Practically every baby raised on con- 
densed milk alone shows signs of 
rickets or other disease. It may serve 
a good purpose when traveling or at 
other times of emergency when pure, 
fresh milk cannot be secured. Be- 
tween dirty, impure and stale cow's 
milk and condensed milk, choose the 
latter. When traveling or when the 
milk supply fails, condensed milk 
may be used to tide the infant over 
a period of danger, but do not use it 
any longer than is really necessarj'. 
It should never be used without the 
addition of fats — fresh cream if pos- 
sible. Or, if good cream cannot be 
had, give cod liver oil at the rate of 
five to twenty drops at each feeding. 
If you use condensed milk get the 
best that can be had. Borden's Eagle 
Brand is known to be well prepared 
and reliable. 

Manufactured Foods. — Do not be 
misled by the statements of any man- 
ufacturer of condensed milk or other 
artificial food that his product is a 
perfect substitute for mother's milk. 
All such statements are false. There 
is no perfect substitute for mother's 
milk, nor is there any artificial food 
that is equally as good as pure fresh 
cow's milk properly modified. The 
most commonly used foods upon the 
market may be classed as milk foods, 
malted foods and farinaceous foods. 
Horlick's, Borden's (malted) milk, 
and Mellin's are examples of the sec- 
ond class, and Eskay's of the third. 
None of these foods contain sufficient 
fat. Some of them have an excess of 
starch which makes them unsuitable 
for an infant until the latter part of 
the first year. Some contain too 
much sugar. None of these foods 
should be used alone. Some authori- 
ties claim that they are harmful and 
that certain diseases have followed 
their prolonged use. Others consider 
them of considerable value. Many 
advocate combining their use with the 
breast milk to help the mother out 
during the la1;ter part of the nursing 



228 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



period, especially after the fifth or 
sixth month. 

Notwithstanding the difference of 
opinion regarding the value of these 
foods, they are recommended by com- 
petent physicians and are used to 
seeming advantage by many infants, 
although they do not agree with 
others. They should be used under 
the advice of a physician, if at all, 
and mixed with diluted cow's milk 
for the purpose of breaking up the 



perhaps be used alone, temporarily; 
but for continued use, milk should 
be added. 

Mellin's Food is said to be a dry 
extract from wheat and malt, and 
free from cane sugar and starch, 

Eskay's Food, according to the 
manufacturers, contains the more 
easily digested cereals combined with 
egg albumen. 

An analysis of Horlick's Malted 
Milk shows that it contains less fat 



BREAST MILK 



HB 








' ' , ' - 


C0W3' MlLh 





CURD5 
rflT5 
SUQflRSf 
STARCH \^ 




SRLT5 nOT 5hOv\(/i. 



The manufactured food is shown as mixed loith tenter alone. Mixed' ^vith milk, as 
usually directed, the comparison would show it m.uch more like ireast milk. 
Courtesy State Board of Health of Illinois. 



tough curds and rendering the milk 
more digestible. Barley water and 
oatmeal water are used for the same 
purpose, but do not contain all 
the food elements to be found 
in the best types of prepared 
foods. 

The manufacturers of Horlick's 
Malted Milk assert that it does not 
require the addition of cow's milk; 
that it is composed of pure, rich 
cow's milk reduced to dryness and 
combined with an extract of malted 
wheat and barley. This food may 



than mother's milk and more sugar, 
and that it is free from starch. Mel- 
lin's Food alone has practically no 
fats or starch and much more sugar 
than mother's milk. It should be 
used with milk. 

Eskay's Food, when properly 
mixed with milk, resembles breast 
milk very closely, except that there 
is some starch present. It is stated, 
however, that this starch is thorough- 
ly broken up and easily digested, and 
that the egg albumen contained is 
more easily digested than similar 



The care of babies 



229 



amounts of the albumen or curds of 
milk. 

The chart on the preceding page 
shows a comjiarison of breast milk, 
cow's milk, condensed milk and a 
widely advertised manufactured food. 

OTHER FOODS FOR INFANTS 

Keep your baby largely on milk 
until well into the second year. This 
is the chief secret of successful in- 
fant feeding. There is far less neces- 
sity for a mixed diet of ordinary 
foods than is generally supposed. No 
other food than properly modified 
milk should be given until the end 
of the sixth or seventh month, except 
on the order of a physician. The 
appearance of teeth at a moderately 
early age is simply an evidence of 
health. It is not an indication that 
the baby should be taught to eat 
solid food. When the teeth appear 
very early and in rajiid succession, 
nutritive and nervous disturbances 
are apt to occur and the use of solid 
food may then lead to serious ill- 
ness. 

As a rule no solid food whatever 
should be given during the first year. 
After the seventh month, gruel made 
with barley, arrowroot or oatmeal 
may be given, beginning with very 
small quantities. At first four ounces 
of thick strained oatmeal and one- 
half ounce of orange juice may be 
added to the daily allowance of food. 
The quantity of gruel may be gradu- 
ally increased as the child grows 
older. The addition of a pinch of 
salt will make the food more palat- 
able. 

After the ninth month pure whole 
milk may be allowed in some cases 
and the child may have a crust 
of bread, or a small piece of zv.ie- 
back. 

After the tenth month beef, mut- 
ton or chicken broth thoroughly 
strained may be substituted for or 
added to a child's regular food. 

Soups and broths for infants 
should be very carefully prepared so 
as to be free from any excess of fat 



or bits of meat. They should be 
very sj^aringly seasoned. Fresh beef 
juice may be given in the latter part 
of the first year and in some cases 
even earlier in quantities of not over 
two teaspoonfuls a day. 

To prepare beef juice cut a half 
pound of fresh lean beef into small 
pieces and put them into a clean dry 
pan. Place the jian over a slow fire 
and turn the jjieces of meat with a 
fork until the outside is gray. Broil 
very lightly. Express the juice with 
a lemon squeezer or meat press into 
a clean cup. About one to one and 
a half ounces should be obtained 
from a half pound of meat. Keep 
on ice, or in a cool place, until ready 
for feeding. Then raise to blood 
heat by placing the cup in warm wa- 
ter. Always use the same day. 

Beef tea made from the extracts 
of beef found on the market may 
be given in small quantities after the 
first year. But remember there is 
no nutrition in beef tea and do not 
give it in place of regular food. 
Many practitioners advise the use of 
beef juice and beef tea much earlier 
than here stated, especially if the 
milk disagrees or fails to nourish the 
infant. They regard it as especially 
valuable when the teeth are slow in 
development or rickets are threat- 
ened. 

Orange juice in such cases is of 
the greatest value and will agree per- 
fectly with most children. It is a 
safe precaution, especially if pasteur- 
ized or cooked milk, or condensed 
milk or manufactured infants' food 
is given, to feed half an ounce of 
orange juice each day to all children 
over six months of age. 

Meat Broth Plain and Thickened. 
— Chop into small pieces one pound 
of lean beef, chicken or neck of mut- 
ton including some of the bone. Add 
a quart of water and let stand for 
two hours, then add salt and boil 
slowly for two hours down to one 
pint. While boiling add two table- 
sjioonfuls of crushed barley, rice or 
oatmeal. Strain through muslin, 
cool and skim off the grease. 



ih 



230 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Egg Water. — This may sometimes 
be used to advantage in case of in- 
testinal disturbances, such that the 
baby cannot digest milk. To pre- 
pare, stir the white of a fresh egg 
into one pint of boiled water. Add 
a pinch of salt, shake thoroughly and 
strain. Keep in the ice box or other 
cool place and use the same day. 

Whey. — Warm one pint of milk to 
blood heat and add one teaspoonful 
of essence of jsepsin or one junket 
tablet. Let stand until it jellies, 
then break up the curds with a fork 
and strain through muslin. Whey is 
sometimes used to advantage when 
the baby cannot digest cow's milk. 

Solid Foods. — The cutting of the 
eighth incisor or front teeth, which 
occurs usually during the twelfth 
month, may be taken as nature's in- 
dication that the child requires othep^ 
food than milk. At this time if the 
infant is well and strong, a little 
stale bread, at least one day old, 
may be given with fresh milk in 
place of one of the regular feedings. 
This may soon be supplemented by 
a small quantity of well cooked hom- 
iny, oatmeal or cornmeal mush. But 
keep in mind constantly the fact that 
milk is the most important article of 
the ''diet, and that these foods are 
merely supplementary. Do not feed 
the baby any of the ready-cooked 
or pre-digested breakfast foods. Buy 
the natural cereals and cook them at 
home. Cereals should be cooked at 
least three hours in a double boiler, 
or preferably over night in a tireless 
cooker. They should be strained 
through cheese cloth or muslin. 

If the above foods are taken with- 
out difficulty and no bad results are 
observed, give stale bread liberally 
buttered. This satisfies the infant's 
desire for solid food and also affords 
an easily digested and nourishing 
form of fat. 

At fifteen months, a soft boiled egg 
may be given as the noon feeding. 
About the middle of the second year, 
or when sixteen teeth have developed, 
other and more solid foods may be 
given. But throughout the entire 



period of infancy, food other than 
milk should be selected and prepared 
with the greatest care and given in 
moderation. During the second year 
children are almost invariably over- 
fed. 

Diet of Older Children. — Between 
one and a half and two and a half 
years of age a child may have bread 
and butter, orange, potatoes and cer- 
tain other vegetables, certain fruits 
and certain meats. The bread should 
be at least one day old and may in- 
clude toast, zwieback, graham, oat- 
meal and gluten crackers. Porridge 
may be oatmeal, rice (cooked three 
hours), hominy (cooked six hours), 
farina (cooked one hour), cornmeal 
(cooked two hours), barley meal or 
vvheaten grits. All should be thor- 
oughly cooked for the time stated, 
or over night in a fireless cooker. 
Strain through cheese cloth or muslin 
and serve with certified or pasteur- 
ized milk. The meat may be rare 
roast beef, fresh cooked mutton or 
chicken. All should be finely minced. 
The vegetables may be well cooked 
spinach or potato. The latter should 
be fed in small quantities, freshly 
baked and lightly broken up and 
salted. Potato is a starchy food and 
hard for an infant to digest. It is 
much more wholesome baked than 
boiled. The fruit may be ripe apjoles 
(better baked), grapes, freed from 
the stones and skins, stewed prunes 
and orange pulp, freed from the 
fibrous portion. Fruit should be 
given in great moderation, if at all, 
in summer. Other suitable foods are 
baked custards or junket. 

A piece of rare roast beef to suck, 
bread with dish gravjr (not the heavy 
thickened and highly seasoned gravy) 
and soft boiled or poached eggs may 
form additions to the dietary which 
may be extended gradually to meet 
developments as the baby grows into 
childhood. But either for an infant 
or a child, overfeeding is far more 
injurious than underfeeding. 

Improper Foods. — Hundreds of in- 
fants have been killed by the mis- 
takes of parents in giving them other 



THE CARE OF BABIES 



231 



and improper foods. Never feed the 
baby at the table from the food pre- 
pared for other members of the fam- 
ily. The table foods may be poison- 
ous to the infant. Never give a 
child under two years of age ham, 
bacon, or pork in any other form; 
cabbage, pickles or other succulent 
vegetables; coffee, tea, beer, wine, 
cider or any other alcoholic liquor 
of any kind; bananas, berries or 
other fruit except orange juice or 
pulp, prune juice and stewed or 
baked apple. Do not give pie or 
pastry, nuts, cake, candy, ice cream, 
or any other kind of sweets. Above 
all never dope your baby with drugs, 
nostrums, or patent foods of any 
kind, relying upon the statements of 
unprincipled manufacturers, drug- 
gists or other venders, or those who 
have "tried and can recommend 
them." Such advice is often as ig- 
norant as it is well intended. The 
kind of medicine or food preparation 
which may agree with your neighbor's 
baby may totally disagree with yours. 
Don't experiment with your baby. If 
you think it needs medicine or a 
change of food consult a competent 
physician to find out what is the mat- 
ter. Then be guided implicitly by 
his advice. 

Home Pasteurization of Milk. — 
Pasteur, the French chemist (whose 
name has become a household word 
from his discovery of a treatment 
which prevents hydrophobia), was 
once employed by the French Gov- 
ernment to study the causes of fer- 
mentation in wines and beer. He 
found that these changes were 
brought about by the action of micro- 
organisms (germs). He further dis- 
covered that these germs could be 
destroj^ed at the comparatively low 
temperature of 140° F, by maintain- 
ing this degree of heat for twenty 
minutes. Hence this process is called 
"pasteurization." 

The germs which cause fermenta- 
tion or souring of milk or other 
food products can be destroj^ed more 
quickly at or near 213°, the tempera- 
ture of boiling water. This process 



is called "sterilization." But this 
destroys much of the flavor and nu- 
tritive value of milk as food. The 
advantage of pasteurization, when 
properly conducted, is that neither 
the flavor nor the food value of the 
milk is affected. 

To pasteurize milk in bottles, 
place a saucer in the bottom of a 
small tin pail and stand the bottle 
of milk on this v/ith the cap on. 
Now fill the pail up to within three 
or four inches of the top of the 
bottle with hot water — but not so 




ffi^ 



Home pasteurization of milk. Courtesy 
State Board of Health of Wisconsin. 



hot as to break the bottle— and tlien 
stand the pail and its contents on 
the stove. The instant the water 
begins to boil (not simmer) remove 
it from the pail and cool it as rapidly 
as possible. 

Milk properly pasteurized is not 
injurious to infants, although it is 
not considered quite so good as clean, 
pure unpasteurized milk. Most doc- 
tors think it is entirely wholesome. 
Others suspect that its prolonged 
use may tend to cause scurvy or 
rickets. If such results are feared, 



232 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



orange juice, or its equivalent, may 
be given as a preventive. The dan- 
gers from pasteurized milk, if any, 
are slight in comparison with those 
from unpasteurized milk of doubt- 
ful origin, especially in summer 
where milk has to be transported any 
considerable distance before delivery. 
Pasteurization, if the milk is after- 
wards kept clean until used, will cer- 
tainly eliminate all danger of diar- 
rhoeal or other intestinal trouble. But 
observe that this process merely kills 
the living bacteria then present in 
the milk. It does not elim.inate dirt, 
nor any chemical poisons cast off 
by germs which the milk may con- 
tain. Nor does it prevent the milk 
from afterwards becoming contamin- 
ated with other bacteria. Pasteur- 
ization, in other words, is not a pan- 
acea for making dirty milk whole- 
some. Nor is it a substitute for 
painstaking cleanliness in the home. 
It is a makeshift at best, but never- 
theless should be adopted whenever 
the milk delivered at your door is 
known or suspected to be warm, stale 
or dirty. As a rule unless you can 
afford to buy certified milk, it is 
better to pasteurize the milk and be 
on the safe side. But it is a good 
plan, fbef ore doing so, to consult your 
physician. 

Sterilization of Milk. — Pasteuriza- 
tion is always to be preferred over 
sterilization, provided milk can after- 
wards be kept clean and cold. Ster- 
ilization makes milk harder to digest 
and decreases its food value. The 
prolonged use of svich milk leads to 
stomach and intestinal diseases, rick- 
ets, loss of weight, failure of bones 
to grow properly, and other harmful 
conditions. But between dirty milk 
and cooked milk, sterilization is the 
lesser evil. Those who cannot ob- 
tain ice, and especially those who are 
obliged to live in unsanitary condi- 
tions such that the milk is sure to 
become contaminated, would better 
sterilize rather than pasteurize the 
milk, especially in summer. In win- 
ter the milk can be kept cool by 
means of a window box. This will 



afford the baby some relief from the 
evil effects of sterilization. 

To scald or sterilize milk which 
comes in bottles place the bottle on 
a saucer in the bottom of a tin pail 
as for pasteurization. Leave the 
cap on. Fill up the pail to within 
three or four inches of the top and 
bring to a boil. The instant the wa- 
ter begins to boil (not simmer) re- 
move the boiler from the stove. Take 
care that the milk does not boil. If 
it should boil, throw it away. Boiled 
or over-heated milk, if fed to a baby 
for any considerable length of time, 
will produce a most distressing type 
of scurvy. Remove the boiler from 
the stove and let the bottle of milk 
stand in the water for about twenty 
minutes. Then cool as quickly as 
possible. 

Or, if milk is bought in bulk, pour 
it into a sterilized glass fruit jar as 
recommended for pasteurization and 
proceed as for bottled milk. 

Observe that sterilized milk is more 
susceptible to contamination from 
germs than raw milk. Hence take 
care that everything that comes in 
contact with scalded milk is scrupu- 
lously clean. Remember that the ice 
box cannot be cleaned too often. 

When to Pasteurize or Sterilize. — 
Certified milk or good fresh milk 
which has been kept clean and cold 
needs no preservative. Do not 
"scald," sterilize or pasteurize such 
milk. But if milk is dirty, or sours 
quickly, or if there is other evidence 
that it has not been kept clean or 
cold, the sooner it is pasteurized or 
sterilized after it comes into the 
house, the better. If the milk is to 
be kept in the original bottle or in 
a glass fruit jar or similar receptacle 
during the day, and the baby's bottle 
is to be filled from this as required, 
the best plan is to pasteurize or ster- 
ilize the milk as soon as it is re- 
ceived and before it is put into the 
ice box. But if milk is to be modi- 
fied, and especially if there are 
enough bottles so that a separate 
bottle can be prepared for each feed- 
ing, the better plan is to pasteurize 



THE CARE OF BABIES 



233 



or sterilize the modified milk or pre- 
pared food after it has been mixed 
and placed in the baby's bottles or 
other receptacles in which it is to be 
kejjt for the day. 

Adulteration of Milk. — There are 
still some dairymen and dealers who 
think it is cheaper to kill the bacteria 
in dirty, warm, stale milk by means 
of germicides than to adopt means 
to keep the milk clean, cool and 
sweet. Such adulteration is forbid- 
den by law in many states, and all 
offenders should be vigorously prose- 
cuted. Keep a sharp lookout for 
adulterated milk and occasionally test 
the milk you receive for boric acid, 
borax, formaldehyde or bicarbonate 
of soda by methods elsewhere recom- 
mended. Or request your physician, 
or the health officials of your com- 
munity, if any, to test it for you. 
Never use such preservatives your- 
self, nor buy milk from a dealer who 
uses them. You can never tell how 
much he has used, nor how much 
may have been used by others before 
the milk came to him. Preservatives 
are never harmless and if present in 
large quantities may be very injuri- 
ous or even poisonous. 

CARE or MILK IN THE HOME 

If the milk producer and the milk 
dealer have done their duty there is 
daily left at the consumer's door a 
bottle of clean, cold, unadulterated 
milk. By improper treatment in the 
home the milk may become unfit for 
food, especially for babies. This bad 
treatment consists in placing it in 
unclean vessels; in exposing it un- 
necessarily to the air; in failing to 
keep it cool up to the time of using 
it; and in exposing it to flies. 

Milk absorbs impurities — collects 
bacteria — whenever it is exposed to 
the air or placed in unclean vessels. 
If there is a sediment in the bottom 
of the container, after the milk has 
stood an hour or two, it indicates 
filthy habits on the part of the pro- 
ducer. The remedy is, change milk- 
men. This sediment is almost invari- 



ably fecal matter (manure) that has 
fallen into the luilk pail from filthy 
cows. Most farmers who allow this 
matter to get into the milk are care- 
ful to strain it out, but they cannot 
strain out the unmistakable flavor 
which it imparts to milk. Remember 
that clean, pure milk is nearly free 
from taste or odor. If milk tastes 
or smells of the stable it is probably 
dirty. 

To test milk for dirt place a good- 
sized button in the bottom of an or- 
dinary tin funnel and upon this a 
piece of dampened absorbent cotton 
about the size of a twenty-five cent 
piece and about one-sixteenth of an 
inch in thickness. Carefully pour the 
entire contents of the milk bottle 
into tills funnel and let it filter. The 
cotton will catch every particle of 
sediment or dirt which the milk may 
contain. Remove the cotton and 
place it upon a piece of white paper 
near the stove to dry. If much dirt 
is shown, ask your milkman to take 
a look at it. Or, if you live in a 
city mail it, with a complaint, to the 
Board of Health. 

The danger to health from dirty 
methods of keeping and milking cows, 
dirty milkers and dirty milk vessels 
increases with every moment milk is 
allowed to stand in a temperature 
over 40° or 45° F. Injurious spores 
and bacteria remain dormant or in- 
crease very slowly at lower tempera- 
tures, but as the temperature rises 
up to 60° or 70° F., or thereabouts, 
they develop and multiply with aston- 
ishing rajiidity. A bottle of dirty 
milk standing in the sun for an hour 
or two in the early morning may 
breed millions of injurious bacteria 
and become totally unfit for human 
food. 

The feeding of cow's milk to in- 
fants, to be at all safe, entails the 
following tedious and never-ending 
operations: Securing fresh milk 
every day; home pasteurization; 
sterilization of all milk containers 
including boiling of feeding bottles, 
nipjiles, etc., for each and every feed- 
ing; refrigeration — storage in scrupu- 



234 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



lously clean ice boxes — uiul milk 
modilicatioii, all to be carefully ])er- 
fornied and varied according to age 
or condition of the child. 

Even if the milk is clean, fresh 
and cool when it is delivered at your 
door, or if you then kill the germs 
which it may contain by home jias- 
teurization, it may afterwards be- 
come unfit for food, especially for 
babies, by imjiroper treatment. This 
may occur if you place it in miclean 
vessels, expose it unnecessarily to the 
air, or fail to keep it cool uj) to 
the time of using it. Hence the fol- 
lowing suggestions. 

Buy bottled milk, at least for your 
baby, if you can. Keep milk in the 
original bottle till needed for im- 
mediate consumption. Carefully wipe 
or rinse the bottle, especially the 
mouth, before pouring any milk from 
it, so that dust or dirt which may 
have gathered thereon or on the cap 
will not get into the milk. Do not 
pour back into the bottle milk which 
has been exposed to the air by being 
placed in other vessels. Keep the 
bottle covered with a paper cap as 
long as milk is in it and when not 
actually pouring from it. If the 
paper cap has been punctured, cover 
the bottle with an inverted tumbler. 

Thef- sanitary containers that are 
used but once and then destroyed are 
preferable to those of glass, but the 
consumer seems to object to them 
because, not being transparent, no 
cream line can be seen. When their 
value from a health standpoint is 
understood the sanitary containers 
will be universally adopted as they 
already have been in some cities. 

Dipping milk from large cans and 
pouring it into customers' receptacles 
on the street, expose it to contamin- 
ation from the air and otherwise. 
Drawing milk from the faucet of a 
retailer's can is objectionable for an- 
other reason. The milk is not thor- 
oughly mixed. Hence some consum- 
ers receive less than their due pro- 
portion of cream. But if you must 
buy dipped milk, do uot set out over 
night an uncovered vessel to receive 



it. Cats, dogs or tramps may con- 
taminate the milk by drinking from 
it. At best it will collect thousands 
of bacteria from street dust before 
morning. Have the milk received by 
some member of the family if possi- 
ble, or set out a bowl covered with a 
plate, or better still, provide your- 
self with several glass preserving 
jars kept for this special purpose. 
Use jars with the clamp glass top. 
Avoid the screw tops. Omit the rub- 
ber band. They are difficult to keep 
clean. Do not use a pitcher. It 
cannot be tiglitly covered on account 
of the projecting sjjout. 

Take the milk into the house as 
soon as possible after delivery, par- 
ticularly in hot weather. Sometimes 
milk delivered as earty as 4 a. m. 
remains outdoors until 9 or 10 
o'clock. This is wrong. If you can- 
not receive the milk as soon as de- 
livered i^rovide a small wooden box 
or other shelter to protect it from the 
Sim and insist that the milkman use 
it. 

The best way of serving milk on 
the table, from a sanitary standpoint, 
is in the bottle or fruit jar in which 
it is received. At all events, pour 
out only what is needed for immedi- 
ate use and keep the rest in the 
original receptacle. Never pour the 
milk into a bowl or pitcher for stor- 
age, nor pour back into the bottle 
or jar milk which has been exposed 
to the air. In fact, do not mix milk 
— the mixture always descends to 
the qualitj^ of its worst part. Milk 
deteriorates by exposure to the air 
of the nursery, kitchen, pantry or 
refrigerator in two ways: by con- 
tamination from germs and by ab- 
sorption of odors. Cover milk when 
not actually pouring from it by turn- 
ing over the jar or bottle a small 
bowl or tumbler, or use a cork or 
cap of sterilized gauze or cotton 
wool, both of which are germ-proof. 
Never expose uncovered milk in a 
refrigerator containing any kind of 
food, especially strong-smelling foods 
like fish, ca1)l)age or onions. 

Milk cannot be properly kept with- 



THE CARE OF BABIES 



235 



out ice. If you have a refrigerator 
put the milk into it promptly. Un- 
less it comes into actual contact with 
the ice, it will keep best in the bot- 
tom of the ice box. The cold air 
descends. If you can get ice but 
have no refrigerator, you can make 
a cheap ice box that can be operated 
for less than three cents a day in 
which to preserve a baby's milk, as 
follows : 

A Cheap Ice Box. — Secure an ordi- 
nary wooden box, 13 by 18 inches, 
with a depth of llj inches, from 
your grocer. In the bottom of the 
box place a substantial layer of saw- 
dust. On this set a tin pail or can, 
8 inches in diameter and high enough 
to hold a quart bottle of milk. Care 
should be taken that the pail rests 
on sawdust — not on the wood bottom 
of the box. Around the pail place 
a cylinder of tin a little larger than 
the pail, then pack sawdust about 
the cjdinder — not between pail and 
cylinder — up to top of the cylinder. 
On the cover of the box nail about 
fifty layers of newspaper. Set the 







M ^' 






. . •• . J _ , .' 



Vertical section of homemade milk re- 
frigerator; S, saicdust ; T, cijlinder of 
tin or galvanized iron; C, can or pail, 
in which is placed the milk iottle M, 
surrounded hi/ broken ice, I; N, netos- 
papers nailed to lid of case. Courtesy 
Health Department of Chicago. 



milk bottle iii the pail and pack 
broken ice about the bottle. A re- 
frigerator of this description will 
hold two quart bottles of milk, or 
four eight-ounce feeding bottles. It 
can be operated for about two cents 
per day. To prevent rusting, a little 
soda may be placed in the can each 
day. The little expense involved is 



nothing as compared with the cost 
of sickness and death. 

Or, get a box about 18 inches 
square from your grocer, take the 
boards off the top and cleat them 
together to form a lid. Tack to the 




Hurizontal section of homemade milk re- 
frigerator ; M, milk hottle; I, broken 
ice; G, can or pail for holding ice; T, 
tin or galvanized iron ci/linder to 
prevent saicdust, 8, from falling into 
space when can is removed for purpose 
of emptying water. Courtesy Health 
Department of Chicago. 

under side of this lid a number of 
thicknesses of old newspapers up to 
an inch or more in depth, trimming 
around the edges so that they will 
set down in the box, and, preferably, 
protecting them by an inner cover 
of thin boards or a number of cleats. 
Now put three inches of sawdust in 
the bottom. Place two pails in this 
sawdust one inside of the other and 
fill the space between the inner and 
outer with sawdust. Fill the space 
between the outer pail and box with 
sawdust. Place the nursing bottle 
filled with milk in the inner pail and 
cover it with a tin cover. Now fill 
the outer pail over and around the 
inner pail with cracked ice. Put on 
the lid and keep the ice box in a 
cool shady j^lace. 

Or, to make a still cheaper ice 
box, get a large soap box from your 
grocer and another box about half 
as large. Line the smaller box with 
tin or zinc. This will hold your ice 
and milk bottles. Now, put a layer 
at least three inches deep of sawdust 
in the bottom of the larger box, set 
the smaller box on this and fill in 
around the sides with sawdust. Line 
the cover with newspapers fastened 



236 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



on by means of tacks or cleats and 
keep the box tightly closed. 

Or, if you cannot get ice, milk may 
be kept fairly cool as follows: Pro- 
cure an ordinary butter or lard tub 
or a half barrel cask. Put on the 
bottom a layer of sawdust three 
inches or more thick and place on 
this a large earthenware jar. Sur- 
round this with sawdust. Cork the 
milk bottles to protect the contents 
from dust, stand them up in the jar 
and surround them up to the necks 
of the bottles with the coldest water 
you can get. Put on the lid of the 
j ar and fit over the j ar a , cushion 
stuffed with sawdust or fine hay that 
will just fill the top of the tub. Keep 
this in the coolest place that can be 
found. Change the water at least 
once in twenty-four hours. The tem- 
perature of the milk will remain 
nearly stationary and about one de- 
gree warmer than the water. 

A Window Box. — Most families 
discontinue taking ice for the re- 
frigerator during half the year or 
more. During such times, if milk is 
allowed to stand in the pantry it 
quickly becomes warm and unfit for 
infants' food. Yet the outdoor tem- 
perature would keep the milk sweet 
for some time. A window box may 
be coiistructed with sides made of 
old blinds, slats, or boards perfor- 
ated with auger holes for ventilation, 
and provided with a solid bottom 
and tight slanting roof. Attach this 
outside the pantry window where it 
can be reached by simply raising the 
sash. Line with wire netting to keep 
out insects, especially flies. Such a 
box costs next to nothing, and serves 
to keep not only the baby's milk, 
but butter, meat and other pro- 
visions when the refrigerator is not 
in use. 

Or stand a deep dish or pail of 
water by an open window away from 
the Sim. Put a narrow board or wire 
screen across the top and on this 
stand the milk bottles or jars. Wrap 



the bottles in a wet cloth and let the 
end of the cloth extend to the bot- 
tom of the water. The cloth will 
be kept wet by capillary attraction 
and the water, by evaporation, will 
cool the milk. 

By some such method you must 
keep the milk and cream cool until 
used if you desire to safeguard your 
baby's health. 

Care of the Ice Box. — Keep the re- 
frigerator sweet and clean. Person- 
ally inspect it at least once a week. 
See that the outlet for melted ice 
is kept open and the space under 
the ice rack is clean. Scald the place 
where food is kept every week with 
a strong sal soda solution. A single 
drop of spoiled milk or small par- 
ticle of other neglected food will 
contaminate a refrigerator in a few 
days. 

Care of Milk Bottles. — As soon as 
a milk bottle is empty, rinse it in 
clear lukewarm or cold water until 
it looks clean and set it bottom side 
up to drain. Do not use it for any 
other purpose than holding milk. 
Never return filthy bottles. Rinse, 
wash and scald all utensils with 
which milk comes in contact every 
time they are used. Do not wash 
them in dish water or wipe with an 
ordinary dish towel. This will only 
serve to smear them with an invisi- 
ble coating of grease. Boil them in 
clean water containing a little borax 
or washing soda and set them away 
unwiped. If a case of typhoid, scar- 
let fever or diphtheria breaks out in 
a family do not return any milk 
bottles to the milkman except with 
the knowledge of the attending 
physician and under conditions pre- 
scribed by him. Never accept milk 
from any family, dairyman or dealer 
when you know, or suspect, that there 
are contagious diseases in his family, 
or that they have recently been ex- 
posed to such contagion. The above 
suggestions apply to cream as well 
as to milk. 



CHAPTER VIII 

OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 

THE LAWN AND HOME GROUNDS— FLOWER, FRUIT AND VEGETABLE 
GARDENS— TREES AND SHRUBBERY— TREE PROPAGATION BY 
CUTTINGS, GRAFTS AND BUDS— PRUNING ORCHARD AND SHADE 
TREES— THE FRIENDS AND ENEMIES OF ORCHARD AND GARDEN 
—CLEARING NEW LAND— CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION— PRESER- 
VATION OF TIMBER AND SHINGLES— GOOD ROADS— LIGHTNING 
CONDUCTORS 



The natural and wholesome ten- 
dency toward a normal life in open 
spaces, where fresh air and sunlight 
abound, has been much encouraged in 
recent years by the development of 
such means of rapid transit as the 
automobile and the interurban street 
car. A great number of city dwel- 
lers have returned to the land and 
many more are planning to take this 
beneficial step. Persons already thus 
pleasantly situated in life manifest 
greater contentment, coupled with a 
pardonable pride in their country or 
suburban homes. A determination is 
observable on the part of many own- 
ers of such homes to make the most 
of their advantages of location by 
all sorts of permanent improvements. 

Therefore, apart from the indoor 
problems of house furnishing, clean- 
liness, cookery, sanitation and other 
alfairs which make up the routine 
of daily life and work, there is a 
great and growing interest every- 
where in what may be called the out- 
door problems of the householder. 
These embrace such subjects as the 
laying down and subsequent care of 
lawns, the proper selection, location, 
planting and care of shade trees and 
shrubbery, and their defense against 
all sorts of insects and other pests; 
the construction and maintenance of 
out-buildings and their appurten- 
ances such as fences, gates and the 



like; and the development and care 
of fruit and vegetable gardens. All 
of these are matters with which every 
householder may have to do, whether 
he occupies a rented dwelling or 
owns his own home. They are of 
especial interest to the large class of 
persons who have recently bought 
home-sites with the intention of 
building, or are planning so to do. 
The object of this chapter is to fur- 
nish practical information, wliich has 
been carefully compiled from the 
best and most recent authorities, on 
these various subjects. 

THE LAWN AND HOME GROUNDS 

Nothing can add so much to the 
outward attractiveness of a home as 
a well laid and well kept lawn. The 
cost is not great, under ordinary 
conditions, nor the work difficult. 
Yet many persons who have a suit- 
able open space adjacent to their 
dwellings have been prevented from 
making a lawn by a wrong impres- 
sion as to the expense or by lack of 
necessary information. 

The existing condition and nature 
of the soil is the first and most 
important consideration. A fairly 
deep surface soil of good mechanical 
quality and rich in humus, with good 
under-drainage, is essential. If the 
land already produces a good grass 



237 



238 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



or other crop every year, the soil 
conditions are probably favorable. 
No great difficulty or expense will be 
encountered in making a good lawn 
unless the surface soil has been re- 
moved or covered with sub-soil in 
the process of grading. Neither 
lawn grass nor other ordinary plants 
will thrive in sub-soil, until it has 
been mixed with humus and mellowed 
by the mechanical action of frosts 
and other natural agencies. And 
this requires time. Hence unless you 
can afford the expense of resurfac- 
ing your lawn with a layer of good 
garden or other fertile soil, you must 
take care, in grading, not to lose 
the valuable surface soil either by 
removing or covering it. 

Grading. — First settle the grade or 
contour you desire the surface to 
have. As a general rule avoid ter- 
races, or other banks or sharp curves 
on any part of your grounds. They 
are ordinarily more expensive to 
grade and much more difficult to 
maintain. They are liable to injury 
from frost and to erosion or "wash- 
ing" by rains. They are also diffi- 




Cross sections of bad and good, grading 
of small front yards. L indicates the 
level of the house foundation, and M 
a straight line from, the top of the 
house foundation to the sideivalk 
level. Section A: Bad, with the rare 
exception of ivhere a strictly formal 
treatment is admissible. Section B: 
Bad. Section C: Good. This ogee 
curie may be short or long to accom- 
modate the difference in height be- 
tween the dwelling and sidewalk, and 
the distance between them. (L. C. 
Corbett.) 

cult to trim and keep in order. Most 
grounds will admit of the long sweep- 
ing curve shown in the accompany- 
ing illustration. This is greatly to 
be preferred to the more costly and 
less attractive terrace bank. If the 
ground is level, it is most unwise to 



build artificial banks or terraces to 
be covered with turf, or otherwise 
to incur needless expense to produce 
the effect of slopes or curves. A per- 
fectly flat lawn, if well kept, may 
be very beautiful. 

The less grading done, the better. 
The best landscape engineers seek to 
conform to the natural contours of 
the soil. Modify these only when 
necessary, either to produce a more 
pleasing symmetry, or to bring them 
into pleasant relations with the ad- 
jacent street, walks and drives, and 
the home with its accompanying 
buildings. 

Most often all that is necessary in 
grading is to take soil from a high 
point upon the grounds with which 
to fill up a nearby hollow. This 
course is always preferable because 
the work can be done with a scraper 
much cheaper than by shoveling the 
soil into carts. But take care in all 
such cases to first scrape from the 
ground the surface soil. This ex- 
tends to a depth of four to six inches 
and may easily be distinguished by 
its color and texture. Bank this at 
one side to be returned to its origi- 
nal position after the grading of the 
sub-soil has been done. Otherwise 
the top of the hill will be cut down 
to a hard sub-soil and the surface 
soil in the hollow will be covered 
with sub-soil. Such spots can be 
seeded with great difficulty, if at all. 
Moreover, the grass which springs 
up on them will almost "certainly dry 
up at the first drouth thus giving 
the lawn a spotty appearance. After 
all the sub-soil that is needed to fill 
the hollows has been taken from the 
high ground, break up the sub-soil 
which remains on the crest of the 
knoll, to the depth of four to six 
inches with a plow. This will make 
it correspond more nearly in mechan- 
ical condition to the sub-soil which 
was removed. Then level carefully 
with a harrow or rake and replace 
the surface soil in its original posi- 
tion. 

Preparation of the Soil. — Lawn 
grass, like otlaer plant crops, thrives 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 239 



best upon a porous, well drained 
soil, rich in humus, and abundantly 
supplied with moisture. A deep and 
fairly heavy soil, as a clay or sand 
loam with a clay sub-soil, is per- 
haps an ideal condition. It is neces- 
sary, however, as a rule, to accept 
the existing conditions as a basis, 
and then take such measures to modi- 
fy them in the direction of this ideal 
as circumstances will admit. It is 




Proper and improper soil grading, (a) 
/S'ort to be graded; (It) improper grad- 
ing, shoicing exposure of subsoil; (c) 
proper grading. (L. C. Corbett.) 



always well to treat the entire home 
lot — including not only the lawn but 
also the flower garden, and the veg- 
etable garden, if any — as a single 
unit. The characteristics of the soil 
and its requirements as to drainage 
and fertilization will most often be 
the same. This is not the place to 
discuss the question of soils and soil 
fertilization from the standpoint of 
raising farm crops, i. e., of general 
agriculture. A few words, however, 



are necessary as to the different 
kinds of soil and methods of treat- 
ment since the two subjects are in- 
timately related. 

Two general classes of soil are first 
to be distinguished, i. e., heavy or 
clay soils and light or sandy soil. 
Each class may be of various de- 
grees of fmeness due to the mixture 
of different kinds of material. 
Heavy soils may be classified as clay, 
clay loams, silt loams, or loam soils. 
They are formed by the admixture 
of clay with silt or fine earth in 
varying proportions. Light or sandy 
soils may be coarse or fine sandy 
soils or sandy loams. The basis of 
this case is sand which is mixed 
with fine earth and loam in various 
proportions. 

The distinction between surface 
soil and sul)-soil has Jjeen mentioned. 
At some distance below the surface 
of the ground in most localities, a 
change will be observed in both the 
color and texture of the soil. The 
surface soil is tisually darker and 
more porous. This is due to the 
effects of vegetable and animal life 
and to other influences. The depth 
of this surface soil may vary from 
a few inches, as in mountainous or 
stony soils, to many feet as in cer- 
tain prairies and river valleys. As 
a rule the deeper the surface soil 
the more fertile the land. Its depth 
in small lawns and gardens may 
often be profitably increased in 
either or both of two ways: (1) a 
layer of suitable soil from some 
other locality may be added; or (2) 
the surface soil may be deepened by 
the use of an ordinary plow or spade, 
or by sub-soiling. The kind of soil 
to add upon the surface will depend 
upon the nature of that already in 
position. This may be readily un- 
derstood from a brief statement of 
the chief characteristics of the dif- 
ferent kinds of soils. 

A light or sandjr soil is usually 
"leachy." The soil water tends to 
drain off too rajiidly and to carry 
with it soluble plant food. Such 
soils, therefore, lend to become de- 



240 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



ficient both in plant food and mois- 
ture. And this tendency is much en- 
hanced if the sub-soil is a porous 
sand or gravel. In such cases, meas- 
ures are required to solidify the soil 
and increase its proportion of hu- 
mus. This may be done by adding a 
layer of two or three inches of clay, 
by the liberal application of stable 
manure, or by liming. 

Heavy soils, upon the other hand, 
are sometimes not sufficiently open 
to admit as much oxygen as the plant 
roots and the soil bacteria require. 
Moreover, such soils do not drain 
freely and evenly enough. The sur- 
face of the ground tends to become 
baked and hard. Yet there may be 
too much water beneath and about 
the roots of the plants. Such condi- 
tions are best overcome by good un- 
der-drainage with tile, by careful cul- 
tivation, by the adding of an inch 
or two of sand and fine loam, by 
liberal top dressing with strawy 
stable manure, or by green manuring. 
The use of lime is especially bene- 
ficial. 

Drainage. — A prime consideration 
to the growth of lawn grasses, shade 
trees, shrubbery, garden plants, and, 
indeed, all sorts of crops, is an abun- 
dance tof moisture coupled with good 
drainage in the soil. The movement 
of soil water above hard-pan is prin- 
cipally up and down. There is very 
little lateral movement except that 
caused by the dip of hard-pan, usual- 
ly at some distance below the surface. 
The free water in the soil tends to 
settle to a uniform level over a larger 
or smaller area depending upon the 
nature of the sub-soil. This level is 
known as the "water table." When 
rains fall, that portion of the rain 
water which is not carried off by 
surface drainage sinks into the soil 
and settles to the level of the 
water table which is thereby raised. 
In times of drouth, the water which 
evaporates from the surface is re- 
placed from this reservoir of free 
water beneath by the process called 
capillarity. The principle is that by 
which oil is fed to the flame through 



the wick of a lamp. The water table 
is thereby lowered. A sandy soil may 
resist drouth poorly for two reasons: 
the water table may be too low or 
it may not have enough of this prop- 
erty of capillarity, its particles being 
too far apart. A clay soil may be 
too wet either because the water 
table is too high so that the plants 
have "wet feet", that is, their roots 
are surrounded with standing water, 
or it may be deficient in capillarity 
for an opposite reason, its particles 
being too close together. A well 
drained soil is one in which the water 
table lies normally several inches be- 
low the roots of the growing plants 
but which has strong capillarity 
properties. Its particles must be 
neither too far apart nor too close 
together, as a good wick is one which 
■ is neither too loosely nor too tightly 
woven. 

Reasoning from the above prin- 
ciples it is apparent that a sandy 
soil or fine, light, clay loam may not 
require under-drainage unless it lies 
upon a clay or other impervious sub- 
soil or receives excessive moisture 
from springs or underground 
streams. On the other hand most 
heavy soils are improved by under- 
drainage, especially if the land is 
low and springy or marshy, or if it 
contains pools of standing water at 
any period of the year. 

The first step is evidently to find 
out what the soil condition? are. They 
may often be observed from cuts, 
such as the excavation of cellars, 
wells, roadways, planting of shade 
trees and other purposes, or in the 
course of grading operation. But 
unless such cuts are well distributed 
over the grounds, it is a good plan 
to make a few openings here and 
there. Especially make observations 
at the highest and lowest points to 
learn the nature and relations of the 
surface soil, sub-soil and hard-pan 
and the dip of the various strata. 
This may be done with some labor 
by means of spades or the imple- 
ments used to dig post holes. But 
a much more convenient tool is the 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 241 



soil auger. By means of this the 
soil can be tested on any part of 
the grounds with very little effort or 
interference with existing conditions. 



=ffe€« 



Soil auger for collecting soil samples and 
useful in exploring sub-soil conditions 
in lawns. Such an instrument en- 
tirely prevents the disfigurement 
which icould be unavoidable if a 
larfjer hole had to be dug in a laicn. 
{L. C. Corbett.) 

Tile Drains. — Unless investigation 
shows that both surface and sub-soil 
are so porous as to admit of abun- 
dant drainage, it may be assumed 
that an apj^ropriate system of tile 
drainage will be a substantial bene- 
fit to both lawn and garden. To ac- 
complish the best results treat the 
entire plot as a single unit. Lay the 
tile lines at a distance of from five 
to twenty feet apart according to 
the amount of water to be removed 
and the texture of the soil. Lay 
them at a depth of between three 
and four feet according to climate. 
This places them well below the frost 
line and out of the way of injury 
from plowing or other operations 
such as installing a sewage disposal 
system, digging fence posts, tree 
planting and the like. All tile should 
have a gradual inclination toward a 
common outlet. This may be the 
street sewer, if any, or in the ab- 
sence of a sewerage system, any low 
point of ground, the farther from 
the house, the better. Take care to 
see that the outfall does not become 
a stagnant pool, else it will afford 
a breeding place for mosquitoes. 

Use the four-inch red agricultural 
tile laid with open joints according 
to the directions of the manufac- 
turer. First prejiare a plan to show 
the exact location of every line of 
tile and mark the end of each in 
some suitable manner as by an iron 
rod or stone set in the ground. Thus 
it can readily be found and uncov- 
ered if the drains should become 
stopped up. 



The effect of an adequate system 
of tile drainage is to remove all sur- 
plus surface water from tlie soil and 
to lower the water table to a uniform 
point below the roots of the growing 
plants. If the sub-soil is reasonably 
compact and if the surface soil con- 
tains a fair proportion of clay or 
loam and is well supplied with hu- 
mus, the result will be an ideal con- 
dition for growing plants. 

Talce care both in opening and fill- 
ing ditches made for tile, to throw 
the surface soil to one side and the 
sub-soil to the other. Refill the ditch 
so that the two kinds of soil will be 
in their former relation. Otherwise 
the grass will not grow equally as 
well over the lines of the ditches and 
they may be clearly observable in 
the finished lawn. 

To clear tile drain pipes which 
have become obstructed by roots of 
trees or otherwise use a stiff wire 
brush on the end of a wire cable. 
Open the end of the obstructed 
drain most remote from the outlet, 
attach the brush to the cable and 
thrust it along the tile until the ob- 
struction has been reached. If the 
obstruction resists the brush, its ex- 
act location can be measured by the 
length of the cable under ground. 
An opening can then be made at a 
point such that the obstructed tile 
can be removed and cleaned. 

After the tile are laid and the 
grading operations finished, give the 
entire lawn and garden the same 
treatment as a field intended for an 
especially valuable farm crop. Plow 
or spade the land to a depth de- 
pending upon that of the surface 
soil and the nature of the sub-soil. 
If the surface soil is thin and the 
sub-soil is of a markedly different 
character, — if, for example, a thin 
layer of loam lies over a hard gravel 
or clay — do not plow deeply enough 
to mix the raw sub-soil with the sur- 
face soil. Rather, turn over the sur- 
face soil and add a layer of suitable 
soil from some other locality. Or 
use the sub-soil plow to deepen the 
soil. Tliis loosens and breaks up 



242 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



the sub-soil without turning or lift- 
ing it. Both before and after plow- 
ing, take great care to pick up and 
remove all pieces of board, broken 
brick, slate, tile, or other building 
material and also all roots, branches 
and trunks of trees, loose stone, 
roots of grasses and weeds, and 
other rubbish of every description. 
Not infrequently odds and ends of 
this sort are deliberately carted in 
to fill up the lawn. Or they may be 
carelessly left lying scattered about 
and merely covered to a depth of a 
few inches with surface soil. Such 
obstructions cut off the grass roots 
from their supply of water and their 
presence is revealed at the first 
drouth by a spot of dead grass in 
the lawn. 

Fertilization. — The lawn is to be 
permanently seeded to a single crop. 
And the gardens are to be subjected 
to an annual cropping of plants and 
flowers. Hence it would seem that 
they could hardly be made too rich. 
The best authorities recommend that 
well composted and rotted stable 
manure be applied to the surface at 
the rate of from forty to sixty two- 
horse wagon loads to the acre, and 
turned in with the plow. But take 
care that this is free from detrimen- 
tal weeci seeds. If the soil is raw, 
from admixture with sub-soil from 
cellars or grading operations, or if 
it is light, thin or poor in plant food 
and humus, it may be very much im- 
proved by sowing it for a year or 
more with some crop suitable for 
green manuring. Cow-peas and soy- 
beans are recommended for latitudes 
south of Washington, D. C, and red 
clover, vetches and Canadian peas 
for northern districts. Let these 
reach their maximum growth and 
then plow under. This will improve 
the structure of the soil and make 
it more retentive of moisture and 
soluble plant food. 

Then apply about 1,000 pounds of 
lime to the acre and later, — at the 
time of preparing the seed bed, — 
apply from 500 to 1,000 pounds of 
fine ground bone, together with 300 



to 500 pounds of a high grade fer- 
tilizer containing about 3 per cent 
nitrogen, 6 to 8 per cent phosphoric 
acid and about 8 per cent potash, 
upon each acre. This is, in sub- 
stance, the recommendation of the 
United States Department of Agri- 
culture. 

Or if the soil is so raw that it 
will not grow a good forage crop 
suitable for green manuring, manure 
even more heavily and grow such 
crops as corn or potatoes for a year 
or two in order to improve its tilth 
by the process of cultivation. 

Selection of Lawn Grass Seeds. — 
Among the qualities most sought for 
in lawn grasses are a close turf, 
soft, rather than wiry, of pleasing 
color and with capacity to resist 
drouth and other climatic conditions 
under repeated clipping. Under ideal 
c'onditions a better lawn can be made 
with one kind of lawn grass than 
with a mixture. Kentucky blue 
grass is the prime favorite. It thrives 
best on a comparatively retentive, 
strong and well drained soil where 
there is an abundance of moisture. 
It is adapted to most parts of the 
United States. Where conditions are 
not ideally adapted to blue grass — ■ 
as, for example, on lighter soils — a 
better lawn may be secured by the 
admixture of other grasses as Rhode 
Island red top. The preferred mix- 
ture in most localities is two parts 
by weight of Kentucky blue grass, 
to one of red top. This Tnixture is 
a leader with the i^rincipal seedsmen. 
White clover seed is often added, as 
a nurse crop, to protect the young 
grasses the first year. It springs 
up quickly and makes a good lawn, 
but is soon crowded out under close 
cutting in the presence of a good 
stand of the best lawn grasses. On 
very light land Rhode Island bent 
may be substituted for Kentucky 
blue grass in the above mixture. 
These are the standard lawn grasses 
but others as Canadian blue grass, 
the fescue grasses, wood meadow 
grass and sweet vernal grass are use- 
ful for special purposes. 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 243 



Shady Nook Mixtures. — Rhode 
Island bent, creeping bent and Cana- 
dian blue grass do well in the shade 
and so do red fescue and sheep fes- 
cue, especially if used in mixtures 
under heavy seeding. The best plan 
is to try a mixture of a number of 
these grasses and seed heavily. Only 
the grass or grasses which prove best 
adapted to the location will survive. 

Kentucky blue grass stands shade 
well and mixed with wood meadow 
grass makes perhaps the best of all 
shade mixtures, but as the latter is 
very high in price, its use in recent 
years has been very limited. 

In seeding a lawn it is sound econ- 
omy to procure the best select or 
recleaned seeds and to seed heavily. 
Pure blue grass weighs about 23 
pounds to the bushel, whereas, an 
ordinary market grade averages only 
about 13 pounds. Pure red top 
should weigh 24 pounds to the bushel, 
although it ranges as low as 10 
pounds. A fair grade should weigh 
not less than 16 to 20 pounds to the 
bushel. A standard mixture of blue 
grass with the bent grasses and the 
fescues should be sown at the rate 
of 3 to 5 bushels of seed an acre. 
Blue grass alone should be sown at 
a rate of from 50 to 70 pounds to 
ihe acre. White clover may be add- 
ed in either case at the rate of one 
peck to the acre. 

For latitudes north of Washington, 
D. C, under ideal conditions of soil 
and seed bed, sow a mixture of 50 
pounds blue grass, 25 pounds red top 
and 6 quarts of white clover to the 
acre on fairly heavy soils. But in- 
crease the proportion of red top 
on light soils to equal parts by 
weight with the blue grass, or 37 i 
V^rnds of each with 6 quarts of 
white clover, to the acre. 

Planting the Lawn. — Lawn grass 
seed may be sowed either in the 
spring or fall depending ujjon the 
climate, nature of the soil and other 
conditions. If the soil is not pro- 
tected by snow in winter, so that the 
seed bed is liable to washing from 
rains and upheaval from alternate 



frosts and thaws, it will be found 
better to prepare a fresh seed bed 
for spring planting. The chief ob- 
jection to this i>lan is the liability to 
delay from unfavorable soil condi- 
tions in spring, especially in clay 
land or other wet or heavy soils. 
This difficulty may be overcome by 
good under-drainage, and by fall 
plowing or other previous cultivation, 
to bring the land into a good state 
of tilth. If the ground is broken in 
the fall the first crop of weeds will 
come up early in the spring and 
may be turned under when preparing 
the seed bed. Keep down weeds 
which spring up later by frequent 
clipping with the lawn mower. They 
will soon be killed out by the grow- 
ing stand of grass, particularly if 
white clover is added as a nurse 
crop. 

Plant the lawn as early in the 
spring as the soil is dry enough to 
work projDerly and there is enough 
heat to germinate the seed and bring 
along the crop. If the planting is 
too late, the tender young plants 
will be injured by the heat and 
drouth of summer. In the northern 
half of the United States, fall plant- 
ing may be done from the latter part 
of August to October according to 
location. In the South the best time 
for fall planting comes later and 
that for spring planting earlier, ac- 
cording to climatic conditions. 

Maintenance of the Lawn. — Close 
clipping will eradicate most weeds 
except those having broad, flat heads 
such as plantain, dandelion and dock. 
These must be cut out by the use of 
a knife or trowel. A short-handled 
asparagus knife is suitable for this 
purpose. But if dandelions or dock 
come up in great numbers, it is often 
cheaper to plow and remake the 
lawn. 

Fertilization. — The basis of a good 
lawn is to bring the seed bed into 
a proper state of tilth by the liberal 
application of well rotted barnyard 
manure, bone phosphate, lime or 
green manuring, as above suggested. 
A winter mulch of well rotted stable 



244 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



manure will lessen the danger from 
alternate frosts and thaws and en- 
rich the soil. Apply a light covering 
in the late fall and rake off the 
coarse residue when the grass starts 
In the spring. Or if the grass clip- 
pings are allowed to remain on the 
lawns they serve much the same pur- 
pose. 

As a rule fertilizers should be ap- 
plied to lawns in the fall. A good 
plan for a small lawn is a three year 
rotation of a complete commercial 
fertilizer the first year, followed by 
ground bone the next two years and 
so continued. But any of the stand- 
ard fertilizing materials may be em- 
ployed. These have the advantage 
over stable manure that they contain 
no weed seeds. 

Nitrate of soda scattered over the 
lawn at the rate of 100 pounds per 
acre in the spring will stimulate its 
growth and give it a richer color. 
This should be done after the grass 
begins to grow and just before a rain 
or sprinkling. Or the nitrate may 
be dissolved in water and sprinkled 
upon the lawn. Later applications 
at the rate of 50 pounds to the acre 
will help to keep the lawn green dur- 
ing the heated summer. An appli- 
cation of well slaked lime scattered 
broadcast, at the rate of 500 to 1,000 
pounds to the acre, will be found 
beneficial on some soils. On those 
especially which are sour, as shown 
by the presence of sorrel or those 
which have a tendency to bake and 
crack as clays, or heavy clay loams, 
the use of lime is indicated. Lime 
tends to favor such desirable grasses 
as blue grass and white clover. 

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 

"God Almighty," says Bacon, "first 
planted a garden eastward in Eden 
and walked there in the cool of the 
day." And there can be no purer 
nor more wholesome pleasure than 
that which the gardener enjoj^s when 
observing the growth of plants and 
flowers. Not only is gardening a 
source of the liveliest and most un- 



failing delight. If properly con- 
ducted, it is an educational process 
of the greatest value. A good flower 
garden exerts a powerful influence 
upon the aesthetic side of the home 
life. The home vegetable garden also 
contributes to the health and physi- 
cal well being of the family and is, 
moreover, an important measure of 
economy. 

The custom of setting apart a por- 
tion of the home grounds for flower 
and vegetable gardens, while nearly 
universal in New England and many 
other of the older and more thickly 
settled portions of the United States, 
is much less widely practiced over 
the whole national area than it ought 
to be. Garden vegetables grown as 
farm crops are commonly used as ar- 
ticles of summer diet everywhere. 
But this custom can by no means vie 
with a well kept kitchen garden, 
either in the variety or quality of 
the wholesome eatables which it af- 
fords. An area of land cultivated 
as a kitchen garden will easily sup- 
ply the family table with one hun- 
dred dollars' worth of vegetables 
every year. The advantage to the 
housewife of a bountiful supply of 
good vegetables, close at hand, is 
apparent. 

Many of the best varieties of gar- 
den vegetables lose much of their 
proper flavor within a few hours 
after gathering. Hence these are 
rarely, if ever, seen in the market. 
Their places are commonly taken 
by inferior sorts which have better 
keeping qualities. Moreover, fresh 
vegetables in the home garden are 
clean and not liable to infection from 
handling and exposure. 

Location of the Garden. — On small 
grounds the garden site may be con- 
fined of necessity to one location. 
But if choice is afforded, select pre- 
ferably a spot having a gentle slope 
and southern exposure. A prime 
consideration is to secure the best 
possible crops of early vegetables as 
a wholesome change from the monot- 
ony of winter diet. A windbreak 
either of trees, buildings or hedges, 



I 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 245 



or even a high board fence or stone 
wall, will be an aid to this end by- 
breaking the force of the cold spring 
winds. Some persons prefer, where 
space admits, to change the location 
of the garden every five or six years. 
But by proper rotation of crops and 
suitable cultivation, it has been found 
possible to continue growing garden 
crops with equal, or even increasingly 
good results, upon the same piece of 
ground for many years. 

The subject of drainage and the 
original preparation of the soil have 
already been considered. The proper 
treatment in after years depends 
upon the nature of the soil. A clay 
or other heavy soil should be plowed 
in the fall so that it may be mel- 
lowed by the frosts. A lighter soil 
may be plowed in the spring as soon 
as the ground is dry enough to be 
worked. The rule is to grasp a 
handful of soil firmly in the hand 
and observe whether or not it crum- 
bles when released. If so, the soil 
may be worked with safety. The 
finer the soil, the better the crops 
will be. Hence, some gardeners go 
over the soil in the spring with the 
disc harrow before plowing so that, 
when turned over, the bottom soil 
will be fine. They also use the disc 
harrow after plowing so as to mel- 
low the soil through and through. 

Fertilization. — Only well rotted 
stable manure or high grade com- 
mercial fertilizer should be used. 
The latter may be applied in the 
fall on heavy soil and plowed under. 
Or on light soil it may be applied 
either in the fall or spring and 
turned under at the spring plowing. 
Fertilizer may be applied either 
broadcast or in the hill; or better, 
part one way and part the other. 
A handful of fertilizer sprinkled in 
the hill over a space about as large 
as a dinner plate and worked into 
the soil with a hoe will help to give 
any vegetable, and especially early 
crops, a flying start. But never dump 
a handful of fertilizer in the bottom 
of the hill without mixing it thor- 
oughly with soil. Otherwise some of 



the roots will not come in contact 
with it at all, and those which do will 
be burned. Hence for the time be- 
ing it will be somewhat worse than 
wasted. 

Garden Seeds and Plants. — The 
selection of seeds and plants for the 
garden, the depth at which they 
should be planted, and many other 
particulars about the diff^erent gar- 
den crops vary so greatly by reason 
of climatic and other conditions that 
they cannot be properly discussed in 
this place. Send for the catalogs 
of the principal seedsmen in your 
section and follow carefully the di- 
rections which they give. For fur- 
ther information apply by letter to 
the State Experiment Station of the 
Department of Agriculture in your 
ov n State or to the Secretary of 
Agriculture at Washington. 

Tables for Planting. — The tables 
on the following pages for planting 
flowers and vegetables are taken from 
"The Garden Annual" of the Chicago 
Simday Tribune. The times of plant- 
ing are calculated for the latitude of 
New York. Allow ten days for each 
one hundred miles north or south of 
that latitude. The date for indoor 
planting applies to seeds started in 
the house, in a hot bed, or in a cold 
frame, but observe that cold snaps 
and other weather conditions may af- 
fect these dates. The table for 
planting vegetables is planned espe- 
cially for those having small gar- 
dens in which most or all of the work 
must be done by hand. 

Hot Beds. — To start early plants 
in the northern half of the United 
States build a hot bed. This is sim- 
ply a box sunk in the groimd and 
heated from below by means of a 
bed of stable manure or otherwise. 
It contains a layer of soil for the 
seed bed and is protected by a cover 
of window sash filled with glass. 
Hot beds may be either temporary 
or permanent. 

To Build a Temporary Hot Bed. — 
Select a sheltered, well drained lo- 
cation and shake out a pile of man- 
ure in a broad flat heap 8 or 9 feet 



246 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 









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OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 249 



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250 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



wide. Pack by tramping to a solid 
mass 18 or 24 inches deep. The 
length will depend upon the number 
of sash to be employed. Select for 
tliis j)urpose horse manure contain- 
ing sufficient litter to spring lightly 
when trodden. Now adjust the 
frames facing to the south. These are 
merely an open box without top or 
bottom. Build them of any soimd 
inch lumber, 6 feet wide, and long 
enough to accommodate any required 
number of sash. Standard garden 
sash 3 by 6 feet in size can be pur- 
chased of seedsmen or dealers in gar- 
den supplies. Or suitable frames to 
hold the glass can be made at home 
or by a local carpenter. Including 
the item of labor, however, this meth- 
od is likely to be more expensive. 
Make the front from 4 to 6 inches 
lower than the back so as to incline 
the glass enough to afford good 
drainage. Now sj^read 3 to 5 inches 
of good garden loam, or special pre- 
pared soil, evenly over the manure 
within the frame, put the sash on and 
let the bed heat. At first the tem- 
perature will be high. Do not plant 
seed until it falls to 80°. This will 
be in about three days. 

Or, to make a permanent hot bed, 
dig a pit about 30 inches deep 
and 6 feet wide to any desired length 
and line the walls with brick or 3- 
inch plank. Fill this with manure. 
Or, if convenient, install a suitable 
heating system. Care must be taken 
to adjust this so that the tempera- 
ture within the hot bed will not ex- 
ceed 80° F. 

Provide board shutters, straw mat- 
ting, burlap or old carpet to cover 
the frames during cold nights. Also 
have at hand a supply of straw, or 
loose stable manure, to throw over 
them during cold snaps. 

Place the hot bed near the house 
or barn, convenient to some walk 
which is used several times a day, 
and keep it under close and constant 
observation. When the sim shines on 
the glass, ventilate the hot bed by 
raising the sash a little on the side 
opposite the wind. Take care to 



keep the plants from a draft of cold 
air. Toward evening close the sash 
and let the bed warm up for the 
night. Water only on bright days 
and in the early morning. Watering 
in the evening or on cloudy days 
may chill the bed and expose it to 
frosts. After watering, ventilate to 
let surplus moisture escape, else the 
plants may be lost by damping-off 
fungus or mildew. 

Cold Frames. — These are made 
precisely the same as hot beds ex- 
cept that they rest on the bare earth 
and are not heated. Place a cold 
frame near the hot bed in northern 
climates and transplant to it plants 
that have been started in the hot 
bed, to harden them before trans- 
l^lauting to the garden. But in the 
South, the cold frame may take the 
place of the hot bed in starting early 
plants. Ventilate and water cold 
frames the same as hot beds. 

Earth, for Seed Beds. — To prepare 
earth for seeds or small plants, for 
filling pots, window boxes, hot beds, 
cold frames or for certain purposes 
in the open garden, mix one part 
by bulk of well rotted manure, two 
parts of good garden loam and one 
part of sharp fine sand. Choose for 
this purpose manure which has been 
thoroughly rotted but not exposed 
to leaching from the weather. Mix 
all together in a heap, stir well with 
the shovel, sift and place in boxes 
or in the bed prepared for the seed. 
If convenient, bake the soil for an 
hour in a hot oven. This will kill 
all weed seed and spores of fungous 
disease. 

Seeding'. — Sow all garden seeds 
which are to be transplanted in 
straight rows 2 inches or more apart 
according to kind and convenience. 
Water just often enough to keep the 
soil in such condition that a hand- 
ful will crumble freely after being 
pressed in the hand. 

Thin the plants as soon as they can 
be handled and before they begin to 
"draw" or grow tall and spindling. 
Remove the centers of the thick 
bunches so as leave uniform spaces 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 251 



but preserve as far as possible the 
best plants. 

Hardening' Off and Transplanting. 
— Do not transplant seedlings grown 
in the house, hot bed or cold frame 
to the open garden without first ac- 
customing them to efi^ects of sun 
and wind. To "harden off" plants, 
increase gradually the ventilation and 
reduce the amount of watering. But 
do not let the ground become so 
dry that the plant will wilt. After 
a few days leave the plants uncov- 
ered throughout the day and on mild 
nights. They can then be transplant- 
ed without loss. Transplant prefer- 
ably twice; first from the hot bed 
to the cold frame or especially pre- 
pared seed bed in the open garden 
and, afterwards, thence to the per- 
manent location. This strengthens 
and improves most plants by in- 
creasing the size and vigor of the 
root system. 

Others as melons, cucumbers and 
beans, do not transplant readily from 
the seed bed to the open ground. 
Start each hill of these in a pint or 
quart berry box, or on the bottom 
of a piece of sod 2 or 3 inches thick 
and 5 or 6 inches square placed root 
side up in the hot bed or cold frame. 
Then bury the box or sod in its 
proper place in the garden a little 
below the surface of the earth. Cut 
out the bottom of the berry box with 
a sharp knife before planting. By 
these means the roots of the growing 
plants are not disturbed. 

Choose for transplanting a cool, 
cloudy day or work in the evening 
and pueferably when the soil is moist 
but not wet. Soak the earth in the 
seed bed a few hours before trans- 
planting. Separate the plants from 
one another by cutting the soil into 
cubes by means of a knife or trowel. 
Remove preferably enough earth 
from the seed bed to protect the 
roots. Or, should the earth fall from 
the roots, "puddle" the plant by dip- 
ping the roots in a thin slime con- 
sisting of clay, cow manure and wa- 
ter, mixed in a pail or tub. Pick up 
the plants in small bunches and 



"puddle" until the roots are coated 
with moist earth. This protects them 
from air and afi'ords direct contact 
of the roots with the soil. 

Have the seed bed smooth, fine and 
level. Mark the location of the rows 
by a cord fastened to stakes at either 
end and drawn taut. But do not 
open the holes or separate the plants 
until ready to insert them so that 
the soil will be moist and fresh. 
Should the earth be dry, pour a little 
water in the hole and cover with dry 
soil to prevent baking. Set the 
plants upright a little deeper than 
they stood in the seed bed. Press 
the earth about them with the fingers 
so that no open spaces are left. The 
time of planting must depend ujjon 
climatic and other local conditions. 
If in doubt, ask some experienced 
local gardener. 

To protect small plants from heat 
in hot climates drive stakes into the 
ground slanting toward the north 
and lean boards against them so as 
to shade the rows. Or use light 
frames on lath or wooden slats and 
cover them with cotton cloth. To 
protect crops planted in winter from 
cold and give an early start in the 
spring, set the stakes slanting to the 
south and lean boards against them 
on the north side. Or cover with a 
mulch of manure, straw or leaves. 
But take care that this is not so 
thick as to keep the air from the 
plants and also see that it is free 
from injurious weeds. 

Cultivation of Gardens. — Horse 
cultivation is to be preferred when 
possible. It is cheaper and likely to 
be more thorough. In this case make 
the rows as long as possible and 
plant potatoes, or other crops not 
easily injured by tramping, in the 
space required for turning at the 
ends. The objects of cultivation are 
to keep down the weeds and conserve 
soil moisture by providing a surface 
mulch. Stirring the top soil to a 
depth of 2 or 3 inches after every 
rain accomplishes both. Frequent 
shallow cultivation is the rule with 
all good gardeners, the more fre- 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



quent, the better. A light mulch of 
fine manure, lawn clippings, or the 
like for ten or twelve inches around 
young plants will help to jsreserve 
the moisture. This is essential for 
strawberries to keep the fruit from 
contact with the ground. But do not 
make this mulch so heavy as to ex- 
clude the air. Do not cultivate too 
soon after a rain. Test the soil by 
squeezing it in the hand. 

It is sound economy to provide a 
full set of garden tools. A com- 
plete outfit of hand tools should in- 
clude spade and spading fork, steel 
rake, common hoe, narrow hoe, dib- 
bles and trowels for transplanting, 
weeders, watering can and wheel- 
barrow. A wheel hoe is also a great 
convenience, especially if a horse cul- 
tivator is not available. 

Combined Fruit and Vegetable 
Garden. — It is quite surprising how 
much can be accomplished upon a 
very small area by wise selection and 
proper modes of culture. Often two 
kinds of crops can be grown upon 
the same space as by growing small 
fruits, like the currant or raspberry, 
between the rows of apple or other 
fruit trees. Or strawberries may be 
grown between rows of grapevines. 
Or grapevines may be used to screen 
out-buildings or porches. Or a grape 
arbor may be utilized as a summer 
house. Some flowering plants as 
pansies or violets — and some garden 
vegetables — as radishes — may also be 
grown between grapevines, or fruit 
trees. Asparagus grows well in such 
a location. There are many plans 
for combining fruit and vegetable 
garden which may readily be adapted 
to local conditions. The following- 
suggestions are made by the Depart- 
ment of Agriculture: 

An area of 60 by 80 feet set apart 
as a fruit garden will accommodate 
443 fruit-bearing plants of the kinds 
designated, while an area of 40 by 
80 feet will be suificient for quite a 
variety of vegetable plants. On these 
areas, if carefully planned, the fol- 
lowing fruit and vegetable plants 
may be grown: 



Thirty-two grapevines, dispersed at 
intervals of 10 feet around the en- 
tire garden; three rows, each contain- 
ing 6 trees dwarf pears, 18 speci- 
mens in all (rows Nos. 3, 10, 14) ; one 
row, 6 specimens, peaches (row No. 
4) ; one row, 6 specimens, cherries 
(row No. 8) ; one row, 6 specimens, 
dwarf apples (row No. 6) ; one row, 
6 specimens, plums (row No. 12) ; 
one row, 30 specimens, blackberries 
(row No. 1) ; two rows, 40 specimens, 
blackcaps (rows Nos. 3 and 5) ; two 
rows, 40 specimens, red raspberries 
(rows Nos. 7 and 9) ; three rows, 300 
specimens, strawberries (rows Nos. 
11, 13 and 15). 

Vegetable Plants That Can Be 
Grown on an Area of -40 by 80 Feet. 
— One row, ^ row rhubarb, -J row 
asparagus (occupying four feet) ; one 
row, salsify (IJ feet); one row, 
parsnips (1^ feet) ; two rows, beets 
(3 feet) ; one row, eggplant — plants 
set 18 inches apart — 3 dozen (3 feet) ; 
two rows, tomatoes, plants set 3 feet 
apart — 3 dozen (6 feet) ; one row, 
summer squash, 13 hills, 3 feet apart 
(3 feet) ; two rows, cucumbers, 34 
hills, 3 feet apart (1 foot) ; two rows, 
early cabbage, 4 dozen plants, set 18 
inches apart (4 feet) ; two rows, 
late cabbage, 4 dozen plants, set 18 
inches apart (4 feet) ; one row, early 
celery, 6 dozen plants, set 6 inches 
apart (3 feet) ; eight rows, peas, 
plant in double rows, 4 inches apart, 
follow by 6 rows late celery, 36 dozen 
plants (16 feet) ; two rows, lima 
beans, 4 dozen hills, 18 inches apart 
(4 feet) ; six rows, bunch beans, in 
succession sow seeds in drills, placing 
seeds about 6 inches apart in the 
row; follow by late cabbage, turnips, 
or spinach (13 feet) ; two rows, rad- 
ishes, 4 sowings, planted in double 
rows 6 inches apart (3 feet) ; two 
rows, lettuce, two sorts, adajjted for 
early and late use (3 feet) ; one row, 
parsley and peppergrass (1^ feet). 
The space occupied by the last three 
plants may be given over to winter 
squashes by planting these before 
other crops are off the ground. 

This general plan will serve as a 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 253 



guide to planting in any portion of 
the United States, but the sorts 
chosen must be suited to each par- 
ticular section of the country. 

As will be seen, this garden is 
planned to utilize the space to the 
best possible advantage. In order to 
secure large returns, the soil must be 
kept cultivated and well enriched. 
Walks, if any are to be maintained 
as permanent features, should only 
exist where necessary for ease and 
comfort in getting about. A perma- 
nent walk should divide the fruit 
garden from the vegetable garden. 
This is best made of gravel or some 
other loose material, which will pre- 
serve a dry passageway without pre- 
venting rain from penetrating the 
soil beneath it. The fruit trees which 
stand beside it will need the moisture 
which it gathers. On account of the 
small area occupied and the close 
planting necessary to secure the re- 
sults desired, the culture of such a 
garden must of necessity be by hand. 
If the grapevines are trained on the 
high renewal system, they will serve 
both as a screen for the rest of the 
garden and as a source of fruit sup- 
ply. A good wire fence should, how- 
ever, be constructed on the line be- 
tween adjoining properties, and the 
grape border planted not farther 
than 2 feet from the boundary fence. 

TREES AND SHiniBBERY 

A good, well-kept lawn affords a 
natural background against which to 
display shade trees and shrubbery. 
These may be purely ornamental ob- 
jects. Or such useful trees and 
shrubs as fruit trees and currant or 
barberry bushes may be chosen with 
both ornament and utility in view. 
Both these thoughts should be kept in 
mind in the selection of trees and 
shrubs and in making the decision 
where to plant them. As above sug- 
gested, to secure best results, treat 
all of the available space about the 
home site as a single tract. The work 
of grading, breaking, manuring and 
otherwise preparing the soil can be 



done both cheaper and better all at 
one time. And the treatment requi- 
site for the lawn and garden will pre- 
pare the soil for the reception of 
trees and shrubs. 

First make a plan of the home site, 
to scale, with pencil and paper. On 
this mark the location of all build- 
ings and other cultural objects and 
landmarks. This will greatly assist 
in securing pleasing effects in laying 
out even the smallest and simplest of 
home grounds. Mark the dimensions 
and outlines of the portion to be 
reserved for lawn and greensward. 




^#^ 



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iti * % a « <* •< 

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« «« 8* « 



General plan for farmhouse grounds. 

Set apart spaces for vegetable and 
flower gardens. Now sketch in the 
necessary pathways, walks and drives. 
Finally consider how to secure 
against this background the most de- 
sirable effects by the planting of 
trees and shrubbery. The size of the 
home grounds and their location and 
surroundings — including climatic and 
other conditions — vary so widely that 
the problem of beautifying them is 
necessarily an individual one. How- 
ever, experience has suggested cer- 
tain general principles which are of 



254 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



universal value. These may be briefly 
stated. 

General Design. — Observe the main 
lines of travel and, unless there 
should be some good reason for 
changing, make these the basis for 
permanent paths and vv^all'cs. Custom 
is very persistent and usual lines of 
travel will not only prove as a rule 
to be the most convenient, but will be 
difficult to change. They may result, 
if changed unwisely, in unsightly foot 




Group planting. 

paths across the lawn. Short walks 
and drives of less than 100 feet 
should preferably be straight. If 
longer they may be gently curved to 
provide bays in which trees and 
shrubs may be planted. Observe 
carefully the outlook from all the 
doors and windows to determine 
which parts of the landscape should 
be retained in view and what objects 
should be cut off from sight by trees 
and shrubs. 

The best practice is to confine trees 
and shrubs to the borders of the 
grounds or the lines of walks or 
drives. Leave the lawn lying in un- 
broken stretches. But such borders 
need not be continuous around the 
grounds. They should be broken here 
and there to preserve attractive views 
of the exterior landscape. Often a 
continuous belt of trees is desirable 
across the rear or at the sides of the 
lot to afford protection. But since 
the rear views may be as attractive 
as those toward the front, these belts 
may also be broken at intervals. 
Great care must be taken, however, 
not to leave openings which will 
cause snow to drift in the vicinity of 
the house and outbuildings. 



Formal arrangements of trees in 
straight rows are sometimes desirable 
to screen public highways, or as bor- 
ders. But more pleasing effects can 
usually be produced by spacing the 
trees irregularly. The width of a 
belt of trees may properly be varied. 
Let them project in some places into 
the interior open space and retreat, 
in others, almost to the limit of the 
grounds. 

The best effects may be secured 
from a variety of kinds of trees. 
Group each kind by itself. Vistas 
of the more distant landscape open- 
ing between groups of trees irregu- 
larly spaced are among the most 
pleasing views imaginable. A few 
elms, a group of oaks, or a clump 
of graceful birches scattered about 
the grounds gives character to the 
planting from a near view and, when 
' seen at a distance, makes a pleas- 
ingly diversified sky-line. 

Shrubbery is properly placed when 
planted in clumps against belts of 
trees, in bays or corners, or when 
employed to screen a rough founda- 
tion wall, to soften the outlines of 




Scattered plantations. 

unsightly objects or to hide them 
wholly from view. 

Walks may properly follow the 
contour of the ground. 

Windbreaks. — Many homes are 
naturally sheltered by adjacent hills 
or timber. But countless thousands 
of dwellings, school-houses, barns and 
other occupied buildings stand on 
hills, or treeless plains, such that 
some suitable protection is required. 
Such a windbreak, recommended bj' 
the Department of Agriculture for 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER ^55 



the northern half of the United 
States, consists of thirteen rows of 
trees parallel to one another and 6 
feet 10 inches apart. The first two 
rows on the north and west edges of 
the belt are Russian wild olive; the 
third and fourth, arborvitse; fifth and 
sixth, box elder; seventh and eighth, 
white elm; ninth and tenth, white 
willow; and the remaining three rows, 
common cottonwood. Such a wind- 
break when the trees are matured will 
appear like the side and top of a 
building having a sloping roof. 

For the southern part of the 
United States, to afford protection 
from south and west winds, the fol- 
lowing is advised: The first two 
rows on the south and west edges of 
the belt to be Russian mulberry or 
Osage orange; the third and fourth, 
Chinese arborvitse; the fifth and 
sixth, black locust; seventh and 
eighth, green ash; ninth and tenth, 
white elm; the remaining three rows, 
honey locust or common cottonwood. 

For portions of the Pacific slope 
where damaging wiriids may come 
from either southwest or northeast, 
the whole tract should be surrounded 
by a windbreak having the tallest 
and most flexible trees in the middle 
and those on either side sloping- 
downward. The Department recom- 
mends a windbreak 3-J- rods wide, 
consisting of seven rows of trees; the 
three middle rows to be eucalyptus 
of the species most suitable to the 
site; the next row on each side, Mon- 
terey pine; the two outside rows on 
both edges, Monterey cypress. Or 
any number of rows of these varieties 
of trees may be planted in the same 
relative proportions. 

Such windbreaks not only protect 
the land for a distance approximately 
ten times their height. Thej'' also 
provide timber for the repair of 
buildings and many similar purposes. 
An objection to windbreaks is that 
trees adjacent to lawns and gardens 
may injure them by their shade and 
may also rob the soil of plant food 
and moisture. Such loss is more than 
offset — in localities where wind- 



breaks are most needed — by the con- 
servation of moisture which would 
otherwise be removed by jirevailing 
winds, and by the favorable modifica- 
tion both of summer's heat and win- 
ter's cold. 

Leave an opening in the wind- 
break, in Northern latitudes, from 75 
to 100 feet in width to the north and 
west of buildings and orchards. This 
will act as a snow trap. It will catch 
the drifts during winter storms and 
jirevent them from forming about 
the residence and outbuildings. The 
space next the windbreak upon 
which the snow is thus accumulated 
makes a good location for gardens. 
The soil is protected against deep 
freezing, yet stores up large quanti- 
ties of moisture from the melting 
snow in spring. 

Windbreaks more than pay for 
themselves, when needed, by econo- 
mizing the feed required by domestic 
animals and also the fuel necessary 
to warm dwellings in winter. They 
protect fruit trees against frosts, and 
lawns and gardens against the ef- 
fects of drouth. They may, there- 
fore, be regarded as among the most 
desirable permanent improvements. 

Orchards. — When space admits, a 
small orchard of apple, pear and 
other desirable fruit trees, according 
to climate, will add greatly to the 
resources of any householder and 
enhance the value of any piece of 
property. The selection of varieties 
must depend upon the amount of 
space available, and climatic and oth- 
er conditions. But as a rule, the 
greater variety of kinds of fruits ob- 
tainable from the home orchard, the 
better. A separate plot of ground 
set apart as an orchard presents 
some advantages over the plan of 
scattering fruit trees over the lawn 
and grounds for shade and ornament. 
More care can be taken to select for 
a separate orchard a site having the 
right kind of soil, with suitable ex- 
posure and protection from prevail- 
ing winds and frosts. Fruit trees are 
also easier to cultivate when grow- 
ing together in an orchard and, espe- 



256 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



cially, to protect against the attacks 
of insects by spraying. But if space 
does not admit of a separate or- 
chard, fruit trees, if properly lo- 
cated, pruned and cared for, make 
very desirable shade trees. Indeed, 
they are regarded by many as among 
the most decorative objects which can 
be used to beautify the lawn and 
grounds. 

Ornamental Trees and Shrubs. — 
Choose, preferably, for shade and 
ornamental purposes, the kinds of 
trees and shrubs which may be ob- 
served growing wild and the species 
which seem to flourish best in the 
locality. Many persons neglect the 
beautification of their grounds by 
tree planting either from motives of 
false economy or from lack of neces- 
sary information. The cost of plant- 
ing a number of trees required by 
the ordinary home grounds is very 
small. The process is simple. And if 
ordinary care is taken there will be 
little danger that the trees may not 
thrive. It is quite surprising how 
quickly a few seedlings will spring 
up and how much they will add both 
to the beauty and comfort of the 
home surroundings. 

The cost, if any, of nursery stock 
will be the principal item of expense. 
Even this expense can be saved, in 
many localities, by transplanting 
growing seedlings from neighboring 
forests. These can be had in most 
cases for the asking and at very 
slight cost for removal. Or grow 
the young trees themselves from seed 
in a little nursery in a corner of 
the kitchen garden. This is one of 
the most interesting experiments 
which can be made by any family and 
has great educative value for chil- 
dren. 

The Home Nursery. — The seeds of 
most trees can be purchased from 
seedsmen the same as garden seed. 
Or they may be collected from trees 
growing in the vicinity. Most tree 
seeds mature in the fall. Gather 
them as soon as ripened. A few, 
such as silver maple and elm, ripen 
in the spring. Collect these when 



ripe and plant immediately. Such 
tree seeds as those of the honey lo- 
cust, acorns, and the various nuts, 
may be gathered from the ground. 
But the small, thin-coated seeds, like 
those of maple, box elder, ashes, and 
elms should preferably be picked 
from the tree by hand. Collect these 
after the first seeds have fallen from 
the tree; since the sterile or infer- 
tile seeds ai-e the first to fall. Dry 
the seeds for a few weeks to remove 
surplus moisture and prevent mold- 
ing. Spread acorns and other nuts 
on a dirt floor and smaller seeds on 
boards in a dry place. If there are 
signs of mold spread out thinner. If 
the kernels shrink, they are drying 
too rapidly; cover with clean sand or 
chaff. For permanent storage, place 
acorn and other nuts in a close cov- 
ered wooden box mixed with dry 
chaff or straw. Sink this in the 
ground in some well drained place to 
within a few inches of the top. Heap 
over it a mound of earth to protect it 
from rains and frost. 

When planting time comes, cut 
open a number of seeds and examine 
the kernels. If these are plump and 
firm the seeds are good; if withered. 




Seed-testing device. (Dick J. Crosby.) 

the seeds are not fit to plant. A good 
plan is to make a germination test 
by sprouting a few seeds between 
pieces of clean wet blotting paper or 
in shallow boxes of sand. To test 
small seeds count a certain number 
■ — as one hundred or more — and 
spread them on a piece of moist blot- 
ting paper. Lay this on a plate and 
cover with another layer of blotting 
paper. Place over all another plate 
or a pane of glass. Set in a warm 
sunny room at a temperature of 68° 
to 86° F. Keep the blotting paper 
constantly moist but not wet. Keep 
a record of the kind and number of 
the seeds and the date. Look at 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 257 



them every day for two weeks or 
more, depending upon the kind of 
seed, until all that will are sprouted. 
Count the number which fail to ger- 
minate and figure the percentage of 
good seed. In general the percentages 
which should germinate in the dif- 
ferent kinds of trees are as follows 
ash, 35 to 50; basswood, 35 to 50 
beach, 70 to 80; box elder, 40 to 60 
catalpa, 40 to 75; cherry, 78 to 80 
Kentucky coffee tree, 70 to 75; Cot- 
tonwood, 75 to 95; elm, 50 to 75; 
hackberry, 70 to 80; hickory, 50 to 
75; locust, 50 to 75; rnaple, 25 to 60; 
mulberry, 75 to 95; oak, 75 to 95; 
Osage orange, 60 to 95; poplar, 5 to 
10; walnut, 75 to 80. 

If the percentage shown by testing 
falls much below this standard the 
seeds are poor. Either reject them 
or sow more thickly than usual. To 
test large seeds such as nuts, cherry 
and other pits, use shallow boxes of 
moist sand under similar conditions. 

Prepare soil for the nursery as 
for the lawn or garden. But the 
seed bed should not be too much ex- 
posed to the sun. It should prefer- 
ably be sheltered to the east or north 
by a group of trees or buildings. A 
heavy dressing of well rotted stable 
manure plowed under in fall, fol- 
lowed by spring plowing will bring 
about an ideal condition. A nursery 
only one square rod in size, with 
eleven rows 18 inches apart, will pro- 
duce about fifty seedlings to each 
row or 550 trees in all. And each 
row may be devoted to a single spe- 
cies of tree if desired. It will thiis 
be seen that a very small space will 
grow all the trees that will be re- 
quired for the grounds of an ordi- 
nary dwelling. 

The best time to plant tree seeds is 
as early in the spring as the ground 
can be worked. Exceptions to this 
rule, already noted, are the seeds of 
the silver maple and white elm. 
These mature in the late spring and 
should be planted at once. Other ex- 
ceptions are those of the basswood 
and yeUow poplar. These ripen in 
autumn and must be planted in the 



fall. As a rule tree seeds may be 
planted at the same time the earliest 
vegetable seeds are planted in the 
garden. Fresh nuts, acorns of good 
quality, or cherry and peach pits 
may be planted 2 or 3 inches apart in 
rows. Seeds of which the average 
germination is from 45 to 75 per 
cent should be spaced from IJ inch 
to li inches apart. Those whose 
germinating powers are very low — as 
the basswood and yellow poplar — 
should be sown thickly, three or four 
seeds deep in the row; the others, in 
proportion to their power of germi- 
nation. Cover tree seeds very light- 
ly; the rule is, about twice their av- 
erage diameter. 

Care of Seed Beds. — Cultivate seed- 
lings the same as garden crops. Keep 
down the weeds with a hoe. Stir the 
surface of the soil to a depth of 1 or i2 
inches every few days especially after 
rains. In time of drouth this forms 
a surface mulch and conserves soil 
moisture. If the rains do not keep 
the soil moist, the seedlings must be 
watered or irrigated. The best plan 
is to dig a trench between the rows 
and fill this with water at night or 
early morning, so that it will not be 
drunk up by the sun. The soil must 
be moistened to a deptli of 6 inches. 
Merely sprinkling water on the soil 
does little or no good. To carry the 
seedlings through the winter, hill 
them up 4 to 6 inches and cover with 
a mulch of straw, leaves or moss 
from 6 inches to 1 foot in depth. 
Hold this in place by branches or 
jioles. 

Transplanting Trees. — Seedlings 
of broad leaf trees — i. e., other than 
evergreen — should be, at the end of 
the first year, transplanted from the 
seed bed to some other part of the 
garden where they will have more 
room in whicli to grow. They should 
not be placed in permanent position 
in tlie lawn or road-side until they 
are two to five years old and have 
been transplanted once or more. 

As a rule small trees can be handled 
more safely and conveniently than 
large ones. But with care forest 



258 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



trees 8 or 10 feet high, or even larg- 
er, may be transplanted. These are 
somewhat less liable to injury after 
planting. If nursery stock is to be 
used, the less distance the stock has 
to travel and the shorter time it is on 
the road, the better. Take care to 
insure shipment by the most direct 
and fastest route. Receive the stock 
and plant it promptly or "heel it in" 
on arrival. The likelihood to injury 
is in direct proportion to the amount 
of exposure to drying winds or sun. 
But if seedlings from the home 
nursery or adjacent forests are 
available, and if proper precautions 
are observed, there need be no such 
danger. 

To take up seedlings one year old, 
drive a spade as deep into the soil 
as possible 5 or 6 inches to the side 




ject is not only to take up the main 
laterals and as much of the tap root 
as possible, but also to prevent strip- 
ping from these larger roots their 
net-like tracery of fine rootlets. The 
best results in transplanting very 
large trees are obtained in winter. A 
large ball of frozen earth surround- 
ing the roots can then be taken up 
with the tree. It can thus be moved 
to its new location without disturbing 
the most delicate rootlets. The less 
injury these sustain, the better the 
tree will flourish when transplanted. 



(a) The relation of root to top in a 
nursery tree lifted for shipment; 
(6) how the roots are cut at digging 
time. (L. C. Corbett.) 

of the tree and pry upward until the 
earth about the roots is thoroughly 
loosened, then grasp them by the 
stem close to the ground and gently 
raise them from the soil. 

To take up large trees cut off 
the lateral roots proportionately fur- 
ther from the trunk, and dig more 
deeply into the ground so as to pry 
up a considerable ball of earth sur- 
rounding the root system. The ob- 




Whim 
Cuttings set in trench. (L. C. Gorhett.) 






To protect nursery stock or oth- 
er seedlings from injury after being 
taken up, if there should be any de- 
lay in planting them, "heel them in" 
or plant them in temporary trenches. 
Dig for this purpose a trench deep 
enough to bury the roots and about 
half the tops. Extend this east and 
west and have its south bank slope at 
an angle of about 30° with the sur- 
face of the ground. Place in this a 
layer of trees with their tops lean- 
ing south and cover the roots and 
trunk with fresh, fine earth taken 
from the north side of the trench. 
Add another layer of trees in the 
trench thus formed and so continue 
until all the stock is heeled in. The 
trees may be safely left in this con- 
dition until ready for planting. 

To Plant a Tree. — The best time 
to plant trees in Northern and tem- 
perate climates is as early in the 
spring as the ground can be worked. 
But in warm regions trees planted in 
fall secure some root growth which 
gives them an early start in spring. 
Avoid sunny and windy weather. 
Select, rather, a cool, wet or cloudy 
day. Deciduous trees may be planted 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER ^59 



as soon as the ground stops freezing; 
evergreens, even up to the time the 
young growth begins to start. 

Carry the trees to the site in a 
barrel half filled with a thin mix- 
ture of earth and water. Lift them 
out only as needed. The slightest ex- 
posure of the delicate roots to sun 
or air will dry and injure them. To 
secure good results the soil should be 
well drained. If there is standing 
water in the soil, postpone planting. 
The earth surrounding the trees 
should be moist, but not wet. If too 
dry, the best plan is to dig the holes 
a few days beforehand and fill them 
with water. Refill them as the water 
soaks away and persist until the sur- 
rounding soil is well moistened. A 
thorough irrigation of dry soil is to 
be preferred. Then as soon as the 
standing water is drained off and the 
ground is dry enough to crumble 
freely, the trees may be planted. 

Dig holes for trees big enough so 
that the roots may be spread out flat 
in about their normal condition. Dig 
deep enough so that the trunk or 
stem will be 2 or 3 inches lower in 
the soil than its former position. 
Make the holes for seedlings one year 
old at least two feet in diameter and 

1 foot deep in good soil; but make 
them 4 feet across in poor soil. 
Make holes for older trees larger in 
proportion. Have the sides perpen- 
dicular and the bottom flat. Loosen 
the soil in the bottom of the hole to 
the full depth of the spade. Spread 

2 or 3 inches of fine top soil, free 
from sod or other decomposible or- 
ganic matter over the bottom of the 
hole. If fertile garden earth can be 
procured for this purpose, so much 
the better. At all events the root 
system of a young tree must not be 
immediately surrounded by raw sub- 
soil. On top of this layer of earth 
place the roots of the tree and 
spread them as evenly as possible 
over the bottom of the hole. Extend 
the roots in their natural position. 
Now carefully pack about them fine 
loam soil free from stone and rub- 
bish. Work the soil about each root 



separately and pack it solidly with 
the foot. Now fill the hole and com- 
pact the earth about the roots to hold 
them firmly in place by treading. 
But do not tamp the soil with a bar 
or otherwise. This tends to prevent 
the circulation of air in the soil which 
is necessary to supply oxygen. 

Make the last two or three inches 
of soil very fine and let it lie per- 
fectly loose. This forms a mulch to 
conserve the soil moisture. Hill up 
the soil a few inches above the level 
of the ground. 

The above practice makes it unnec- 
essary to use water at the time of 
planting when it might be injurious. 
The presence of free water, especial- 
ly in clay soils, tends to cause the 
earth to puddle or cake. And this 
tends to shut off the supply of oxy- 
gen from the roots. 

Why Trees Die. — The fear of los- 
ing trees from transplanting doubt- 
less deters many persons from at- 
tempting this most attractive kind of 
permanent improvements. There is 
a kind of mystery about the death of 
some trees, while others planted at 
the same time thrive prosperouslj\ 
A study of some of the more com- 
mon reasons for the death of trees 
will usually reveal the cause. It will 
show that such losses can be pre- 
vented by the use of ordinary care. 
Chief among these are exposure of 
the roots before planting, failure to 
plant properly, or the effects of over- 
wet soil or di-outh. The need for 
great care to avoid injury to the 
rootlets and exposure to sun and dry 
air has been emphasized. Failure to 
pack the soil tightly about the roots 
is a common error. This not only 
leaves the tree unstable, it partially 
prevents the rootlets from absorbing 
nutriment. This they cannot do un- 
less they come into very close con- 
tact with the soil. Turf, manure or 
rubbish of any kind should not be 
brought into contact with roots. 
Only fine loamy soil should be used. 
Compact this firmly against the 
roots by the foot and weight of the 
body. Another error is false econ- 



260 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



omy of time and labor in digging too 
small or too shallow holes. Standing 
water in or about the roots of the 
trees not only prevents the air from 
reaching them. It causes the soil to 
become puddled in the process of 
planting. When dry it then bakes 
into a hard lump which excludes the 
air. Drying out of soil from drouth 
is always injurious to newly trans- 
planted trees. This may be largely 
overcome by proper cultivation. 
Small trees are frequently injured 
by stock and other accidents. If 
standing in exposed locations they 
should be protected by suitable fenc- 
ing. If, however, the rules above 
stated are carefully followed there 
need be little or no loss from trans- 
planting trees under ordinary condi- 
tions. 

Care of Trees. — Even well planted- 
and thrifty young trees sometimes die 
for lack of proper care. They must 
be protected against injury from 
stock and other accident by suitable 
fencing; and against drouth by irri- 
gation, or other steps to increase the 
supply of moisture when necessary, 
and by frequent cultivation to con- 
serve moisture in the soil. Artificial 
watering is not usually desirable. 
But 'surface water from an adjacent 
hill can sometimes be conducted to the 
home grounds by a trench made by 
turning a few furrows with the plow 
along the contour lines of the slope. 
In the Northwest, trees planted as 
windbreaks a few rods from the 
northwest side of the home grounds 
will cause drifts of snow to form 
just under the edge of the wind- 
break. They thus protect the orchard 
and ornamental trees and shrubbery 
from breakage and conserve a supply 
of moisture along the edge of the 
grounds. 

Deep cultivation with the plow or 
spade in orchards or beneath shade 
trees is not desirable. It injures the 
root system. If the seed bed has 
been properly prepared, the only cul- 
tivation necessary is to stir the 
ground to a depth of 2 or 3 inches 
with a cultivator or hoe to keep down 



weeds and grass and conserve soil 
moisture by maintaining a surface 
mulch of fine, loose, diy earth. 



TREE PROPAGATION BY 
TINGS, GRAFTS AND BUDS 



CUT- 



A tree may reproduce itself either 
by seeds or buds. Hence a valuable 
tree or shrub once established may 
be made to supply as many other 
specimens as may be desired. Or 
cuttings, scions, or buds may be ex- 
changed with neighbors, or obtained 
from them for the asking or at slight 
expense. Many trees can be propa- 
gated by cuttings and nearly all can 
be grafted and budded. 

Grafting. — The following is, in 
substance, the method of grafting 
recommended by the Department of 
Agriculture : 

A scion is a portion cut from a 
plant to be inserted upon another 
(or the same) plant, with the inten- 
tion that it shall grow. The wood 
for scions should be taken while in a 
dormant or resting condition. The 
time usually considered best is after 
the leaves have fallen, but before se- 
vere freezing begins. Tie the scions 
in bunches and bury in moist sand 
where they will not freeze and yet 
will be kept cold enough to prevent 
growth. Good results in cleft graft- 
ing often follow cutting scions in the 




1 2 S 

(1) Grafting tool; (2) cleft grafting: 
a, scion; 6, scions inserted in cleft; 
(3) cross section of stock and scion, 
(L. O. Coriett.) 

spring just before or at the time of 
grafting. But spring cutting of 
scions for whip grafting is not de- 
sirable. Not enough time is given 
for a proper union to take place. 

The stock is the plant or part of 
a plant upon which or into which the 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER £61 



bud or scion is inserted. For best 
results in grafting it is essential that 
the stock be in such condition that 
active growth can be quickly brought 
about. 

Grafting.— The cleft style of graft 
is particularly adapted to large trees 
when for any reason it becomes 
necessary to change the variety. 
Branches too large to be worked by 
other methods can be cleft grafted. 

To Make a Cleft Graft. — Select a 
branch 1 or 1| inches in diameter 
and sever it with a saw. Take care 
not to loosen the bark from any 




Cuttings: (a) Simple cutting; (&) heel 
cutting; (c) mallet cutting; (d) Sin- 
gle-eye cutting. {L. C. Corbett.) 

portion of the stub. Split the ex- 
posed end with a broad, thin chisel 
or grafting tool. Then with a wedge, 
or the wedge-shaped prong at the 
end of the grafting tool, spread the 
cleft so that the scion may be in- 
serted as shown in the illustrations. 
The scion should consist of a por- 
tion of the previous season's growth 
and should be long enough to have 
two or three buds. The lower end of 
the scion, which is to be inserted into 
the cleft, should be cut into the shape 
of a wedge, having the outer edge 
thicker than the other. In general, it 
is a good plan to cut the scion so 
that the lowest bud will come just 
at the top of this wedge. Thus it 
will be near the top of the stock. 
The advantage of cutting the wedge 
thicker on one side is shown in the 
illustration. This shows how the 
pressure of the stock is brought upon 



the outer growing parts of both scion 
and stock. Were the scion thicker on 
the inner side, the conditions would 
be reversed and its death would fol- 
low. 

The importance of having an inti- 
mate connection between the growing 
tissues of both scion and stock can 
not be too strongly emphasized. 
Upon this alone the success of graft- 
ing depends. To malie this contact 
of the growing portions doubly cer- 
tain, the scion is often set at a slight 
angle with the stock into which it is 
inserted. This causes the growing 
portions of the two to cross. 

After the scions have been set, the 
operation of cleft grafting is com- 
pleted by covering all cut surfaces 
with a layer of grafting wax. 

Whin Grafting. — The style known 
as whip grafting is the one almost 
universally used in root grafting. It 
has the advantage of being well 
adapted to small plants only 1 or 2 
years of age. It can be done in- 




WJiip grafting: (a) The stock; (6) the 
scion; (c) stock and scion united. 
(L. C. Corbett.) 

doors during the comparative leisure 
of winter. 

To Make a Whip Graft.— Cut the 
stock off diagonally with one long 
smooth cut with a sharp knife. 



26^ 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Leave about three-fourtfis of an inch 
of cut surface, as illustrated. Place 
the knife about one-third of the dis- 
tance from the end of the cut sur- 
face at right angles to the cut, and 
split the stock in the direction of its 
long axis. Cut the lower end of the 
scion in like manner. When the two 
are forced together, as shown in the 
illustration, the cut surfaces will fit 
neatly, and, if the scion and stock are 
of the same size, one will nearly cover 
the other. A difference in diameter 
of the two parts to be united may 
be disregarded unless it be too great. 
After the scion and stock have been 
locked together they should be 
wrapped with five or six turns of 
waxed cotton to hold the parts firmly. 

While top grafting may be done in 
this way, it is in root grafting that 
the whip graft finds its distinctive- 
field. When the roots are cut into 
lengths of from 2 to 5 or 6 inches to 
be used as stocks, the operation is 
known as piece-root grafting. Some- 
times the entire root is used. 

The roots are dug and the scions 
are cut in the autumn and stored. 
The work of grafting may be done 
during the winter months. When the 
operation has been completed, the 
grafts are packed away in moss, saw- 
dust or sand, in a cool cellar, to re- 
main until spring. It is important 
that the place of storage be cool, else 
the grafts may start into growth and 
be ruined, or heating and rotting may 
occur. If the temperature is kept 
low — not above 40° F, — there will 
be no growth except callousing and 
the knitting together of stock and 
scion. 

In ordinary propagation by means 
of whip grafts, the scion is cut with 
about three buds, the stock being 
nearly as long as the scion. The 
grafted plant is so set as to bring 
the union of stock and scion below 
the surface of the ground. 

When whip grafting is employed 
above the ground, the wound must 
be protected, as in cleft grafting, 
either with a mass of grafting wax or 
a bandage of waxed muslin. 



Grafting Wax. — A good grafting 
wax may be made of the following 
ingredients: Resin, 4 parts; bees- 
wax, 2 parts; tallow or linseed oil, 1 
part by weight. If a harder wax is 
needed, 5 parts of resin and 3J of 
beeswax may be used with 1 part of 
tallow. 

Break the resin and beeswax up J 
fine and melt together with the tal- ^ 
low. When thoroughly melted pour 
the liquid into a vessel of cold water. 
When hard enough to handle take it 
out, pull and work it until it be- 
comes tough and has the color of 
very light-colored manila paper. To 
apply wax by hand grease the hands 
well with tallow. Or apply the wax 
with a hot brush. But take care to 
avoid injury. 

Spread the wax carefully over all 
cut or exposed surfaces and press 
closely, so that upon cooling it will 
form a sleek coating impenetrable to 
air or moisture. 

To prepare waxed string put a ball 
of No. 18 knitting cotton into a ket- 
tle of melted grafting wax. In five 
minutes it will be thoroughly satu- 
rated. It will remain in condition 
for use indefinitely. 

Budding. — This is one of the most 
economical forms of artificial repro- 
duction, and each year witnesses its 
more general use. Some nurserymen 
go so far as to use it as a substitute 
for all modes of grafting save whip 
grafting in the propagation of the 
dwarf pear. Budding is economical 
in the amount of wood used from 
which to take buds. A single bud 
does the work of the three or more 
upon the scion used in grafting. But 
while economical of wood, it is ex- 
pensive in the use of stocks. A seed- 
ling is required for each tree, while, 
with the piece-root system of graft- 
ing, two, three, or more stocks can 
be made from a single seedling. 

The operation of budding is sim- 
ple, and can be done with great speed 
by expert budders. The expense of 
the operation is, therefore, not more 
than that of whip grafting, although 
the work has usually to be done in 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 263 



July, August, or early September. 
The usual plan is for a man to set 
the buds and a boy to follow closely 
and do the tying. 

The bud should be taken from 
wood of the present season's growth. 
Since the work of budding is done 
during the season of active growth, 
the bud sticks are prepared so that 
the petiole or stem of each leaf is 
left attached to serve as a handle to 
aid in pushing the bud home when 
inserting it beneath the bark of the 
stock. This is what is usually called 
a shield bud. It is cut so that a 
small portion of the woody tissue of 
the branch is removed with the bud. 
A bud stick and the operation of cut- 
ting the bud are illustrated. 



(a) Cutting the iud; (b) a hud stick. 
(L. C. Corhett.) 

The Stock. — The stock for budding 
should be at least as thick as an 
ordinary lead pencil. With the ap- 
ple and pear, a second season's 
growth will be necessary to develop 
this size. With the peach a single 
season will suffice. Hence peach 
stocks can be budded the same season 
the pits are planted. Consequently 
the peach is left until as late in the 
season as is practicable in order to 
obtain stocks of suitable size. The 
height at which buds are inserted 
varies with the operator. In gen- 
eral, the nearer the ground the bet- 
ter. 



To Bud a Plant. — Make a cut for 
the reception of the bud in the shape 
of a letter T, as shown in the illus- 
tration. Usually the cross-cut is not 
quite at right angles with the body 
of the tree, and the stem to the T 
starts at the cross-cut and extends 
toward the root for an inch or more. 
Loosen the flaps of bark caused by 
the intersection of the two cuts with 
the ivory heel of the budding knife. 







Budding: (a) Inserting the hud; (b) 
tying; (c) cutting off the top. \L. G. 
Corbett.) 

grasp the bud by the leaf stem as a 
handle, insert it under the flaps and 
push it firmly in place until its cut 
surface is entirely in contact with 
the peeled body of the stock. Tie a 
ligature tightly about it, above and 
below the bud, to hold it in place 
until a union shall be formed. Bands 
of raffia or wrapping cotton, about 
10 or 13 inches long, make the most 
convenient tying material. As soon 
as the buds have united with the 
stock cut the ligature to prevent 
girdling the stock. This done, the 
operation is complete until the fol- 
lowing spring. Then all the trees in 
which the buds have "taken" should 
have the top cut off just above the 
bud. The various processes are illus- 
trated. 

Cuttings. — Some trees, as the wil- 
low, Cottonwood and poplars, are 
difficult to grow from seed but may 
be propagated readily from cuttings. 
These should be made some time in 
February or March, just before the 
spring growth begins. Select a 
smooth branch or sprout of the pre- 
vious season's growth and from one- 



264 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



fourth to three-fourths of an inch in 
diameter. Cut oflF a section aliout 
10 inches long squarely at both ends 
with a sharp hatchet. Let the upper 
cut be just above a bud. Arrange 
the cuttings with the tops together, 
tie them in bimdles and bury them 
in moist sand or earth until they are 
ready for planting. They will not be 
injured by frost. 

Prepare the soil the same as for a 
seed bed, as soon as it can be worked 
in the spring. Set the cuttings so 
that but one bud remains above the 
surface. They may be merely thrust 
into the soil — if it is sufficiently mel- 
low — or planted with the aid of the 
plow or spade. To secure better con- 
tact with the soil set cuttings at a 
slight angle. The growth will be 
erect. Pack the soil lightly with the 
foot or tamping block. Give the 
same after cultivation as for seed- 
lings. 

PRUNING ORCHARD AND SHADE 

TREES 

Pruning Orchards. — The objects of 
pruning fruit trees are manJ^ Among 
them are protection against break- 
age from wind and loading with 
snow 1- during storms; checking the 
growth of the tree to increase its 
fruitfulness, or, under other condi- 
tions, accelerating growth; rejuve- 
nating old trees; limiting the fruit 
production, to avoid exhausting the 
trees; and controlling such diseased 
conditions as pear blight, plum and 
peach rot and others. 

Forming the Head. — For most de- 
ciduous, ornamental and orchard 
trees, the object is to form symmet- 
rical open crowns such that all the 
space will be occupied and as large 
a quantity of foliage as possible ex- 
posed to sxm and air. Avoid form- 
ing a thick bushy head such that the 
branches will shade one another. 
Commence to form the head of a 
young tree at planting time by se- 
lecting three to five branches accord- 
ing to the kind of tree to form the 
niain framework for aftergrowth. 



Cut these back to a point about 8 
inches from the main stem and just 
above an outside bud, i. e., a bud fac- 
ing toward the outside of the tree. 
Cut back the main stem to a point 
just above the topmost of these 
branches and remove all other 
branches and buds. 




Plan of iree at planting time. 
(L. C. Corbctt.) 

Choose branches disposed at equal 
distances about the main stem or axis 
of the plant and springing thence at 
intervals of several inches one above 
the other. The branches when viewed 
from above should radiate from the 
stem like spokes from the hub of a 
wheel and at about equal angles from 
one another. Thus all the space will 
be occupied and a symmetrical de- 
velopment will result. Two or more 
branches which spring from the 
trunk side-by-side or opposite to one 
another, at the same level, must never 
be allowed to develop. This makes a 
weak joint which tends to split un- 
der pressure when loaded with fruit, 
or snow, or when twisted by storms. 
Some trees such as the elm and sil- 
ver maple have a tendency to form 
branches by twos in this manner. 
This must be corrected by careful 
pruning. 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 265 



The best orcharclists now form the 
heads of apple, pear and all small 
fruit trees very low, not over 18 or 
20 inches from the ground. Such low 
lying trees are not only better pro- 
tected against injury from weather 




Plan of top after one year's f/rowtli in 
the orchard. (L. C. Corbett.) 

conditions at all seasons. They can 
also be pruned, sprayed and other- 
wise cultivated much more cheaply 
and easily. And a large part of the 
annual fruit crop can be picked from 
the ground. 

After Pruning. — At the close of 
the first season treat each of the 
principal branches as if it were a 
new tree. Select three of its branches 
for future growth. Cut these back 
to 8 inches in length from the main 
branch and remove all other branches. 
Repeat the operation at the end of 
the third year. But observe that the 
number of branches suffered to re- 
main should now be reduced to two. 
Take equal care throughout not to 
allow branches to spring side-by-side 
or opposite from one another upon 
any part of the branch system. 

Observe that some trees have an 
erect and others a lateral system of 
branch development. The former 
may be improved by pruning the 
branches just above an outside bud 
so that the new growth will tend to 
shoot in an outward direction and 
vice versa. A careful study of the 



accompanying illustrations will fix 
clearly in mind the principal types of 
tree development sought by expert 
men. 

Pruning Large Branches. — Re- 
move large branches with a clean 
sharp cut by means of a saw. Cut off 
as nearly flush with the ti'vuik of the 
tree as possible. Avoid leaving any 
stub, breaking any part of the 
branch, or stripping the bark so as 
to leave a rough, uneven surface. 
Such wounds accumulate dirt and 
moisture, and invite the entrance of 
the fungous diseases which cause de- 
cay and the attentions of squirrels 
and woodpeckers. All stubs tend to 
decay back to the heart wood of the 
trunk. They thus become the most 
fruitful cause of hollow trees and 
branches. A wound flush with the 
main stem is quickly covered with 
new growth. It is thus not only pro- 
tected from injury but actually lud- 
den from view. 

To remove large branches with- 
out injury make two cuts, one about 
18 inches or 2 feet from the trunk 
of the tree to get rid of the weight 
of the limb, the other flush with the 
stump. The stub remaining after the 





(a) Method of cutting a large limh 
which should he avoided; (6) proper 
method of cutting off a large limb. 
(L. O. Corbett.) 

first cut can be supported vmtil com- 
pletely severed, with one hand, while 
the saw is being used with the other. 
Always begin to cut from the bottom 
of the branch and continue as long 
as the saw can be moved freely. Cut 
especially through the bark around 
the lower half of the limb. Then 
finish the cut from above. Take care 



266 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



to meet the lower cut accurately. 
There will then be little danger of the 
limb breaking or of stripping the 
bark. 

Paint the wounds made by remov- 
ing large branches with good white 
lead paint, yellow ochre, coal tar or 
grafting wax. The only object to be 
attained is to keep out moisture and 
insects until the wound has time to 
heal naturally. Antiseptics and pat- 
ented preparations are wholly un- 
necessary. 

Hollow Trunks. — To fill hollows 
caused by the decay of old stumps in 
valuable orchard or shade trees, first 
clean out the hole and remove all 
diseased wood from the interior with 
a sharp gouge or chisel. Cut away 
until sound wood is exposed. Now, 
preferably, spray the inside with a 
solution of copper sulphate at the 
rate of one pound to five or six gal- 
lons of water. This kiUs the or- 
ganisms which cause decay. Choose 
for this purpose a dry day, prefer- 
ably with hot sun and wind. Before 
the surface of the cavity can become 
in any way infected, fill it with a thin 
mortar made by mixing one part 
Portland cement with three parts 
clean sharp sand. 

Remember that Portland cement 
will set' in twenty minutes. Hence 
have everything in readiness to pour 
it soon after it has been mixed. 
After the mortar has set stiff, but 
not too hard, point up the exposed 
surface with a mixture of one part 
sand and one pai't cement. Take 
care to exclude the entrance of moist- 
ure to the cavity. 

Pinching and Disbudding. — 
"Pinching" or "stopping" are tech- 
nical terms which mean simply re- 
moving the extreme points of grow- 
ing shoots, in summer, with a pinch 
between the finger and thumb. This 
retards the shoot from growing 
longer and encourages other buds and 
shoots to grow upon its sides. It 
also promotes the growth of other 
less thrifty shoots. 

"Disbudding" means rubbing off 
superfluous buds to prevent waste 



caused by the growth of shoots that 
are not desired. It diverts the sap 
to the remaining shoots and thus 
tends to produce branches, flowers 
and fruit of superior quality. If 
practiced with care, pinching and 
disbudding take the place of all after 
pruning, since if no shoots are al- 
lowed to develop where not wanted, 
there will be no useless branches to 
be pruned away. But the inexperi- 
enced gardener should experiment on 
a small scale for a year or two and 
carefully observe the effects of these 
methods before adopting them ex- 
tensively. If too much foliage is re- 
moved by them, they may irreparably 
injure the tree. 

When to Prune. — The old rule 
used to be "prune when your knife 
is sharp." This is not bad general 
practice. But recent study has sug- 
"gested some important modifications. 
Small branches of most trees may be 
removed at any convenient time dur- 
ing winter or the early spring months. 
But large branches should be pruned, 
preferably, during the season of most 
rapid growth. This may or may not 
be when the tree is in flower. It 
must be determined for each species 
by special observation. But defer 
pruning peach trees and other spe- 
cies liable to suffer from winter kill- 
ing until the amount of injury from 
this cause can be determined. This 
will be just previous to the begin- 
ning of growth. Then remove all 
dead or injured branches." But take 
care to make allowance for the 
amount of winter killing. Do not 
prune so severely as to prevent the 
development of a full crojj. For 
most fruit trees pruning can be done 
in February or March as well as at 
any other season. But pruning 
grapevines, which produces a heavy 
flow of sap, should preferably be 
done in the late fall or early winter 
months. Still if there is danger of 
winter killing, it may be best to delay 
pruning the vines as late as possible. 

Pruning Implements. — The hawk- 
bill knife, pruning shears, lopping 
shears, hedge shears, double-edged 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 267 



curved-blade pruning saw and a 
special device for cutting small limbs 
on tall trees, are the most conveni- 





(a) Pruning shears; (6) lopping shears; 
(c) hedge shears. (L. G. Corbett.) 

ent tools for pruning. These are 
shown in the accompanying illustra- 
tions. The advantage of the special 
saw illustrated is that the operator 
can use it to cut off branches within 
arm's reach overhead. The upper 
edge of the blade is convenient to 
make the first cut on the under side 
of the limb. The curve of the lower 
edge and inward slant of the teeth 




(a) The hawkbill knife; (6) device for 
cutting small limbs on tall trees; (c) 
double-edged curved-blade pruning saw. 
(L. C. Corbett.) 

cause it to cut deeply on the back 
or downward stroke. 

Pruning- Pear Trees. — Form the 
heads of four or five main branches 
distributed about the stem at equal 
spaces and different heights. Cut 



back to ten or twelve inches at the 
end of the first year. From each, 
start two or three new shoots and 
cut these back to twelve inches at the 
second year. So continue until the 
tree comes into full bearing. The 
annual growth will then not exceed 
6 or 8 inches. 

Pear Blight. — The only effectual 
way to control pear blight is by 
pruning. The spores of this disease 
gain entrance to the tree through its 
flowers. These are borne upon spurs. 
If spurs are permitted to grow upon 
the trunk of the tree or any of its 
principal branches, and if they be- 
come diseased, the entire trunk or 





(a) Peach tree from the nursery; (b) 
peach tree pruned for orchard plant- 
ing. (L. C. Corbett.) 

branch is infected and must be de- 
stroyed. Hence to control pear 
blight, all fruit spurs must be dis- 
budded or rubbed from the main 
stems and branches. The flowers 
must be suffered to grow only upon 
the external branches of the tree. 
These must then be closely observed. 
The moment they are found to be in- 
fected they must be cut away and 
burnt. Thus the tree can be rid of 
blight without serious or permanent 
injury. 

Pruning Peach Trees. — Buy year- 
ling stock and reduce the young 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



plant to a single whip or stem. Form 
the head at the end of the first year, 
from the shoots which develop along 
the body of the tree, by rubbing off 
the buds which are not desired. 
Start three or four branches 18 or 




Sour cherru; good form. 
(L. C. Corbctt.) 



30 inches from the groxmd. Cut 
them off to about Ix? inclies in length 
at the end of the first season's 
growth. Allow each to divide into 
three or four branches the next sea- 
son and at the season's end cut these 
back tp 1-2 inches in length and so 
continue. Defer pruning until all 
danger of freezing is past. Then 
gauge the amount of wood, if any, 
which has been winter killed. Prune 
so as to leave only outside buds and 
thus cause the tree to form a broad, 
round head. 

Pruning- Plum and Cherry Trees. 
— Prune the plum and cherry tree 
upon the same general principles as 
the preceding. But take special care 
to prevent limbs forming at the same 
level or with a close angle between 
them. Such branches are almost sure 
to split off when loaded with fruit. 
Rub oft' all shoots which spring from 
the roots or trunk of the tree and 
confine the flowering and fruit pro- 
duction to the other branches. The 
desired form for these two trees is 
shown in the illustrations. 

Pruning' the Grapevine. — There 



are various methods of pruning 
grapevines of which that known as 
the modified Knift'en system is here 
recommended. Plant the roots in 
rows and provide a trellis of two 
wires, one (5 feet above the ground, 
the other 18 or HO inches lower. 
Support the wires on any kind of 
post. But for a permanent vineyard 
use, preferably, posts of concrete or 
creosoted wood. Carry two main 
trunks from each root, one to the 
lower and the other to the upper 
wire. Preserve two shoots of new 
cane to extend along the wires from 
each trunk. Cut these back to six or 
eight buds and tie them to the two 
wires of the trellis. Preserve also 
two spurs at the head of each main 
trunk to furnish fruiting canes for 
the following season. The style of 
pruning, construction of the trellis 
and method of renewing the wood, are 
shown in the illustration. By this 
system the fruit branches are lifted 
so far above the ground that the 
annual growth falls from the sup- 
porting wires in a natural way. This 
does away with the labor and ex- 
pense of tying. The fruit is also 




Vine trained by modified Kniffen system; 
two stem. (L. G. Corbett.) 

further from the ground, and, hence, 
less liable to injury from mildew and 
rot. 

Pruning" the Raspberry and Black- 
berry. — Set the plants in rows six 
or eight feet apart and three feet 
apart in the row. No trellises are 
necessary. Let the young shoots 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 26d 



spring up a little over 3 feet high. 
Then break off 3 or 4 inches from 
the top with the fingers, leaving the 
shoot 20 or 32 inches in height. No 
knife or shears will be needed. 
About blooming time, pinch back and 
shorten the lateral branches which 
have developed from the central 




Typical raspberry after pruning. 
{L. C. Corbctt.) 



shoot, to regulate the crop to such an 
amount as the cane can easily sup- 
port. This process causes the stalks 
to increase in size and promotes the 
development of lateral fruit-bearing 
shoots. 

Remove the old wood, preferably 
with the type of pruning hook shown 
in the illustration, as soon as the 



"'TimBrififr"°^liiri 



Pruning TiooJc for brambles. 
(L. G. Corbett.) 

crop has been harvested. It is then 
easy to tell the new from the old 
wood. By cutting out the latter the 
energy of the root is preserved for 
next year's crop. 

Observe the same general plan in 
pruning blackberries except that the 
annual shoots should be allowed to 
grow somewhat higher before being 
broken. 



Pruning the Currant and Goose- 
berry. — Train both these plants in 
bush form. Let new wood spring up 
annually from the roots to replace 
any canes which may be destroyed by 
borers, or otherwise become diseased. 
Break off the new shoots to stop 
their growth at any convenient height. 
This will induce the formation of 
fruit spurs on lateral branches. Ob- 
serve that the spurs form on wood 
two or more years of age. But the 
renewal of the bush from the roots 
year-by-year is necessary to insure 
fresh cane to replace that lost by in- 
jury, disease or age. 

Prune a currant bush to six or 
eight stalks about 18 or 20 inches 
high. The gooseberry requires less 
heading back because its normal 
habit is to produce side shoots freely. 

Pruning Deciduous Hedges. — Cut 
back the plant to about 2 or 3 inches 
from the ground when transplanted. 
Again cut back to 6 or 8 inches in 
height at the end of the first sea- 
son. Prune all lateral growth to 
within 1 inch of the main stem. The 
second season pinch back the strong 
upright shoots to divert the sap into 
the weaker shoots and to promote an 
even growth in height and desirable 
breadth of base. During the follow- 
ing winter prune into shape as a 
pointed pyramid with sides 8 or 10 
inches from the center. 

Pruning Evergreens. — Evergreens, 
such as arborvits, naturally assume 
a pyramidical form. Pinch back the 
more vigorous shoots to encourage 
lateral growth and trim annually just 
before growth commences in the 
spring. A hedge 5 feet high should 
be about 3 feet wide at the surface 
of the ground. Plence, prune with 
this object in view. 

Pruning Street Trees. — Keep 
street trees under nursery culture 
until they reach the height of 8 to 10 
feet. Then remove all side shoots to 
a height of at least 6 feet. Do not 
cut off the main stem. On the con- 
trary if it is divided into two or 
more shoots which rival one another, 
select the most vigorous to remain 



^70 



Household discoveries 



and remove the others. The object 
is to cultivate a well defined central 
stem with symmetrically set branches 
subordinate to it. Hence, pinch back 
the more vigorous side branches to 
divert the sap to the weaker limbs 
and promote uniform development. 

Remove the lower branches from 
time to time as they interfere with 
traflBc. But cut off first the ends 
which droop over the street. Post- 
pone the removal of such branches 
close up to the trunk until it be- 
comes absolutely necessary. 

To prune large trees remove every 
second or third branch. But never 
"head down" the tree, i. e., cut off 
part of the main stem or of each 
branch. Seek rather to remove one- 
third or more of the branches, flush 
with the trunk, so skillfully that the 
tree will retain its natural appear- 
ance. 

Pruning Forest Trees. — Set the 
trees quite closely together and en- 
courage a single upright stem as with 
street trees. The tops will be drawn 
toward the light and the side 
branches in the shade will die off. 
Thus natural pruning will be effected. 
As the trees become overcrowded, 
thin by removing inferior specimens. 
Later remove branches two or more 
inches in diameter from especially 
valuable trees by cutting off flush 
with the trunk. Cover the wound 
with paint, tar, or the like. 

Pruning Plowering Shrubs. — 
Avoid cutting back the summer 
growths of flowering shrubs. The 
flower buds grow on the new wood 
and the effect of its removal is to 
lessen the number of blossoms the 
following year. Instead, pinch back 
the more vigorous shoots during sum- 
mer to promote symmetrical growth 
and remove only the oldest branches 
or a few of the young shoots if they 
are too dense. Cut these off close to 
the root. 

FRIENDS AND ENEMIES OF THE 
ORCHARD AND GARDEN 

Our Common Birds.— Common ob- 
servation of the feeding habits of 



some well known birds has led to 
widespread prejudice against birds in 
general as enemies of the orchard 
and garden. The robin, cat bird, ce- 
dar bird, and others are often ac- 
cused as thieves of fruit. The king 
bird is thought to rob the apiary. 
The woodpecker is said to injure or- 
chard and forest trees by girdling 
them or excavating hollows in their 
trunks and branches. The crow, 
blackbird, and others, rob the grain 
fields both at planting time and har- 
vest. The blue jay destroys the 
nests and eggs of other birds. And 
many similar charges are brought 
against different species of the feath- 
ered tribe. The existing prejudice 
against birds is the more unfortu- 
nate, since recent scientific studies in- 
dicate that, almost without exception, 
our common birds are among the 
best friends of the orchardist and 
gardener. Any harm they may do 
to fruit crops or otherwise is more 
than compensated, in the opinion of 
scientists, by the enormous numbers 
of injurious insects, grubs and lar- 
vae that they annually destroy. 

Scientific analyses have been made 
of the stomach contents of most com- 
mon kinds of birds throughout the 
United States. These prove beyond 
question that the great bulk of the 
diet of most species consists of nox- 
ious weed seeds and injurious in- 
sects or other grubs and larvae. 
With the exception of a very few 
species, the proportion of fruit, grain 
or other farm or garden crops found 
in the stomachs of birds has been 
very small. Hence, it seems certain 
that bird life in the vicinity of our 
farms and gardens should be encour- 
aged by every means within our 
power. 

It is true that some birds which 
are beneficial under ordinary circum- 
stances or during the greater part of 
the year, may do considerable injury 
during periods of scarcity of food, 
or under special circumstances, as 
during the sowing of grain, the rip- 
ening of early fruits, or when grain 
is in the stook or ear. A special 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS Oi: THE HOUSEHOLDER 271 



remedy for each such injury should 
be sought according to the circum- 
stances, rather than the destruction 
of the birds themselves. 

To enumerate the kinds of birds 
whose feeding habits are beneficial to 
the gardener and orchardist would 
require a review of practically every 
existing species. On the contrary, a 
few words will suffice to draw atten- 
tion to the few species which are act- 
ually injurious and to indicate how 
their ravages may be prevented. In 
general, among the most useful birds 
are the quail, or bobwhite; all the 
woodpeckers including the flicker, 
but excepting the true sapsuclier, 
which is injurious; the night hawk; 
all of the fly catchers, including the 
king bird, Arkansas king bird and 
Phoebe; the blue jay, but not the 
Pacific Coast jays which are injuri- 
ous; the crow, the bobolink (in 
Northern latitudes), which is, how- 
ever, injurious to the Southern rice 
crops under the name of reed bird; 
all of the blackbirds; the orioles, 
larks, sparrows, finches; all of the 
grosbeaks, which are highly benefi- 
cial; all. of the swallows; the robin, 
cedar bird, cat bird, and brown 
thresher; the house wren and titmice, 
including the chickadees which are 
highly beneficial; and the humming 
bird. 

Among larger birds, the prairie 
chicken, California quail, ruffed 
grouse, upland plover, killdeer, 
horned grebe, Franklin gull, and va- 
rious species of terns are all bene- 
ficial. Cooper's hawk — the well- 
linown chicken hawk — is injurious; 
but the rough legged hawk, the spar- 
row hawk, the long-eared owl and 
the screech owl are all beneficial. 
Their food consists chiefly of meadow 
mice and other small rodents injurious 
to crops or mischievous in and about 
farm buildings. 

Sapsuckers. — Only three of the 
twenty-three species of woodpeckers 
in the United States are properly 
classed as sapsuckers. Unlike the 
true woodpeckers who feed on wood 
borers and other enemies of trees. 



the sapsuckers live chiefly upon ants. 
But they also feed upon the inner 
bark of trees and drink a great deal 
of their sap. Sometimes they com- 
pletely girdle and thus destroy a tree 
with holes which go clear through the 
bark and even into tlie wood. These 
are usually made in rings around 
the trunk or limbs. They often fall 
in a vertical series and they may 
be either vertically or horizontally 
connected. These holes disfigure or- 
namental trees by causing pitch to 
exude and sometimes induce serious 
permanent injury. The evidence of 
their work depreciates the value of 
forest trees as lumber to the extent 
of many thousand dollars a year. 
The two species which do most in- 
jury are the red-breasted sapsucker 
and the yellow-bellied sapsucker. 
The first lives west of the Rocky 
Mountains and is the only wood- 
pecker of that region having the 
whole head and throat red. The sec- 
ond has a transcontinental range and 
is the only woodpecker having the 
front of the head, i. e., from bill to 
crown, red in combination with a 
black patch on the breast. The ma- 
jority of woodpeckers seen are not 
sapsuckers but are among the birds 
most beneficial to both orchard and 
forest. Hence great care should be 
taken to distinguish them. To de- 
stroy sapsuckers, mix thoroughly -J 
ounce powdered strychnine (alka- 
loid) with one pint of honey or thick 
sugar. Apply to the injured tree 
just above the rows of fresh punc- 
tures. Or put small pinches of the 
powdered strychnine directly into the 
freshest sap pits. 

The King Bird. — This bird is often 
accused of feeding upon honey bees 
but the examination of their stom- 
achs prove that extremely small num- 
bers of worker bees are eaten and 
that any loss from this source 
is far more than ofPset by the de- 
struction of great numbers of in- 
jurious insects. More than 90 
per cent of the diet of the king 
bird is shown to belong to the latter 
class. 



272 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Blue Jay. — The common blue jay 
of the Eastern States is often ac- 
cused of eating the eggs and young 
of small birds and of stealing corn. 
While both accusations are doubtless 
true to a limited extent, investigation 
has proved that, roughly sjieaking, 
half of the blue jay's diet consists 
of nuts and acorns, about one-fifth 
of injurious insects and the remain- 
der of a great miscellany of foods. 
Only a small fraction consists of 
corn, most of which is gleaned from 
the fields after harvest. The blue 
jay may occasionally rob the fields 
of corn at planting time but this 
may be prevented by coating the 
corn with tar. Such other sins as he 
may commit do not appear to jus- 
tify his extirijation. Tlie well known 
California jay of the Pacific Coast, 
however, is a notorious fruit stealer 
and robber of hens' nests. He is so 
prolific in that region that efforts to 
reduce his numbers are not without 
justification. 

The Crow. — The crow pulls up 
sprouting corn, destroys chickens, 
robs the nests of small birds and 
sometimes eats beneficial toads and 
small snakes. But in his diet tlie 
crow makes amends by eating large 
number?, of grasshoppers, bugs and 
caterpillars and many cut worms. 
The crow rarely, if ever, eats hard, 
dry corn or otherwise robs the har- 
vest field; but he sometimes does 
great injury at planting time and 
occasionally attacks corn before it is 
ripe and while still in milk. The best 
way to prevent crows from pulling 
up corn is by coating it with tar 
before planting. 

Experience has also shown that 
crows and many other birds may 
be kept from the corn throughout 
the season by "stringing" the field. 
Use for this purpose common twine 
supported by a row of light poles. 
Saplings 10 or 13 feet long, 3 inches 
in diameter at the base, make suit- 
able poles for this purpose. Thrust 
these into the ground in holes made 
by a crowbar around the edge of 
the garden or other field. Set them 



at considerable distance apart and 
suspend the twine high enough from 
the ground to be out of the way 
during horse cultivation. If these 
and other ordinary precautions are 
taken to protect corn and young 
poultry against the dei^redation of 
crows, it is believed that the season's 
balance will be found overwhelmingly 
in their favor. 

The crow blackbird sometimes 
steals grain and fruits and robs the 
nests of other birds. But about one- 
third of his food consists of injuri- 
ous insects. The amount of damage 
done is small except when large 
flocks settle upon the grain crops at 
harvest time. For this there seems 
to be no adequate remedy, except 
shooting which is ordinarily too ex- 
pensive. 

Swallows. — The various kinds of 
swallows are especially useful birds. 
Their diet consists almost wholly of 
injurious or annoying insects. Their 
presence may be encouraged in case 
of eave swallows, by providing a 
quantity of mud to be used by 
them as mortar. Cut small holes 
in the gables of barns for barn 
swallows and furnish suitable boxes 
for the white-bellied swallows and 
martins. Place these preferably 
upon a tall pole or other high loca- 
tion. 

Cedar Bird, Cat Bird and Hobins. 
— These birds are most often accused 
of stealing cherries, strawberries or 
other small fruit. The first is some- 
times called the "cherry bird" on ac- 
count of this well known propensitJ^ 
Close observation indicates that the 
damage done by these and other 
small birds is confined chiefly to 
very early fruit crops, since tliese 
mature in advance of the wild fruits 
which form their ordinary summer 
diet. Most of this damage can be 
prevented by planting near the gai*- 
den or orchard a few such trees as 
the Russian mulberry, the fruit of 
which they ordinarily prefer. Dur- 
ing the remainder of the year these 
birds are highly beneficial. Hence 
their presence should be encouraged. 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 273 



The house wren is a particularly 
useful bird. To invite his company 
place suitable nesting boxes, or even 
gourds- or tin cans or empty jars 
about the house and orchard for his 
reception. An opening about 1 inch 
in diameter will admit the wren and 
yet afford him protection by exclud- 
ing the English sparrow. One pair 
of wrens annually rears from twelve 
to sixteen young. Hence each family 
consumes an enormous number of 
injurious insects. 

The blue bird is another species 
not only harmless but highly bene- 
ficial. It does not eat fruit but de- 
stroys large numbers of injurious 
insects. Every householder can af- 
ford to provide suitable nesting 
boxes for his occupancy. 

English Sparrows. — The English 
sparrow among birds, like the rat 
among animals, is cunning, destruc- 
tive and filthy. It was introduced 
into America about sixty years ago. 
It is now widely distributed through - 
out the United States and Southern 
Canada. Its ability to live every- 
where, upon all sorts of food and to 
fight its own way, together with its 
extraordinary fecundity, make it a. 
dangerous rival of such native birds 
as blue birds, purple martins and 
the different kinds of swallows. It 
drives these away by destroying their 
eggs and usurping their nesting 
places. It also drives off other at- 
tractive species as the robin, wren, 
red-eyed vireo, cat bird and mocking 
bird. It injures and destroys all 
sorts of fruit, garden and farm 
crops, and also the buds and flowers 
of cultivated trees, shrubs and vines. 
It defiles buildings and ornamental 
trees and shrubs with its excrement 
and bulky nests. It has no song, but 
is noisy and vituperative. Nowhere 
is it included among the birds pro- 
tected by law. 

To protect blue birds, martins and 
wrens from English sparrows, con- 
struct bird houses having a hinged 
top, bottom or side to admit of 
removing the nests and eggs of the 
sparrow as soon as the latter have 



been laid. A convenient method is 
to make a hinged bottom which will 
fall when unhooked. This allows the 
contents to drop to the ground. Take ' 
care to construct a tight nest box 
and cleat the hinged side so as to 
prevent warping. In common with 
other birds, the sparrow does not 
like drafty nesting places and will 
not occupy a box the inside of which 
is exposed to drafts. 

To destroy sparrows or clear them 
from any neighborhood, drive them 
from their roosts at night by turn- 
ing upon them a stream of water 
from a garden hose, or balls of fire 
from small Roman candles. Or de- 
stroy their nests at intervals of ten 
to twelve days throughout the breed- 
ing season. These can be readily torn 
down by means of a long pole having 
an iron hook at the tip. But take 
care to have this work done by com- 
petent persons. Otherwise the nests 
of useful native birds may be de- 
stroyed. 

Or capture the sparrows by pro- 
viding one-room bird houses and driv- 
ing them thence into a net held over 
the opening by means of a long pole. 
This may be done by tapping on the 
side of the box after they have gone 
to roost at night. 

Or scatter grain over a long nar- 
row area and shoot the sparrows at 
this feeding place. If they infest 
poultry yards, place the bait on a 
horizontal board so that they can 
be safely shot over the heads of the 
poultry. 

Or trap the birds alive, for which 
purpose a number of ingenious 
plans are recommended. One sim- 
ple device is the use of an ordinary 
square wire sieve such as are com- 
monly used for screening ashes. 

Or, preferably, construct large 
boxes not less than 4 feet square 
open upon one side and covered with 
wire on the other. Place a small 
sliding door near one corner. Ad- 
just the trap supported by a stick 18 
inches long with a chip between the 
top and the stick and carry it around 
a neighboring corner or to any con- 



274 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



venient point of observation. Or an 
old door or similar device may be 
employed as a dead fall. It is a 
good plan to keep the trap set and 
baited for a few days until the spar- 
rows have become accustomed to it. 
Meantime to avoid its being sprung 
prematurely, hold it firmly by a stake 
driven into the ground. This trap 
is very effective but has the disad- 
vantage of requiring attendance. 




Funnel trap. {Side raised to show in- 
terior.) (Ned Dearborn.) 



Or a more convenient device is the 
funnel trap shown in the illustration. 
This is easy to construct and the 
cost of material is very slight. It 
weighs little and when painted green 
or gray is inconspicuous. 

The following directions are given 
by the Department of Agriculture: 
"The essential parts of this trap are: 
(1) A half funnel leading into (2) 
an antechamber, which ends in (3) 
a complete funnel leading into (4) 
a final chamber. It is made of wov- 
en-wire poultry netting of f-inch 
mesh and is reinforced around the 
open end and along the sides at the 
bottom by No. 8 or No. 10 wire. 
This is used also around the aper- 
ture for the door and around the 
door itself. The angles between the 
first funnel and the walls of the an- 
techamber are floored with netting. 
The final chamber is floored with 
the same material. The accompany- 
ing drawings will enable anybody 
handy with tools to construct one of 
these traps in a few hours. These 
plans are for a trap 3 feet long, a 
foot and a half wide, and a foot 
high. At ordinary retail prices the 
cost of material will be about 70 
cents, 



"Paper patterns for the two fun- 
nels can be made by first drawing 
the concentric circles, as shown in 
the illustrations, and then laying off 
the straight lines, beginning with the 
longest. The wavy outlines indicate 
that the pattern is to be cut half 
an inch outside of the straight lines. 




Outline of funnel trap. 
{Ned Dearborn.) 

This allows extra wire for fastening 
■ the cones to the top and sides of 
the trap. The illustrations also show 
how all parts of a trap having the 
above dimensions may be cut from a 
piece of netting 4 feet wide and 6 feet 
long. The full lines in this figure 
indicate where the netting is to be 
cut and the broken lines where it 




Diagram for cutting out the parts of a 
funnel trap 36x18x12 inches. (Ned 
Dearborn.) 

is to be bent. The numbers at the 
angles in the pattern correspond 
with those in the illustration which 
shows in outline the relation of the 
different parts as they appear when 
assembled. 

"A trap of the above dimensions 
is as small as can be used satisfac- 
torily. Where sparrows are very nu- 
merous a larger size is recommended. 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 275 



A trap 4 feet long, 3 feet wide, 
and 15 inches high may be made 
from a piece of netting 4 by 10 feet. 
This is a very good size for parks 
and large private grounds. 

"In setting a funnel trap select a 
place where sparrows are accustomed 
to assemble. Often there are several 
such places in a neighborhood. In 
this case it is advisable to move the 
trap daily from one of them to an- 
other. The birds appear to associate 
the locality rather than the trap 
with the distress of their imprisoned 
comrades. Canary seed, hemp seed, 
wheat, oats and bread crumbs are 
excellent baits. Scatter the bait in 
the antechamber and first funnel and 
also, sparingly, outside about the en- 
trance. A live sparrow kept in the 
trap as a decoy will facilitate a 
catch. In case native birds enter a 
trap they may be released without 
harm. Trapping may begin at any 
time after young sparrows are able 




Receiving box for removing sparrows 
from traps. {Ned Dearborn.) 

to take care of themselves. This is 
usually by July 1. Remove each 
day's catch from the trap at night- 
fall, and if a decoy is used, house 
it comfortably and otherwise care for 
it when oflF duty. 

"In removing sparrows from either 
a funnel or a sieve trap the receiving 
box illustrated will be found useful. 
It should be about 6 inches square 
and 18 inches long, inside measure- 
ments. The door, hinged at the bot- 
tom and turning inward, is controlled 
by the part of its wire frame ex- 
tending through the side of the box 
to form a handle. The box as it 
appears in the figure is ready to be 



placed before the open door of a 
trap from which birds are to be 
driven." 

To poison sparrows, where this is 
not prohibited by law, put i ounce 
of pulverized strychnia in three- 
fourths of a gill of hot water. Add 
li teaspoonfuls of starch or wheat 
flour moistened with a few drops of 
cold Avater and heat. Stir constantly 
until the mixture thickens. Now 
place a quart of whole wheat, such 
as is sold for jDoultry food, in a 2- 
quart glass fruit jar or other re- 
ceptacle and pour on it the hot poi- 
soned starch. Shake or stir until 
every kernel is coated. Spread out 
thin on a flat surface and use when 
dry. Or put into jars to keep for 
future use. Mark "Poison" and take 
care to cleanse all dishes employed 
for this purpose by careful washing. 

Or spread thin slices of bread with 
the strychnia-starch mixture. 

Choose preferably the early morn- 
ing after a snow storm when other 
food is covered. Clear the ground of 
snow and scatter the poisoned bait 
over a considerable surface. Remove 
and destroy promptly all dead and 
dying birds, as some are sickened 
but do not die. Change the feeding 
grounds at intervals. To avoid dan- 
ger to poultry, use preferably en- 
closed back yards, roofs or unused 
poultry runs. Or to keep out doves 
or poultry, make small pens of 
coarse wire netting and raise the 
sides li inches above the ground. 
The best plan is to use various kinds 
of traps until the sjiarrows are 
thinned out and become wary. Then 
poison the survivors. 

English Sparrows as Food. — These 
birds have been utilized for food in 
the old world for centuries. Their 
flesh is palatable and wholesome, 
especially when broiled or baked in 
the form of pies. Any recipe for 
pigeon or chicken pies, or for broil- 
ing small birds may be adapted for 
cooking sparrows. The birds may be 
trapped and kept alive, sheltered 
from storms and cold winds, in large 
outdoor cages, until wanted. But re- 



276 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



member that they eat daily more 
than half their own weight. Feed 
table scraps or any food suitable 
for chickens, and provide a supply 
of clear water. 

To kill them mercifully, place the 
thumb nail at the base of the skull 
and dislocate the neck by hard and 
quick pressure. Cut oflF the legs, the 
wings at the outer joint and the 
neck close to the body. Strip off the 
skin beginning at the neck. Now 
make a cut through the body wall 
extending from the neck along the 
backbone till the ribs are severed, 
then around between the legs to the 
tail, and remove the viscera. If spar- 
rows are to be broiled, save only 
the breasts. This method of cooking 
so shrivels and parches the lesser 
parts as to render them worthless. 
In this case tear off a strip of skin 
from wing to wing across the back; 
grasp the wings, in front of the 
body, in one hand and the neck in 
the other, and by a quick pull sepa- 
rate the breast from the ribs. Turn 
the breast out of the skin that cov- 
ers it, and sever the wings at the 
second joint. The whole operation 
requires but a fraction of a minute 
and can be done by the fingers alone. 

Sparrows may be cooked by any 
of the methods employed for reed- 
birds or quail. When boned, broiled, 
buttered, and served on toast they 
are particularly good and compare 
favorably with the best kinds of 
small game. 

Toads. — Many strange prejudices 
and traditions attach to toads such 
as the unfounded notion that they 
cause warts on the hands, poison 
infants by their breath, bring good 
fortune to the house in whose new- 
made cellar they take up their abode, 
or cause bloody milk in cows if killed 
by accident or design. 

Toads feed chiefly on insects, a 
large percentage of which are in- 
jurious to gardeners and orchardists. 
Analysis of the contents of their 
stomachs prove that they are among 
the most useful friends to orchard 
and garden. They are very sensitive 



to heat and hence secrete themselves 
in rubbish during the day. This fact 
suggests means by which they may 
be encouraged to frequent gardens 
and vineyards. Place a number of 
large flat stones or pieces of 3-inch 
plank about the edge of the garden 
supported a couple of inches from 
the ground by means of half brick 
or small stones. Throw a sack or 
square of old carpet or matting over 
these to exclude the light. Leave an 
entrance only on the north side. 

Or dig shallow holes in the earth 
and partially cover them with boards 
or flat stone. 

Encourage children to feed toads 
with captured flies and other insects. 
This may be readily done when they 
come to the entrance of their lairs 
about twilight. This will impress 
upon children the value of the serv- 
ices of the toad and the importance 
of their protection. Many English 
and some other gardeners purchase 
young toads and colonize them to rid 
greenhouses and gardens of insects 
and snails. A shallow pool having a 
small but constant water sujjply will 
encourage their breeding on the 
premises. 

rield Mice and Moles. — There are 
a large number of species of field 
mice and moles, ground squirrels and 
other small rodents throughout the 
United States which do great injury 
to lawns, orchards, gardens and farm 
crops by burrowing through the soil 
and eating the roots of plants, bark 
of trees and the like. Orchard and 
shade trees are often completely 
girdled by field mice in winter and 
destroyed. In some localities the 
number of mice increases at times to 
enormous proportions as during the 
celebrated plague of mice in the 
Humboldt Valley, Nevada, in 1907. 
All field crops and trees were largely 
destroyed. The damage so done 
amounted to many hundred thou- 
sands of dollars. Experiments dur- 
ing this and other plagues indicate 
that the most effective mode of de- 
stroying mice is by poisoning. Yel- 
low phosphorus and carbon bisul- 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 277 



phide are sometimes employed. But 
the former is dangerous to handle 
and may cause disastrous fires. The 
latter is highly explosive. Wheat and 
grain poisoned by these substances 
are also eaten readily by many useful 
birds. The most effective method 
employed was the use of alfalfa hay, 
or crushed wheat, poisoned with 
strychnia sulphate. The advantage 
of the former when available is that 
it is without danger to birds. 

Choose for this purpose alfalfa 
hay which is fresh and green, rather 
than bleached. Chop into 2-inch 
lengths in an ordinary feed cutter 
and mix in a large metal receptacle 
such as a galvanized iron pail or tub. 
Use one ounce of strychnia sulphate 
to 30 pounds of chopped alfalfa hay, 
moistened in five or six gallons of wa- 
ter, or as much as the hay will absorb. 
Place the chopped hay in the recep- 
tacle and moisten with about half 
of the water. Dissolve the poison 
in the rest of the water by heating 
in a closed vessel. Now sprinkle over 
the dampened hay, mix until the 
moisture is all taken up, and sack 
for use. Use within two or three 
days as it spoils quickly. Distribute 
by hand. Place a small pinch equal 
to a teaspoonful near the entrance 
of each burrow or scatter along the 
surface trails. Place the poison a 
little to one side of the entrance to 
prevent its being covered by the 
earth thrown out. Or in winter drop 
into the entrance of the burrows. 
The amount of poison likely to be 
taken up by stock is small. No such 
accidents have been reported. But 
for safety, stock may be kept out 
of the fields a few days after the 
poison has been distributed. 

Or in summer use green alfalfa at 
the rate of 45 pounds of hay to one 
ounce of strychnia sulphate moist- 
ened in IJ gallons of water. Dis- 
solve the strychnia in J gallon of 
water by heating in a closed ves- 
sel. Add one gallon of cold 
water, sprinkle slowly over the al- 
falfa and mix until the moisture is 
all taken up. Distribute in the same 



manner, placing the bait in the holes 
or along runways. 

Or use crushed wheat at the rate 
of 60 pounds to the ounce of strych- 
nia sulphate, dissolved in 3 gallons 
of water. Heat and stir the sulphate 
in the water in a closed vessel until 
completely dissolved. Sprinkle over 
the wheat and mix well. Add two 
teaspoonfuls of powdered borax to 
prevent fermentation. Place prefer- 
ably near the burrows and along run- 
ways. But remember that poisoned 
grain will be taken up freely by 
birds. Hence the use of alfalfa is 
preferable. 

To protect trees from mice and 
moles use thin wooden wrappers 
called "tree protectors." Or apply 
liberally to the exposed roots and 
trunks the lime and sulphur wash 
used for spraying. Do this with a 
brush at the beginning of winter. 

Great numbers of field mice are 
destroyed by owls, hawks and other 
natural enemies, especially skunks 
and weasels. The two latter animals 
are especially worthy of protection. 

Woodchucks. — These animals hole 
up in August and hibernate until the 
following March. The young — usu- 
ally five in a litter — are born during 
the latter part of April and are able 
to eat green vegetables by early 
June. They are very injurious to 
clover and hay and also to early 
truck and garden crops. In many lo- 
calities they also act as hosts of the 
wood tick which is the source of 
spotted fever. Hence for many rea- 
sons they merit complete extermina- 
tion. To poison woodchucks, use a 
mixture of about 2 gallons of dande- 
lion heads, clover tops or alfalfa 
hay. Coat either of these with one 
pint of flour paste containing 3 
ounces of arsenic. This spoils quick- 
ly. Hence mix in the afternoon and 
place after dark at the entrance of 
the woodchucks' burrow. It will 
then be at hand when they come out 
in the morning. 

Or employ steel traps which may 
be set in the mouths of the burrows 
or about the entrance, preferably 



278 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



concealed with paper or dry grass. 
Use a rather large size "jump" trap, 
preferably No. lA. 

Insect Pests. — To control insects 
and diseases that infest garden crops 
gather all refuse from crops, pile at 
some convenient place and burn 
promptly. Many injurious insects 
find protection for the winter under 
loose material remaining in the gar- 
den. Moreover, the dead vines of 
plants are likely to be covered with 
spores of various diseases. Such 
refuse has little or no value as a fer- 
tilizer. Tlie gain from prompt burn 
ing will more than offset any loss of 
humus to the soil, 

CLEARING NEW lAND 

Such conditions as remodeling old 
farm houses and surrounding them 
with attractive lawns and gardens, or 
the purchase of homesites on land 
which is more or less timbered, often 
require clearing away trees, stumps 
and under-brush. The quickest and 
simplest way to remove large stumps 
is by the use of dynamite. The cost 
will vary from ten to twenty cents 
for each stump. Dynamite is a mix- 
ture of nitroglycerine with a granu- 
lar absorbent in varying proportions. 
It comfes in cylindrical sticks of dif- 
ferent sizes. Pure nitroglycerine is 
one of the most powerful and dan- 
gerous of all explosives. While dy- 
namite is somewhat less liable to 
cause accident from careless handling 
it is always better to employ an ex- 
perienced person to handle it. 

To blow up a stump with dyna- 
mite dig down beside the stump far 
enough to admit of boring a hole into 
it with an auger so that the charge 
will explode as nearly as possible in 
the middle of the stump at the bot- 
tom. Select a low grade dynamite 
containing about 30 per cent nitro- 
glycerine. Tliis explodes more slowly 
and tends rather to upheave than to 
shatter. Insert a suitable charge in 
the auger liole with cap and fuse at- 
tached. Cover with earth to the level 
of the ground a,nd tamp gently. 



Light the fuse and retreat to a safe 
distance. Should the stump be lo- 
cated near buildings or greenhouses, 
the danger of breaking window glass 
may be lessened by covering it with 
earth in cloth bags or throwing over 
it a number of logs chained together 
surmounted by pieces of heavy can- 







Showing dynamite cartridge in 'position. 
{Franklin Williams, Jr.) 

vas or an old horse blanket. Or a 
-dynamite cartridge may be exploded 
against the side of a stump, without 
boring, in a hollow dug in the earth. 
The resulting fragments may then be 
readily dug up with the mattock. 

To Pull Stumps. — There are nu- 
merous stump-pulling machines on the 
market and sometimes one can be 
hired to advantage to remove the few 
large stumps. But such machines as 
a rule are expensive to operate as 
compared with other methods. There 




Uprooting sapling with horse and chain. 
(Franklin Williams, Jr.) 

are three principal types of root de- 
velopment: the tap root, semi-tap 
root and root with lateral branches. 
The first goes straight down into the 
ground without branching. The sec- 
ond forms branches just helow the 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 279 



surface which go somewhat deeply 
into the ground at various angles. 
The third forms branches which ex- 
tend parallel with the surface in all 
directions, but do not penetrate deep- 
ly. The best method of removing a 
stump depends, therefore, upon the 
character of its root system. The 
hickory, black gum and white oak 
have a typical tap root. The pines, 
papaw and chestnute have semi-tap 
roots. The elm, soft maple, locust, 
dogwood and elder have lateral root 
systems. 

The best way to clear the ground 
of small trees and young saplings is 
to pull them over with one or more 
horses or oxen by means of a long 
log chain fastened as high above the 
ground as the stiffness of the trunk 
will admit. The object is to secure 
as good leverage as possible. A 
steady horse or team, or preferably 
a pair of oxen, is required. While 
the tree is bent forward with a 
steady pull, separate the roots 
on the opposite side with a 
sharp axe. This method can be 
used successfully to remove quite 
dogwood and elder have lateral root 
systems. 

Or to pull out the stumps of large 
trees having lateral or semi-tap 
root systems, with a team of 
horses or pair of oxen, first re- 
move the sod and loosen the earth 
about the principal roots. Then 
attach a log chain to one of the 
largest branch roots at some distance 
from the stump, carry the chain 
across the top of the stump and pull 
•in a direction opposite to that in 
which the root extends. The object 
is to secure a leverage over the top 
of the stump. This leverage can be 
increased by means of two pieces of 
timber about six feet high bolted to- 
gether in the form of the letter A 
or ordinary harrow. To the top of 
this is attached a chain or wire rope 
four or five feet long terminating in 
a hook. The A leans against one 
side of the stump and the hook is 
attached to a large root on the other 
side. The power is then applied 



slowly and steadily to the top of the 
A- and, as this is raised up, the stump 
is tilted over. 

Or to secure greater leverage when 
necessary, use two triple blocks and 
200 or 300 feet of one-inch rope. 
Anchor one block to a solid stump 
and the other to the stump it is de- 
sired to pull. 

Or bore a hole in the center of a 
large stump in the fall with a 1-inch 
auger. Pour into it a half pound of 
vitriol and drive in a tight wooden 
plug. In the spring, the whole stump 
and roots will be found so thoroughly 
rotted that they can easily be dug or 
plowed up. 

Or bore a hole 18 inches deep in 
the center of the stump in the fall. 
Put in an ounce of saltpeter, fill up 
the hole with water and drive in a 
tight wooden plug. In the spring, 
pour in a half gill of kerosene and 
set it on fire. The whole stump will 
be burned out. But take care not to 
use this method in dry, mucky or 
peaty soil or in forests surrounded 
by dry leaves, else it may cause a 
disastrous forest fire. 

Or to pull out brush and stumps, 
attach a log chain around the trunk 
or stem close to the ground and carry 
the chain up and over a grooved 
wheel, such as the wheel of an old 
corn planter and start the team. 
The wheel gives a good leverage and, 
by turning, lessens friction. The 
same device may be used to jjull up 
fence posts. 

To Remove Underbrush. — Use the 
mattock. Give this tool a sharp edge 
with a file and keep it in good worlv- 
ing condition. 

Pasturing, — Another means of 
clearing tracts of new land is by 
pasturing with any kind of stock. 
The angora goat is the best land 
clearer. And goats or sheep are al- 
ways to be preferred. But horses 
and cattle, or even hogs, will assist 
in clearing land if confined to small 
tracts so as to be forced to obtain a 
considerable part of their food by 
browsing. All sjjrouts and green 
bushes which stock fail to subdue 



280 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



should be cut clown with the axe or 
mattock in the late summer. 

If time is not an object, trees of 
considerable size may be removed by 
natural forces. To use this method 
dig a trench around the base of the 
tree and cut all the lateral roots, 
leaving only the tap root, and await 
the action of wind and rain. The 
water which accumulates in the 
trenches softens the soil and causes 
it to be upheaved by frosts. The 
wind pressing against the top of the 
tree will then sway the trunk, in 
course of time, with sufficient force 
to throw it and thus pry the tap root 
completely out of the ground. 

A few trees, notably the sassafras, 
persimmon and locust are very per- 
sistent. The entire root system 
should be removed from the ground. 

After all trees, saplings and un- 
derbrush have been removed and the 
stumps pulled, new ground may be 
completely subdued by fall plowing 
one way and cross plowing the fol- 
lowing spring. Carry an axe at- 
tached to the handle-bars of the plow 
and sever every root which the plow 
cannot break through. New land 
should preferably be cultivated for a 
year or two before being laid down as 
a permanent lawn or other green- 
sward,. Good crops for new land 
perhaps are corn, tomatoes or pota- 
toes. 

Or the land may be sown to clover 
or other crops suitable for green ma- 
nuring. 

CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION 

The growing scarcity of timber in 
many localities and its constantly in- 
creasing cost, have led to a wide- 
spread revival of interest in concrete 
construction. This material was an- 
ciently used very much more than in 
modern times, notably among the 
Romans. Many of the most famous 
buildings and public works in ancient 
Rome were thus built. The materials 
for making concrete — Portland ce- 
ment, sand, gravel and water — are so 
cheap and readily available in most 



localities, and the process is so sim- 
ple, that this material promises to 
come into well-nigh universal appli- 
cation. It is suitable for walks and 
drives; fence posts and garden 
benches; cellar walls and floors; 
foundation walls and floors for all 
sorts of outbuildings; partition walls 
for cisterns and store rooms in cel- 
lars; privy vaults and bins for the 
accumulation of stable manure to 
prevent access of flies; watering 
troughs, and countless other uses too 
numerous to mention. 

The two chief problems in the use 
of concrete are mixing the materials 
and the construction of the necessary 
forms or retaining walls. 

To mix concrete properly requires 
a suitable mixing board and a few 
ordinary utensils. The construction 
of forms calls merely for a small 
_ quantity of cheap lumber, the most 
common carpenters' tools and very 
ordinary skill in carpentry. Excel- 
lent results can be secured by any 
householder by the application of 
good common sense with ordinary 
care and sagacity. Concrete is fan- 
superior to lumber, brick or other 
building stone on account of its dura- 
bility, economy and safety from fire 
loss. It is also the best possible ma- 
terial for rat-proof construction. 

Concrete is simply a manufactured 
stone formed by mixing cement, 
sand and crushed stone or gravel 
(i. e., pebbles) together with water. 
Cement is, therefore, only one part 







Required quantities of cement, sand, and 
stone or gravel for a 1:2:^ concrete 
mixture and the resulting quantity of 
concrete. (Office of Public Roads.) 



of a concrete mixture. The great 
bulk of concrete is gravel and sand. 
The object to be obtained in mixing 
is to fill all the spaces or voids be- 
tween the stone or gravel with sand, 
and the spaces between the particles 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 281 



of sand with cement. And such is an 
ideal mixture. In other words, only 
sufficient cement is required, in the- 
ory, to cover the surface of the parti- 
cles of sand, gravel and stone with a 
thin coating of wet cement sufficient 
to stick or glue them firmly together. 
To secure such an ideal mixture it 
is necessary to observe the proper 
proportions of the different ingredi- 
ents. These proportions have been 
determined by experience and if the 
following rules are followed, good 
results will be assured. 

Cement. — Buy, preferably, Port- 
land cement in cloth sacks, rather 
than in paper bags or wooden bar- 
rels. Keep dry until ready for use 
by storing on boards raised from 
the floor by means of wooden blocks 
and covered with canvas or roofing 
paper. Keep indoors in a dry place. 
Otherwise cement will absorb moist- 
ure from the atmosphere and become 
lumpy or often a solid mass. Such 
cement is worthless and must be 
thrown away. But lumps caused by 
pressure may be easily broken up and 
such cement is perfectly good. Dry 
cement mixed with water forms a 
soft sticky paste. This begins to 
"set" or harden in about half an 
hour. Any disturbance of concrete 
after it begins to set weakens it, or 
if the set is well under way, destroys 
it. Hence, Portland cement concrete 
must be mixed in small quantities, as 
needed, and placed in position within 
twenty or thirty minutes after first 
being wet. 

Cautions. — Avoid extremes of heat. 
Portland cement concrete is weak- 
ened by exposure to a hot sun dur- 
ing the first four or five days after 
being placed in position. Or it may 
be injured by freezing while being 
mixed and before being placed in po- 
sition, or even after having been 
placed, if subjected to a heavy load. 
Hence, avoid mixing in freezing 
weather, i. e., if the temperature is 
below 33° F. Do not cover when 
green with fresh manure to protect 
it from freezing as this will soil the 
surface and weaken the concrete, 



Sand and Gravel. — The term sand, 
as used by concrete mixers, includes 
all grains and small pebbles that pass 
through a wire screen with J-inch 
mesh and are retained upon a screen 
having 40 meshes to the linear inch. 
Gravel in general is pebbles and 
stone retained upon a j-inch screen. 
It is quite commonly supposed 
that any kind of sand or gravel will 
make a good concrete mixture but this 
is far from being the case. Sand 
from pits or gravel banks varies 
greatly in character. Hence to se- 
cure the best results, care must 
be exercised in selecting materials. 
Coarse, hard sand, free from clay or 
dirt, produces the best and strongest 
concrete and requires much less ce- 
ment than if fine, soft or dirty. 

To procure good sand and gravel, 
screen the material at the bank twice. 
First use a J-inch screen to keep 
out the gravel. Set the screen up- 
right at an angle of 45°. Then screen 
a second time, on a 40-mesh screen, 
the sand which has thus been freed 
from gravel. Reject all the fine sand 
and earth which will pass through the 
40-mesh screen. The result will be 
material, both sand and gravel, of 
known character. By mixing these 
in exact proportions, not only will the 
finished work be more reliable, but 
enough cement can be saved to more 
than pay for the labor of screening. 

Or fine loam and clay can be re- 
moved from the sand by washing. To 
test the material, fill a pint preserv- 
ing jar with an average sample to 
the depth of 4 inches. Fill the jar 
with clear water to within 1 incli of 
the top, fasten on the lid and shake 
vigorously. Now set the jar upright 
and let the contents settle. The sand 
will fall to the bottom, next the clay, 
next the loam, and the water will 
come to the top. If there is a layer 
of more than ^ inch of clay or loam 
the sand must be rejected or 
washed. 

To Wash Sand or Gravel. — Build 
a loose board platform 10 or 15 feet 
long. Have one end 13 inches higher 
than the other. Nail 3 by 6-inch 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



plank across the lower end and along 
both sides to hold the sand. Spread 
out the sand on this platform in a 
layer 3 or 4 inches thick and wash 
with a f-inch garden hose. Begin 
at the upper end and let the water 
run through the sand and over the 
3 by 6 edge at the bottom. 

Reinforced Concrete. — For rein- 
forced concrete and most ordinary 
purposes, reject stones over 1 inch in 
diameter. But for heavy foundation 



ture means 1 part cement, 2i times 
as much sand and 5 times as much 
stone or gravel. The whole consists 
of 8^ parts. In other words ^ 
of a 1:2:4) mixture is cement and 
somewhat less than J of a 1:2J:5 
mixture. The 1:2:4 mixture is, there- 
fore, stronger and is to be preferred 
for foundations and other work car- 
rying heavy loads. 

The accompanying table, prepared 
by the national Office of Public Roads, 



QUANTITIES OF MATERIALS AND THE RESULTING AMOUNT OF CONCRETE 
FOR A TWO-BAG BATCH 





Proportions 


l^jo+o,.;oio 




Sizes of measuring boxes (inside 


-*3 




by parts 








measurements) 


<0 Ml 


Kinds of 






> 






1- 


'2 




"^ 


concrete 






2 


ca 


o 


^£ 


o 






a^ 


mixture 


+3 

a 
1 




o 

1 


d 
o 

a 

O 


a 


S.S 
Si 

m 


o 


Sand 


Stone or gravel 




1:2:4 


1 


2 


4 


2 


3f 


7J 


8i 


2 feet by 2 feet by 
llj inches. 


2 feet by 4 feet by 
llf inches. 


10 


1 :2i :5 


1 


2J 


5 


2 


4| 


n 


10 


2 feet by 2 feet 6 
inches by 1 1 J- 


2 feet 6 inches by 
4 feet by 11 -J 


\2h 












\ 




inches. 


inches. 





or abutment work, include larger 
stones and pebbles up to 2 inches or 
more in diameter. For best results 
use a mixture of sizes of gravel from 
i to 1 inch or more in diameter. In 
ordering crushed stone specify the 
size of the stone and screenings 
wanted. The crusher dust should be 
washed out. 

Measurements of Materials. — 
First figure the number of cubic feet 
of concrete that will be required for 
the job. Next determine the propor- 
tions of material, i. e., the kind of 
concrete you will employ. Finally 
figure the amount of each kind of 
material that will be necessary. The 
two most usual formulae are 1:2:4 and 
1:22:5. The proportions are always 
measured by volume. A 1:2:4 mix- 
ture means 1 part cement, twice as 
much sand and 4 times as much stone 
or gravel. The whole mixture thus 
consists of 7 parts. A 1:2^:5 mix- 



gives the size of measuring boxes re- 
quired for a two-bag batch of con- 
crete. These boxes are made with 
straight sides of any kind of rough 
boards. They have no top or bottom. 
A bag of Portland cement is prac- 
tically one cubic foot. A barrel con- 
tains four cubic feet or bags. The 
sand, stone or gravel are measured 
loosely in the box, not packed. For 
a four-bag batch of concrete double 
the quantities given in this table. 

To determine the total quantities 
of material required, multiply the 
total number of cubic feet of con- 
crete needed for the job by the num- 
ber given under the proper column as 
shown by the table on the next page, 
given by the Office of Public Roads. 
This will give the amount of cement, 
sand and stone or gravel needed. 

Example: Let us suppose that the 
work consists of a concrete silo re- 
quiring in all 935 cubic feet of con- 



OUTDOOR Problems of th£ householder ^ss 



Crete, of which 750 cubic feet are to 
be 1:3:4 concrete, and 185 cubic feet 
are to be l:2i:5 concrete. Enough 
sand and cement are also needed to 
paint the silo inside and outside, 
amounting in all to 400 square yards 
of surface, with a 1:1 mixture of 



sheet iron bed; garden rake, water 
barrel, two 3-gallon water buckets; 
4 by 4-inch tamper, 3 feet 6 inches in 
length with handles nailed to it; gar- 
den spade; and 3 screens, one a 5- 
inch mesh, the other 40 meshes to the 
inch. These may be made by nailing 



QUANTITIES OF MATERIALS IN ONE CUBIC FOOT OF CONCRETE 



Mixture of Concrete 



Cement 
(by barrels) 



Said (by 
cubic 
yards) 



Stone or 
gravel (by 
cubic yards) 



1:2:4.. 
1 : 2J : 5 . 



0.058 
.048 



0.0163 
.0176 



0.0326 
.0352 



sand and cement. One cubic foot of a section of screen 3i by 5 feet in 

1 :1 mortar paints about 15 square size to a frame made of Iboards 3 by 

yards of surface and requires 0.1856 4 feet. 

barrel of cement and 0.0363 cubic To make a concrete board for two 

yard of sand. The problem thus men to mix a 3'bag batch, order 9 

works out as follows: pieces ^ by 13 inches by 10 feet 

Cement: Barrels 

For the 750 cubic feet of 1 : 2 : 4 concrete (750x0.058) 43 . 5 

For the 185 cubic feet of 1 : 2^ : 5 concrete (185x0.048) 8.9 

For painting (400-1 5.x0. 1856) 4.9 

Total amount of cement 57 . 3 

Sand: Cubic yards 

For 750 cubic feet of 1 : 2 : 4 concrete (750x0.0163) 12.23 

For 185 cubic feet of 1 : 2^ : 6 concrete (185x0.0176) 3 .26 

For painting (400-15x0.0263) .70 

Total amount of sand 16.19 

Stone or gravel: Cubic yards 

For 750 cubic feet of 1:2:4 concrete (750x0.0326) 24 . 5 

For 185 cubic feet of 1 : 2| : 5 concrete (185x0.0352) 6.5 

Total amount of stone or gravel 31.0 



Thus the necessary quantities of 
materials are about 57^ barrels of 
Portland cement, about 16J cubic 
yards of sand, and 31 cubic yards of 
stone or gravel. It is always wise to 
order two or three extra barrels of 
cement if the dealer is at considera- 
ble distance, as this avoids any pos- 
sible trouble that a shortage might 
cause. 

Equipment for Mixing. — This con- 
sists of a concrete mixing board, 
board "runs" for wheelbarrows, 
measuring boxes for sand, stone 
and gravel, a No. 3 square point 
shovel for each workman; at l^ast 
two wheelbarrows, preferably having 



boards, preferably tongue and groove 
roofers, planed and fre€ from knots. 
Also 5 pieces 3 inch by 4 inch by 9 
feet rough boards for cleats; 3 pieces 
3 inch by 3 inch by 10 feet rough, 
for edge boards at the sides; and 3 
pieces 3 inch by 3 inch by 9 feet 
rough, for edge boards at the two 
ends. The object of the edge boards 
is to prevent the loss of concrete 
grout by running over the edges. 

For the same reason plug or close 
all knot holes by a strip nailed across 
them on the under side. The board 
must be tight to prevent waste of 
concrete grout, smooth to permit of 
easy shoveling — which should always 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



be in the direction that the cracks 
run — firm and level. A board for a 
4-bag batch of concrete should be 13 
feet by 10 feet in size and will 
require a correspondingly larger 
amount of lumber. Have the boards 
run the shorter or 10-foot way. 

Place the concrete board as handy 
to the job as may be and store the 
piles of sand, stone and pebbles close 
by. Support the board on blocks so 
that it will be level and cannot sag 
under the weight of the concrete. 
Build wheelbarrow "runs" of good 
smooth plank 2 to 3 inches in thick- 
ness and from 12 to 30 inches wide, 
depending upon the distance above 
the ground. 

The following are specifications for 
measuring boxes for sand, stone or 
gravel. 

For a 2-bag batch with the 1:2:4 
mixture : 

4 pieces 1 inch by 11^ inches by 
2 feet, rough (for ends of the sand 
and stone boxes). 

2 pieces 1 inch by 11 J inches by 
4 feet, rough (for the sides of the 
sand lx?x). 

2 pieces 1 inch by Hi inches by 
6 feet, rough (for the sides of the 
stone box). 

(It should be noted that the 2 
pieces $ feet long and the 2 pieces 6 
feet long have an extra foot in length 
at each end for the purpose of serv- 
ing as a handle.) 

For a 2-bag batch with the 1:2^:5 
mixture : 

2 pieces 1 inch by IIJ inches by 
2 feet (for the ends of the sand 
box). 

2 pieces 1 inch by 11 il inches by 
2* feet (for the ends of the stone 
box). 

2 pieces 1 inch by Hi inches by 
4^ feet (for the sides of the sand 
box). 

2 pieces 1 inch by 11^ inches by 
6 feet (for sides of the stone box). 

(As in the preceding case, the 2 
pieces 4i feet long and the 2 pieces 
6 feet long have an extra foot in 
length at each end to serve as han- 
dles.) 



Mixing Concrete. — First place the 
mixing board and wheelbarrow runs 
in position and wheel two loads of 
sand upon the board. Place the sand 
measuring box about 2 feet from one 
of the 10-foot sides of the board. 
Fill the box, lift it off and spread 
the sand over the board with a rake 
in a layer 3 or 4 inches thick. Now 
spread 2 bags of cement as evenly as 
possible over the sand. Station two 
men facing one another at opposite 
ends of the board and let them start 
mixing the sand and cement in such 
a way that each man may turn over 
the half on his side of a line dividing 
the board in two. Let each man 
start at his feet and shovel away 
from himself taking a full shovel 
load and, in turning the shovel, not 
merely dumping off' the sand and ce- 
ment but shaking the materials from 
'the end and sides of the shovel so 
that they will be mixed as they fall. 
Then let the men turn and work back 
from the board a second time in the 
same manner. Thus the material will 
be thoroughly mixed while being 
shoveled from one side of the board 
to the other. 

After the sand and cement have 
thus been well mixed, spread them 
out carefully and add the gravel or 
stone. Place the proper measuring 
boxes on one side of the board and 
fill from the gravel pile. Now shovel 
the gravel on top of the sand and 
cement and spread out evenly. Or 
place the gravel measuring box on 
top of the level sand and cement 
mixture and with great care spread 
the gravel on top without extra shov- 
eling. But this requires more experi- 
ence. 

Now dash about three-fourths of 
the required amount of water over 
the top of the pile as evenly as pos- 
sible from a bucket. Take care not 
to get too much water near the edges 
lest it flow off' and wash away some 
of the cement. Now start two men 
in the same way as with the sand and 
cement and shovel over the mixture. 
But let the men dump the whole 
shovel load instead of shaking it 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 285 



from the shovel and drag it back 
towards them with the square shovel 
point. This causes the wet gravel to 
pick up the sand and cement and in- 
sures a thorough mixture. Add 
water, as required, to the dry spots, 
until the total amount needed has 
been used. Now turn the mass back 
again as was done with the sand and 
cement. Experienced men will mix 
the concrete sufficiently in three such 
turnings but if it shows streaky or 
dry spots, turn it a fourth time and 
finally shovel in a compact pile. It 
is now ready for plajcing, which must 
be done promptly. 

Only two men are required for 
mixing, but a third man can assist by 
supplying water and serving other 
materials and by raking dry or un- 
mixed spots. Four men will be re- 
quired for the 4-bag batch. This re- 
quires a board 10 feet by 12 feet. 
Start in the middle of the board and 
let each pair of men mix as for a 
3-bag batch. But have them shovel 
the whole into a big mass each time 
the concrete is turned upon the cen- 
ter of the board. 

Placing Concrete. — Place the con- 
crete at once when mixed, since it will 
set within 20 or 30 minutes. Employ 
any means of conveying the concrete 
to the job that is most convenient. 
Deposit it in layers about 6 inches 
thick by means of a shovel or by 
pouring. 

Three kinds of concrete mixtures 
are used. Each requires slightly dif- 
ferent treatment. (1) A very wet 
mixture, which will run off a shovel 
when handled, is used for reinforced 
work, thin walls and the like. No 
ramming is necessary. (3) An ordi- 
nary or medium weight mixture of 
jelly-like consistency is in most gen- 
eral use for foundation floors and 
most other purposes. This should be 
rammed with a tamper enough to re- 
move all air bubbles and fill voids. 
(3) A dry mixture about like damp 
earth is used for foundations when 
quick work is desirable. Spread this 
in layers 4 to 6 inches thick and tamp 
until the water flushes to the surface. 



The chief difference is that the dryer 
mixture sets more quickly. 

Finishing Concrete. — To give the 
exposed surface of a concrete wall a 
smooth finish, run a spade or flattened 
shovel between the concrete and face 
of the form and work it up and 
down. This pushes the stone and 
gravel back slightly and causes ce- 
ment grout to flow against the face 
of the form and harden in a smooth 
even surface. The same effect can 
be produced on thin side or partition 
walls by the use of a board 1 by 4 
inches sharpened on one side like a 
chisel. The flat side should be placed 
against the form. 

To protect new concrete from the 
sun while hardening, sprinkle it with 
water both morning and evening for 
the first five or six days. Or hang 
pieces of old canvas, sheeting, or 
burlap an inch or so from the face 
of the concrete and keep them wet. 
Or leave the forms in position for a 
week or ten days. The object of this 
precaution is to prevent the outside 
from drying more rapidly than the 
center. 

Concrete Forms. — These are merely 
boxes or retaining walls of boards 
which serve to hold concrete in place 
until it is hardened. They thus fix 
its shape and give it a surface finish. 
Almost any kind of material which 
will hold the concrete will serve as 
a form. Sometimes foundations for 
buildings can be poured in shallow 
trenches dug for the purpose in the 
soil. The earth up to the ground line 
will serve as a form. Molds of wet 
sand are used for ornamental work. 
And metal molds may be had for 
certain purposes. But most forms 
are made of wood because it is both 
cheaper and easier to handle. Use 
preferably green lumber for forms, 
either rough or planed as desired. If 
the forms are to be used many times, 
as in casting fence posts, or if a 
handsome smooth surface is desired, 
matched boards with planed surfaces 
are to be preferred. But for ordi- 
nary work when the forms are to be 
used but once rough green lumber 



S86 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



will answer every purpose. In such 
cases, use as few pieces of lumber 
and nails as possible. The forms 
may then be easily taken apart and 
the lumber used for other purposes. 
If nails are used do not drive them 
all the way in. Screws are prefer- 
able, since they can be more easily 
removed. 

Build the forms strong enough to 
hold the concrete without bulging. 
Otherwise there will be leakage 
through the cracks. This will cause 
hollows on the surface and weaken 
the concrete. As a rule time and 
money will be well spent in making 
the forms rigid and true, and giving 
them an even surface. The oftener 
they are to be used the more nearly 
perfect they should be. Fill cracks 
and knot holes with stiff clay and 
tack strips over them on the out- 
side. 

Cleaning Tools and rorms. — Clean 
the concrete board at the beginning 
of each half day's work. Give the 
forms a dressing of linseed or cylin- 
der oil or soft soap to prevent the 
concrete from sticking. Never use 
kerosene. Go over them before they 
are erected to protect them from dust 
and dirt. Remove all objects which 
fall inside the forms while being 
erected, else they will be cast in the 
concrete and may weaken it. On 
taking down the forms, clean them 
and scrape off the concrete which 
adheres to them with a sharp short 
handled hoe. Follow with a wire 
brusli. But talve care not to spoil 
the surface. Repaint with oil or 
soft soap any spots which appear 
dry. 

Concrete Fence Posts. — Concrete 
is the best possible substance for 
ornamental gate and fence posts 
since they may be cast in any desir- 
able shape or size. Tlie same mate- 
rial may also be used for walks, re- 
taining walls and similar purposes. 
Thus a uniform and harmonious dec- 
'orative scheme can be carried out. 
Crncrete posts usually cost less than 
first class wooden posts, according 
to locality, but are far more durable 



since their strength increases with 
age. They never need repairs as 
they are injured neither by fire nor 
weather. Barring unusual accident, 
concrete posts, once properly sea- 
soned, will last forever. 

Molds for line fence posts may be 
of steel or wood and either single or 
built in sets or "gangs." There are 
many patented steel molds on the 
market which have some advantages. 
If the posts are simple in form, 
these are light and easy to handle and 
give a post of neat finish and of any 
desired shape. But wooden molds 
made of ordinary white pine are in 
very common use. Two-inch plank 
dressed on both sides are to be pre- 
ferred. But lighter lumber may be 
used if well braced. Molds for 
square posts are the simplest and 
easiest to make. They are merely 
long boxes and are often built in 
sets or gangs, side-by-side, with con- 
tinuous bottom and end pieces. Any 
person having the tools can construct 
such molds without difficulty. They 
are usually laid flat. Thus when the 
concrete is poured into them, the 
two ends and three sides of the 
post are shaped by the mold. The 
fourth or top side is then smoothed 
with the trowel. Thus no lid or 
cover for the fourth side of the mold 
is required. To avoid sharp ragged 
corners, strips of canvas may be 
tacked along the two lower corners 
of the mold so that the corners of 
the finished post will "be slightly 
rounded. The two upper corners can 
be similarly shaped by the use of a 
trowel or special tool called an 
"edger." Or clay may be plastered 
in the corners of the mold, or wooden 
strips may be tacked to the side 
boards and shaped properly with a 
gouge to answer the same purpose. 
The end pieces may be hinged to ad- 
mit of the ready removal of the fin- 
ished posts. Other forms are pre- 
ferred by many such as posts taper- 
ing either on two or all four sides. 
A suitable size for this purpose are 
molds 4i inches deep, 6 inches wide 
at the butt, ii inches square at the 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 287 



top and 7 feet long. Or molds 5 
inches by 6 inches wide at the butt, 
3 inches deep by 4 inches wide at the 
top and 7 feet long. Triangular 
posts are also a favorite style. These 
are easily constructed in sets or 



with steel in the form of rods or wire 
properly buried in the concrete. 
Rods ^6 or i inch in diameter 
are most used in posts. The kind 
especially made for this purpose is 
preferable to the ordinary stock kept 




tfr 



vf£- 



^^^^^^ 



Gang mold for posts icitJiout taper. {Office of Public Roads.) 



gangs. The corners should be slightly 
rounded. 

Oiling Molds. — Apply soft soap or 
crude oil, not kerosene, rather spar- 
ingly. Pour a quart of oil into a 
pail of water, stir, and apply the 
mixture with a mop or stiff broom 



by blacksmiths and hardware mer- 
chants. Ordinary ungalvanized fenc- 
ing wire either single No. 8 or 2 No. 
13 wires twisted is a suitable rein- 
forcement for ordinary line posts. 
But this must be obtained straight 
from dealers, in the necessary 








Molds for triangular posts. (Office of PWblic Roads.) 



to scrub out the molds after they 
have been used five or ten times. 
Or apply more often if necessary to 
prevent sticking. 

Reinforcement. — Concrete posts 
are somewhat brittle and may be 
greatly improved by reinforcing them 



lengths, and not in coils. The rein- 
forcement should be placed within 
3 to 1 inch of the outside of the 
post. Care must be taken that it is 
not so located as to be exposed when 
the corners are rounded off. 

"Fool-Proof Spacer." — To keep the 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



reinforcement in place use the little 
device known as the "fool-proof 
spacer." This consists of a No. 10 
wire cut to such a length that, when 
twisted once around each of the two 
reinforcing wires or rods, the ends 
will nearly touch the sides of the 
molds. The distance from the twists 
to the end of the short wire or spacer 
is equal to the distance from the re- 
inforcement to the side of the mold. 
On triangular molds such a spacer 
can be used only on the two rods or 
wires near the top of the mold. A 
shorter and similar device with only 




"Fool-proof spacer" for reinforcement. 
{Office of Public Beads.) 

one twist may be used on the lower 
reinforcement. Place at least three 
spacers on each piece of reinforce- 
ment; one at the middle and the 
other two not far from the ends of 
the post. Metal slightly rusted may 
be used. Galvanizing is not neces- 
sary. There will be no rusting once 
the metal is encased in concrete. 

It is a good plan to have the rein- 
forcing wire 3 inches longer than 
the posts and turned back an inch on 
each end in the form of a hook. 
For posts subject to rubbing and 
crowding as in barn-yards, short ex- 
tra reinforcing pieces 2 feet long are 
sometimes placed in the lower end to 
prevent the posts from snapping at 
the surface of the ground. 

Mixing a Six-post Batch of Con- 
crete. — The table on the next page, 
prepared by the Office of Public 
Roads, gives the approximate quan- 
tities of material for six posts 7 feet 
long and of the sizes named. To 
make larger numbers of posts in- 



crease the quantities in like propor- 
tion. 

Molding Posts. — Oil or soap the 
molds and pour the concrete in them 
as soon as it has been mixed. If it 
stands thirty minutes after mixing 
throw it away. It is worthless. Fill 
the molds evenly to the depth of | 
or 1 inch as desired and lay in the 
reinforcement properly spaced by 
means of at least 3 "fool-proof" wire 
spacers. Now pour in concrete until 
the molds are filled within f to 1 
inch of the top. Add the remaining 
reinforcement and fill the mold. Now 
place a crow bar or pinch bar under 
each outer corner of the molds, by 
turns, and move it up and down 
quickly. This vibration shakes out 
the air bubbles and makes the con- 
crete more compact. Now level the 
exposed corners, if desired, with the 
-edger. Finish the surface with the 
trowel as soon as the surface water 
has been absorbed but before the con- 
crete has become hard. Use green 
lumber and soak the materials with 
water so the concrete will not cause 
them to swell and crack the posts. 
Do not work in hot sun or wind. In 
freezing weather work under cover. 

Curing Posts. — Leave green posts 
in the mold two or three days to 
harden. The molds proper may then 
be removed from square posts and 
used on another bottom board but 
the posts must lay on their own bot- 
tom board, in the shade, undisturbed, 
for at least a week or ten days. Tri- 
angular posts may be slid gently 
from the molds to a smooth floor cov- 
ered evenly with a cushion of sand 
but remember that the strain of lift- 
ing or the slightest jar may cause 
invisible cracks. These will greatly 
weaken the posts. During the first 
two days keep green posts wet and 
covered with wet canvas, burlap or 
any similar material. Wet sand may 
be used after the concrete has become 
hard. But manure will stain green 
posts and otherwise injure them. 
Continue sprinkling up to the tenth 
day. Then pile on end, leaning 
slightly together. But remember that 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 289 



a drop of 6 inches may break a green 
post. Or the jar of hauling them to 
the field over rough roads may injure 
them. Concrete posts gain strength 
rapidly up to a year or more. They 
should never be used until they have 
seasoned three months. The longer 
they can be made in advance, before 
using, the better. 

Use of Concrete Posts. — Set 7 ft. 
concrete posts about 2J feet deep 
and compact the soil about them by 
tamping. Attach the wire by means 
of short pieces of wire, one size small- 



up the expansion and contraction 
from heat and cold. Hence do 
not hesitate to make a tight fasten- 
ing. There are other methods of 
fastening wire, such as setting sta- 
ples in the green cement, casting 
holes in the post or imbedding 
wooden strips in them. But all 
others than the above are unsatis- 
factory. 

Special Posts. — Corner posts, gate 
posts, hitching posts and the like may 
be made of any desired design from 
special molds which can easily be 



QUANTITIES OF MATERIAL AND RESULTING AMOUNT OF CONCRETE FOR A 

SIX-POST BATCH 

TRIANGULAR POSTS LENGTH, 7 TEET 



Size of post 



Proportions of materials by 
parts, measured in volume 



Cement 



Sand 



Gravel 



Materials in cubic'feet, 
measured loose 



Cement 



Sand 



Stone 

or 
gravel 



Concrete 

tamped, 

cubic 

feet 



Water 

for 
mixing, 
gallons 



Heavy . , 
Medium 
Light . . . 



1.4 
1.5 
1.3 
1.4 
1.1 
1.2 



2.8 



2.6 
'2^2' 



5.6 
6.0 
5.2 
5.6 
4.4 
4.8 



6.2 
6.2 
5.5 
5.5 

4.8 
4.8 



RECTANGULAR POSTS LENGTH, 7 FEET 



Straight, 5 by 5 . . . 

Taper on two sides, 
4i by 6, 4i by 4J 

Full taper, 5 by 6, 
4 by 3 



11 


2 
""2 " 
'""2" 


4 
4 
4 
4 
4 
4 


1.7 
1.8 
1.6 
1.7 
1.5 
1.6 


3.4 
■■■3.'2" 

"slo" 


6.8 
7.2 
6.4 
6.8 
6.0 
6.4 


7.3 
7.3 
6.9 
6.9 
6.7 
6.7 



13 
13 
12 
12 
12 
12 



er than the fence wire, in either of 
two ways: (1) carry the wire fastener 
around the post and then twist it 
first upon itself and then around the 
fence wire; (2) or twist one end 
around the fence wire, carry it 
around the post and twist on the oth- 
er side to the same wire. This is 
known as the "Western Union Twist." 
Draw the fastener tight to keep the 
fence wire from sagging and from 
being slipped up or down by stock 
thrusting their heads through them. 
If necessary roughen the posts at the 
fastening point with a cold chisel. 
The kinks in woven wire fence take 



constructed by anyone having ordi- 
nary skill in carpentry. Holes may 
be made for bolt hinges and fasten- 
ers by inserting a piece of gas pipe 
in the concrete. But wrought iron 
clamp straps going completely 
around the posts are to be preferred. 
These can be obtained to order from 
any blacksmith. Concrete makes ex- 
cellent arbor posts and posts for 
vineyards, and trellises for all sorts 
of vines and clinging jjlants. "Woven 
wire may be strung from post to 
post to support the vines and fas- 
tened in the manner above suggested. 
Warning. — Do not buy molds or 



290 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



means for mixing or molding concrete 
in blocliS, posts or otherwise, or pat- 
ent rights for the sale of such ma- 
terials or processes, from traveling 
agents concerning whom you know 
nothing. Pay no attention whatever 
to assertions of such persons that 
you have been infringing their pat- 
ent rights or that you may do so in 
future. Refer all such claimants to 
your attorney. You will never hear 
anything more about them. The 
methods above recommended are not 




Methods of attaching fence ivire to con- 
crete posts. (Office of Public Roads.) 



patented and are equally as useful 
for all ordinary purposes as any pat- 
ented process or processes whatever. 

PRESERVATION OF WOOD FENCE 
POSTS AND OTHER TIMBERS 

When concrete is not available 
some method of preserving fence 
posts and other timbers from decay 
will add greatly to their life and will 
be found a valuable economy. Decay 
consists in the destruction of wood 
tissue by low forms of plant life 
called fungi. These require air, 
warmth and moisture. Wood decays 
most rapidly when in contact with 
the surface of the ground because the 
conditions of heat and moisture are 
there most favorable to fungous 
growth. Hence the objects of treat- 
ment for preservation of timber are 
to exclude air and moisture, to keep 



the fungi from coming in contact 
with the wood or to destroy them by 
antiseptics. Among the most com- 
mon methods are peeling and season- 
ing, charring, painting, whitewash- 
ing, or the application of various 
coal-tar products, either by painting 
or dipping. The method to be em- 
ployed will depend in part upon cli- 
matic conditions, and in part upon 
the use to which the timber is to be 
put. A more thorough and extensive 
method of preservation is justified 
for warm, moist climates than would 
be required for cool and dry locali- 
ties. Those timbers, or portions of 
timbers, which come in contact with 
the soil — as the sills of buildings or 
the lower part of fence posts — re- 
quire most thorough treatment. 

All fence posts and similar timbers 
should be peeled and seasoned before 
used. Bark retards the evaporation 
of moisture and encourages the work 
of insects and fungi. Sometimes 
green posts are set surrounded by 
stone upon the theory that they will 
season in the ground. But experience 
does not indicate that the expense of 
this method is justified by the re- 
sults. Moisture will reach timbers 
set among stone about as readily as 
if in actual contact with the soil. 
The most desirable preservatives are 
petroleum-tar creosote, by-products 
of the manufacture of water gas; 
coal-tar creosote, by-products of the 
manufacture of coal gas, and of 
coke; and various products of these. 
Both have antiseptic properties. But 
creosote, and some other products, 
made from coal-tar, are more effi- 
cient than petroleum products. 
Therefore, they are to be preferred 
although they are somewhat more ex- 
pensive. 

Charring. — To obtain good results 
by charring, first season the wood, 
then hold over an open fire. Take 
care not to let it check or split from 
the heat and do not char deeji enough 
to weaken the post. It does not pay, 
as a rule, to char the entire post, but 
only the lower end up to about a 
foot above the ground and also the 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 291 



top of the 
accumulate. 

Painting'.- 
brush, first 
thoroughly. 



post where water may 



-To treat posts with the 
peel and season them 
Then apply whitewash, 
any good paint or any of the coal-tar 
or petroleum-tar products. This 
method is not eifective unless the 
posts have been thoroughly seasoned. 
Otherwise the surface coating will be 
cracked as the wood shrinks and 
moisture will enter. However, no 
such coatings are really durable. The 



method. The plan of dipping the 
butts of posts in cement is not rec- 
ommended. 

Still better results can be obtained 
by soaking the timbers in the preser- 
vative for ten hours at ordinary tem- 
peratures. Coal-tar and crude pe- 
troleum are not as suitable for this 
purpose as creosote. This is liquid 
at ordinary temperatures, soaks into 
the timber readily and has strong an- 
tiseptic properties. Coal-tar creosote 
must be warmed slightly to liquefy 




HICKORY 



WHITE ASH 



LODGEPOLE PINE 



PIN OAK 



Sections of posts of various woods treated with creosote by the open-tank process. 
All the posts are drawn to the same scale, and are approximately 5 inches across. 
The Mack areas show the creosote penetration, which corresponds generally to 
the sapivood. (G. P. Willis.) 



various antiseptic coal-tar products 
are best suited to this purpose. Two 
or more coats should be applied hot. 
A fifty gallon barrel of creosote will 
give 300 posts 3 coats for the butts 
and 3 for the tops. 

Dipping. — A somewhat better re- 
sult may be secured by dipping the 
timbers so that the preservative can 
soak into the cracks and checks. 
This plan takes less labor than paint- 
ing but consumes more of the pre- 
servative, since the tank or barrel 
must be kept full to the proper 
depth. Either petroleum-tar or coal- 
tar creosote may be applied by this 



it. AH timber thus treated must be 
thoroughly seasoned and dried to get 
as much water as possible out of 
the cells and thus allow the oil to 
come in and take its place. The 
kinds of woods most suitable to this 
treatment are beech, cottonwood, the 
gums, pin and red oak, the pines, 
sycamore and tulip tree. 

Impregnation with Creosote. — Un- 
doubtedly the best method is the im- 
pregnation of timbers with creosote 
by the so-called "open tank proc- 
ess." This consists in heating the 
wood so as to expand its cells and 
drive out of them a portion of the 



292 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



air and water they contain and then 
emersing the timber in a preserva- 
tive bath to cool. As the air and 
water remaining in the cells contract 
during the cooling process, a par- 
tial vacuum is formed. The cool pre- 
servative is then forced into this by 
atmospheric pressure. The illustra- 
tions show sections of diiferent kinds 
of woods treated by this process. 

Materials and Equipment. — To 
thoroughly impregnate posts and oth- 
er farm timbers with creosote re- 
quires one or more barrels or tanks 
with some suitable provision for 
heating their contents. Two common 
creosote barrels may be used. Set 
these about 7 or 8 feet apart and 
connect them by a 3 or 4-inch iron 
pipe fitted with lock (jamb) nuts. 
Build a fire under the middle of the 
pipe. Shield the sides of the barrel 
from direct heat by an apron of 
screen, preferably of some kind of 
metal as an old piece of sheet iron, 
tin or zinc. This outfit is inexpensive 
and, while the barrels are neither 
large nor deep enough for the best 
results and will usually leak after a 
few days, they answer well enough 
for a small number of posts or other 
timbers or shingles. A single barrel 
may be heated by means of a U made 
of K-inch pipe. Set the barrels in 
shallow boxes or on a platform pro- 
vided with a gutter to carry off the 
oil to a neighboring tub, if the bar- 
rels suddenly spring a leak. 

But if many posts are to be treat- 
ed, and especially if one desires to 
preserve timber for sale or do this 
class of work for others on a com- 
mercial basis, the best plan is to pur- 
chase a light (14 gauge) cylindrical 
galvanized iron tank. Such a tank 
3 feet in diameter by 4 feet high, 
fitted with a U of 3-inch pipe, will 
cost about twelve or fifteen dollars. 
With good care it will last indefinite- 
ly. Or a similar tank can be set in 
brick or masonry in such a way as to 
be heated from beneath like a set 
kettle. In addition, a rectangular 
tank for the cold bath about 8 feet 
long, 8 feet wide and 3 feet deep will 



be necessary if the entire post is to 
be immersed. Provision must be 
made to heat this, when necessary, 
to a temperature of about 100° or 
120° F. to liquefy the creosote and 
cause it to penetrate freely. A ther- 
mometer reading to 250° F. is neces- 
sary. 

Preparation of Posts. — Select pref- 
erably round posts not exceeding 5 
inches average diameter, of soft and 
porous wood as gum, pine, maple and 
the like. These are cheaper than 
hard wood, easier to treat, yet when 
properly treated are equally as dura- 
ble. Do not attempt to treat hard 
woods which are naturally durable in 
contact with the ground such as ce- 
dar, locust, white oak and black wal- 
nut. Do not treat split posts having 
highly colored heart wood such as oak 
and yellow pine. The creosote will 
not penetrate hard wood and such 
posts will readily decay. In fact 
the advantage of this process is to 
make cheap posts of small size and 
soft wood, durable. Bevel the top of 
the post, preferably with an axe, so 
as to leave a smooth slanting surface 
to shed rain. Peel carefully. Re- 
move even the papery inner bark, es- 
pecially from pine and basswood. 
Season at least five weeks. Treat 
only when bone dry and not less than 
three or four days after exposure to 
heavy rains. To test posts when sea- 
soning, weigh an average sample at 
intervals of five days. If the loss of 
moisture in that period is less than 
one pound per post of 5-inch average 
diameter, it may be safely used. 

Treatment. — This differs according 
to the kind of wood and the method 
employed. Soft wood absorbs more 
than hard wood. But, as a rule, limit 
the absorption to 0.4 gallon per post, 
if only the butt is treated, or 0.6 gal- 
lon, if the top is also impregnated. 
The best method is that which gives 
the deepest penetration in the short- 
est time. 

To treat posts with creosote fill 
the tank with oil to such a point that 
the butts will be submerged 6 inches 
higher than they will stand in the 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 253 



ground when set. Raise the tem- 
perature to 220° F. before putting in 
the post, and keep it there through- 
out the bath. If only one tank is 
used, the cold bath is brought about 
by removing the fire and leaving the 




Barrel Outfit. (C. P. Willis.) 

posts in the tank to cool until suf- 
ficient oil has been absorbed. More 
oil must be added from time to time 
to keep them submerged to the prop- 
er depth. 

If two tanks are used, liquefy the 
oil in the cold bath by warming to a 
temperature of from 100° to 120° F. 
Transfer the posts from the hot to 
the cold bath as quickly as possible. 
Immerse to the same point as the 
post stood in the hot liquid. Add 
more oil from time to time to keep 
the posts immersed at that level. Or, 
if desired, only the butts may be 
heated but the whole post may be 
submerged in the cold bath. Thus the 
butts will receive a heavy, and the 
tops a light treatment. The cost va- 
ries with the kind of wood, cost of 
materials and method of treatment 
employed. It may be estimated at 
from twelve to fifteen cents per post 
exclusive of fuel and labor. If posts 
are properly creosoted they will last 
twenty years. Roughly speaking, 
this process will result in a net sav- 
ing equal to the original value of the 
post. 

The best results may be secured by 
treating the various woods about as 
follows, assuming that all posts are 
round, peeled, seasoned and average 
about 5 inches in diameter. Use the 
single tank treatment as follows for 



the following woods, viz., white ash, 
iminerse in hot oil 5 hours, cooling oil 
13 hours; Cottonwood, hot oil 1 hour, 
cooling oil 13 hours; butternut, 
white elm and bitternut hickory, hot 
oil 6 hours, cooling oil 12 hours. Use 
the double tank treatment as follows: 
basswood, sweet (bay) magnolia and 
sycamore, hot oil 1 hour, cold oil A 
hour; for beech, sweet (red) gum, 
pin oak and red oak, hot oil 1 hour, 
cold oil f hour; for black gum, 
cotton (tupelo) gum, hot oil 1 hour, 
cold oil 1 hour; for loblolly and lodge- 
pole pine, hot oil lA hours, cold oil 1 
hour; for slippery elm, hot oil 1^ 
hours, cold oil 1| hours; for tulip 
tree, hot oil 2 hours, cold oil ^ hour; 
for river birch, pitch jjine and short 
leaf pine, hot oil 3 hours, cold oil 1 
hour; for sugar maple and scrub 
pine, hot oil 2 hours, cold oil 3 hours ; 
for white willow, hot oil 4 hours, cold 
oil 1 hour; for red maple, hot oil 3 
hours, cold oil 3 hours; for white 
poplar, hot oil 6 hours, cold oil 12 




Light iron tank heated ty the pipe 
method of direct heating. {0. P. Willis.) 

hours. White willow requires an es- 
pecially thorough seasoning. 

Preserving Shingles. — Shingles are 
sometimes preserved from warping 
and decay by painting or applying 
other preservatives with a brush. 
But this process is not to be recom- 
mended. To diji the shingles sepa- 
rately in paint or coal-tar derivatives 



294 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



is a better method. But far more 
satisfactory results can be had by 
impregnating shingles with creosote 
by the above plan. Cheap pine sliin- 
gles, clear and free from knots, can 
by this process be made superior to 
the best cedar shingles. And the life 
of the best shingles can be much 
prolonged. An apparatus similar to 
that used for posts may be employed 
or any kind of tank used in which 
one or more bundles of shingles can 
be immersed. But choose a deep tank 
rather than a shallow one to prevent 
loss of oil from volatilization. The 
exact treatment required for a given 
lot of shingles can be determined 
only by experiment. "Weigh a sample 
bundle before and after treatment 
and time the treatment so that the 
shingles will absorb from twelve to 
thirteen pounds of oil per bundle or 
six gallons per 1,000 shingles. The' 
cost should range from $1.25 to $1.50 
per thousand. Have the hot bath 
relatively longer than the cold. Ob- 
jections to this process are that creo- 
sote has a strong odor, contaminates 
cistern water and gets on shingle 
nails so that the workmen cannot 
hold them in their mouths. All these 
difficulties may be obviated by treat- 
ing the shingles a few weeks in ad- 
vance. Or a shingle nailing machine 
may be employed. The water may 
be diverted from the cistern for three 
or four days or a week; no taint will 
then be observed. The odor also 
passes away after a few days. 

To color creosote shingles red or. 
reddish brown, mix eight to twelve 
ounces of the required pig-ment 
ground in oil with an equal bulk 
of linseed oil and add to each gallon 
of the preservative. To color green, 
it is necessary to dip or paint the 
shingles. The green pigment is too 
expensive to mix with the creosote. 

Other Timbers. — In addition to 
posts and shingles, the life of other 
timbers which come in contact with 
the soil or are exposed to moisture 
may be greatly increased by the 
above method. Among these may be 
mentioned foundations, sills, beams. 



wooden walks and planking, the lower 
portion of board fences, and all lum- 
ber used near the ground in sheds 
or barns. The treatment to be given 
is similar to that for posts. 

Creosoted Wood Pavement. — Creo- 
soted wood blocks are in many re- 
spects the most satisfactory material 
for walks and drives. They are far 
superior to planking. While some- 
what more expensive than brick or 
concrete, they cost less than a good 
grade of asjihalt and under ordinary 
conditions about the home are prac- 
tically indestructible. The cost in 
quantities is from $3.50 to $3.00 per 
superficial square yard laid. Wood 
blocks may be sawed from any well- 
seasoned lumber of the kinds above 
mentioned and treated with creosote 
by the open tank process. But the 
commercial product treated by the 
vacuum pressure method is to be pre- 
ferred. 

To lay wood block j)avement first 
prepare a foundation of concrete 
four to six inches in thickness de- 
pending upon the amount of wear 
to which it will be subjected. Bring 
the surface to a true level, cover 




Method of cutting planks from logs. 
(C. L. Hill.) 

with a thin layer of Portland cement 
mortar, mixed slightly, damp and 
lay the blocks in the damp cement 
with pains to keep the surface true 
and even. Or let the cement harden 
and cover with a layer of tar in 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 295 



which set the blocks. Or lay over 
them a cushion of sand. But do not 
use sand on hillsides or other steep 
grades where it may be washed out 
and derange the pavement. The 
blocks must be sawed to uniform 
height. The illustration shows the 
method of cutting the planks from 
logs. 

Cover the pavement when laid 
with a layer of fine sand to fill the 
interstices. Or cover with coal-tar 
pitch heated to about 300° F. to in- 
sure perfect fluidity and scatter over 
this a top dressing of screened sharp 
sand or finely crushed stone about 
one-half inch in thickness. Should 
the pitch become soft in hot weather 
cover with a light dressing of sand. 

GOOD ROADS 

A nation-wide movement is on 
foot for improved roads throughout 
the United States. This has been 
brought about in part by the rapid 
extension of the use of the automo- 
bile among farmers and other rural 
residents. But it is also due to a 
better understanding both of the 
economic value of good roads and 
the principles of true economy in 
road making. The decreased cost of 
hauling resulting from better roads 
is not only a direct saving of time 
and money to farmers and rural mer- 
chants. It also increases farm val- 
ues. Other advantages are the in- 
crease of tourist travel, improvement 
of schools by combining district 
schools in one central graded system, 
improvement of the rural delivery 
service and general social betterment. 

The chief improvements required 
are the betterment of the road sur- 
face, reduction of grades, and short- 
ening the length of roads by chang- 
ing their location. The results sought 
are increased speed in hauling and 
ability to carry increased loads, or 
both. The average load which a 
horse can draw on a muddy earth 
road varies from nothing up to 800 
pounds; on a smooth dry earth road, 
from 1,000 to 2,000 pounds; on a 
gravel road in bad condition, from 



1,000 to 1,500 pounds or, if in good 
condition, about 3,300; on a macadam 
road, from 2,000 to 5,000 pounds; 
and on a brick road, from 5,000 to 
8,000 pounds. The effect of a good 
macadam road is therefore to in- 
crease the capacity of every horse 
from three to five times. The actual 
monetary loss in the United States 
from bad roads if computed in dol- 
lars and cents would stagger the 
imagination. Several states have 
adopted the policy of building high 
grade macadam roads under state 
supervision in localities where coun- 
ties or other local civil divisions 
agree to share the cost. All such 
movements should have the co-opera- 
tion of every good citizen. But since 
the cost of first class macadam roads 
is prohibitive in many localities from 
lack of available material and many 
other reasons, a knowledge of cheap- 
er methods of road making is of 
universal importance. 

Earth Roads. — A considerable ma- 
jority of all the public roads in the 
United States are of earth. These 
vary in character according to the 
soil of each locality. Some communi- 
ties are favored by nature with a 
convenient supply of gravel, or of 
stone suitable for road making when 
treated by the stone crusher. But 
elsewhere are large tracts of country 
in which no such materials are to be 
had. Reliance must usually be placed 
upon means of treating the native 
soils over which the road passes. 
These vary from pure sand, through 
all sorts of admixture of sand, loam, 
marl and clay, to solid beds of clay. 
Pure sand or pure clay present 
among the most diflBcult of all condi- 
tions. 

Sand Clay and Burnt Clay Roads. 
— While pure sand or pure clay are 
extreme types of bad roads, a proper 
combination of the two materials 
makes a type of road surface almost 
equal to macadam. Natural sand and 
clay roads are sometimes found. But 
more often there is a deficiency of 
either sand or clay. One or the 
other must then be supplied to pro- 



296 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



duce a satisfactory surface. Clays 
vary in binding power between two 
extreme types. One kind is very 
"plastic" or sticky when wet. This 
is called "ball clay" because a lump 
of it placed in water will keep its 
shape. The opposite type is less 
sticky but will readily crumble when 
wet. Ball clay is somewhat more 
difficult to handle but makes a better 
road because it has more binding 
power. Some clays contain more or 
less sand, loam, Or other constituents. 
Hence the method of road making 
varies somewhat according to the 
available materials. It is a good 
plan to experiment with clays from 
different beds and choose those which 
give the best results, even if they 
must be hauled greater distances. 

The ideal combination of sand and 
clay is in proportion such that the 
voids or spaces between the grains ' 
of sand are just filled with the finer 
clay particles. Any excess of clay 
defeats the object of the mixture by 
enabling the particles of sand to slip 
loosely over one another. 

To test the soil and ascertain the 
exact proportion of clay required, 
fill one of two glass tumblers level 
full of an average sample of sand 
from the roadbed and the other level 
full 'of water. Now gently pour 
enough of the water over the sand 
to fill the voids between the particles 
of sand up to the brim of the glass. 
Measure the quantity of water re- 
maining. The proportion taken up 
by the sand to the quantity remain- 
ing will show the proportion of clay 
which will make an ideal combination. 
In practice, the mixture of sand and 
clay should be about four or five 
inches in depth. Thus by measure- 
ments of the road surface to be cov- 
ered, the quantity of material re- 
quired can be readily estimated. But 
somewhat larger proportions of sand 
or clay will usually have to be added 
from time to time to take the place 
of that lost by washing and to mix 
with clay brought up from below in 
the process of road making, or by 
traffic. 



To Make a Sand Clay Road Over 
a Sandy Sub-soil. — First provide 
proper drainage. Then crown the 
roadbed slightly beginning nearest 
the source of clay. Now dump the 



Cross section of road, showing clay 
cover on "deep" sand sulhsoil. (Wm. 
L. Spoon.) 

first load of clay at the point near- 
est the clay bed and spread it out 
evenly before driving over it. Fin- 
ally crown the clay to a depth of 
six or eight inches in the middle of 
a twelve-foot road and taper to a 
thin edge at each , side. Cover to 
the required depth with a layer of 
clean sand. If the clay tends to 
crumble when wet it may not require 
any further treatment, except to add 
more sand from time to time to keep 
the surface smooth and prevent the 
formation of mud. But if it is of a 
plastic and lumpy character it will 
be necessary to plow or harrow it by 
turns to break up the lumps and 
thoroughly mix the clay and sand 
together. Choose for this purpose a 
time when the road has been thor- 
oughly wet by heavy rains and turn 
the surface to a depth of about four 
or five inches witli the plow. Follow 
with a cutaway or disc harrow. This 
is a hard job since the clay forms a 
thick, pasty mud. But if properly 
done, it produces a surface which 
will stand traffic almost as well as 
first class macadam and at about 
one-sixth the cost. 

The best clays for road making 
are usually red or mottled red and 
white. If such can be found it will 
pay to haul them considerable dis- 
tances. 

To Construct a Sand Clay Road 
Upon a Clay Sub-soil. — Take special 
care to provide proper drainage. 
Crown the clay at the rate of at least 
one-half inch per foot. Now turn 
over the surface to a depth of at least 
four inches with the plow and thor- 
oughly pulverize with the harrow. 
Choose for this purpose a time when 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 297 



the road is comparatively dry. Apply 
clean sharp sand to a depth of six 
to eight inches in the middle of the 
road and slope at the rate of one- 
half inch per foot, toward each side. 
Mix with the plow and harrow. Fin- 
ish the road by puddling with the 
harrow after a rain. Apply more 
sand to the surface from time to 
time, to keep it smooth and prevent 
its becoming sticky. 

To maintain a sand clay road, 
shape the surface with the scraper 
while wet and soft, but defer rolling 
until it has been thoroughly puddled 
by means of the harrow or by traffic. 
A sand clay road is not finished until 
a proper combination of the sand 
and clay has been effected under the 
influence of care and traffic, however 
long this may require. Hence, the 
cost of maintenance during the 
early stages may be projierly includ- 
ed in the cost of construction. But 
when a proper combination is ef- 
fected, the surface will be found 
practically as hard and durable as 
macadam. The total cost will be 
much less, usually at the rate of 
about $600.00 a mile. 

Burnt Clay Roads. — Where sand 
is not available, clay roads may be 
improved by burning or "clinkering" 
the clay to destroy its plasticity or 
sticky quality. Instructions for this 
process will be furnished by the Of- 
fice of Public Roads connected with 
the Department of Agriculture at 
Washington, D. C, on request. 

The Split Log Drag. — The best and 
cheapest means of maintaining all 
kinds of earth roads is the use of 
the split log drag. The average an- 
nual cost of maintenance of earth 
roads by other methods is from forty 
to fifty dollars a mile. Whereas earth 
roads can be kept in first class condi- 
tion under ordinary circumstances 
with the split log drag at from two 
to five dollars a mile. The cost of 
such a drag is nominal. There is no 
reason why any householder, who 
owns a team and has private roads to 
maintain upon his own lands, should 
not have a drag of his own. Inci- 



dentally, he can work the public road 
in front of his own premises, both 
with an eye to his own convenience 
and as an object lesson to others. 

To Make a Split Log Drag. — Se- 
lect preferably a dry red cedar log 
ten or twelve inches in diameter and 
seven or eight feet long. Split it 
carefully down the middle. Red elm 
or walnut when thoroughly dry are 
suitable, and either box elder, soft 
maple or weeping willow are pre- 
ferable to oak, hickory or ash. Se- 
lect the heavier and better slab for 
the front. Bore three holes with a 
two-inch auger; one, four inches 
from the end that is to be in the 
middle of the road, another twenty- 
two inches from the opposite end, 
and the tliird half way between the 
two. These are to receive the cross 
stakes. Now bore three correspond- 
ing holes in the back slab; the first, 
twenty inches from the end which is 
to be at the middle of the road, the 
second six inches from the opposite 
end, and the third in the middle as 
before. Take care to hold the auger 
plumb so that the stakes will fit prop- 
erly. 




Perspective vieio of split-log drag. 
(D. Ward King.) 

Select for the stakes straight 
grained timber, which will fit snugly 
in the two-inch holes. Cut these to 
such a length that the slabs will be 
kept thirty inches apart. Taper them 
gradually toward the end so that 
there will be no shoulder at the point 
where they enter the slab. Now 
bring the holes opposite one another, 
insert the stakes and fasten them 
solely by means of wedges. Insert 
a two-by-four brace diagonally to 
the stakes at the ditch end, as shown 
in the illustration. Drop this on the 



298 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



front slab so that the lower edge will 
be within one inch of the ground. 
Rest the other end between the slab 
and the end stake. 

Shoe the ditch end of the front 
slab with a strip of i inch iron or 
steel about 3J feet long and 4 inches 
wide. Bolt this to the front slab 
with flat head bolts, countersunk. Lo- 
cate this shoe half an inch below the 
lower edge of the slab at the ditch 
end and flush with the edge of the 
slab at the middle of the road. In- 
sert a wedge between the lower edge 
of this shoe and the slab so as to 
give it a set like the bit of a plane. 
Lay a platform of 1 inch boards, 
held together by three cleats, on the 
stakes between the slabs. Separate 
the boards an inch or more apart 
to let the earth fall through them. 
Let the cleats clear the stakes and ex- 
tend them an inch on either side of ' 
the finished platform. 

Bore another 2 inch auger hole 4 
inches from the ditch end of the 
front slab to receive one end of a 
trace chain and hold it by a pin 
passed through a link. Pass the 
other end of the trace chain over the 
front slab and wrap it around the 
rear stake. This allows the earth 
to drift past the face of the drag. 

Plank may be used instead of split 
logs if preferred by strengthening 
them along their middle line by a 
2 inch by 6 inch strip of timber. 

To maintain an earth road in 
good condition use the drag when the 
soil is moist but not sticky, and will 
move freely along the faces of the 
slabs. Drive the team with one horse 
on either side of the right hand wheel 
pit or rut for the full length of the 
portion to be dragged. Return upon 
the other half of the roadway. This 
moves the earth toward the center, 
gives it a proper crown and fills the 
ruts. The fresh earth will be packed 
by traffic. 

There are many fine points about 
the use of the split log drag which 
can best be learned by experience. 
In general, fasten the snatch link or 
clevis nearer the ditch end, so that 



the drag will follow the team at an 
angle of 45°, To deepen the cut 
lengthen the hitch and vice versa. 
As a rule, 1* trace chains will be 
sufficient. Ride the drag standing 
and observe how to deepen or lesserj 
the cut, pass over obstructions and 
the like, by shifting your position. 

Ditch Cleaner. — To make a ditch 
cleaner select a 3 inch guide plank 
12 feet long and 12 inches wide and 
attach to it a mold board of 2 inch 
plank 12 inches by 8 feet. Brace 
these with a 3 foot cross piece. 

Shoe the mold board with a i 
inch iron plate 4 inches wide by 3 
feet long fastened by f inch bolts, 
countersunk. Hollow the cross 
boards 3 inches on each side of the 
middle beginning not less than 4 
inches from each end, so as not to 
shorten its bearing against the guide 
plank or mold board, or decrease the 
nailing space. This will keep the 
earth from heaping up against it. 
Hitch one end of the trace chain to 
a bolt about mid-way the intersection 
of the mold board and guide plank, 
carry the other over the top of the 
mold board and fasten to a hook or 
staple. Add a weight of about 200 
pounds over the front end. Use two 
or more horses according to condi- 
tions. Endeavor to maintain a 
smooth, even surface at the bottom 
of the ditch over which water can 
flow smoothly. Hence, pass lightly 
over soft spots, but cut hard places 
down to an equal level. To do this 
ride the ditcher standing and shift 
your weight forward to depress the 
point or back to raise it. This type 
of ditcher should precede the split 
log drag. It will assist in preserv- 
ing an even slope from the crown of 
the road to the bottom of the ditch. 
It thus facilitates drainage and pre- 
vents accidents from ditches with too 
abrupt slopes. 

LIGHTNING CONDUCTORS 

The words "lightning rod agent" 
have become a by-word from the 
fact that while the need of protec- 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 299 



tion against loss from fire, or death 
of persons or stock from lightning 
strokes, is universally felt, yet the 
subject, in the minds of most per- 
sons, is surrounded with mystery. It 
has been easy for designing men to 
play upon this combination of ignor- 
ance and fear. Not only have many 
supposed contracts for lightning rods 




Method of placing lightning rods on a 
iuilding having no cupola or chimney. 
Length, of tuilding, aiout 25 feet. 
(Alfred J. Henry.) 

turned out to be cleverly devised 
promissory notes. Most often the 
equipment provided, if any, has 
proved ineflBcient, although the price 
paid was ruinously high. Hence there 
is a general prejudice against light- 
ning rods and a widespread belief 
that, if not precisely worthless, they 
will not justify the expense of in- 
stallation. Owing to recent experi- 
ments and discoveries any household- 
er who is handy with tools can now 
equip his premises with efficient 
lightning conductors at very low cost. 
The materials can be purchased from 
any of the large electrical supply 
houses in the principal cities or from 
the big mail order concerns. 

To wire a building with lightning 
conductors requires only a sufficient 
length of No. 3 or No. 4 double- 
galvanized iron telegraph wire, a 
pound, more or less, of galvanized 
iron s-taples, and a few connecting 
tees, known as "Tee conductors of 
J inch rod." There are three grades 
of galvanized iron wire known as 



Extra Best Best (E. B. B.), Best 
Best (B. B.) and steel. The "extra 
best best" is to be preferred to either 
of the cheaper grades of iron wire 
or to copper. It is a wise economy 
to pay the difference for the "extra 
best best" double-galvanized. Ob- 
serve that there are three standards 
of wire gauges: Brown and Sharp 
(B. & S.), Roebling, and the Bir- 
mingham wire gauge of England. 
Observe also that the size of the wire 
increases as the numbers diminish, 
i. e.. No. 4 wire is smaller than No. 
3. Use for small buildings such as 
hen houses, sheds and small barns 
or dwellings. No. 4 wire, B. & S. 
gauge. Or for large barns and resi- 
dences. No. 3 of the same gauge or 
their equivalent in other gauges. If 
a building is large enough to require 
two vertical wires down each side of 
the building and wire along the ridge 
of the roof, it is advisable to use 
No. 3 wire. 

To protect from lightning' a 
building having a wooden roof, sim- 
ply run a wir^ along the ridge pole 
and connect with this, by means of 
tees, one or more side wires. Ex- 
tend these down the slope of the 
roof and sides of the building and 
sink their lower ends in the ground. 
Fasten the wires to the building by 
galvanized iron staples about 1 inch 
long. It is not necessary to insulate 
them in any way. 

Or tack a row of small wooden 
blocks IJ inches thick, 2^ inches 
wide and 4 inches long down the 
slope of the roof and side of tlie 
building at intervals of 10 feet or 
less, insert in each a stout screweye 
and pass the wire through these. 

The length of wire required will 
depend upon the size of the building 
and the number of side wires em- 
ployed. The rule is to space the side 
wires about 25 or 30 feet apart. Thus 
a barn 50 or 60 feet long should 
have at least two vertical conductors 
on each of its opposite sides. The 
simplest way to measure the length 
of wire required is to toss a ball of 
stout cotton twine over the ridge 



300 



HOUSEHOI^D DISCOVERIES 



pole. Hold one end and let it un- 
ravel as it goes. Fasten the end of 
the cord you hold to the sill, go 
around to the other side of the build- 
ing, and draw it taut directly oppo- 
site. But take care not to stretch it 
more than is necessary. Cut it off, 
pull it down and measure it with a 
tape, yardstick or any similar de- 
vice. It is well to order a few yards 
extra to cover any possible stretch- 
ing of the cord. Allow also for the 
ridge pole wire and the necessary 
terminals. 

Terminals. — At every chimney, 
cupola or other obstruction of the 
roof, erect a "terminal" or vertical 
rod of wire about 20 inches long. 
Also erect terminals at each end of 
the ridge pole by making a right 
angle bend in the wire which runs 
along the ridge at intervals of 20' 
inches from the respective ends. 
Also erect similar terminals at each 
junction of a side wire with the 
ridge wire and elsewhere, so that 
there will be a terminal about every 
18 or 20 feet along the ridge of the 
roof. Fasten each of these to the 
ridge wire by a tee connector. 



or no resistance to the wind. Do 
not leave the ends of the terminals 
blunt. File them to a cone shape. 




Two types of tee connections. 
(Alfred J. Henry.) 

To put up the wires first slip the 
necessary tees on to the horizontal 
ridge wire and erect them at the 
points of junction with the down- 
ward direct wires and at other points 
where required. Fasten the horizon- 
tal wire with staples. Now insert 
the side wires and terminals in the 
tee conductors. Slip the side wires 
through the screweyes or fasten them 
by means of staples, and ground 
them as hereafter directed. The ter- 
minals are short and will oflFer little 




Shoiving method of running horizontal 
conductor around a chimney or cupola. 
(Alfred J. Henry.) 

And as this removes the galvanizing, 
coat the tips heavily with aluminum 
paint to prevent rusting. 

Earth Connections. — The ends of 
the side wires must be sunk in the 
ground deep enough to reach per- 
manently moist earth at the shortest 
possible distance. Coil the end of 
the wire in a spiral about 1 foot in 
diameter and bury this in moist earth 
at whatever depth it may be found. 

Or drive a IJ inch galvanized 
iron pipe into the ground at the foot 
of the main conductors deep enough 
to encounter permanently moist soil. 
Thrust the wire into this and fill the 
interstices with powdered charcoal. 
But before inserting the wire, pro- 
vide a cap for the top of the pipe, 
with a hole through it big enough to 
admit the wire and also to allow wa- 
ter to drip down the wire into the 
inside of the pipe. Pass the wire 
through the cap, insert the charcoal 
and finally screw the cap firmly in 
position. 

It is a good plan to bring the rain 
spouts down from the eaves to a 



OUTDOOR PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 301 



point near these earth connections to 
keep the ground moist. Or if there 
are no down rain spouts bore holes, 
or insert a short spout over these 
points, in the eaves so that the 
ground connections will catch the 
drip from the roof. 

To Wire a Building Having' a 
Metallic Roof. — Simply connect each 
corner of the roof with a side wire 
running to the ground and grounded 
as above described. Or provide me- 
tallic rain spouts and connect them 
with the ground in the same manner. 
But observe that to afford protec- 
tion, there must be an unbroken me- 
tallic path from the ridge of the 
roof to permanent moist earth with- 
in the ground. Hence observe that 
there must be a good metallic joint 
between the rain spout or wire and 
the metal of the roof. Also pro- 
vide a similar joint between the 
metal rain spout and the wire con- 
nection to the ground. To make 
such a joint hammer the end of the 
wire into a flat tape and both bolt 
and solder it to the roof and also 
to the rain spout. Since this process 
destroys the galvanizing, keep the 
joint well coated with aluminum 
paint. 

In putting up lightning conduc- 
tors avoid bending the wire a^ sharp 



angles when passing chimneys and 
cupolas and also in passing around 
the eaves. A gooseneck bend is al- 
ways to be preferred to a sharp one. 
Or preferably bore a hole through 
the overhang of the roof so as to 
let the wire pass the eaves close to 
the wall of the building. 

Cautions. — Keep the lightning con- 
ductors as far as possible from gas 
pipes in the building, if any, but 
preferably connect them with water 
pipes, provided the latter are in good 
connection with the ground. See that 
the joints are mechanically perfect. 
Examine them frequently, especially 
after thunder storms, to make sure 
that they are not broken. Give the 
whole system two coats of aluminum 
paint when installed and repaint 
every two or three years. 

To Mend leaky Roofs. — A cor- 
respondent furnishes the following 
recipe for mending leaks in old tin 
or other metal roofs, or about chim- 
neys, eaves or gutter spouts where 
the flashing has given out. He states 
that this formula alone has earned 
for him more than $300: 

Mix equal parts, by bulk, of fine 
sifted coal ashes and whiting with 
boiled linseed oil to the consistency 
of thin mortar. Apply liberally to 
the holes and leaks with a trowel. 



CHAPTER IX 

THE DAY'S ROUTINE 

CLEANING AND POLISHING STOVES — DISHWASHING — CARE OF 
KITCHEN WARES— CARE OF GLASSWARE AND CUT GLASS- 
STEEL KNIVES AND FORKS— CARE OF SILVERWARE— CARE 
OF SINKS AND DISPOSAL OF GARBAGE— CHAMBER WORK- 
CARE OF LAMPS 



CLEANING AND POLISHING 
STOVES 

Care of Kitchen Range. — Remove 
cinders and ashes each morning, 
brush out the inside of fire box and 
flues, and brush oiF the outside with 
wings or a hair brush; wash off the 
stove, if greasy, with soda and water 
and a piece of flannel. Blacken and 
polish. 

Clean steel fittings from rust with 
sweet oil or kerosene and polish with 
emery. Clean brass fittings with em- 
ery or bath brick by means of flannel, 
and polish with chamois. Clean the 
hearth with hot water and soda by 
means of a flannel cloth. 

Care of Stoves. — The cook stove or 
range may be kept in good order by 
a daily brushing or rubbing and by 
a thorough blacking and polishing 
once a week. 

Cook Stove — To Keep Clean. — 
Sprinkle a little salt over anything 
burning on the stove to remove the 
dirt. Have at hand small sheets of 
sandpaper to remove whatever ad- 
heres. 

To Keep the Hands Clean. — Be- 
fore polishing the stove rub lard un- 
der the finger nails. 

Dilute the polish in a saucer with 
water or vinegar, and apply with a 
common dishwashing mop. Draw 
over the hand a small paper bag, and 
polish with a flannel or other cloth. 

Or use a polishing mitten, but the 



liquid blacking will work through the 
polishing mitten and soil the hands, 
whereas the paper bags can be 
changed as fast as they become 
soiled. 

If the hands become soiled with 
blacking, first rub them thoroughly 
with lard, then wash with soap and 
water. 

Stove Blacking. — Dissolve i 
ounce .of alum in 1 gill of soft water. 
Add 6J pounds of plumbago mixed 
with 12 ounces of lampblack. Stir 
vigorously. Stir in IJ gills of mo- 
lasses, next ^ bar of white soap dis- 
solved in 3 pints of water, and lastly 

1 ounce of glycerin. This is a com- 
mercial article which has a great rep- 
utation. 

Or beat up the whites of 3 eggs 
and mix in J pound of black lead. 
Dilute with sour beer or ale to the 
consistency of cream, and boil gently 
for 15 or 30 minutes. 

Or mix 8 ounces of copperas, 4 
ounces of bone black, and 4 ounces of 
black lead with water to the consist- 
ency of cream. 

Or melt 1 pound of hard yellow 
soap with a little boiling water, and 
while hot stir in 1 pound of pow- 
dered soft coal. Cool, and preserve 
in tight fruit jars or wide-mouthed 
bottles for use. 

Or mix 4 ounces of black lead with 

2 tablespoonfuls of vinegar, 1 tea- 
spoonful of sugar, and a piece of yel- 
low soap the size of a butternut> 



302 



THE DAY'S ROUTINE 



303 



Melt the soap with gentle heat and 
reduce while hot to the consistency 
of cream with coffee strained through 
a cheesecloth. Stir in J teaspoonful 
of alum. 

Or use vinegar instead of water 
for mixing any of the above. The 
work of polishing will not be so hard, 
and the polish will last longer. 

Or mix with oil of turpentine. 
This prevents and removes rust. 

Or add a little sugar or alum to 
any of the above; or a little benzine 
or naphtha to help cut the grease. 
If these are added the stove must be 
polished cold. 

To Apply Polish. — Apply stove 
polish in liquid form by softening 
with a little vinegar or turpentine, 
and spread on with a dishwashing- 
mop or wide painter's brush. 

Or rub a piece of flannel with wet 
yellow soap. Dip it into dry pow- 
dered blacking and apply. This 
saves friction and makes the labor of 
polishing much easier. 

Or, if a stove is much covered 
with grease, mix powdered blacking 
with gasoline and rub it on rapidly 
with flannel. Clean the stove thor- 
oughly as you go, as the gasoline 
evaporates quickly. Of course the 
stove must be entirely cold. 

To Polish Stoves. — Polishing cloths 
may be purchased, or a substitute 
may be made from any old glove or 
mitten by sewing to the palm several 
thicknesses of outing flannel, velvet- 
een, or a piece of sheepskin with the 
wool on. 

Or polish the stove with newspa- 
pers. 

Or take a large paper bag, insert 
the hand part way, and crumple up 
the remainder to polish with. 

Or use the paper that electric-light 
globes are cleaned with. This can be 
bought of any electrical plant, and 
will give a fine polish as well as 
economize blacking. 

To Clean Nickel. — Clean the nickel 
or other metal trimmings on stoves 
with whiting. Mix to a thin paste 
with aqua ammonia or water, or both. 
Cover the parts with this and allow it 



to dry. Afterwards rub it off and 
polish with dry flannel or polishing 
cloth. 

Or apply baking soda diluted to a 
thin paste with aqua ammonia. 

Care of New Stoves. — A new stove 
should be heated gradually, and the 
oven door should be left open for 
half a day or more before it is used. 
If a new stove is allowed to become 
too hot there is danger that it may 
be cracked or warped. If an oven 
is overheated the first time it will not 
retain the heat well afterwards. 
Ironware of all kinds should first be 
tempered by gradual heat. 

Stove Holders. — Few homemade 
gifts will be more appreciated than 
a generous supply of kitchen holders. 
A half dozen is not too many to have 
at hand in the kitchen at all times, 
and two or three times as many 
should be provided, as there will al- 
ways be some in the wash. They can 
be made of odd pieces that would 
otherwise go to waste. Stove holders 
containing a thin sheet of asbestos 
between two pieces of canvas or oth- 
er cloth are perhaps the best noncon- 
ductors. Thin asbestos cloth comes 
by the yard at a small price, and a 
single thickness, protected by two 
pieces of cloth, makes a holder that 
is quite fireproof. 

A large pair of loose mittens of 
canvas or outing flannel lined with 
asbestos will be found very useful to 
take hot dishes out of the oven, and 
for other use about the stove. 
Fasten to these a stout cord or piece 
of tape about 3 feet long, and when 
much cooking is to be done slip one 
of them under the apron band or 
belt. Thus both will be suspended so 
that they will always be at hand. 

Old stocking legs, especially of 
wool, which is a nonconductor, make 
good holders. Fold the legs inward- 
ly three times to form a square, 
stitch across it, and also stitch it 
diagonally in a crisscross pattern, 
an inch or two apart, on the sew- 
ing machine, to prevent wrink- 
ling in the wash. Two old stock- 
ings prepared in this way and 



J04 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



stitched together at the sides and ends 
so as to admit of a removable square 
of asbestos between make the best 
kitchen holders. Or they may be cov- 
ered with strong washable material, 
as denim or duck. Attach loops of 
strong tape at one or more corners, 
or sew on brass curtain rings and 
hang them on a nail or hook near the 
stove. 

Or cover the holders with pieces of 
ticking or cretonne or worn-out over- 
alls. Two holders fastened together 
by a piece of tape about 18 inches 
long and hung by the apron belt are 
a great kitchen convenience. 

Uses for Asbestos. — Asbestos is a 
fireproof substance which is found in 
the earth in a natural state. It has a 
short fiber, but whether it is of animal 
or mineral origin is not known. The 
commercial article can be purchased 
in the form of cloth or boards of vary- 
ing degrees of thickness, or mixed with 
cement in strong, smooth plates. As- 
bestos is the best protection possible 
against heat, and has numberless uses 
in the household. A piece of hard, 
smooth asbestos board under the range, 
cook stove, parlor stove, gas stove, or 
small oil stove, is superior to iron or 
zinc because it is durable, easier to 
keep olean, and presents a better ap- 
pearance. The woodwork near stoves 
may be protected by the same mate- 
rial, also the collars above stovepipes 
where they pass through the ceiling 
and side walls. 

Candle lamp shades may be pro- 
tected by a collar or lining of asbes- 
tos ; dinner mats, either square or oval, 
made of two thicknesses of linen, with 
an opening at one end to admit a 
square of asbestos, will prevent the 
hot tea or coffee pot or dishes con- 
taining hot food from injuring the 
tablecloth or the polished surface of 
the table. Holders of washable ma- 
terial containing a removable square 
of asbestos are light, fireproof, and 
convenient, and asbestos mats lined 
with wire have many uses about the 
stove. They may be placed in a hot 
oven to prevent cakes and pies from 
burning on the bottom, and also on 



the top of the stove to prevent the 
contents of kettles and saucepans 
from burning. A small asbestos mat, 
wire lined, with a hole cut through 
the asbestos in the center, but not 
through the wire, will be found useful 
for warming milk and other things in 
cups and small saucepans with round- 
ed bottoms. The heat is applied to 
the bottom instead of the sides, and 
the vessel will not tip over. 

To Clean Grates. — ^When stirring the 
coal or wood in an open grate fire, 
spread a newspaper in front of the 
grate, or clear across the hearth if it 
is a small one, and work while the 
paper burns. The flames will cause 
a rushing draught that will carry the 
dust up the chimney. 

Or, to prevent the dust flying, if 
the fire is out, sprinkle a handful of 
- wet tea leaves over the ashes. 

To Clean a Hearth. — Cover grease 
spots on the hearth with hot ashes or 
live coals, or sprinkle fuller's earth 
on the spots. Cover with live coals 
and brush away after the grease has 
been absorbed. 

To Black a Hearth. — Shave | bar 
of yellow soap into 1 pint of boil- 
ing water and stir in | pound of black 
lead. Boil 10 or 15 minutes, stirring 
vigorously. Dilute with water if nec- 
essary, and apply with a brush. 

Or beat up black lead with white of 
eggs. Lay on with a brush and polish. 

Care of Matches. — Keep a stock of 
matches on a high and dry shelf in a 
covered earthen jar or tin box with 
a tight lid where they will be out of 
the way of children and safe from 
rats and mice. These animals are fond 
of phosphorus, and will gnaw match 
heads if they can, and often set them 
on fire. Have a covered match safe 
in each room where they are in fre- 
quent use. A match safe fastened to 
a piece of sandpaper will be found a 
great convenience. To hold burnt 
matches, a wineglass suspended with 
a bit of ribbon and hung on the gas 
jet or near the stove will be found 
useful. 

To Clean, a Gas Range. — Do not 
black a gas range, but wash the 



THE DAY'S ROUTINE 



305 



greasy parts in a strong solution of 
potash lye or sal soda, afterwards 
thoroughly clean and dry. Do not 
put blacking or anything else on the 
burners, as it is likely to clog them 
and interfere with the flame. 

Care of a Gas Range. — Keep the 
gas stove clean both inside and out. It 
is not hot enough to burn off or absorb 
P vegetable or animal matter. Hence 
^ it should never be blacked, as the 
blacking is likely to rub off on the 
f, clothing. As soon as it is dry and 

P while still warm rub evevy portion, 
inside and out, thorouglily with an 
oily cloth. Use kerosene for this pur- 
pose, or a very little lard or suet, but 
olive oil is prolaably the most desirable. 
Do not wash the stove or apply an 
oily cloth while it is cold or while the 
burners are in use. To do so will 
cause rust, cakes of fat, or disagree- 
able odors when the stove is next 
lighted. 

If the stove is to be detached and 
stored away, it should be thoroughly 
cleaned and given a coat of some rust- 
proof varnish. 

Care of Burners. — Never black 
the top of a perforated or any other 
burner. Clean it with a damp cloth, 
and while warm wipe it off with an 
oily cloth to make the red burned 
appearance less pronounced. If the 
burners are removable boil them from 
time to time in borax water. But 
some burners cannot be removed un- 
less taken apart. When this is done 
take care to get the burners back in 
their right places. Especially the 
giant or large burner must be attached 
to its right key or gas outlet, other- 
wise it will not get the proper flow 
of gas. 

The burners should always be warm 
when washed, and after being dried 
should be replaced on their keys, 
lighted at once, and burned a few 
seconds or until the flame is clear. If 
particles that have been released in 
the pipe leading to the burner lodge 
in the pipe, tap the pipe leading from 
the key to the burner. This dislodges 
the particles and allows the gas to 
carry them on and out through the 



burner. When sweeping cover the 
range well, or else particles of dust 
may lodge on or in the burners, and 
be carried into the air mixture, 
whence they produce flames full of 
red specks. 

Care of Air Mixers. — Just back of 
the keys in every gas range is a round 
device with from 3 to 5 slots or open- 
ings. This regulates the air supply. 
These may be called the lungs of the 
gas stove, since through them the burn- 
ers take in the air necessary to insure 
perfect combustion. Hence these parts 
must be kept free and clear of any 
accumulation of dirt, or the flame 
will have a white luminous tip, which 
will smut pans and lessen the amount 
of heat. Too much care cannot be 
taken to keep these air spaces clear 
and free. They must be frequently 
wiped out. 

Care of the Oven. — Great care must 
be taken to keep the racks of the oven 
clean, especially if they are of sheet 
iron or heavy wire, since they may be 
utilized in many ways. Remove them 
occasionally and scrub them with pot- 
ash lye or strong solution of sal soda 
by means of a stiff fiber brush. Rinse 
with boiling water and dry thoroughly 
before returning to the oven. Never 
broil anything on the top of the stove, 
as the unconsumed food and grease 
will drop down and clog up the burn- 
ers, and can only be removed by boil- 
ing in strong lye. 

To clean oven doors lined with alu- 
minum, mix whiting and potash or sal 
soda with water and scrub by means 
of a stiff brush. After baking or 
roasting, wipe out the oven while still 
warm. Use an old newspaper for this 
purpose. This will save much future 
trouble in scrubbing. 

To wash the drip trays, take them 
out while warm, fill them with boiling 
water in which a little caustic potash 
or sal soda is dissolved, and scrub 
with a coarse fiber brush. 

To kill the odors of cooking, put a 
few pieces of charcoal tied with a 
piece of white cheese cloth in cabbage, 
onions, or similar dishes. This will be 
a great help in reducing the odor. 



306 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



To Light Gas Stoves. — In lighting 
the top burners do not be in a hurry. 
Locate the burner you wish to use, 
and with your eye follow the pipe 
from the burner down to the keys in 
front of the range, so as to be sure 
you turn the proper key. When you 
turn on the gas count five; meanwhile 
strike a match. After the fifth count 
apply the match to the back of the 
burner, bringing it forward over the 
burner. This method of lighting is 
almost sure to prevent the snapping 
sound sometimes heard. 

If spurts of flame are not seen at 
all the holes in a burner, a slight 
breath directed across the flames will 
cause all the jets to light. 

To prevent snapping and burning 
of gas in the air mixers, loosen the 
front of the air mixer just behind the 
key, and reduce the opening until the 
burner can be lighted. There should 
never be a white tip on the flame. 

Waste of Gas. — Turn down the 
burner as soon as the food begins to 
cook. When water bubbles the burner 
should be turned down. It is a com- 
mon mistake to suppose that when the 
water in a dish or vessel reaches the 
boiling point it will continue to get 
hotter if the gas is left turned on full. 
In fact, water turns to steam at the 
boiling point, 212° F., and does not 
get any hotter, but merely evaporates 
more quickly; and there is not only 
waste of gas but additional trouble in 
replacing the water lost by evapora- 
tion, as well as the liability of food 
burning or cooking into a sticky mass 
on the bottom of the saucepan. When 
food begins to cook, the valve or cock 
can be turned off two thirds. Do not 
turn on the gas and go hunting for 
a match in another room. Do not 
light the burners, and then stop to 
prepare vegetables or hunt up sauce- 
pans. Light the burner just as you 
reach the range, saucepan in hand, 
ready to begin cooking, and turn off 
the gas as soon as the saucepan is 
removed. 

Obtain a set of two semicircular or 
three triangular saucepans that can 
be placed on a single burner at the 



same time. They economize space and 
gas, as two or three vegetables can be 
cooked at the same time over the same 
burner. 

Ironing with Gas. — Get a, strip of 
metal large enough to hold four or 
five flatirons, and heat the irons on 
this. A single gas burner will heat 
the metal from end to end, and thus 
do the work of three or four. The 
same strip of metal can be used for 
making griddlecakes. Turn over the 
irons a metal pan so as to save the 
top heat, and turn the gas down low. 
With care, four or five flats can be 
kept hot at a cost of about ten cents 
for an ordinary ironing. Do not put 
flatirons directly over a gas flame, as 
the watery vapor from the flame will 
rust and consequently roughen them. 

Or get a flatiron heated with gas, 
y^hich can be connected with rubber 
gas tubing. Several of these irons 
are on the market, and with proper 
adjustment will give satisfactory re- 
sults. 

Broiling with Gas. — To broil with 
gas, light the burner about ten min- 
utes before the meat is put into the 
broiling compartment. Take off the 
excess of fat, wipe the meat with a 
damp cloth, slice the gristle to keep 
the edge from curling, and lay the meat 
on the gridiron as close to the fire as 
possible. Always leave the broiling- 
oven door open to prevent the meat 
from taking fire. 

Put a little water in the drip pan to 
catch and cool the melted fat. 

DISHWASHING 

There is no single operation of 
housekeeping in which system will save 
so much time as in dishwashing. Sys- 
tem is only force of habit and soon 
becomes second nature. The follow- 
ing suggestions are condensed from 
the practical experience of a large 
number of intelligent housewives. 

(1) Wash the cooking utensils as 
soon as the food is emptied out of 
them and before it is placed on the 
table. Or, if this is not convenient, 
fill them with hot water and leave 



THE DAY'S ROUTINE 



507 



them to soak. (2) After the meal is 
finished, and before clearing the table, 
prepare a place in the kitchen to re- 
ceive the soiled dishes. (3) Scrape off 
all bits of food into one dish, using 
preferably a good plate scraper of 
sheet rubber. This will remove all 
food and grease, and will not injure 
the most delicate china. If greasy 
dishes are not scraped, the dishwater 
will become too foul, and it will be 
difficult to wash or wipe the dishes 
clean. Greasy dishwater also makes 
the sink difficult to clean, and tends 
to stop up the spout. If a little lye 
is scattered over very greasy dishes, it 
will cleanse them readily by partially 
transforming the grease into soap. Be 
careful not to use lye strong enough 
to injure the skin. (4) Sort the dishes 
and stack them up in an orderly way, 
with the smallest articles on top ; place 
the glass, small china articles, silver, 
and other delicate pieces together; 
next, cups and saucers, sauce dishes 
and the like, and finally plates, plat- 
ters, and larger objects. (5) Load 
these lots on a large tray in the above 
order, carry them to the kitchen, and 
keep them separate until they are 
washed, wiped, and put away. This 
method saves frequent steps to the 
kitchen as well as confusion in sorting 
them there. Lay a newspaper or piece 
of wrapping paper over a large pan, 
scrape all the garbage into that, and 
if possible burn it in the range. Or 
use a small garbage burner. Or ob- 
tain a good, odorless garbage can that 
can be thoroughly disinfected and 
cleaned. Keep at hand a grease kettle 
in which to preserve scraps of grease. 
Sprinkle a little lye on the most greasy 
cooking utensils, as skillets, iron ket- 
tles, and platters, and rinse them into 
the grease pot. The lye will keep the 
grease sweet and assist in the process 
of soap making. Save the tea leaves 
to be used for sweeping. (6) Next 
prepare a suds with soap or any wash- 
ing compound. Borax is good. Wash 
first in hot suds the silver, glass, and 
delicate china, using a swab with a 
long wooden handle. Wipe the silver 
as soon as it is washed. Put the glass 



and china in a wire basket, and pour 
hot water over them. (7) Place the 
second lot of dishes — cups and saucers, 
vegetable and side dishes — in the dish- 
water, and allow them to soak while 
the first lot are being wiped. (8) Add 
hot water if necessary, wash the sec- 
ond lot of dishes, set them in the 
drainer, and place the third lot in the 
suds, or make new suds for it if neces- 
sary. (9) Next make fresh suds for 
milk pans, if any, and other tinware. 
Finally, wash the ironware — roaster, 
gridiron, pots, and kettles. Use for 
this purpose a little lye and scrape 
with a stiff fiber brush. 

Conveniences for Dishwashing. — 
The process of dishwashing will be 
much simplified if a large bench or 
table can be arranged to stand beside 
the sink, with the china cabinet or 
pantry for the ordinary tableware 
placed just above it. In many mod- 
ern kitchens (especially in city apart- 
ment houses) an arrangement which is 
ideal allows the dishwasher to wash, 
dry, and put away most of the dishes 
without leaving the sink. The time 
and steps lost in walking from the 
sink to the table, even if but a few 
feet distant, and thence to pantry or 
closet, is a waste of energy that can 
never be justified. If, for any reason, 
a permanent bench or table cannot be 
placed near the sink, get a movable 
folding table like a sewing table, or 
a shelf arranged to let down against 
the wall. A small shelf or cupboard 
above the sink to contain soap, borax, 
washing powder, and various utensils 
will be found convenient. 

The sink should be placed high 
enough so that the dishes may be 
washed without stooping. The top of 
the adjacent table should be slightly 
above and overlapping the sink, and 
with just enough slope to let the wa- 
ter drain back into it. Or a small 
cleat may be tacked on the edges of 
the table, front and back, projecting 
about a quarter of an inch, and the 
whole covered with oilcloth. This will 
let the drainage water flow back into 
the sink, and the top of the table can 
be easily kept both dry and clean. 



308 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Provide a strong stool, high enough 
to allow sitting down at the sink to 
pare vegetables and for other pur- 
poses. 




"Air ts Admitted to Every Part. 



Convenient utensils are: a swab 
made by fastening strips of linen or 
cotton to the end of a wooden handle; 
a small brush, like a nail brush, and 
a larger scrubbing brush for cleaning 
vegetables; a soap shaker, which may 
be homemade; a pot scraper, which 
may be ^ ordinary clam shell; and a 
wire dish drainer, either bought or 
homemade, which may be hung on a 
neighboring wall. A closet under the 
sink is not advisable. It is better to 
have the plumbing exposed and paint 
the under portion of the sink white, 
or cover it with white enamel. This 
may be done by any member of the 
family. The wall behind the sink 
should be protected by zinc, and if 
the table is covered with zinc instead 
of oilcloth, so much the better. 

Or a curtain of any soft, cheap ma- 
terial may be hung against the wall 
so that the lower edge will just reach 
the table top. This should be of 
washable material so that it can be 
changed weekly. A line of strong cord 
or picture wire should be strung near 
at hand to hold the dishcloths and 
towels. The garbage can may be 
placed under the sink or to the right. 



A three-cornered wire drainer, fas- 
tened in the corner of the sink, will 
be found convenient to receive vege- 
table parings, and also to strain the 
dishwater. A small shovel of cast 
iron, similar in shape to a fire shovel, 
will be a great convenience to lift 
scraps from the sink to the garbage 
can. 

Have one or more wood fiber brushes 
to clean dishes, kettles, a,nd pans. The 
fibers are stifPer than bristles, and 
hence do more eflFective work. A whisk 
or two will clean an empty potato or 
gravy kettle as soon as the vessel is 
emptied. A convenient size for brush 
is 3 by 2i inches. 

Washboard. — Hang beside the sink 
a small washboard. Use this to rub 
out dishcloths, and to keep towels 
sweet and clean. 

- Hinged Table. — A hinged table or 
bench that can be let down, and lifted 
up against the wall when not in use, 
is often convenient in a small kitchen, 
or where an ordinary table would be 
in the way. Have tliis bench or table 
just high enough to let down over 
one's lap when sitting in a chair. A 
great deal of work can thus be done 
sitting. 

Or use an ordinary collapsible sew- 
ing table for this purpose. 

Dishwashing Machines. — ^Many un- 
successful attempts were made in the 
past to invent dishwashing machines. 
Some of these took more time to clean 
than was required to wash the dishes 
themselves. Good ones can now be 
purchased, however, that will wash 
the dishes not only quicker, but bet- 
ter, than by the old-fashioned way. 
These machines are simple in construc- 
tion, are easily cleaned, and, if given 
proper attention, will last many years. 
They are constructed with a galvan- 
ized iron cylinder, which is to be half 
filled with water containing any good 
washing compound and brought to a 
boil. The dishes are put in a cylin- 
drical basket or tray, the plates and 
platters placed on edge and held 
by brackets. Saucers, cups, and side 
dishes are placed beside them, the 
basket is lowered into the cylinder. 



THE DAY'S ROUTINE 



309 



revolved two or three times by means 
of a crank, reversed, and the dishes 
are cleansed. The tray is then taken 
out, and if the dishes are scalded 
with boiling water, very little wiping 
will be required. Wiien we reflect 
that in many families of average size 
upward of three hours a day are de- 
voted to washing dishes, or that ap- 
proximately one fifth of the waking 
moments of thousands of intelligent 
women are occupied in this manner, 
we cannot but earnestly urge the aver- 
age family to make whatever sacrifices 
may be necessary to provide the house- 
wife with tliis and all other improved 
labor-saving devices. This, we think, 
will also be found a key to the solu- 
tion of the much-vexed problem of 
domestic help. 

Dish Draining. — If the table be cov- 
ered with oilcloth or zinc, the edges 
raised, and the whole slightly tilted 
so as to empty into the sink, a wire 
basket may be the only dish strainer 
required. A homemade article may 
be prepared from an ordinary soap 
box by lining the bottom with zinc. 
A cleat may be tacked on the bottom 
at one end to tilt the box, and by 
boring auger holes a slit may be made 
at the opposite end to allow the water 
to escape. Place this dish drainer on 
the table in such a way that the open 
end will proj ect over the sink. Through 
holes bored at intervals in the sides 
of the box thrust old broomsticks or 
other rods to hold plates and saucers 
upright to dry. Cover the box with 
oilcloth or stain it to match the kitchen 
woodwork. 

Or an old dish pan may be used 
by perforating the bottom witli holes 
by means of a hammer and round wire 
nails. Place the draining basket, pan, 
or box to the left of the dish pan to 
avoid unnecessary handling. If the 
handles are front and back, as you 
face the dish pan you will have fewer 
pieces of nicked china. If lye is used, 
and the dishwater is fairly hot and 
soapy, dishes rinsed with cold water 
will dry in the rack bright and shiny 
and not require wiping. 

Or, if thoroughly rinsed with hot 



water, they may be allowed to dry in 
the same way. 

Or, if the table is not wanted for 
immediate use, lay a large dry cloth 
over it, put the dishes on this to drain, 
and throw another cloth over the whole 
to keep off dust and flies. This is a 
• rough-and-ready method for drying 
dishes and saving the labor of wiping 
and putting them away. 

Or a drainer may be made of an 
old dripping pan or roaster by clean- 
ing it thoroughly and covering it in- 
side and out with a coat of enamel 
paint. Make a hole in one end to 
allow the water to drain into the sink, 
and place in it a wire dish strainer. 

Milk Dishes. — Milk pans, pitchers, 
and tumblers which have contained 
milk, and dishes in which milli or milk 
puddings have been cooked, should be 
first rinsed with cold water. Hot wa- 
ter converts the casein of the milk 
into a kind of cement or glue which 
is hard to remove. 

Milk Cans.— These should be filled 
with cold water and allowed to soak. 
Put them away from the stove. Rins- 
ing with cold water will assist in 
keeping the milk dishes sweet and pre- 
vent the milk from souring. After- 
wards pour out the cold water, wash 
in hot soapsuds or borax water, rinse, 
and scald. 

To Eemove Odors. — Dishes which 
have been used to cook fish or cab- 
bage, or anything else having a dis- 
agreeable odor, may be cleansed by 
first washing them and then rinsing 
them with powdered charcoal. 

Or set the dish after washing in a 
warm oven for ten or fifteen minutes. 

Or fill the dish with boiling water 
and drop into it a piece of charcoal. 
A lump of charcoal left in a closed 
bottle or jar will keep it from be- 
coming musty. The water in which 
cabbage has been cooked should not 
be poured down the sink, or, if this 
must be done, the sink shoidd be 
rinsed with water containing powdered 
charcoal or a little chloride of lime. 

A new wooden vessel, as a pail, a 
keg, or a churn, will often communi- 
cate a woody taste to food, whether 



310 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



solid or liquid. To prevent this, scald 
the vessel with boiling water and let 
it stand to soak until cold. Then 
wash well with a strong lye of wood 
ashes or caustic potash containing a 
small quantity of slacked lime. Re- 
peat if necessary. Scald with hot wa- 
ter, and rinse with cold. 

Sleeve Protectors. — An old pair of 
stockings may be converted into use- 
ful sleeve protectors by cutting off the 
feet and hemming the cut edge. These 
may be drawn over the sleeves of a 
clean gown if necessary when washing 
dishes. They are also useful in other 
kinds of housework. 

Dishcloths. — Unravel coarse manila 
rope and use the loose mass as a dish- 
cloth. This is especially useful for 
cleansing cooking, tin and ironware 
utensils; also for scouring and scrub- 
bing table shelves, paint, sinks, and 
other rough surfaces. 

Or save cloth flour sacks, sugar, salt, 
and corn-meal bags, and use them as 
dishcloths, dusters, etc. They keep 
white and last longer than ordinary 
towel stuff. To wash flour sacks, turn 
them wrong side out and dust the 
flour from them; afterwards wash in 
cold water. Hot water will make a 
paste of the flour. 

Or u^e cheese cloth for both wash- 
ing and wiping dishes. This is better 
than crash, especially for drying silver 
and glassware. 

Or use scrim or cotton underwear 
crocheted about the edge, or folded 
and hemmed double. 

Or make dishcloths of worn dish 
towels. 

Or use the fiber of the so-called 
dishrag gourd, the seeds of which 
may be obtained from any seedman. 

Or try grass toweling. This is, of 
course, fibrous material, which is eas- 
ily rinsed. 

Best of all for many purposes is a 
small dish mop which permits of the 
use of boiling hot water and strong 
washing powder. With a little prac- 
tice, the hands may be kept out of the 
water altogether. 

Dishcloths — Care of. — The dishcloth 
must be kept clean. A greasy dish- 



cloth affords a breeding place for the 
germs of diphtheria, typhoid, and 
other filth diseases. Wash in soapsuds 
and rinse in cold water, or add lemon 
juice and salt to the water, or a tea- 
spoonful of kerosene. 

Dish. Towels. — Any of the above 
fabrics recommended for dishcloths 
may be used for dish toweling. Large 
flour sacks are the right size. So are 
' old jiillow slips cut in halves, or dish 
towels may be made from old sheets. 

Or cut up old garments of outing 
flannel, which has great absorbent 
qualities, to the size of dish towels. 
Hem, and add tape hangers. 

Or make hangers of lamp wicking. 

Or use blue and white striped tick- 
ing from old pillow cases. 

Dish Towels — Care of. — Two or 
three dish towels should be used at 
-each meal, and these should be washed 
in soap and watei*, rinsed and hung 
to dry, rather than allowed to dry 
when soiled with more or less greasy 
dishwater. 

Hanging Towels. — Roller towels are 
perhaps most convenient and satisfac- 
tory for kitchen use, but if these are 
not used, sew tape hangers at each 




' Tke Best Towel Racks.' 



end of common towels so that they 
can be turned about when one end 
is soiled and worn equally at both 
ends. 

Or make hangers of small lamp 
wicks, one at each end, turning the 
ends in with the hem. Keep a stock 
of half a dozen or more dish towels 
and hanging towels, and mark them 



THE DAY'S ROUTINE 



311 



1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. This makes it easy to 
account tor them and to use them in 
rotation, 

CAEE OF KITCHEN WARES 

To Keep Ironware Clean. — Rub 
soap thickly on the bottom of an iron 
kettle or saucepan which is placed di- 
rectly over tho fire of a coal range; 
this will prevent the soot burning on. 
Lard or other grease may also be 
used, but is not so good. 

To Clean Cooking Utensils. — After 
emptying food from cooking utensils, 
do not take them off the range dry. 
Pour a little water in them, cover 
closely, and set them back on the 
range. If a steady fire is kept the 
steam will loosen any fragments of 
food so that the utensils will be very 
easily washed. 

Or, if possible, take them to the 
sink and wash them immediately be- 
fore placing the food on the table. 
They will never be easier to clean than 
now, and thus the most difficult part 
of dishwashiag will be out of the way 
before the table dishes are brought in. 
Keep a can of lye dissolved in water, 
and if the article is very greasy rinse 
with this and pour into the soap kettle. 

If iron kettles or other metal cook- 
ing utensils have become coated with 
soot, boil them in water with a gen- 
erous quantity of potash or soda lye. 
Boil vigorously for a time, and the 
soot will become so loosened that it 
may be removed by wiping off with 
soft paper. Dip them in hot water to 
rinse, before touching them with the 
hands, as the lye will injure the 
skin. 

Or keep at hand a piece of coarse 
sandpaper and with it rub kettles in 
which food is. burned on. Or use a 
clam shell as a scraper. This is better 
and more convenient than a knife. 
Or scour with finely sifted coal ashes 
and a flannel rag. 

A frying pan should not be scraped. 
Fill it with cold water containing a 
teaspoonful of sal soda, and let it 
stand until the dishes are washed for 
the next meal. 



To Remove Rust from Ironware. — 
Cover the rusted article with grease, 
and set it in a hot oven for half an 
hour. Afterwards wash with soap and 
water, and the rust will be removed. 

Copper Ware. — Copper kettles should 
not be used imless they are perfectly 
bright and clean. To polish copper 
ware, apply hot salt and vinegar, and 
scrub with a stiff nail brush. Or rub 
with flannel dipped in hot water and 
sprinkled thickly with powdered borax. 

Or dip a cloth in kerosene or gaso- 
line, sprinkle it with a mixture of bath 
brick or ground pumice, and polish. 
For large copper boilers or other uten- 
sils which are not used for the prepa- 
ration of food, apply with a damp 
cloth or nail brush a saturated solu- 
tion of oxalic acid in its own bulk of 
water, and scour with bath brick and 
pumice stone softened with olive oil. 
It must, of course, be borne in mind 
that oxalic acid is a deadly poison. 

Enameled Ware. — Scraping ruins 
enameled ware. Utensils of this ware 
l^laced directly over the flame of a 
coal range should be protected by 
rubbing the bottoms thickly with soap. 
Any soot which burns on may then be 
removed by soap and water. If food 
burns in any enameled-ware utensils, 
put into them a teaspoonful of sal 
soda or caustic lye to a quart of wa- 
ter and boil for fifteen minutes. This 
will soften the burned food so tLat it 
can be removed without scraping. If 
not quite clean, scour with fine sand 
soap. For discolored saucepans boU 
a little chloride of lime in the water. 
Or boil in them a strong solution of 
baking soda. 

Various Utensils. — After using the 
egg beater rinse it in cold water be- 
fore it gets time to drj\ 

Before using the food chopper, run 
a piece of suet through it, and follow 
with another piece after the food has 
been chopped. This will keep it clean 
and in good condition. 

Run rice or bread crumbs through 
the spice mill after grinding orange 
or lemon peel, or the coffee mill may 
be used for this purpose and cleaned 
in the same way; 



312 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Dip the colander, sieve, or grater in 
a pan of water to prevent drying, and 
aftervrards clean with a stiff vegetable 
brush. Rinse and dry. 

Fur on Kettles. — To prevent fur 
from gathering on the inside of a tea- 
kettle, put an oyster shell or piece of 
marble inside. Change this occasion- 
ally. 

To remove this furry deposit from 
heavy iron kettles, fill with water, add 
a large spoonful of sal animoniac, and 
bring to a boil. Empty the kettle 
and let it stand over the fire until 
very hot, when the fur will peel off. 
Afterwards fill with water containing 
sal soda, boil, and rinse. 

The furry deposit may also be dis- 
solved in a weak solution of muriatic 
or acetic acid, but it must be remem- 
bered that these are deadly poisons. 
Immediately fill the kettle with water, 
add 2 to 4 ounces of hyposulphide of 
soda or baking soda, and boil. Let 
this stand in the kettle for two or 
three days, and afterwards rinse with 
boiling water. 

Teakettle. — Put an oyster shell in 
the teakettle to prevent its becoming 
incrusted with lime. Polish occasion- 
ally with a woolen rag moistened with 
kerosene. 

Tinware. — To cleanse tinware mois- 
ten either brick dust or whiting with 
aqua ammonia, kerosene, or washing 
soda. Care must be taken not to use 
lye in cleaning tins, as it will injure 
them. 

To Prevent Eust on Tinware. — 
After washing and wiping tinware, 
place it on the back of the range or 
other warm place until it is thorough- 
ly dry. To protect new tinware rub 
lard over every part of the tin and 
set it in the oven until it is heated 
through. This makes the tin perma- 
nently rust proof. 

To Prepare New Tins. — New tins 
are often covei-ed with rosin or other 
substances which should be removed 
before using. Fill with boiling water 
and add sal soda or aqua ammonia at 
the rate of a tablespoonful to each 
quart of water. Boil and afterwards 
scour. 



To Wash Tinware. — Fill greasy tins 
with water, add a tablespoonful of 
sal soda, and place on the back part 
of the range. Or use hot water con- 
taining a teaspoonful of aqua am- 
monia. 

To Scour Tins. — Use sifted coal 
ashes moistened with kerosene. Or 
use whiting with kerosene. Or fine 
sand, or bath brick, followed by whit- 
ing. Or polish with brown paper mois- 
tened in vinegar. Damp flannel or dry 
chamois may be used for polishing tin- 
ware. Afterwards wash in soapsuds, 
rinse, and dry. 

To Clean Coffeepots. — Rub salt on 
the inside of a coffeepot to remove 
coffee and egg. Rinse quickly and 
thoroughly. 

To Clean Wash Boilers. — If rusty, 
grease with lard and wash off with 
sweet milk. Dry thoroughly before 
"storing away. 

To Clean Earthenware. — To clean 
earthenware articles, as pots or jars, 
yellow-ware bowls, pie plates, etc., put 
them in a kettle with cold water, ashes, 
and sal soda, bring to a boil, and 
after boiling let them stand twenty- 
four hours in the lye. 

Or fill the vessels with hot lime wa- 
ter and let ^lem stand twenty-four 
hours. 

Or scour, rinse, and wash with soap- 
suds. Afterwards scour with charcoal 
powder and fill with water containing 
lumps of charcoal. This will remove 
all lingering odors. 

To Kepair Cracked Articles. — If 
earthenware or china articles begin to 
crack, put in them a tablespoonful of 
sugar and half a tumberful of water, 
and set over a brisk fire. Paint the 
inside of the vessel, especially the 
cracks, with the melted sugar. The 
sirup will enter the cracks and act as 
a cement. This can be used for pie 
plates and other earthenware utensils 
used in cooking. 

Earthenware baking dishes in which 
food is burned on should not be 
scraped. Put in the vessel a little 
ashes or borax or baking soda, and 
fill with cold water. Set on the stove 
and raise slowly to a boil. Set aside 



THE DAY'S ROUTINE 



313 



to cool, and wash with hot soapsuds 
and a small stiff brush. Scald and 
wipe dry. 

To remove brown stains from cus- 
tard cups, pie plates, and the like, use 
dry whiting applied with a damp flan- 
nel, or bath brick, scouring sand, or 
pumice. A piece of zinc shaped like 
the corner of a square tin is a great 
convenience in cleaning the corners of 
baking dishes and similar utensils. 
Punch a hole in it and hang it on a 
neighboring wall. 

Tea and Coiiee Pots. — > Metal tea 
and coffee pots, if allowed to stand 
for a time, often get a musty odor. 
To prevent this, put a lump of dry 
sugar in them before putting them 
away. This absorbs the dampness 
which produces must. To clean and 
brighten the inside of these articles, 
fill with water and add a piece of 
hard soap. Boil for half an hour. 

Or rub on a little salt and immedi- 
ately rinse thoroughly. 

Kettle lids. — When these lose their 
handles, substitute a small block of 
wood by driving a screw through a 
tin into the lid from beneath. 

Woodeii Ware. — Do not wash the 
bread board, wooden bread platter, or 
rolling-pin in hot water. Wash with 
warm soapsuds and rinse in clean cold 
water. 

Copper "Ware. — Copper ware was 
formerly quite generally used for 
cooking utensils, and especially for 
large kettles, because of its durability. 
This ware is now being largely re- 
placed by aluminum ware, which is 
equally durable, much lighter, and 
free from danger. 

If copper-ware utensils are used it 
must be borne in mind that they are 
acted upon by moisture and by the 
fatty acids contained in fats and oils, 
the result being a carbonate of cop- 
per, and also by acetic acid contained 
in vinegar, the result being acetate of 
copper or verdigris. Both of these 
are deadly poisons, hence when copper 
vessels are used to cook food or for 
other purposes they should be imme- 
diately emptied and cleaned. Wipe 
them dry and keep in a. dry place. 



They should be again cleaned before 
they are used, by scrubbing with hot 
salt and vinegar, and afterwards scald- 
ing with boiling water. 

Or use hot buttermilk and salt for 
this purpose. 

To Clean Japanned Ware. — Trays 
and other articles of japanned ware 
are quite commonly used, as they are 
light, cheap, and convenient. They 
must not be washed in hot water, 
strong suds, or water containing free 
alkali in any form, as sal soda, caustic 
lye, and the like, or with washing pow- 
ders concerning which we know little. 
These take off the lacquer and may 
cause the ware to chip and scale. 
Wash them with a sponge or soft 
cloth in suds made of hard white or 
other neutral soap and cold or warm 
water. Afterwards wipe dry and 
sprinkle with flour. Polish with a dry 
cloth or chamois skin. Do not let 
them stand to drain dry or to dry by 
evaporation, as they may be stained. 
Never put hot articles on them. 

To remove the white marks left by 
heat or water stains, apply sweet oil 
with a flannel cloth or sponge and 
afterwards rub with alcohol. 

CARE OF GLASSWAEE AND 
CUT GLASS 

To Wash Glassware. — Glass !s a 
very poor conductor of heat, and more 
valuable glass articles are broken by 
hot water, perhaps, than in any other 
way. To prevent this various precau- 
tions may be used. Place the glass on 
a steel knife blade, or put a silver, 
spoon inside. The most delicate glass- 
ware can be washed in hot water if 
shipped in edgewise, outside or con- 
cave side first, and quickly and com- 
pletely immersed. Once make this a 
rule, and it soon becomes a matter of 
habit. 

Or first immerse the glassware in 
lukewarm water and increase the tem- 
perature by adding hot water grad- 
ually. 

Or use tepid water with soda, or 
clear cold water. 

Chamois may be used to dry glass- 



514 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



ware, or any cloth, such as scrim, 
which does not have a nap. 

Many persons prefer to wash glass- 
ware in hot soapsuds. 

Glassware which has been used for 
milk should be first rinsed in cold wa- 
ter, as hot water causes the milk to 
adhere and gives the glass a cloudy 
appearance. 

Cut Glass. — ^Wash cut-glass articles, 
one piece at a time, in warm suds 
made of castile or other fine white 
soap, and rinse in warm water con- 
taining a few drops of aqua ammonia. 
Save old silk handkerchiefs or other 
pieces of white wash silk to dry cut 
glass, or use a soft linen towel. Dry 
without draining. Polish with a soft- 
haired brush, such as is used by jew- 
elers. This will penetrate every part 
of the pattern. A still more bril- 
liant result can be produced by dust- 
ing the article while wet with jew- 
eler's sawdust. This can be brushed 
off when dry and used repeatedly. 
It may be obtained of any jew- 
eler. 

To Clean. Bottles.. — Various sub- 
stances and a nimiber of ingenioxis 
methods are employed to clean water 
bottles, wine decanters, milk bottles, 
and medicine bottles, the inside of 
which oannot be reached by ordinary 
methods, ^mong these are heavy ar- 
ticles as tacks and shot, or lighter 
ones, as crushed eggshells, raw pota- 
toes chopped fine, bits of cloth or 
paper to dislodge dirt and for me- 
chanical cleansing. Also lye and vari- 
ous acids, as lemon juice, sour milk, 
and dilute hydrochloric acid. 

For coarse and heavy articles, like 
glass milk bottles and fruit jars, use 
a handful of carpet tacks or common 
shot. Fill the jar or bottle half full 
of soapsuds, add the tacks or shot, and 
shake well. If tacks are used their 
sharp edges will scrape off the dirt, 
but will also scratch the bottle. Hence 
they are not suitable for wine or vine- 
gar cruets, whether of plain or cut 
glass. If shot is used care must be 
taken that none of them are suffered 
to remain in the cruets, or in bottles 
used to contain any acid, as the action 



of acid upon lead produces a deadly 
poison. 

Or use one tablespoonful of crushed 
eggshells in the same manner. If the 
bottle is greasy wash with warm water 
and a little soda, or run a raw potato 
through the meat chopper, put it in a 
bottle of warm water, and shake until 
clean. This is one of the most effective 
cleansers known. 

Or cut into fine pieces white or 
brown paper or blotting paper and 
use with warm soapsuds. Or use a 
swab of cotton at the end of a long 
stick or Avire. 

To Clean with Lye. — Clean medicine 
bottles, vinegar cruets, fruit jars, milk 
bottles, and all but the most delicate 
glassware by putting in each a table- 
spoonful of wood or coal ashes. Im- 
merse them in cold water, and gradu- 
ally heat the water until it boils. 
Afterwards wash in soapsuds, and 
rinse in clear water. 

Or use a tablespoonful of dissolved 
potash, or soda Ij'^e. 

To Clean Cut Glass and Fine Glass- 
ware. — Cut glass and very fine glass 
water bottles, decanters, and vases 
may be cleaned by first placing the 
decanter on a steel knife blade, or 
dropping into it a piece of silver, and 
then pouring into it equal quantities 
of hot vinegar and salt. When the 
decanter has become warm put in the 
stopper and shake thoroughly. 

Or put in two tablespoonfuls of 
vinegar and a tablespoonful of baking 
soda. This will effervesce vigorously. 
Hold the article over the sink, but do 
not put in the cork, or the vessel may 
burst. 

Or fill with buttermilk, let stand 
forty-eight hours, and wash in soap- 
suds. 

Or rinse with a weak solution of 
muriatic acid. 

To Clean Vases. — When the inside 
of a glass or other delicate vase be- 
comes discolored and stained from 
flower stems, put a little water into 
the vase and add several slices of 
lemon, including the rind. Let stand 
a day or two. Rinse with clear water. 

To Sweeten Musty Bottles.— Rinsa 



THE DAY'S ROUTINE 



315 



with wciter containing one or two 
teaspoonfuls of powdered charcoal, 
or rinse with a dilute solution of 
sulphuric acid at the rate of about 
two ounces of acid to a pint of 
water. 

To Wipe Glass. — Glassware should 
be wiped dry as soon as it is lifted 
from the Avater without waiting for it 
to drain. For glassware use scrim or 
towels which have no lint. 

Or rinse the articles with cold -water 
and allow them to dry without wiping. 
They will be much clearer than if 
wiped with a cloth. 

To Polish Glassware. — Save all tis- 
sue paper to polish glassware. Or 
save scraps of chamois. Cut these 
into inch squares and string on twine 
with a darning needle as beads are 
strung. Use this to polish glassware. 

STEEL KNIVES AND FORKS 

Carving knives and forks, steel-blade 
knives used for roasts and game, 
and kitchen knives require special care 
to keep them in good order. Wrap 
the best knives and forks in cotton 
batting or strips of cotton flannel or 
outing flannel. Each dozen of knive" 
and forks may be rolled up in a sepa- 
rate strip, or pockets may be made 
for them of suitable material in which 
they may be slipped and put away out 
of the reach of dampness. 

To prevent rust when not in use rub 
the steel with sweet oil or olive oil. 
Dampen a cloth with the oil and wipe 
them lightly so as to give them a thin 
coating before putting away. Or put 
powdered quicklime in a small cheese- 
cloth bag and dust steel knives and 
forks with this before they are wrapped 
up and put away. 

Or keep in the pantry a deep box 
or earthen jar containing fine, dry 
sand and plunge the blades into this 
when not in use. This will prevent 
rust and all necessity of scouring. 

To Wash. — Steel knives and forks 
should never be allowed to stand long 
before cleaning, but should be washed 
as soon as possible after being used. 
The fatty acids contained in grease. 



and the fruit acids contained in salad 
dressings, vinegar, tarts, etc., will etch 
and stain the metal until they are re- 
moved. Collect the steel knives and 
forks as soon as the dishes are cleared 
away and soak them in a vessel of hot 
water. Wash in hot suds and water 
and then polish. 

To Scour. — Brick dust, pumice stone, 
rotten stone, sifted wood or coal ashes, 
baking soda, and bath brick are all 
recommended for cleaning steel knives. 

Make a bag of two pieces of old 
carpet, one 6 inches square and the 
other about 3 inches longer. Place the 
faces together and bind the edges with 
cloth or tape, leaving one end open 
with a 2-inch flap to fold over and 
fasten with a button. Fill this bag 
one fourth full of brick dust, shake 
well, and polish the knives in this. 
They will thus be cleaned on both 
sides at once. 

Or cut a raw potato in half and 
dip in brick dust or other cleanser, 
and with it rub the knives and forks. 

Or rub with a cloth moistened 
with kerosene and dipped in the dry 
cleanser. 

Or use the same as brick dust pow- 
dered charcoal, rotten stone, water, 
lime, or sifted wood or coal ashes. 

To Remove Rust. — Moisten a rag 
with kerosene oil, dip it in dry brick 
dust and rub the knives with it. 

Ivory-handled Knives. — Keep the 
ivory and bone handles of steel-bladed 
knives out of water, especially hot 
water. After they have been used, set 
them in a deep dish or pitcher so that 
the water will cover the blades but 
will not touch the handles. Do not 
have the water too hot, or the part 
which runs up into the handle will 
expand and crack the bone or ivory. 

After washing the blades with soap 
and water, wipe the handles with a 
damp cloth. 

To Fasten Knife Handles, — If a 
bone or an ivory handle comes off the 
knife, mix a little plaster of Paris with 
water to a thin paste, pour it into the 
hole in the handle, insert the blade, 
and when cold it will be solid. 

Or fill the hole with powdered alum. 



316 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Heat the steel end quite hot and push 
it into the hole. When cold it will be 
firmly fastened. 

To Bleach Ivory Knife Handles. — 
For whitening ivory the bleaching ac- 
tion of sunshine on a moist surface is 
recommended. Spirits of turpentine, 
alum, lime, potash, prepared chalk, 
ammonia, lemon juice, and pumice 
stone are also used. 

Make a paste of prepared chalk 
with aqua ammonia and olive oil. 
Cover the articles with this, and when 
dry rub it off. Repeat if necessary. 
Or rub with a cloth moistened in tur- 
pentine. Or moisten a cloth in vine- 
gar dipped in brick dust, and rub. Or 
dip half a lemon in salt and rub; 
afterwards rinse in warm water. Or 
make a paste of slacked lime and wa- 
ter, apply with a wet cloth, and rub 
off when dry. Or use a naixture of 
whiting and potash lye. 

CAEE OF SILVERWAEE 

The problems connected with the 
care of silverware are the daily clean- 
ing, the daily and weekly polishing, 
the prevention of stains and discol- 
orations, and the removal of these 
when formed. It is advisable to have 
a regular time for polishing silver 
each week, according to the conveni- 
ence of the housewife. In many 
households this is done on Saturday 
with other cleaning, as a part of the 
general preparation for Sunday when 
guests are often entertained and it 
is desirable to have the silver looking 
its best. 

To Pack and Store Silver. — Silver- 
ware which is not in daily use should 
be protected from contact with the 
air, which often contains traces of 
sulphureted hydrogen or marsh gas. 
This is the great enemy of silver. It 
occurs in illuminating gas, sewer gas, 
and many other compounds, and con- 
taminates the atmosphere. Retail 
jewelers prevent the discoloration of 
silver which is exposed for sale in shop 
windows by coating the articles with 
collodion diluted with alcohol. Col- 
lodion may be obtained at any drug 



store or from a dealer in photographic 
supplies. To apply it first wash the 
articles, dry them, and heat them 
slightly over the fire. Apply the col- 
lodion with a wide, soft brush, laying 
it on in quick, even strokes. 

Collodion is a very quick dryer, 
hence it is necessary to have all the 
silver heated and in readiness and to 
work quickly. Care must be taken 
to cover every part of the surface. 
One coating is sufficient. Collodion 
is perfectly transparent, hence does 
not injure the appearance of the arti- 
cles, and may be removed by washing 
in hot water. This is perhaps the most 
perfect protection for silverware that 
has to be stored for any length of time. 

Or pack the silverware in wooden 
starch boxes or other boxes of con- 
venient size and cover them with dry 
_ flour. Tliis will prevent them from 
tarnishing. When the flour is wiped 
off they will be polished and in readi- 
ness for use. 

Or prepare cloth bags or pockets 
for silverware. Use for this purpose 
unbleached outing flannel, cotton flan- 
nel, or other unbleached goods. The 
bleaching powders and other prepara- 
tions of chlorine used in whitening 
fabrics will discolor silverware. 

Or wrap the articles in blue or other 
dark-colored tissue paper. White pa- 
per, like bleached fabrics, contains 
chemicals which discolor silver. 

Or wrap the articles in green baize, 
which does not attract moigture. Place 
in each pocket or drawer in which 
silver is kept a liunp of gum camphor. 
This is the best preventive against 
tarnish. 

The best material with which to line 
the drawers of serving tables, trays, 
or boxes for silverware, or of which 
to make bags or pockets, is chamois 
skin. If the outside of the chamois skin 
is treated with melted white wax or 
beeswax applied with a soft brush and 
afterwards run over lightly with a hot 
iron, it will be nearly air-tight. 

Silverware Pockets. — The most 
convenient method of disposing of 
silver for daily use is a wide, shallow 
drawer in a serving table or sideboard, 



THE DAY'S ROUTINE 



317 



and with or without racks and trays 
to receive the individual pieces of sil- 
verware. The drawer should be lined 
with chamois skin, velvet, or flannel, 
and the silverware ranged in it in or- 
derly fashion. 

Or silverware pockets may be made 
of outing flannel and tacked on the 
back of the cupboard or pantry door. 
Take a strip of material the width of 
the door and about 18 inches deep. 




Or Silverware Pockets May Be Made: 



Fold the lower part upon the upper, 
leaving room for a wide hem or head- 
ing at the top. Stitch down the fold- 
ed jsart on the sewing machine, leav- 
ing separate j^ockets for knives, forks, 
and other articles. Face the heading 
witli a strip of canvas or other heavy 
material as a stay when tacking to 
the woodwork. s: 

Or make a similar pocket with a 
lapel at the top instead of a hem. 
Fold or roll up in this the silver which 
is to be put away. 

To Wash Silver. — To wash silver 
prepare suds with boiling water, in 
which dissolve about an ounce of hard 
white soap to a quart of water, and 
add a teaspoonful of soda. Into this 
put the silver pieces and boil them for 
a few minutes. Pour off the suds, 
pour over them clean boiling water, 
wipe them dry on a clean towel with- 
out draining, and polish with a piece 
of chamois skin. 

To Polish Silver. — All plate and 
silverware which is in regvilar use and 
not stored in such a way as to pro- 
tect it from discoloration should be 
carefully polished once a week. It is 
best to have a regular time for this 
purpose. Never use sand or scouring 
soaps, pumice stone, or gritty wash- 



ing powders for silverware, or any 
other polishes the nature of which you 
do not understand. Many of them will 
scratch the silver, and others will dis- 
color it. 

Articles recommended for polishing 
silver if not much stained are whiting 
— either fluid, dry, or moistened with 
alcohol or sweet oil — prepared chalk, 
cream of tartar, milk, or a solution 
of alum. 

To apjjly these use chamois skin or 
velveteen. Or use i:>ieces of old woolen 
or flannel underwear or pieces of old 
linen tablecloths. 

Or apply with an old toothbrush or 
a nailbrush with soft bristles. 

Or prepare and have ready polish- 
ing cloths as follows: dissolve half a 
cuj^ful of scraps of castile or toilet 
soaps, or any hard white soap, in a 
cupful of water, and allow to cool. 
This will make a soft-soap jelly. Stir 
into this when cold 3 heaping table- 
spoonfuls of powdered whiting. In 
this soak suitable pieces of cloth, as 
old flannel underwear, pieces of table- 
cloths, and the like, letting them ab- 
sorb as much as possible. Wring them 
out so they will not drip, and allow 
them to drj^ These are convenient 
polishing cloths for silver, as they are 
always ready. 

Or moisten whiting with soapy water, 
rub it over the silver carefully, and 
allow it to diy on. Then rub it off 
with a very soft woolen or linen cloth. 
Use a soft brush to remove the whit- 
ing from carvings or deep cuttings 
and rough surfaces of the larger sil- 
ver articles. 

Caution. — Care must be taken in 
polishing silver not to use too much 
force, as severe rubbing will wear solid 
silver and soon wear out the best of 
plated articles. 

To Remove Stains and Discolora- 
tions. — Methods recommended for 
cleaning discolored silver are boiling 
in suds or in water containing soda, 
sal soda, alvim, cream of tartar, borax, 
or lye, or rubbing with dry salt, whit- 
ing, grated potatoes, or solutions of 
sulphuric acid, chloride of lime, alma, 
or cream of tartar. 



S18 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



To Boil Tarnished. Silver.— If the 
silver is much tarnished, boil for five 
minutes in water containing; a mix- 
ture of equal parts of cream of tar- 
tar, common salt, and alum, using 1 
teaspoonful of each to 1 pint of water. 

Or use a strong solution of washing 
soda, 3 teaspoonfuls to 1 quart of 
water. 

Or put 1 tablespoonful of borax or 
potash lye in 2 quarts of water, put 
in the silver and boil five minutes, or 
longer if necessary. Pour off the 
liquid, rinse the silver in boiling water, 
and polish. This method will be found 
a quick and easy way to cleanse a 
communion set or other set of numer- 
ous pieces. 

To Polish Tarnished Silver. — After 
boiling tarnished silver, if necessary 
apply with a sponge or rag powdered 
whiting moistened with sweet oil or 
alcohol. Rub over the articles thor- 
oughly with this and allow it to dry 
on. Afterwards rub it off with a soft 
cloth and polish with chamois leather. 

Or use prepared chalk and alcohol. 
If the articles are carved or rough, 
use a soft bristle brush to remove the 
cleanser. 

Or, if silver is badly tarnished, 
moisten whiting with ammonia, or pol- 
ish with a cloth dipped in ammonia 
water or in a mixture of 1 teaspoon- 
ful of ammonia water and 10 tea- 
spoonfuls of vinegar. But use the 
ammonia with caution, as it tends to 
dull the luster of the finest silver. 

Or use whiting moistened with vin- 
egar. 

Or polish with flannel dipped in 
kerosene and afterwards in dry whit- 
ing. 

Or, to remove stains that remain 
after boiling, take a piece of raw po- 
tato dipped in common baking soda. 

Or dissolve 1 tablespoonful of alum 
and 1 ounce of hard white soap in 1 
pint of water, and apply by rubbing. 

Or the burned-out hood or mantel 
of a Welsbach gas burner is one of 
the most effective silver polishes. Drop 
the hood into a tin spice can or other 
small covered can or jar, and pulver- 
ize it witB the fingers. It will fall 



to pieces at a touch. Moisten a cloth 
with water and apply the pxilverized 
ash to the tarnished spots. One hood 
will clean about two dozen knives, 
forks, or spoons. 

Or put all the silver in a shallow 
pan, cover with sour milk or butter- 
milk, and let it lie until it is bright. 
Afterwards wash in soapsuds and pol- 
ish. 

To Remove Egg Stains. — The sul- 
phur contained in eggs speedily dis- 
colors any silver that comes in 
contact with it. The air is also con- 
taminated from the sulphur in illu- 
minating gas, other gaslights, or gas 
cook stoves, and from rubber. Hence 
silver should be kept from contact 
with these or any other sulphur com- 
pound. A small piece of camphor put 
with the silver will prevent it from 
staining. To remove the stains mois- 
ten a cloth in water and dip it in 
dry table salt. Rub with this and 
polish. 

Or wash them in water in which 
potatoes have been boiled. 

To Remove Medicine Stains. — Iodine 
and other ingredients in certain medi- 
cines may stain silver spoons. To re- 
move such stains, rub them with a 
piece of cloth dipped in dilute sul- 
phuric acid — 1 part of acid to 10 parts 
of water. Apply the acid with a swab 
made by winding a bit of linen about 
the end of a stick, as it will injure 
the skin. Wash immediately after- 
wards with soap and watej;. 

Silver fittings of inkstands and other 
silver articles often become discolored 
witli ink. The most effective cleanser 
is a paste made by moistening chloride 
of lime with water. Rub it on the 
stains until they disappear. After- 
wards wash with soap and water con- 
taining a little ammonia and polish. 

Silver Cleansers. — For cleaning 
jewelry manufacturing and retail 
jewelers use various mixtures which 
are safe and reliable. If these can be 
obtained they are often the most sat- 
isfactory cleansers of any. 

Or mix 3 ounces of jeweler's rouge 
with 6 ounces of prepared chalk. 

Or mix 4 ounces of prepared challs 



THE DAY'S EOUTINE 



319 



or whiting, | ounce of gum camphor, 
i ounce of alcohol, and 3 ounces of 
benzine. Allow this to dry on the sil- 
ver before polishing. 

Or mix 4 ounces of prepared chalk 
or whiting, 1 ounce of turpentine, 1 
ounce of alcohol, and 2 drams of spir- 
its of camphor. 

To Clean Britannia "Ware. — First 
apply sweet oil with a sponge or piece 
of flannel. Wash in suds and water, 
and polish the same as silver. 

Or dissolve 4 ounces of yellow soap 
in 4 ounces of sweet oil, and dilute 
to a thick cream with alcohol. Apply 
with a soft sponge and polish with 
chamois. 

To Clean China. — Cups and saucers 
and other articles of fine china often 
take on a yellow discoloration. To re- 
move this moisten a soft cloth in water 
and dip into dry salt or fine coal or 
wood ashes, or a mixture of fuller's 
earth and baking soda, and rub off 
the stain with it. Afterwards wash 
with soap and water. 

To Clean Candlesticks. — To clean 
silver candlesticks, dip them in boiling 
water to remove grease, and after- 
wards clean and polish them like other 
silver articles. Do not attempt to 
scratch off the grea.ge or wax with a 
knife or melt it off with dry heat, 
especially if they are plated, as plated 
ware is often based on a composition 
which will run if heated. 

To Clean Boor Plates. — Silver door 
plates may be cleaned with aqua am- 
monia applied with a stiff brush. This 
is very effective for cleaning silver, 
but should not be used too freely upon 
finer silver articles, as it tends to 
deaden their luster. 

To Clean Silver Seals. — To restore 
monogram and initial seals of steel or 
silver to usefulness after they have be- 
gun to stick to the wax, first remove 
as much as possible of the dried wax 
from the lines of the design. Then 
soak the seal in a moderately strong 
solution of oxalic acid, using a stiff 
brush to get at the fine lines, and re- 
move the loosened wax which formerly 
adhered. When the seal is thoroughly 
cleaned and bright, rub well with a 



cloth dampened with sweet oil, to neu- 
tralize further action of the acid and 
prevent the wax from again sticking. 

CARE OF SINKS ANB BISPOSAL OF 
GAKBAGE 

Care of Sinks. — Stretch a piece of 
picture wire or cord over the kitchen 
sink. Over this hang old newspapers. 
Crumple one of these in the hands and 
use it to wipe the grease from frying 
pans, pots, etc., before putting them 
into the dishwasher. This will prevent 
the excess of grease from coating the 
sink and stopping up the sink spout. 
Also use newspapers to wipe off the 
stove, table, sink, and floor when grease 
and other things have been spilled on 
them. Throw the papers at once into 
the fire box of the range, where they 
will be consumed. Thus you will have 
no greasy dishwater or greasy dish 
cloths or towels to wash. 

To Clean Sinks. — The grease in 
dishwater tends to coat over the sink 
and sink spouts and form breeding 
places for the germs of filth diseases, 
as typhoid and other fevers, diph- 
theria, and the like. Keep at hand 
on a high shelf, out of reach of chil- 
dren, a bottle of carbolic acid. Once 
a week sprinkle a few drops of this 
about the sink. This will not only 
disinfect the sink itself, but also the 
sink spout, drain pipes, and drain. 

Or dissolve a pound of copperas in 
a gallon of boiling water. Pour this 
solution into a large glass bottle, cork, 
and keep out of the reach of children. 
Dilute half a pint with a quart of hot 
water and use to clean the sink daily. 

Or wet the bottom of the sink and 
sprinkle chloride of lime over it. This 
will remove all stains, and when rinsed 
off the water will disinfect the sink 
spout and drain. 

Or, when the sink is coated with 
grease or the sink spout is stopped up, 
put a pound or more of washing soda 
in a colander or strainer, and pour 
boiling water through it into the sink. 
Set the strainer into the water until 
the remainder of the soda is dissolved. 
If it does not run down after a time 



320 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



use force cups or partly fill the sink 
with water and press a rag down over 
the strainer. As soon as a way has 
been made, continue to pour hot soda 
and water through the pipe to flush it. 

Care of Iron Sinks. — Do not use 
soap to wash an iron sink, but wash 
it in the water in which potatoes have 
been boiled. Use a raw or boiled po- 
tato to rub any spots that are rough 
or rusty; dipping the potato in bath 
brick will assist. Afterwards rinse 
clean with very hot clean water. This 
will keep the sink smooth and prevent 
rust. 

To Clean a Painted Sink. — Painting 
a sink with white or other enamel 
paint prevents rusting and improves 
its appearance, but acids and alkalis 
tend to remove the paint and cause 
rust. Cleanse the paint with a rag 
moistened in kerosene and rinse with 
clear hot water. 

Homemade Sink. — There are still 
many dry sinks in various parts of the 
country which necessitates carrying all 
dishwater out of doors. These relics 
of barbarism should not be suffered to 
remain in any enlightened household. 
A homemade sink may be made of 
plain boards and lined with tin or zinc 
at small cost. If this is set against 
an outer wall a foot or two of lead 
pipe will supply an outlet, and a 
wooden trough lined with lead, tin, or 
zinc, or merely tarred or painted, may 
carry away waste water to a cesspool. 
Make a box 4 feet long, 14 inches wide, 
and 5 inches deep, with open ends. 
Put in two partitions, leaving a 23- 
inch space in the center. Line this 
with tin or zinc, making a hole in one 
corner for the waste pipes. This 
leaves shelves at either hand for kitch- 
en utensils, water pail, or wach pan. 
Have the sink at such a height that it 
will not be necessary to stoop when 
using it. 

Garbage. — ^The problem of the dis- 
posal of garbage in small towns and 
villages is often a vexatious one. In 
cities garbage is, of course, removed 
by the authorities, and on farms it is 
usually fed to pigs and chickens. It 
is often remarked that the amoimt of 



food thrown away by the average 
American family would support a 
French or an Italian family of equal 
size and standing. 

Garbage cans of galvanized iron 
with tightly fitting lids can be ob- 
tained at small cost, and are most 
satisfactory. Some of these are now 
fitted with a place in the cover to hold 
a sponge wet with an antiseptic and 
deodorant. Such a can prevents all 
bad odors and does not attract flies. 
A box with a hinged lid built in one 
corner of the porch to hold the gar- 
bage can will prevent cats and dogs 
from tipping it over and strewing the 
contents about. 

Or a cheese box or other box sunk 
in the ground outside the door and 
covered with a tight lid may hold the 
garbage can or an ordinary garbage 
pail. This will keep the contents cool 
and prevent their being disturbed. 

Or a little cayenne pepper strewed 
above and about the can will discour- 
age the visits of animals. A news- 
paper laid inside the pail before the 
garbage is placed in it will keep the 
can in good order and make it an 
easy matter to clean it thoroughly. A 
small galvanized iron pail to stand on 
the kitchen or pantry table, and to be 
washed after each meal or at least 
once a day, is a convenient receptacle 
for the accumulation of kitchen scraps, 
and saves many outdoor trips to the 
garbage can. 

CHAMBER WOBE 

To Air Beds. — Emanations from the 
body are absorbed by the sheets and 
through these contaminate the other 
bedding. Moreover, at times the air 
in unheated rooms contains a good 
deal of moisture, and this penetrates 
all parts of the bedding. When the 
weather changes, the surface of the 
bed will dry much more quickly than 
other parts; hence the object of air- 
ing a bed is to purify it and to dry it 
by giving the moisture a good chance 
to evaporate. Open the bed the first 
thing in the morning, remove the cov- 
ers, and expose the mattress and the 



THE DAY'S ROUTINE 



321 



sheets separately to the air. If the 
weather is clear, open the windows if 
possible, but not if the outer air is 
damp from fog or rain. Once a week 
on cleaning day brush the mattress 
with a clean broom or stiff whisk 
broom, turning up the tufts and free- 
ing it of all dust. The ideal way, 
from a sanitary point of view, is to 
leave the bed stripped all day and 
spread it up just before retiring. But 
as this is not always convenient, the 
next best course is to put off bed mak- 
ing until the last thing in the morning. 
A feather bed should be beaten and 
shaken up when it is stripped to air. 
In clear, dry weather it is a good 
plan to expose beds and bedding to 
outdoor air and sunshine, except the 
feather beds, which should be aired 
out of doors in a shady place. The 




"A Modem Bedroom." 

direct rays of the sun may cause the 
animal oil in the feathers if new and 
if not properly cleaned to become 
rancid. But care must be taken not 
to air bedding out of doors when the 
air is damp from fog or mist. 

To Make Beds. — Spread the lower 
sheet with the seam down, the wide 
heading at the top, tucking it in all 
around. Spread the upper sheet with 
the hem up and the broad heading 6 
inches above the top edge of the mat- 
tress. Tuck the lower end in firmly 
under the foot of the mattress. Spread 
the blankets with the open edges evenly 
together 6 inches from the head of the 



bed. Smooth downward. Tuck the 
bottom double edge firmly under the 
foot of the mattress. 

Add quUts, if any, in the same fash- 
ion. If a white counterpane is used 
the bed need not be open. Or if not, 
turn back the upper sheet over the 
blankets at least 13 inches to cover 
them well. Do not tuck in metal beds 
at the sides. The spread should be 
long enough to hang over the mattress 
at the foot of the bed. A tuft or light 
comforter to match the furnishings of 
the room may be folded twice length- 
wise, or square, with one edge turned 
over and placed across the foot of the 
bed. Or, if a wooden bedstead is used, 
the sheets and blankets may be tucked 
in at the sides before the spread is 
put on and tucked. Stand the pillows 
nearly erect. 

In winter when the feet are so apt 
to be cold in unheated rooms an extra 
quilt or blanket spread over the lower 
half of the bed, and the other half 
folded imder the mattress to prevent 
the clothes from pulling up, will help 
to keep the feet warm. 

Bedroom Ware. — Clean all bedroom 
ware and the marble tops of wash- 
stands and tables with a rag dipped 
in turpentine. This not only cleanses 
but disinfects them. 

How to Cool Bedrooms. — In summer 
it is often more important to keep 
hot air out than to let cool air in. 
Hence if bedrooms are aired during 
the early part of the day and the cur- 
tains then drawn and shutters closed 
until night, the bedrooms may be 
cooler than if they had been open to 
the outer air all day. 

Or, when very important to cool a 
room quickly, wet a large cloth and 
suspend it over a line where, if pos- 
sible, a draught will strike it. This 
will cool the air by evaporation ap- 
proximately ten degrees according to 
circumstances. This plan is frequently 
practiced in hot climates. 

To Darken Rooms. — Bedrooms 
should be provided with dark-green 
shades in addition to the white shades, 
or if these are not present a strip of 
dark-green baize or glazed calico may 



322 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



be pinned inside the blind or attached 
to the white shades when it is neces- 
sary to darken room. 

CAEE OF LAMPS 

Lamps should be cleaned and then 
filled each morning and the wicks 
trimmed. The improved steadiness of 
the light will repay for the trouble. 
When buying a lamp, get two or three 
extra chimneys and burners, and a 
yard or two of wicking. This will 
save much delay and annoyance, espe- 
cially when kerosene is the only light 
to be had, and it is not convenient to 
go to the store. It is very desirable, 
as far as possible, to have lamps and 
burners alike, so that the parts and 
supplies may be interchangeable. 

Have a 5-gallon can for kerosene 
oil fitted with a pump. Place this on 
a homemade truck fitted with casters, 
so that it can be rolled under a shelf 
or into the pantry and drawn out 
again without lifting. 

To Clean Lamps. — Collect all the 
lamps in the house after the chamber 
ivvork has been done, and place them 




"Colled All the Lamps." 

on a shelf near the oil can, which may 
be pushed under the kitchen sink. 
First remove the chimneys and place 
them near the sink to be washed. 
Trim the wicks by rubbing the crust 



from them with the fingers or a piece 
of stock, as a burnt match. Do not, 
as a rule, use the scissors, or, if they 
are necessary, cut off the corners so 
as to roimd the wick up to the center 
instead of cutting straight across. See 
that the wicks are long enough to 
reach the bottom of the lamp. Insert 
a new wick when necessary. Place the 
lamp on the top of the oil can and fill 
with a pump. Or, if a l-gallon can 
is used, take care that the oil does not 
spatter the surrounding woodwork and 
perhaps cause a conflagration. Wipe 
the lamps clean with a cloth kept for 
this purpose. Do not leave cloths 
soaked with kerosene matter together 
in dark corners, as they may become 
ignited by spontaneous combustion. 
Wash the lamps in soap and water; 
wash and put on the chimneys, and 
place them on a shelf ready for use. 

To Clean Lamp Chimneys. — A 
sponge is the best thing with which to 
clean lamp chimneys. Select a sponge 
large enough to fill the biggest part 
of the chimney inside, thrust a stick 
into the center of the sponge, and fas- 
ten it with a string, wire, or tacks, 
dip it into soapsuds, and swab the in- 
side of the glass. Afterwards rinse 
with hot water and polish. 

To Polish. Lamp Chimneys. — Use 
the small paper bags that contained 
groceries. Crumple and rub these to- 
gether to soften them. Draw a bag 
on your hand like a glove, and polish 
with it. Hold your hand over one end 
of the chimney and breathe into it at 
the other end before polishing. 

Or save tissue paper for this pur- 
pose. 

Or rinse chimneys thoroughly in hot 
water and stand them on a hot cover 
of the kitchen range. They will sput- 
ter but will not break, and will dry 
clear and shining inside and out. If 
the suds are not rinsed off, however, 
they will leave stains. 

If chimneys are smoked with soot, 
remove it with a dry cloth covered 
with salt. 

Or soak them in hot water with 
washing soda, and wash in warm wa- 
ter containing aqua ammonia. 



THE DAY'S ROUTINE 



323 



To Clean Globes.— Rough or orna- 
mented glass globes which become 
smoked or grimed with dust may be 
placed in a vessel of cold water con- 
taining a tablespoonful of washing 
soda and brought to a boil. After- 
wards scrub with soap and water, 
using a nailbrush, or with warm 
water containing ammonia. Rinse in 
warm or hot water, drain, dry and 
polish. 

Care of Lamp Chimneys. — Lamp 
chimneys frequently crack when the 
lamp is lighted, especially if they are 
in a cold room. You may know if 
the chimney is too cold from the fact 
that steam will gatlier upon it. 
AVhen this is the case keep the flame 
low until the chimney becomes warm 
enough to dispel the steam, and turn 
the light up by degrees. 

Another cause of broken chimneys 
is cutting the wicks square across, 
which leaves a corner to flare to one 
side. Rub off' the crust, or clip the 
corner so as to round up the wick 
toward the center. 

Care of Burners. — Have at hand a 
complete set of extra burners. Once 
a month or so change the. burners 
and boil the soiled one in a solution 
of sal soda or baking soda until per- 
fectly clean and bright. Afterwards 
polish with sand soap, batli brick, or 
pumice. 

When the burner becomes clogged 
with dirt and dust, soak it in a solu- 
tion of potash or soda lye and hot 
water, moving it about with a stick 
until the dirt is moistened. After- 
wards boil witli baking soda until 
thoroughly cleaned. 

Lamp Chimneys — To Prevent their 
Breaking. — Wrap the glass in several 
thicknesses of cheese clotli, cover with 
a strong solution of cold salt water, 
and bring to a boil. Boil ten or fif- 
teen minutes, and leave the glass in 
the water to cool. If this is done 
each time the chimneys are washed 
they will become thoroughly tough- 
ened and practically unbreakable. If 



they can be put in a kettle of water 
on the range and boiled all day, so 
much the better. 

Care of Lamps. — Lamps should not 
be allowed to stand partly empty, as 
the oil tends to generate a gas which 
may explode if ignited. They should 
be filled daily, but not quite full. 
When heated the oil expands, and if 
the lamp is full it will run over and 
drop. Fill to within half an inch or 
so of tlie top, trim, and rub dry with 
a soft cloth. 

Metal Lamps. — Bronze lamps 
should be merely dusted or wiped 
witli a flannel cloth, and care should 
be taken not to allow the oil to spill 
on them, as it has a tendency to 
take off the bronze. They should 
not be washed with soap and water. 

Lacquer lamps may be washed, but 
not with sal soda or any strong wash- 
ing powder, alcohol, or any form of 
naphtha, as these all may injure the 
lacquer. 

To Mend Lamps. — The brass top of 
a lamp to which the burner is screwed 
sometimes gets broken, and may be 
mended either with alum or plaster 
of Paris. Remove the ring from the 
top and dig out the dry plaster of 
Paris with a penknife. Make a 
paste of fresh plaster of Paris with 
water, fiU the threads of the brass 
with this, heaping on all that it will 
hold. Place it in position to harden. 
The plaster of Paris will swell and 
hold the top tightly. 

Or fill the hollow part with pow- 
dered alum and melt it on the stove. 
When melted put it in place, and 
when cold it will be found to adhere 
tightly. 

Lamps — To Prevent Their Smok- 
ing. — If the wick is thoroughly 
soaked in strong vinegar and after- 
wards dried it will give a clear light 
and prevent smoking. 

Or place a small piece of rock salt 
close to the flame inside the burner. 
This not only prevents smoke but 
brightens the flame. 



CHAPTER X 

REMOVAL OF SPOTS AND STAINS 

SOLVENTS FOR SPOTS AND STAINS— KINDS OF SPOTS AND STAINh 
—STAINS ON WHITE LINEN OR COTTON— TO REMOVE STAINS 
FROM VEGETABLE FIBERS— TO REMOVE STAINS FROM ANIMAL 
FIBERS— TO CLEAN COLORED GOODS— TO DRY-CLEAN MEN'S 
GARMENTS— TO DRY-CLEAN WOMEN'S GARMENTS— CLEANING 
AND CARE OF GLOVES— TO CLEAN FEATHERS, FURS, AND 
STRAW— BLEACHING VEGETABLE AND ANIMAL FIBERS 



SOLVENTS FOR SPOTS AND 

STAINS 

How to Erase Stains. — The com- 
monest stains that have to be re- 
moved from textile fabrics are ink, 
grass green, iron rust, mildew, grease 
spots, paint, and tar. These require 
treatment according to the nature of 
the stain and the fabric. The princi- 
pal chemicals that should be kept on 
hand in the laundry closet to remove 
stains are certain acids, especially 
oxalic, tartaric, and muriatic acid; 
together with ammonia and hyposul- 
phite of soda to neutralize the effect 
of the- acid after the stain has been 
removed; aqua ammonia for the same 
purpose; various substances that have 
the power of cutting or dissolving 
gums and resins, as alcohol, chloro- 
form, and oil of turpentine; and cer- 
tain absorbents, as chalk, French 
chalk, pipe clay, fuller's earth, and 
the like. Other useful articles — as 
fresh milk, sour milk, buttermilk, 
cream of tartar, lemon juice, salt, 
raw potato, etc., will usually be at 
hand. 

Treatment of Spots and Stains. — 
Treatment for stains in general 
should be progressive, beginning with 
the milder remedies and reserving the 
more powerful ones to the last. 
Fresh stains are much more easily 
soluble than those that are allowed to 
remain until various chemical changes 
have taken place. Hence prompt 



treatment is always advisable. When 
stains are fresh, immediate applica- 
tion of any dry absorbent powder, as 
common salt, common starch, chalk, 
pipe clay, etc., will take up much of 
- the staining fluid. Dipping at once 
into boiling water for some stains 
and into milk for others will assist in 
dissolving the stain, and various other 
agents may then be applied while the 
fabric is wet. If the stains have been 
suffered to dry they must usually 
be wet by soaking to swell the 
fibers of the fabric, and allow 
the cleansing substance to be ab- 
sorbed. 

The Laundry Closet. — It will be 
found very convenient to provide a 
special receptacle in the kitchen or 
laundry for the various articles for 
removing stains, and for the soaps, 
washing compounds, bluing, starch, 
and other things used in the laundry. 
A complete list will include hard bar 
soap, both white and yellow, naphtha 
soap, sal soda, bluing, wheat and corn 
starch, borax, aqua ammonia, sugar 
of lead, oxalic, muriatic, and tartaric 
acids, bleaching powder (chloride of 
lime), caustic potash, turpentine, ben- 
zine, and gasoline, besides various 
cleansing mixtures. This closet 

should have a strong lock or pad- 
lock, and the key should be kept 
beyond the reach of children. Every 
bottle and package of poisonous sub- 
stances should be plainly labeled and 
should bear the word "Poison." 
324 



REMOVAL OF SPOTS AND STAINS 



325 



TItensilg for Stains or Spots. — The 
laundry closet should also contain a 
number of small sponges, which can 
be bought for ten cents a dozen, for 
applying various substances to stained 
fabrics; likewise several sizes of small 
{amel's-hair paint brushes, such as 




" The Laundry Closet." 

are used for water colors. The Stiff 
fibrous sponges called " loofah," which 
cost about ten cents apiece, are es- 
pecially useful for grease stains or 
spots. If the goods is rough these 
can be used to scrape with vigorously. 
They can also be used with a lighter 
touch on delicate fabrics. They leave 
no lint and are easily washed and 
dried. When removing spots or 
stains, first hold the garment to the 
light, and if the stain is on the sur- 
face scrape off as much of it as pos- 
sible with a sharp knife before wet- 
ting the fabric or applying chemicals. 
Acids to Remove Stains.- — The 
laundry cupboard should be furnished 
with a 4- or 6-ounce vial of oxalic 
and of tartaric acid and a 2-ounce 
vial of muriatic acid. These will be 
found easy to apply, and prove much 
more effective than many of the or- 
dinary methods that often must be 
employed if they tre not kept at 
hand. 



Cautions in TTse of Acids. — ^These 
acids are all poisonous and must be 
labeled " Poison," and locked up out 
of the reach of children. They must 
not be used on colored fabrics, and 
must be quickly and thoroughly rinsed 
out as soon as the stain has been re- 
moved. When possible, they should 
be followed by the use of hyposul- 
phite of soda, ammonia, or other 
chemical that will neutralize the acid. 

Oxalic Acid. — This is the active 
principle of salts of sorrel. When 
combined with cream of tartar it is 
known as salts of lemon. It may be 
dissolved in one part of boiling water. 
It is a dangerous poison, and in cer- 
tain quantities will cause death in 
about ten minutes. It is used for 
cleaning leather, scouring metals, es- 
pecially brass and copper, and for re- 
moving various stains. It has very 
much the appearance of Epsom salts, 
from which it must be carefully dis- 
tinguished. 

Use of Oxalic Acid. — Oxalic acid is 
especially useful in the laundry to re- 
move iron mold, fruit stains, and ink 
rpots produced by the old style iron- 
gall inks. It does not, however, re- 
move ink stains produced by modern 
writing fluids or blue-black inks com- 
posed of aniline dyes. Oxalic acid 
may be applied to cotton, linen, wool- 
en, silk, or any ordinary fabric if un- 
colored, but it bleaches colored goods. 
The color, can, however, in most cases 
be restored by aqua ammonia. When 
possible, it is advisable to experiment 
with a sample of the goods before ap- 
plying oxalic acid to colored articles. 

To Apply Oxalic Acid. — The acid 
may be applied alone, either dissolved 
in its own bulk of boiling water for c 
" saturated " solution, or in nine parts 
of cold water for a " dilute " solution. 

Or, as salts of lemon, it may be dis- 
solved in 1 to 10 parts of water, either 
hot or cold. The action of the acid 
is increased by heat as in boiling 
water. 

To apply, either wet the spot in 
water and cover with dry oxalic acid 
or salts of lemon, or dip the spot into 
the solution, or apply the solution to 



326 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



the spot with a small brush, sponge, 
or piece of rag. If the stains are old 
or have penetpateS through the fabric 
it will be necessary to rub the acid 
vigorously into the spot and persist 
patiently until successful. Oxalic acid 
is also recommended to bleach silk in 
the proportion of 4 pounds of the 
acid and 4 pounds of salt to 3 quarts 
of water for the raw silk, or 2 ounces 
of oxalic acid and 2 ounces of salt to 
6 quarts of water for white silk that 
has become: yellowed from washing. 
The latter proportions may be ob- 
served for removing vegetable or fruit 
stains, should it be necessary to im- 
merse the article in the solution. 

As soon as the stain disappears, 
rinse with clear water, and after- 
wards wash with soapsuds. 

Uses of Citric Acid. — This is the 
acid principle of alum and lemon 
juice; it is also found in gooseberries, 
currants, and some other fruits. It 
is intensely sour, is readily soluble in 
water, and is used in medicine; in 
dj'^eing, to heighten certain colors, and 
to break up certain coloring com- 
pounds. Citric acid may be used dis- 
solved in slightly more than its own 
bulk of water for a saturated solu- 
tion, or in 10 or more parts for a 
dilute ,_solution. It may be applied 
to white goods or fast-dyed cotton or 
woolen, by moistening the stain with 
a solution by means of the finger tips, 
a small brush, sponge, or rag. Rinse 
immediately in clear water. It may 
be used for stains from fruit, iron- 
gall inks, iron rust, or mildew; but 
for these oxalic or tartaric acids are 
commonly preferred. In the form of 
lemon juice, citric acid is a mild but 
useful agent, and one generally em- 
ployed. With the addition of salt on 
colored goods it may safely be used 
on any ordinary fabric. To apply, 
saturate the spot with lemon juice, 
and for colored goods cover with dry 
salt. Expose to direct sunshine and 
repeat if necessary. 

Or apply lemon juice and salt, and 
steam the fabric over a kettle. 

Uses of Lactic Acid. — This is the 
acid which forms in milk when it 



turns sour and which is, therefore, 
contained in buttermilk. It is the 
presence of this acid which causes 
buttermilk to be employed in the proc- 
ess of bleaching linen. Sweet milk, 
sour milk, and buttermilk are all 
recommended for the treatment of 
stains in fabrics, the action being 
strong in proportion as the liquid 
sours with age. Hence, when stains 
are fresh they may be removed by 
dipping immediately in warm milk; 
but when they are more stubborn, 
they may require soaking in butter- 
milk for some time. The addition of 
common salt increases their effective- 
ness. This is a simple and useful 
means of treating ink stains from 
iron-gall inks, tea stains, red-wine 
stains, and fruit stains, especially 
when fresh. Sour buttermilk also 
erases mildew. Wet or soak the arti- 
cle in fresh or sour milk or butter- 
milk, cover with common salt — which 
contains chlorine, a powerful bleach- 
ing agent — and expose to sunshine in 
the oi^en air. 

Nature of Tartaric Acid. — This is 
the acid principle of cream of tartar 
and is found in a free state in vari- 
ous plants and fruits, especially the 
grape. It is readily soluble in either 
alcohol or water. If dissolved in 
water and allowed to stand it deteri- 
orates, turning into acetic acid. It is 
the acid principle of Rochelle salts 
and is principally used in dyeing, in 
preparing effervescing beverages, and 
as an ingredient in baking powder. In 
medicine it is used as a tartar emetic. 

Tartaric acid is but slightly poison- 
ous, is much less destructive to cloth 
fibers than are other acids, and does 
not injure fast colors. It may be 
dissolved in less than its own bulk of 
water, and hence may be used in a 
very strong solution and readily 
washed out of the most delicate 
fabrics. 

Uses of Tartaric Acid. — Tartaric 
acid is especially useful in grass 
stains, as it changes the chlorophyll 
and chlorophyllan into soluble sub- 
stances. It is nearly as effective as 
oxalic acid on ink spots from iron- 



REMOVAL OF SPOTS AND STAINS 



827 



gall inks. It may be used on all or- 
dinary linen, silk, cotton, woolen, or 
other fabrics, and if combined with 
salt will not cause the colors to run. 
The usefulness of this article in the 
laundry does not seem to be generally 
known. 

To Apply Tartaric Acid. — Wet the 
spot with water and apply the dry 
acid with or without an equal quan- 
tity of salt. 

Or wet the spot and cover with 
cream of tartar, with or without its 
bulk of salt. The process will be 
quickened if the stain is held over the 
steam of a teakettle or laid upon a 
heated dinner plate or other smooth, 
heated surface. The acid may be 
rubbed into white goods with the fin- 
ger tips or the bowl of a spoon, but 
on colored goods it should be applied 
more carefully. 

Or, for a saturated solution, dis- 
solve in its own bulk or less of hot 
water. For a dilute solution dissolve 
in 10 or more parts of cold water. 
Apply same as oxalic acid. 

Nature of Salts of Lemon. — This 
is a compound of equal parts in bulk 
of cream of tartar and salts of sor- 
rel. It combines the effects of tar- 
taric and oxalic acids. Its uses and 
methods of application are similar. 
It may be used on the same fabrics 
and requires similar caution. 

Nature and Uses of Muriatic Acid. 
— This is a gas produced by treat- 
ing common salt with sulphuric acid 
or oil of vitriol. It is readily soluble 
in water, and this solution is the 
commercial article. It is poisonous, 
has a sharp, keen smell and taste, and 
when inhaled causes suffocation. One 
part of water will absorb about 450 
times its own bulk of the gas. It is 
a powerful corrosive, and must be 
provided with a glass or rubber stop- 
per, or the cork must be smeared 
with vaseline, else it will eat the cork 
and evaporate. It corrodes metals. 

To Apply Muriatic Acid. — This 
acid is especially useful to remove red 
rust stains. To apply, lay the fabric 
containing the spot over an earthen 
dish of boiling water. Allow a drop 



of the acid to fall on the stain from 
a glass stopper or medicine dropper. 
This will cause the stain to fade to a 
light yellow. Drop the cloth immedi- 
ately into the water and rinse. Re- 
peat if necessary. As soon as the 
stain disappears, rinse the article and 
dip it into ammonia water. This will 
neutralize any acid that was not re- 
moved by rinsing. 

Muriatic acid may be used on linen 
or cotton fabrics, but not on silks or 
woolens. It can be employed on cer- 
tain fast colors, but it is advisable to 
test a sample of the goods before ap- 
plying. 

To Remove Acid Stains. — The above 
acids and others will themselves stain 
certain colored goods, especially blues 
and blacks. To remove these stains 
apply aqua ammonia with a cameFs- 
hair brush or sponge. If this is not 
effective apply chloroform. Either of 
these may be .used on linen, cotton, 
silk, or wool. 

Nature and trses of Ammonia. — It 
is interesting to note that the name 
" ammonia " was formerly applied to 
common salt on account of the fact 
that salt was anciently found in the 
Libyan Desert near the Temple of 
Jupiter Ammon. Ammonia occurs 
as a colorless transparent gas with a 
pungent odor. It is readily soluble 
in water, 1 part of water absorbing 
about 500 volumes of the gas. A so- 
lution of ammonia in water is called 
aqua ammonia or " spirits of Harts- 
horn." Preparations sold for house- 
hold purposes vary greatly in 
strength. Smelling salts or sal vola- 
tile is a carbonate of ammonia. Am- 
monia combines with acids to form 
soluble salts. Hence it is useful in 
removing fruit stains and other acids. 
It may be applied freely to all ordi- 
nary fabrics; to remove stains made 
by strong acids, red wine, iodine, ni- 
trate of silver, and also the stains of 
sea water and cod-liver oil. 

TTses of Alcohol. — Alcohol, as is 
well known, is a pure, colorless liquid 
with a burning taste. It burns easily, 
has a strong aflSnity for water, and 
dissolves many substances. Pure al- 



}28 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



cohol is called absolute oi* " anhy- 
drous " alcohol, but the commercial 
article varies from " proof spirits," 
which contains about 50 per cent of 
alcohol by volume, to " cologne spir- 
its," which contains from 93 to 95 per 
cent. 

The solvent quality of alcohol makes 
it useful to remove stains in silk, 
woolen, and other delicate fabrics, 
provided they are soluble and do not 
require chemical treatment. It may 
be mixed with benzine or aqua am- 
monia or both. It is m.ost effective 
when the stains are fresh. 

TJses of Chloroform. — Chloroform 
is a colorless liquid with a sweetish 
taste and characteristic odor. Its 
anaesthetic properties are well known. 
It is slightly soluble in water, but 
readily so in alcohol and ether. It 
has the property of dissolving cam- 
phor, resin, wax, rubber, iodine, and 
other substances. Chloroform may 
be employed to restore certain colors 
that were removed by acids after the 
acids have been destroyed by the ap- 
plication of ammonia. 

Uses of Turpentine. — Turpentine is 
a resinous oil obtained from cone- 
bearing trees. The commercial arti- 
cle is a solution of resin in a volatile 
oil. "turpentine has a well-known 
spicy odor, a bitter taste, and burns 
freely. Oil of turpentine, obtained 
by distillation, is a colorless liquid 
with a peculiar odor; it is insoluble 
in water, but dissolves readily in al- 
cohol or ether. It also dissolves 
resin, gummy substances, oils, rubber, 
iodine, sulphur, and phosphorus. 
Hence its usefulness in treating stains 
produced by such substances. The 
commercial article is sold in various 
grades, and is used extensively in 
the preparation of paints and var- 
nishes. 

To Apply Turpentine. — Turpentine 
will remove paint, grease, or vaseline 
stains without injury to the most 
delicate fabric. Apply sufficient tur- 
pentine to soak the paint or grease 
spot. Use a camel's-hair brush, a 
common pen or feather, or, for large 
spots, a sponge. 



Or apply by dropping from a glass 
bottle. 

The turpentine may be mixed with 
alcohol, salts of lemon, or sulphuric 
ether. 

Kinds and ITses of Absorbents. — 
Various absorbents are I'ecommended 
to remove grease, wax, blood, ink, 
mildew, and other stains from fab- 
rics. Among the most useful of these 
are brown paper and blotting paper. 
Others are chalk, French chalk (which 
is not chalk but groimd soapstone), 
pipe clay, fuller's earth, magnesia, 
gypsum, common starch, and melted 
tallow. 

One of the quickest and best meth- 
ods to remove grease (especially when 
it is fresh) and spots of wax is to 
lay over the spot a piece of common 
brown paper and press with a hot 
„ iron. Care must be taken not to use 
an iron hot enough to change the 
colors of colored silks and print 
goods. If convenient the spot may 
be previously covered with French 
chalk. 

Or any of the above powders may 
be applied dry. The grease or wax 
will be taken up more quickly if held 
near a stove or pressed with a hot 
iron. 

For mildew, rub the spots with wet 
soap, rub in pipe clay, fuller's earth, 
or chalk, cover thickly with the same, 
and expose to sunshine. 

For blood stains use cornstarch. 

A mixture of 6 ounces of fuller's 
earth, 1 ounce of pipe clay, 1 ounc^ 
of French chalk, J ounce of oil o! 
turpentine, i ounce of alcohol, and 1 1 
ounces of melted castile soap is high- 
ly recommended. 

Chlorine and Uses of Bleaching 
Powder. — This is the chloride of lime 
prepared by exposing damp slacked 
lime to chlorine gas. A good, fresh 
article contains 25 to 30 per cent of 
effective chlorine, which is a power- 
ful bleaching agent. It decomposes 
and deteriorates with time, setting 
free hydrochloric acid, to which the 
bleaching is due. This is a pale- 
yellow gas that has the property 
of decomposing various kinds of col- 



REMOVAL OF SPOTS AND STAINS 



329 



oring matter. Bleaching powder is 
one of the surest agents for removing 
ink stains or writing from white tex- 
tile fabric or paper. Cover the spots 
with dry bleaching powder and mois- 
ten with a weak mineral acid, as acetic 
or tartaric acid. This method is not 
suitable for colored goods, as the 
bleaching powder would remove the 
colors. Afterwards neutralize the acid 
by applying aqua ammonia or hypo- 
sulphite of soda. 

To Make and TIse Javelle Water. — 
Chloride of lime or Javelle water is a 
colorless liquid that may be prepared 
from bleaching powder. It is much 
used for taking fruit and other stains 
from white textile fabrics and for 
bleaching wood and straw. For fruit 
stains dissolve | poimd of chloride of 
Jime in 2 quarts of boiling water. 
Add to this 1 pound of sal soda. Dis- 
solve, settle, and pour oflF the clear 
liquid. This is Javelle water. Apply 
with a brush, rinse in clear water, 
and dip in ammonia water to neu- 
tralize the acid. 

Or dissolve 2 ounces of chloride of 
lime in 1 quart of boiling water. Im- 
merse the fabric in this for 5 min- 
utes. Remove, add 4 quarts of cold 
water, and soak the article for 3 
to 13 hours, depending upon the 
strength of the fabric. This is heroic 
treatment, and shoiild only be used 
on coarser articles, as duck, canvas, 
and the like, as it tends to rot the 
fabric. Afterwards immerse in a so- 
lution of 4 ounces of hyposulphite of 
soda to 1 gallon of water to neutral- 
ize the acid. Rinse in clear water and 
wash in soapsuds. 

Nature of Gasoline. — Gasoline is a 
product of the distillation of petro- 
leum. The first liquid that passes 
over in the distillation of petroleum 
is crude naphtha. By redistillation 
this is separated into gasoline and 
the A, B, and C grades of naphtha. 
Gasoline is very commonly used for 
domestic heating and cooking in 
stoves especially prepared for the pur- 
pose, and also for the production of 
power in gasoline engines. It is high- 
ly inflammable and explosive. It gives 



off under ordinary temperature a vol- 
atile gas which, by contact with 
flame, or a hot stove, will ignite at a 
distance of several feet from the 
liquid gasoline. Great caution must, 
therefore, be exercised in its use. 

Benzine is a substance similar to 
gasoline, and may be used for spong- 
ing fabrics in the same manner. 

How to TIse Gasoline. — Employed 
by the following methods gasoline 
will thoroughly cleanse wool, silk, vel- 
vet, and other fabrics of animal fibers, 
but not cotton, and will remove 
grease, paint, wax, and mud stains; 
in fact, practically all stains except 
acid ones, without injury to the tex- 
ture or colors of the fabric. Dirt and 
other impurities removed will sink to 
the bottom and can be removed by 
straining through cheese cloth. Hence 
the same gasoline may be used again 
and again. The best results are ob- 
tained by using a fairly large quan- 
tity of gasoline and soaking and 
Avashing the articles in it the same as 
in water. The cost of cleaning with 
gasoline is much less than is charged 
by a professional cleaner, and also 
much less than replacing the articles. 
Hence it pays to purchase the best 
gasoline in five-gallon cans, and to 
provide and set aside two or three 
covered earthenware jars in which to 
use it. 

Cleaning with gasoline should be 
done preferably out of doors, or if 
indoors, by daylight, and never in the 
vicinity of a hot stove, lamp, or other 
flame. Care must be taken that 
matches are not accidentally lighted 
in its vicinity. 

First, shake and brush the articles 
to remove dust and dirt. Remove 
rubber dress shields or other pieces of 
rubber, as they will be spoiled. Tack 
small articles together and wash larger 
ones singly in an earthenware jar 
filled with gasoline and allow them to 
soak for an hour or more. If the jar 
can be jjut in a pan which is sur- 
rounded with hot water (but not on 
a stove or near any open flame), the 
gasoline will do its work quicker and 
better and wiU be less disagreeable 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



for the hands. After soaking, work 
the articles about, rubbing carefully 
between the fingers, or rub the spots 
M-ith a toothbrush or nailbrush hav- 
ing fairly soft bristles. Or dip the 
brush into a small can of gasoline 
set into a pan of hot water. Squeeze 
the gasoline out of the garments and 
gut tlaem into a second jar, into 




" Cleaning with Gasoline Old of Doors." 

wluch pour fresh gasoline, meantime 
putting other articles to soak in the 
first jar. A tliird jar may be used 
if necessary. After rinsing in the 
second or third jar squeeze the gar- 
ments quite dry, stretch carefully to 
their proper shape, and thoroughly 
evaporate by airing them on a line, 
and afterwards pressing them with a 
hot iron. Hang coats or waists on a 
coat hanger to keep in shape while 
drying. 

Pour the gasoline back into the can 
through a fmmel covered with several 
thicknesses of cheese cloth. 

Or, to remove a spot or a stain, 
stretch the fabric over a piece of 
blotting paper and pour the gasoline 
around it. Sponge from the center 
outwardly mitil the spot is removed. 
Take a dry cloth and continue rub- 



bing in the same manner with light 
strokes until the article is dry. 

Or sprinkle a little powdered gyp- 
sura over the spot, extending beyond 
the moistened part. When this is 
brushed off, the spot will hn removed. 

Or, if a benzine stain, rub French 
chalk into it with a piece of flannel, 
sprinkle a layer of the chalk over it, 
and let stand for twenty-four hours. 

Cleansing Mixtures. — Dissolve 6 
drams of gum camphor in 3 ounces 
of alcohol. ]\Iix separately i3 drams 
of pipe clay with 4 ounces of beef's 
gall. Also mix separately i ounce 
each of borax, saltpeter, and honey. 
Shave into a saucepan large enough 
to hold all these ingredients S ounces 
of castile or other good hard wlute 
soap, add the mixture of gall and 
pipe clay, and melt with gentle heat, 
stirring constantly. Remove from the 
■ fire, and when cool stir in first the 
saltpeter, borax, and honey, then the 
camphor and alcohol. Lastly add ^ 
ounce of spirits of turjjentine and J 
ounce of sulphuric ether. Pour quick- 
ly into a black glass bottle, cork 
tightly, and store in a dark place. 
This preparation contains no free al- 
kali, will not injure any ordinary 
fabric, and contains solvents for prac- 
tically every kind of sj^ot or stain 
likely to be met with in garments. 
It is suitable for silks, woolens, and 
indeed all ordinary fabrics. 

Or shave 4 ounces of castile or 
other hard white soap and dissolve in 
J quarts of boiling wate'r. Remove 
from the fire, and when cold add ■% 
ounce of saltpeter, stirring imtil dis- 
solved. Strain through cheese cloth, 
let the mixture settle, and take off the 
scum with a skimmer. Now add 1 
pint of ammonia and bottle and cork 
tightly. Keep in an earthenware jug 
with a tight cork. Tliis is the so-called 
" IMagic Annihilator," which is recom- 
mended to remove grease and oil 
from all kinds of dress goods and 
other fabrics without injuring them, 
and for various other purposes, as 
scouring floors, cleaning windows, 
metals, etc. It must not be used on 
woodenware, as it will remove paint, 



REMOVAL OF SPOTS AND STAINS 



331 



for which purpose it is especially 
recommended. 

Pour this liquid on both sides of 
the spot or article to be cleaned. 
Scrub with a stiff brush, sponge, or 
loof, and rinse with cold water. Re- 
peat if necessary. To clean silverware 
and other metals mix with whiting. 

Chemical Soap. — Shave 1 pound of 
castile soap, add | pint of alcohol, I 
pint of soft water, ^ ounce of aqua- 
fortis, I ounce of lampblack, ^ ounce 
of saltpeter, ^ ounce of potash, |- 
ounce of camphor, 1 ounce of pow- 
dered cinnamon. Dissolve the soap in 
water, stir in the potash and saltpe- 
ter, remove from the fire, add the 
other ingredients, and stir until cool. 
Pour into molds and put away in a 
dry place to season. The longer it is 
seasoned before using the better. 

Or shave 1 ounce of castile soap, 
cover with 1 pint of water, and boil 
until dissolved. Stir in 3 ounces of 
sal soda, ^ ounce of starch, -^ ounce of 
borax. Pour into molds to cool and 
harden. Apjoly with a rag, sponge, or 
loof to remove grease, paint, tar, etc. 

Or dissolve 1 ounce of castile soap 
with gentle heat in about twice its 
own bulk of water. Add enough hot 
water to make 1 pint; let cool slight- 
ly. Stir in 1 teaspoonful of saltpeter 
and 3 ounces of aqua ammonia. 

Or mix 3 ounces of alcohol, -J ounce 
of bay rum, 1 ounce of oil of winter- 
green, J ounce of aqua ammonia, -| 
ounce of chloroform, and 1 ounce of 
sulphuric ether. Cork tightly and let 
stand over night. Add 1 ounce of 
pulverized borax and 1 gallon of de- 
odorized gasoline. Shake well and 
cork tightly. 

Or mix J ounce of borax and J 
ounce of camphor in a quart fruit 
jar. Pour over them 1 pint of boil- 
ing water. Cork tightly and let stand 
until cool. Now add ^ pint of alco- 
hol, shake well, and cork tightly. Use 
to sponge woolen dress goods, men's 
clothing, felt hats, and the like. 

Or dissolve 1 ounce of castile soap 
scraped in 1 quart of boiling water. 
Let cool and add i ounce of glycerin, 
J ounce of alcohol, and J ounce of 



sulphuric ether. Bottle, cork tightly, 
and keep in a dark place. Use to 
sponge all sorts of dress goods, and 
especially to remove grease spots. 

Or mix equal parts of turpentine, 
benzine, and chloroform. 

Scouring Mixtures. — Mix 3 pounds 
of fuller's earth, J pound of pipe clay, 
3 ounces of powdered French chalk. 
Mix separately 1 ounce of rectified 
spirits of turpentine, 1 ounce of alco- 
hol, and 13 ounces of soap jelly. Stir 
the two mixtures together to a stiff 
paste and place in tightly covered 
fruit jars. 

Or mix equal parts of fuller's earth 
and soap jelly. To apply, moisten 
the cloth with warm water and cover 
with this mixture, rubbing it well 
into the goods. Let stand until dry, 
then scour with a stiff brush and 
warm water. 

Or mix 1 ounce of baking soda, 1 
ounce of prepared chalk, 1 ounce of 
pumice stone, and 1 ounce of sifted 
wood ashes. Apply this mixture with 
a piece of raw white potato. 

Or moisten 1 ounce of fuller's earth 
with lemon juice; add | ounce of 
pearlash and 1 ounce of yellow soap 
melted with as little water as possi- 
ble. Mix the whole and knead into a 
stiff paste. Roll into balls the size of 
marbles and put them in the sun to 
dry. Moisten the spot with warm 
water and scour with one of these 
balls; then put in the sun to dry. 
Afterwards rinse with clear water. 

Nature of the Fabric. — The treat- 
ment of spots and stains depends not 




Camel 



'Ostrich 



" With Animal Fibers Caution is Necessary." 

only upon the kind of stain, but also 
upon the nature of the fabric. Fab- 



332 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



rics are of two principal classes: vege- 
table fibers, which include linen and 
cotton goods ; and animal fibers, which 
include wool, silk, furs, feathers, and 
the like. All vegetable fibers contain 
cellulose, a hard, woodlike substance 




'All Vegetable Fibers Contain Cellulose. 



that offers a strong resistance to the 
action of chemical agents, and is not 
easily injured by rubbing. Hence 
stronger acids and alkalies and more 
vigorous rubbing can be employed 
upon cottons and linens than upon 
wool, silk, or other animal fibers. 

In the treatment of wool, caution is 
necessary from the fact that the fibers 
of wool have numerous minute hook- 
like projections which, by rubbing the 
fibers together, or by alternate expan- 
sion and contraction (as when plunged 
from hot water to cold water, and 
back again), become interlaced in 
such a way as to warp fabric in all 
directions. This is what causes the 
shrinking of woolen goods, so much 
dreaded by the laundress. Hence 
wool should not be rubbed or wrung 
out in the usual way, nor subjected 
to either very hot or very cold water. 
The v/ater should be lukewarm or not 
too warm to bear the hands com- 
fortably, and all washing and rinsing 
waters should be kept at a nearly 
uniform temperature. 

A similar caution in handling silk 
is due to the delicacy of the fabric. 
Silk, if rubbed or wrung out, tends 
to crack or to show permanent wrin- 
kles. It should accordingly be han- 
dled with care, and only the finer 
grades of soap should be employed 
in cleaning it, 



KINDS OF SPOTS AND STAINS 

The principal stains and spots the 
laundress has to do with are tea, cof- 
fee, and wine stains, iron rust, and 
ink; paint and tar, grass stains and 
mildew, blood stains, grease spots, 
and mud stains. These should all be 
removed from washable articles be- 
fore sending them to the laundry. 
Hence many housekeepers set apart 
Tuesday for wash day, and take oc- 
casion Monday to sort the wash and 
carefully remove all stains, and sponge 
or scrub or dry-clean any articles 
that may require it. 

Grass Stains. — White and other 
light-colored summer gowns, duck 
and flannel trousers, and children's 
garments frequently show grass stains 
in summer. The green stain is pro- 
duced by chlorophyll, a coloring mat- 
ter present in growing vegetation. 
This, when exposed to the action of 
the air, becomes changed into chloro- 
phyllan, which is insoluble in water. 
Grass stains when fresh may be re- 
moved by sponging with alcohol, but 
after the chlorophyll has been con- 
verted into chlorophyllan, the action 
of alcohol will leave an insoluble 
brown stain in place of the green. 
Neither oxalic nor muriatic acid is ef- 
fective with grass stains, but a hot 
solution of tartaric acid changes the 
green stain to light brown, that yields 
readily to boiling soapsuds in the 
laundry. If tartaric acid is not at 
hand, wet the stain and apply cream 
of tartar or salts of lemon. 

Or dissolve cream of tartar in boil- 
ing water and apply hot. 

Or rub grass stains with molasses 
and wash in clear, soft water without 
soap. Do not use oxalic or muriatic 
acid. 

Tea and Coffee Stains. — These, 
when fresh, all yield readily to the 
action of boiling water, especially if 
the fabric be stretched tightly and 
the boiling water poured upon it with 
some force. If stains have been 
neglected and fixed by soap in tlie 
laundry, it may be necessary to ap- 
ply dilute oxalic acid or chloride of 



REMOVAL OF SPOTS AND STAINS 



333 



lime, or to treat them with lemon 
juice and salt, salts oi lemon, and 
other remedies, afterwards exposing 
the article to the air and sunshine. 
The stains of berries, especially of 
blackberries, and of plums and 
peaches, are very refractory. Hence, 
if possible, these shoidd have imme- 
diate treatment. 

Paint. — Paint and resin may be 
quickly dissolved by the action of 
turpentine, benzine, chloroform, or 
sulphurous ether, the treatment de- 
pending upon the nature of the fab- 
ric. Tar may be rubbed with lard 
and afterwards removed by washing. 
Oils may be dissolved by alcohol, 
ether, or spirits of turpentine. For 
colored goods, these may all be com- 
bined with ammonia and glycerin. 

Mildew. — Mildew is a fungous 
growth of certain parasitic plants. 
It forms on cloth that is exposed to 
dampness in patches of various col- 
ors, red, black, yellow, or even green. 
Various substances may be used to 
prevent its forming. Mildew pro- 
duces a stain which is very refrac- 
tory. The treatment depends upon 
the nature of the fabric and the ex- 
tent and depth of the stain, and varies 
from simple remedies, such as soap, 
lemon juice and salt, and the like, to 
chloride of lime and the more power- 
ful acids. Other substances recom- 
mended are French chalk, starch, and 
buttermilk. These must, of course, 
be used with proper caution and a 
due regard to the liability of injury 
to the fabric. They should be after- 
wards assisted by the bleaching agen- 
cies of air and sunshine. 

To Prevent Mildew. — Canvas, duck, 
and similar fabrics used for awnings, 
tents, and the like may be preserved 
against mildew by first soaking them 
in strong suds made by dissolving ^ 
pound of hard white or yellow soap 
in 2 gallons of water, and afterwards 
immersing the fabric, for a period of 
24) hours, in a solution of 1 pound 
of alum dissolved in 1 gallon of 
water. 

To Remove Mildew, — Dissolve 1 
ounce of chloride of lime in 1 pint of 



boiling water; then add 3 pints of 
cold water. Soak the article in this 
from 3 to 12 hours. Remove, rinse 
thoroughly, and send to the laundry. 
If the chloride of lime is not thor- 
oughly washed out the fabric may be 
inj ured. 

Or rub the spot with good yellow 
soap, wash, and while wet rub pow- 
dered chalk into it and cover with a 
layer of chalk. Lay the article on the 
grass in the sun and sprinkle clear 
water over it. Repeat this treatment 
until the mildew is removed. 

Or mix 1 pound of soap jelly with 
2 ounces of starch, 1 ounce of salt, 
and the juice of 1 lemon. Pour over 
the stain, or apply with a brush. 

Iron Rust. — Stains from iron rust 
(or "iron mold," as they are some- 
times called) yield readily to both 
muriatic acid and oxalic acid, but as 
the latter is less injurious to fabrics, 
a hot solution of it gives most satis- 
faction. Other substances recom- 
mended to remove iron rust are salts 
of lemon, lemon juice, salt, cream of 
tartar, and various admixtures of 
these. In all cases wet the stained 
fabric, apply the cleansing substance, 
and hold in the steam of a teakettle, 
or expose to direct sunshine, spread- 
ing on the grass when convenient un- 
til the stain is removed. Repeat the 
treatment as often as is necessary. 

To make salts of lemon, mix equal 
parts of cream of tartar and pow- 
dered salt of sorrel. Wet the spot, 
and apply dry salts to the wet sur- 
face. 

Or mix lemon juice with salt and 
cover thickly. 

Or use equal parts of cream of tar- 
tar and oxalic acid, or equal parts of 
cream of tartar and salt. 

To Remove Whitewash. — To re- 
move whitewash stains apply strong 
vinegar. 

Vaseline Stains, — ^Wash in warm 
soapsuds, rinse, and apply chlorinated 
soda. 

Wax Stains. — Apply alcohol or 
naphtha with a camel's-hair brush, 
sponge, or piece of rag. 

Or hold the stains within an inch 



334 



HOUSEHOLD. DISCOVERIES 



or two of a red-hot iron, and rub 
with a soft, clean rag. 

Or lay over them a piece of brown 
paper, and iron with a hot iron. 

Paint Stains. — Saturate the stains 
with gasoline and rub with a small 
sponge or flannel rag. Continue un- 
til the paint is absorbed, and rub with 
a clean cloth until dry. 

Or saturate the spot for some 
hours with turpentine, and afterwards 
rub the article between the hands, 
when the paint will criunble and can 
be dusted away without injury to the 
fabric. 

Iodine Stains. — As iodine is often 
applied externally to the skin, it fre- 
quently stains cotton and linen gar- 
ments. To prevent this add a few 
drops of liquid carbolic acid to the 
iodine. 

To remove the stains when fresh, 
dip the spots in aqua ammonia dilut- 
ed with warm water. 

Or soak the stains in a strong solu- 
tion of hyposulphite of soda and water. 

Or wet the fabric and cover with 
hyposulphite of soda until the stains 
are removed. 

ITutgall Inks. — Formerly black ink 
was usually made of green vitriol dis- 
solved in an infusion of gallnuts. 
Inks of this sort stain paper perma- 
nently and speedily, rapidly darken 
for a while, but eventually become 
yellow or brown with age. These old- 
fashioned inks were easily removed 
with oxalic and mineral acids, but the 
modern inks contain, in addition to 
tannate of iron (produced by the ac- 
tion of nutgalls upon copperas), ani- 
line blue, indigo, and other dye stu:rfS 
that are not removable by these acids. 
The first inks of this sort were placed 
upon the market about the middle of 
the nineteenth century. Many of the 
recipes still found in print claiming 
to remove all sorts of ink spots were 
originally published more than fifty 
years ago. All such recipes must be 
regarded with suspicion. No single 
recipe can be given that will remove 
stains made by every kind of ink. 

Chrome-logwood Ink. — Another 
modern ink known as the chrome-log- 



wood ink is produced by the action 
of a solution of logwood upon potas- 
sium chromate. This is a deep pur- 
ple ink, that turns darker after being 
exposed to the air, and has the ad- 
vantage over iron-gall inks that it 
will not fade. Logwood is also com- 
bined with an extract of alum or 
chloride of aluminum. The best 
French copying inks are of this class. 
These inks may be removed by muri- 
atic acid, which first turns the sjiot 
red. This acid must not, however, be 
used on stylographic inks containing 
eosin or nigrosine, as it wiU turn 
them into an indelible dye. 

Stylographic Ink. — This is a mod- 
ern ink made by dissolving in water 
the coal-tar product known as nigro- 
sine. It is used for stylographic pens 
on account of its fluidity, as it con- 
tains no sediment. This ink is of a 
deep blue-black color that does not 
change on exposure to the air and 
has little luster. It does not fade, 
and after a lapse of years is soluble 
in water. Hence if paper containing 
it is wet the color will run. The ef- 
fect upon a nigrosine ink of acids in 
certain recipes " guaranteed to re- 
move any ink spot " is to mordant or 
set the ink, rendering it insoluble and 
practically indelible. Hence it is al- 
ways advisable to moisten an ink spot 
with water, and if it blurs or smirch- 
es, thus indicating the presence of ni- 
grosine, washing soda, caustic soda, 
potash lye, or any other alk&li should 
be used, but not an acid. 

Indelible Ink. — Indelible writing 
and marking inks are mostly finely 
divided carbon which, as is well 
known, offers great resistance to chem- 
ical agents. India and China inks are 
of this class. They are composed of 
carbon, chiefly lampblack or other 
soot, mixed with gum or glue. In- 
delible ink for marking textile fabrics 
is also made of nitrate of silver and 
other silver salts. 

Various other substances are em- 
ployed in ink making, but those we 
have given are the most common. 

Treatment of Ink Stains. — If the 
nature of an ink is known, the proper 



REMOVAL OF SPOTS AND STAINS 



335 



treatment can, of course, be given; 
otherwise it is best to first dip the 
ink in water to test if nigrosine is 
present. 

If nigrosine is not present try oxal- 
ic acid, which will remove an old style 
iron-gall ink or decompose a modern 
iron-gall ink by removing the black 
tannate of iron, and leaving the in- 
digo and aniline blue dye stuffs as a 
stain on the fabric. If this is not 
effective, try muriatic acid. This will 
remove the stain of a logwood or 
copying ink. Follow this with an al- 
kali to remove the effects of the acid. 

A nitrate ■ of silver ink stain may 
be removed with cyanide of potas- 
sium, which is a deadly poison. 

Or apply a dilute solution of per- 
manganate of potash with muriatic 
acid; follow by soaking in a solution 
of hyposulphite of soda, and after- 
wards rinse in clear water. 

If all else fails, cover the spot w'th 
dry bleaching powder and moisten 
with dilute acetic acid. Afterwards 
apply ammonia, or dip in a solution 
of hyposulphite of soda and rinse. It 
must be borne in mind that strong 
acids and alkalies will injure the tex- 
ture of animal fibers as wool and silk 
and bleach colored fabrics. For such 
articles use pyrophosphate of soda. 

If a garment spotted with ink is 
especially valuable it would be well 
to try a series of experiments with 
the same ink on a piece of similar 
fabric. In the meantime cover the 
stain with various dry absorbents to 
take up the excess of ink. After 
these have done their work, soak the 
article in milk while the experiments 
are being made. 

Or if it is small dip it immediately 
into pure melted tallow. 

Lemon juice and salt, sour milk, 
and similar remedies are useful if 
suitable acids are not at hand, but 
cannot be depended on to do the work 
in a thorough manner. 

STAINS ON WHITE LINEN OR COTTON 

Ink Stains. — Substances recom- 
mended for removing ink from linen 



are salts of lemon, cream of tartar, 
citric acid, oxalic acid, lemon juice, 
vinegar, salt, sour milk, and chloride 
of lime. The treatment to be em- 
ployed depends necessarily upon the 
nature of ink. 

Ink stains should be treated as 
quickly as possible, before the ink 
has had a chance to set. While fresh, 
pour over them a quantity of salt, dry 
starch, or other absorbent, and brush 
it away as it absorbs the ink. Keep 
the spots wet, and continue applying 
the absorbent until the ink is re- 
moved. 

Or keep the spots wet with milk, 
and apply dry salt until the stains 
come out. 

Or wash the stains with sour milk 
and let them soak over night. 

Or dip the stains alternately in 
strong bran water and lemon juice 
until they disappear. 

Or use equal parts cream of tartar 
and powdered salts of sorrel (salts 
of lemon), dissolved in the smallest 
possible quantity of boiling water 
and applied hot. 

Or rinse carefully in clean water 
and apply oxalic acid. If this pro- 
duces a red tinge apply dilute aqua 
ammonia. 

Or dip small articles, as laces, 
handkerchiefs, and the like, in melted 
tallow and after the stain has dis- 
appeared remove the tallow by boil- 
ing in hot soapsuds. This last is 
perhaps the simplest and best of all 
remedies. 

To Hemove Marking Iilk from 
Linen. — Apply fresh chloride of lime 
mixed with watei*. As soon as the 
color fades, dip into a solution of 
aqua ammonia or hyposulphite of 
soda, and rinse well before sending 
to the laundiy. 

To Remove Indelible Ink. — Stains 
made by indelible ink containing ni- 
trate of silver may be removed by ap- 
plying chloride of copper. After- 
wards dip the article in hyposulphite 
of soda. 

Or apply a dilute solution of per- 
manganate of potash and muriatic 
acid, and follow with hyposulphite of 



336 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



soda. Cyanide of potash is also used 
for this purpose. It is highly poison- 
ous. 

Or melt pure tallow and pour over 
the ink spot while hot. Remove the 
tallow by dipping in hot water; re- 
peat if necessary. This is a method 
employed by many dyers and clean- 
ers, and has the merit of not injur- 
ing the fabric. 

To Remove Printer's Ink. — Soak 
the spots in turpentine for several 
hours. Rub them in the turpentine, 
as in washing. Let dry and brush 
thoroughly with a stiff brush. 

To Remove Iron Rust. — Use lemon 
juice, salt, and sunshine. Or a strong 
solution of oxalic acid rubbed in with 
the fingers. Or equal parts of pow- 
dered alum and salt applied dry to 
the wet fabric. 

Grass Stains. — Use tartaric acid or 
cream of tartar dissolved in boiling 
water. Apply hot. Or rub lard on 
the spot when fresh and afterwards 
wash as usual. 

Ink Stains. — Rub promptly with a 
slice of lemon. Or dip in pure melted 
tallow. Or apply a saturated solution 
of oxalic acid or dilute muriatic acid 
or salts of lemon. 

Use dilute tartaric acid for colored 
goods. If the colors fade, renew with 
dilute a4ua ammonia. 

Acid Stains. — Wash the article and 
dip in Javelle or chlorine water. For 
colored goods, moisten in dilute aqua 
ammonia. 

Nitrate of Silver or Nitric-acid 
Stains. — Apply iodine and rub brisk- 
ly with strong aqua ammonia. 

Or apply a dilute solution of per- 
manganate of potash and hydro- 
chloric acid. Afterwards dip in a 
solution of hyposulphite of soda and 
rinse well. 

Mildew. — Boil in strong borax 
water. 

Iodine. — -Soak for an hour or more 
in a warm solution of aqua ammonia 
and water. Then while still wet rub 
dry bicarbonate of potash into the 
stain until it is fully removed. 

Cod-liver Oil. — Add kerosene or 
aqua ammonia to the suds a,nd boil. 



Red Wine. — Bleach with sulphur 
fumes over an inverted f annel, or dip 
in Javelle or chlorine water. 

Tannin Stains. — Theso may be pro- 
duced by green chestnut burs, walnut 
husks, or substances used for tanning 
leather. Dip in hot Javelle or chlorine 
water, remove, and rinse quickly. Or 
apply a strong solution of tartaric 
acid. 

Red Stains from Colored Goods. — 
The dyes used for colored goods, red 
threads, etc., sometimes run and acci- 
dentally stain white goods. Apply 
fumes of sulphur through an inverted 
cone, or a saturated solution of ox- 
alic acid or Javelle or chlorine water. 

Mud Stains. — Dip the mud stains 
in kerosene before putting them in 
the boiler. Add kerosene to the boil- 
ing water. 

Grease Spots. — Apply a hot satu- 
rated solution of alum with a sponge 
or brush, or dissolve in 1 quart of 
warm water 2 ounces of aqua am- 
monia, 1 teaspoonful of saltpeter, and 
2 ounces of castile soap. Soak the 
spot in this liquid and sponge. 

Or moisten the spot with butter or 
olive oil and rub with chloroform. 

Machine Grease. — Rub sal soda or 
cooking soda into the spot and pour 
boiling water through until the spot 
is removed. 

To Dry-clean White Goods. — Small 
mud stains on a clean white skirt may 
be concealed until ready for the laun- 
dry by pipe clay or painting over with 
white water-color paint. 

Or if a clean white skirt or shirt 
waist is spattered or spotted by mud 
or soot, let it dry, scrape off with a 
penknife, and rub over the stain with 
white crayon or school chalk. 

Rub with a clean white cloth until 
the spot disappears. 

To Dry-clean Shirt Waists. — Put 4 
quarts of corn meal into a 34.-pound 
flour sack or a pillow slip. Put the 
waist into this, and rub or knead 
gently so that the meal will come in 
contact with all parts of the fabric. 
Leave it there for a day or two, then 
shake and dust thoroughly, and press 
with a hot iron. 



REMOVAL OF SPOTS AND STAINS 



337 



To Clean Cotton Dress Skirts.— 
Mud stains may be removed from the 
bottom of a cotton dress skirt by 
folding several thicknesses of cloth, 
laying the soiled parts upon them, 
and scrubbing with a nailbrush, soap, 
and water. 

TO BEMOVE STAINS FROM VEGE- 
TABLE EIBEBS 

To Eemove Stains from linen. — 
All tea, coffee, milk, and other stains 
or spots on linen should be removed 
as quickly as possible. If they ap- 
pear on a clean tablecloth slip be- 
neath the spot a small dish contain- 
ing hot water. Let the stain rest in 
the water, and rub gently with the 
fingers until it disappears. Smooth 
the cloth by putting a folded napkin 
underneath and applying a warm 
iron, and, without having been re- 
moved from the table, it will appear 
as fresh as when first laundered. 

For strong tea stains, put a spoon- 
ful of sugar on the stain, dip into the 
tvater, and let it stand for a few min- 
utes. Afterwards rinse with clear 
water. 

Or, if not convenient to treat in 
this waj'^, cover the stain with a quan- 
tily of powdered starch, let dry, and 
remove by brushing. 

When dried tea, coffee, or milk 
stains are found in table linen, rub 
the stains with butter and afterwards 
rub in hot soapsuds before launder- 
ing. 

Or apply the yolk of an egg mixed 
with a teaspoonful of glycerin. 

Or take 10 teaspoonfuls of water, 1 
teaspoonful of glycerin, and ^ tea- 
spoonful of aqua ammonia. Dip the 
stain in this and allow it to dry. 
Repeat several times. Afterwards 
rub the spot between the fingers, and 
before sending the article to the laun- 
dry brush or scrub away the dry resi- 
due with the edge of a knife. 

Mildew on Linen. — ^Mildew may be 
removed from linen as from other 
fabrics with powdered chalk, lemon 
juice, salt, and pipe clay, and after- 
wards exposing to sunlight. Wash 



the spots in soapsuds made of hard 
white or yellow soap. Rub in pow- 
dered chalk with a flannel cloth, cov- 
er the spot with more chalk, and lay 
in the sun. Repeat if necessary. 

Or soak the spots in lemon juice 
and apply common salt. Afterwards 
cover with pipe clay or powdered 
chalk, or use equal parts powdered 
starch and salt. 

To Remove Ink from Linen. — 
Treatment depends upon the nature 
of the ink. Stretch the linen before 
the steam of a teakettle and brush 
with a strong solution of salts of 
lemon. 

Or use acetic or muriatic acid, not 
too strong. Rinse as soon as the ink 
disappears. Or apply salt and lemon 
juice. Or use the juice of a ripe to- 
mato. Squeeze the juice upon the 
ink and rub with the fingers. Rinse 
and apply the juice again, vmtil the 
stain disappears. 

Linen, Marking Ink. — Apply a 
saturated solution of cyanide of po- 
tassium, rubbing with a glass rod. 
Rinse as soon as the ink disappears. 

Linen, Iron Rust and Mold. — Cov- 
er the stain with salts of lemon ^nd 
stretch it across the steam of a tea- 
kettle or a saucepan full of boiling 
water, so that the salts of lemon will 
be gradually dissolved by the steam 
and soaked into the fabric. 

Or put a common dinner plate on 
top of a saucepan containing boiling 
water. Lay the linen over this, cover 
the stain with salts of lemon, and 
keep wet with hot water until the 
stain is removed. Afterwards rinse 
carefully in cold water. 

Or rub the spot with butter, then 
add a small quantity of potash lye, 
and again rub the spot until the stain 
has disappeared. Rinse quickly in 
cold water. 

Linen, Yellow Stains. — If linen has 
faded yellow or become stained from 
perspiration, dissolve about one table- 
spoonful of pipe clay in the water in 
which it is boiled. 

Linen, Acid Stains. — Wet the arti- 
cle, and cover it with salts of worm- 
wood. Rub the dry salt into the wet 



338 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



fabric until the stain disappears. 
Afterwards rinse thoroughly. 

Or form a cone by twisting and 
pinning together a piece of paper, 
and under this light a number of old- 
fashioned brimstone matches or burn 
a bit of sulphur. Hold the stain so 
that the sulphurous-acid gas escaping 
through the cone will pass through it. 

Linen, Iodine Stains. — Dip the spot 
in cold water and hold it by the fire 
until dry. Repeat until the stain is 
removed. 

Linen, Fruit and Wine Stains. — 
While fresh put a little baking soda 
or washing soda on the stain, stretch 
it tightly over a bowl or pan, and 
pour boiling water upon the stain so 
as to dissolve the soda. No fresh 
fruit, wine, tea, coffee, or other com- 
mon stain is likely to withstand this 
treatment. Let the spot sink into the 
water and soak until the water cools, 
dipping it up and down and rubbing 
with the fingers. When the water 
cools repeat, if necessary, until the 
stain disappears. 

Or rub salts of lemon upon the 
stain and soak in hot water. Or dip 
in a weak solution of chloride of lime 
with water. Afterwards rinse care- 
fully. Or rub in starch with yellow 
soap, ,then apply starch thickly mois- 
tened with water and expose to the 
sun. Or soak in sour buttermilk. Or 
apply oxalic acid. 

Linen, Tea or Coffee Stains. — If 
tea or coffee stains are noticed at the 
time they are made, remove the table- 
cloth as soon as convenient, stretch 
the cloth over a pan, and pour boil- 
ing water through the stains. 

Or, if they are small and the table- 
cloth is clean, slip a saucer or small 
nappy containing boiling water un- 
der the tablecloth and let the stain 
lie in the water. Rub gently with 
the fingers until it is removed. Re- 
move the dish, put a folded napkin 
under the stain, and go over it with 
a warm iron. The cloth will then be 
as fresh as new without having been 
removed from the table. Add a little 
glycerin to the boiling water to re^ 
move coffee stains. 



Or, if an old stain is found on a 
tablecloth in the laundry, first soak 
the spot in cold water without soap, 
and try to remove with boiling water 
and glycerin. If this is not effectual, 
mix the yolk of an egg with a table- 
spoonful of milk and a little warm 
water. Add a few drops of alcohol 
or chloroform, if convenient, and use 
this as soap. 

Linen, Wine Stains. — Pile a little 
dry salt on a fresh wine stain and it 
wiU absorb the wine. Afterwards 
rinse in boiling water. Dip old stains 
in boiling milk until removed. 

Linen, Blood Stains. — For fresh 
blood stains on white fabrics apply 
peroxide of hydrogen, which will im- 
mediately remove the color from the 
blood. This is a sti'ong bleaching 
substance. Hence it must not be used 
on colored fabrics, and must be im- 
mediately rinsed, especially from 
woolen goods. 

Or soak in warm water and cover 
with dry pepsin. This will digest the 
blood. 

Or moisten the stain slightly with 
water and apply a thick layer of 
common starch. Afterwards rinse in 
cold water. 

TO EEMOVE STAINS FROM ANIMAL 
FIBEES 

To Prepare Silks for Cleaning. — 
If silk garments are to be made over 
or if the silk is much soiled, rip them, 
remove all basting threads, and stretch 
out creases and wrinkles. Brush 
thoroughly all articles, including rib- 
bons and small pieces, to remove dust 
and dirt, shake well, and stretch them 
to their original shape. Clear a wood- 
en kitchen table or an ironing board, 
and on this stretch an old linen towel, 
tacking the corners down tightly. 
Smooth the silk out flat on the towel, 
and sponge first on the wrong side, 
afterwards on the right, applying 
with a small toothbrush or nailbrush 
or flannel cloth any of the following 
recipes that may be most convenient. 
After sponging on both sides rinse in 
clear cold water by dipping up and 



REMOVAL OF SPOTS AND STAINS 



339 



down, but without wringing or squeez- 
ing, partly dry in the shade, and press 
between two pieces of cloth, ironing 
on the wrong side with a warm, not 
hot, iron. 

Or while wet spread the silk 
smoothly on a. .wooden polished sur- 




" Clear a Wooden KitcTien Table.'' 



face, as a varnished table top, and 
let it dry near the fire. It will then 
require no ironing. 

To Remove Grease from Silk. — For 
removing grease spots from silk, 
chloroform, French chalk, essence of 
lemon, turpentine, white clay, mag- 
nesia, yolk of egg, and benzine are all 
recommended. If possible, apply any 
of these while the grease is still 
^varm. 

To Clean Silk and Velvet.— Sub- 
stances recommended for removing 
grease and other spots and stains 
from silks, satins, and velvets are al- 
cohol, chloroform, benzine, turpen- 
tine, juice of raw potato, magnesia, 
French chalk, pipe clay, yolk of egg, 
and various admixtures of these. Lay 
the stained article flat on a smooth 
surface and apply the cleansing fluid 
with a small sponge, toothbrush, or 
nailbrush, unless otherwise directed, 
imtil the stain is removed. Apply 
chloroform with a light, quick touch, 
using a bit of absorbent cotton or 
sdft cotton rag. Dampen the grease, 
and when it disappears rub until dry 



with clean cloth. To use gasoline or 
benzine, wet the spot and also a 
rather large circle around it. Rub 
outward from the center with quick, 
firm strokes, and if the benzine leaves 
a stain hold it in the steam of a tea- 
kettle until it disappears. 

Or rub grease spots with a lump of 
wet magnesia. This may be dusted 
off when dry. Or mix 4 ounces of 
rectified spirits of turpentine with i 
ounce of pure alcohol. Or mix 3 
ounces of essence of lemon and 1 
ounce of oil of turpentine. Or use 
turpentine alone. Or mix 2 ounces 
of alcohol, 1 ounce of French chalk, 
and 5 ounces of pipe clay. Apply as 
a paste to the grease spots. 

Or cover grease spots thickly with 
French chalk, lay brown paper over 
them, and smooth with a hot iron. 
The iron will melt the grease, and the 
chalk and paper will absorb it. 

Or if chalk is not at hand lay a 
piece of brown paper on the ironing 
board, lay the silk over this, place 
another piece of brown paper on top, 
and press with a hot iron, but not so 
hot as to scorch the fabric. This is 
a most effective method. 

Or apply the yolk of an egg with 
or without the addition of 12 drops 
of chloroform or a teaspoonful of al- 
cohol. Afterwards rinse with warm 
water. 

To Clean Silk with Potato Juice. 
— Grate two fair-sized clean raw po- 
tatoes into each pint of water used 
and strain through cheese cloth. Let 
the resulting liquor stand imtil the 
potato starch it contains settles to the 
bottom, then pour off the clear liquid 
and bottle it. Lay a washboard down 
flat, spread over this a clean cloth, 
and lay the silk upon it. Apply the 
potato juice with a sponge until the 
silk is clean, and afterwards rinse it 
in clear cold water. 

To Clean Silk with Gasoline. — 
Gasoline and benzine may be applied 
to silk with a sponge, but this should 
be done by daylight and never in the 
vicinity of an open fire or flame of 
any kind. These liquids are highly 
volatile, producing a gas which will 



340 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



ignite and explode if it comes in con- 
tact with an open flame. After cleans- 
ing with gasoline or benzine rinse the 
silk in alcohol. 

Cleansing Mixtures for Silk. — 
Make a soap jelly by dissolving pure 
Castile or other hard white soap or 
toilet soap in about four times its 
bulk of water. Take I pound of this 
soap and add 4 ounces of ammonia, 
the white of an egg, and a wineglass- 
ful of gin or tablespoonful of brandy. 
Mix thoroughly and strain through 
cheese cloth; dilute with a small 
quantity of soft soap. Spread the 
silk smoothly on a flat surface and 
apply the mixture with a sponge or 
nailbrush to both sides, taking care 
not to crease or wrinkle the fabric. 
Rinse in cold water, adding salt and 
oxgall for colored articles. 

Black Silk. — Various substances 
are recommended for cleaning black 
silks, including infusion of oxgall, 
logwood, copperas, tea, coifee, fig 
leaves, vinegar, and ammonia. The 
preparation and use of these is ex- 
plained below. 

Dust the article carefully, spread 
smooth on a flat surface, and apply, 
with a sponge or piece of flannel, a 
cold, strong infusion of black tea. 

Or 'use equal parts of clear cold 
coffee and soft water. Or equal parts 
of coffee and aqua ammonia. Or a 
dilute solution of aqua ammonia in 
water. 

Any left-over tea or coffee may be 
used for this purpose. Strain through 
cheese cloth to remove the dregs. 
Sponge or scrub both sides of the 
fabric, taking care not to crease it. 
Make the silk quite wet. Smooth the 
articles carefully and press as for 
other silk fabrics. Coffee removes 
grease and renews the silk without 
making it shiny. 

Or make a strong solution of ivy 
or fig leaves by boiling 4 ounces of 
either with 3 quarts of water down to 
a pint. Strain through cheese cloth 
and bottle for future use. Apply 
with a sponge and brush or flannel 
cloth. 

Or sponge with oxgall slightly di- 



luted with boiling water and applied 
warm. Rinse in cold water from time 
to time and continue the oxgall until 
the rinsing water is clear. 

Or make a strong solution of log- 
wood by boiling 1 ounce in 3 quarts 
of water down to 1 pint. Wash the 
silk clean, immerse in the solution 
and simmer with gentle heat for half 
an hour. Remove the silk, add J 
ounce of copperas to the solution, 
strain through cheese cloth, and dip 
the silk in it. 

Or save old kid gloves of all colors, 
and when silks require cleaning cut 
up a glove of the same color into 
small pieces and boil it in a pint of 
water a quarter of an hour. Let it 
stand twenty-four hours in a warm 
place, again raise it to a boil, strain 
through cheese cloth, and add a 
tablespoonful of alcohol. Sponge with 
this. 

Or wash the articles in gasoline, 
dipping them up and down and rub- 
bing lightly between the hands as in 
water. Care must be taken not to 
wrinkle or crease the fabric. This 
removes the dirt quickly and does not 
cause the colors to run. 

To Remove "Wax from Silk. — 
Scrape off the excess of wax from the 
surface of the fabric with a penknife. 
Apply French chalk made into a 
paste with water. Lay the silk on a 
piece of brown paper spread over the 
ironing board, put another sheet of 
brown paper on it, and' press with a 
hot iron. 

Or toast a piece of soft bread be- 
fore the fire until quite hot, but not 
burned, and rub the wax spot with 
the hot bread until cold. Take an- 
other piece, and so continue until the 
wax is removed. Afterwards rub 
with the dry bread crumbs until per- 
fectly clean. 

Silk — To Hemove Paint. — Apply a 
mixture of 5 parts of spirits of tur- 
pentine and 1 part of essence of 
lemon with a small brush, sponge, or 
linen rag. Or apply turpentine alone. 

Silk — To Remove Tar. — Rub lard 
on the tar, and afterwards wash with 
soapsuds. 



REMOVAL OF SPOTS AND STAINS 



341 



Silk, Stains Of Sea Water. — Sponge 
with dilute aqua ammonia and water. 

Silk, Acid Stains. — If the color has 
been taken out by acid stains, apply 
aqua ammonia. 

To Remove Acid Stains from Vio- 
let Silk. — First apply tincture of 
iodine, and immediately afterwards 
cover the spot with hyposulphite of 
soda dissolved in water. Hang in the 
shade to dry. 

To Clean Velvet. — First dust the vel- 
vet thoroughly, using fo? this purpose 
an old piece of rolled-up crape. Sponge 
with benzine or gasoline, same as silk. 
Stretch the velvet right side up over 
a basin of boiling water so that the 
steam must pass through it. While 
thus stretched brush with a whisk 
broom in the direction of the nap. 
The time spent depends upon the 
condition of the velvet, but if patient- 
ly continued the result will be entire- 
ly satisfactory. Any ingenious person 
can arrange a contrivance to hold the 
velvet in place while brushing, or an 
assistant may do so. 

Or dampen a newspaper and set it 
in a hot oven until it steams. Lay 
this on the ironing board, cover it 
with a folded cotton cloth, and lay 
the velvet on it. While the steam is 
rising, brush the velvet against the 
pile. 

Or heat a flatiron, turn it face up- 
ward, and lay a wet cotton cloth on 
it. Lay the velvet, nap up, over the 
iron, and brush while steaming. 

To Revive Faded Velvet or Plush. 
— Brush slightly with a sponge dipped 
in chloroform. 

To Clean Satin. — Sponge satin neck- 
ties and other small articles with a 
weak solution of borax, following the 
grain, and afterwards iron on the 
wrong side. 

To Clean White Silk.— White silk 
may be washed in soapsuds the same 
as other delicate white fabrics, being 
careful not to rub or squeeze the fab- 
ric so as to cause creases or wrinkles. 

Or it may be washed in gasoline, 
or dry-cleaned by rubbing or dusting 
it with magnesia and laying it away 
for two or three days in a paper bag 



covered with magnesia, afterwards 
brushing it with a soft, heavy brush. 

Naphtha soap will remove most 
stains from white silk, including paint 
stains. 

To Bleach White Silk. — When 
white silk articles have become yellow 
from the laundry or from being packed 
away, dip them in a solution of one 
tablespoonful of ammonia to a quart 
of warm water. Squeeze out this solu- 
tion, and rinse in bluing water until 
fully restored. Hang in the shade to 
dry and while damp press between 
dry cloths on the wrong side. 

Or dissolve 4 ounces of salt and 4 
ounces of oxalic acid in 6 quarts of 
water. Immerse the silk in this solu- 
tion until it is bleached white. This 
will require a half hour to an hour 
or more. Rinse thoroughly. 

Or the silk, after having been laun- 
dered, may be bleached with the 
fumes of brimstone. Suspend a large- 
sized paper flour sack upside down, 
either out of doors on a still day or 
in an outhouse, and put in it the arti- 
cle to be bleached, attaching it to the 
sides of the bag with pins or basting 
thread. Put burning coke or char- 
coal on an iron pan, cover with flow- 
ers of sulphur, and invert a tin fim- 
nel over it so that the fiunes will pass 
up into the bag. Afterwards sponge 
the article carefully and expose to air 
and sunshine until the odor has 
passed ofl'. 

To Remove Stains from Colored 
Silks. — To remove acid stains, apply 
liquid ammonia with a brush or soft 
rag, taking care not to rub the fabric, 
as the ammonia may cause the colors 
to fade or run. Should this happen, 
afterwards apply chloroform to re- 
store the color. 

Or cover the spot with cooking 
soda or magnesia and moisten vsdth 
clear water. 

TO CLEAN COLORED GOODS 

Alkali Stains. — Moisten the spot 
with vinegar or tartaric acid, and af- 
terwards apply chloroform to restore 
its color. 



342 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Grease Spots. — Cover the spot witu 
fuller's earth, pipe clay, or French 
chalk. Place over this a layer of 
brown paper and press with a hot iron. 

Fruit and Wine Stains. — ^Wet with 
a mixture of equal parts of alcohol 
and ammonia. Afterwards sponge 
gently with alcohol until the stain is 
removed. 

Or rub the spot with soap, and ap- 
ply chloride of soda with a camel's- 
hair brusli, rinsing quickly and thor- 
oughly. 

Wax Stains. — Scrape off the sur- 
plus of wax from the surface of the 
fabric, dissolve with alcohol, and re- 
move by rubbing gently with a clean 
flannel rag or pressing with a hot 
iron through brown paper. 

Oil Stains. — Cover with French 
chalk, pipe clay, or fuller's earth, and 
wet with water to a thin paste. Let this 
dry on the fabric and remove by 
brushing. Repeat if necessary. 

Mud Stains. — Let the mud dry 
thoroughly, and then remove as much 
as possible by brushing. When fully 
dry, cover with a mixture of salt and 
flour and keep in a dry place. 

If the stains are extensive place the 
garment in a large paper flour sack 
with a quantity of salt and flour well 
mixed, shake vigorously, tie up the 
sack, dnd allow it to hang behind the 
stove for a few days. Afterwards 
shake out the dust and press. 

Or, while the stains are wet, cover 
thickly with cornstarch and brush 
away until the stain has disappeared. 
When dry, make a thick paste of 
cornstarch with warm water, lay over 
the stains, and brush off when dry. 
Repeat if necessary. 

Hust Stains. — Apply a solution of 
salts of lemon. 

Ink Stains. — Apply 1 teaspoonful 
of dilute oxalic acid to 6 ounces of 
water. Or moisten the spots with a 
strong solution of citric acid. Or dip 
the spots in milk and cover with salt. 
If the colors are affected, restore 
them with aqua ammonia and chloro- 
form. 

Tar. — Rub lard over the tar and 
wash in soapsuds. Or apply oil of 



tiirpentine, rub with soap, and wash. 
Or soak in olive or sweet oil for 
twenty-four hours. Afterwards wash 
in soapsuds. 

To Dry-clean lace. — Stretch the 
lace carefully on a thick piece of 
wrapping paper, fastening the edges 
with pins. Sprinkle it quite thickly 
with calcined magnesia. Cover with 
another piece of wrapping paper, and 
place it under a pile of books or other 
heavy weight for three or four days. 
The magnesia can then be shaken off 
and the lace will appear like new. It 
will not only be clean, but the edges 
will be in perfect condition. Calcined 
magnesia is very cheap, and this meth- 
od is well worth trying. 

Or stretch the lace, if not too much 
soiled, on a piece of cloth, pin all the 
points, and work over it with the soft 
part of a loaf of fine bread, not too 
dry, and afterwards shake out the 
crumbs. 

Or use bread crumbs, rubbing them 
over the lace with a soft cloth, con- 
stantly using fresh crumbs, and chang- 
ing the cloth as it becomes soiled. 

Or dust a mixture of flour and 
magnesia into the fiber of the lace, 
and rub it with a soft cloth. After- 
wards put the lace imder pressure for 
a few hours. 

To Clean Gold and Silver Lace. — 
Stretch the lace and tack it down 
on a piece of woolen cloth, following 
the outline of the pattern carefully 
with basting thread. Brush it thor- 
oughly free from dust. Sprinkle over 
it a mixture of dry crumbs or stale 
bread, and powdered laundry blue. 
Rub gently with a piece of flannel un- 
til clean. 

Or use burnt alum*, pulverized to a 
fine powder, and sifted through cheese 
cloth. Apply with a fine, soft brush. 

Or sponge with alcohol. After- 
wards polish with a piece of red vel- 
vet. 

TO DRY-CLEAN MEN'S GARMENTS 

To Clean Men's Clothes. — Hang the 
garments on a line, beat them with 
a carriage whip or piece of rubber 



REMOVAL OF SPOTS AND STAINS 



343 



hose, and brush them thoroughly with 
a stiff brush. To remove spots, place 
several thicknesses of soft cloth, like 
an old towel, under the spot, moisten 
it with water, and scour with any- 
good cleanser, or moisten the spot 
thoroughly with a liquid cleanser and 
rub it hard. Use for this purpose 
a loof, a stiff, fibrous sponge, cost- 
ing about ten cents. This is rough 
enough to scrub with vigor if the 
goods will stand it, or it can be used 
more gently on delicate goods. It 
leaves no lint as cloth does, br. is 
stiff er than a sponge and can be easily 
washed and dried after being used. 
Or use one or more small scrubbing 
brushes of varying degrees of stifif- 
ness. 

To Hemove Spots. — First hold the 
garment up to the light to see if 
there is any surface dirt; if there is, 
scrape off with a sharp knife what 
can be removed (taking care not to 
injure the weave of the garment) be- 
fore wetting the spot in water, cleans- 
ing fluid, or any sort of chemical. 
Next apply the cleanser and rub well, 
so tl. it the dirt when dissolved may 
be forced through into the pad be- 
neath. Rub with SL piece of woolen 




'Spread the Garment Right Side Up. 



cloth folded into a tight pad. Use 
plenty of " elbow grease." The secret 
of success lies in hard rubbing. 

To Press Men's Clothes. — Spread 
the garment right side up on an iron- 



ing board, lay over it a cotton cloth 
wrung out of warm water containing 
about 1 tablespoonful of aqua am- 
monia to 3 pints of water, and iron 
the wet cloth imtil both the cloth and 
the garment are perfectly dry. This 
prevents the gai-ment from having a 
shiny appearance. 

Black Dye for Renovating. — Put 8 
ounces of logwood chips in a porce- 
lain kettle, cover with 2 quarts of soft 
water, and let stand over night. Boil 
30 minutes, strain through cheese 
cloth, and add 6 grains of prussiate 
of potash and 12 grains of bichromate 
of potash previously dissolved in as 
little boiling water as possible. Pour 
this mixture into a black glass bottle, 
cork tightly, and store in a dark 
place. This is a good black dye. To 
apply, first sponge or otherwise 
cleanse the garments, stretch them 
out smooth, and go over them with 
this dye by means of a soft brush. 
Let dry thoroughly before pressing. 

To Clean a Mackintosh. — To clean 
a mackintosh, scrub both sides with 
soap and water, and afterwards rinse 
it in clear water until the soap is re- 
moved. Hang up to dry without 
wringing. Care must be taken not ^o 
sponge a mackintosh with alcohol, 
chloroform, benzine, gasoline, turpen- 
tine, or any of the chemicals which 
are used in sponging other fabrics, as 
they have the property of dissolving 
rubber and will injure the texture 
of many waterproof garments. Am- 
monia may be applied freely. 

To Renovate Woolen Goods. — 
After woolen dress goods have been 
sponged or washed, to restore the 
original gloss rub the cloth with a 
brush dipped in a thin solution of 
gum arable, cover with a dry cotton 
cloth, and dry under a weight. This 
method is useful to remove the spot 
caused by sponging out stains. To 
raise the nap on a rough woolen gar- 
ment, wet it, lay it on a smooth sur- 
face, and roughen it gently with a 
common prickly thistle, or what is 
known as a teasel brush. Afterwards 
brush with a stiff clothes brush the 
way of the nap. 



344 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



To Clean Men's Woolen Clothes. — 
Boil for half an hour 2 ounces of soap 
bark in 1 quart of water, and let 
stand all night on the dregs. Strain 
through cheese cloth, and use alone 
or combined with an equal amount of 
gasoline. 

Or use 1 part of oxgall to 16 
parts of water. Or use 1 tablespoon- 
ful of oxgall and 1 teaspoonful of 
cooking soda to a quart of water. Or 
mix 6 ounces of soap jelly or good 
soft soap with 4 ounces of honey, the 
white of 1 egg, and 1 tablespoonful 
of brandy or alcohol. Or mix 1 ounce 
of sulphuric ether, 1 ounce of aqua 
ammonia, and 6 ounces of water. 

The most convenient way to clean 
men's garments is to remove the cover 
from an ironing board, or use some 
other smooth, clean, narrow board or 
plank, arranged to admit of laying 
the coat smoothly over it, or insert 
the board into the trousers legs. A 
smooth, hard, narrow board is also 
desirable for coat sleeves. Arrange 
the garment on this board and with 
a stiff brush apply any of the cleans- 
ers you prefer. A bristle nailbrush 
or horsehair brush, such as is used in 
the stable for smoothing the coats of 
horses, is a most useful implement for 
this purpose. Rub with, rather than 
against, the nap of the cloth, wetting 
the brush frequently. 

Scrub especially spots of grease and, 
if much soiled by perspiration, the 
collar and cuffs. When the grease 
and dirt are thoroughly loosened, 
sponge with clear water until quite 
clean. Trousers and waistcoats may 
be rinsed by immersing in water and 
sousing up and down, but it is better 
not to immerse coats and j ackets, as it 
is difficult, on account of the padded 
linings, to press them into shape. 

To Renovate Men's Clothes. — Boil 
8 ounces of logwood chips in 2 gal- 
lons of water down to 1 gallon. Strain 
and add 3 ounces of gum arable, dis- 
solved in a little hot water. Bottle 
for future use. 

After dark, solid-colored garments, 
as blacks, blues, or browns, have been 
scrubbed and sponged, dilute this mix- 



ture to the shade of the garment, and 
go over it lightly with a sponge. Do 
not expose to direct sunshine or the 
heat of a stove while drying. 

Or moisten a soft brush with olive 
oil and carefully go over the gar- 
ment. 

To Press Men's Clothes. — After 
sponging the garments, stretch them 
to their jjroper shape, lay them right 
side up over the ironing board, and 
press through linen or cotton cloth 
previously wrung out of clear cold 
water. A tablespoonful each of ox- 
gall and salt added to every gallon 
of water will tend to brighten the 
colors. Press with a hot iron until 
the garment is dry. 

Care must be taken that all the 
liquid preparations used for cleaning 
woolen goods be kept at the same 
temperature, which should be about 
as warm as the hands will bear com- 
fortably. 

After the garments have been 
pressed, brush with the nap while the 
steam is still rising from the cloth, 
and hang on suitable clothes hangers 
or over chairs to dry. Do not wear 
them for twenty-four hours or more 
after pressing, or until they are thor- 
oughly dry. 

TO DRY-CLEAN WOMEN'S GARMENTS 

To Clean Woolen Dresses. — The 
most satisfactory method of cleaning 
waists or skirts of wool, silk, velvet, 
or anything except cottbn goods, is 
to soak and wash them in gasoline. 
For this purpose two or three large 
earthen jars will be found very use- 
ful. It pays to buy the best gasoline, 
five gallons at a time, and use it 
plentifully, as the expense is much 
less than would be the charge of a 
professional cleaner, or the cost of a 
new garment. 

First, dust the garments and rub 
soap on soiled or greasy spots. Noth- 
ing need be removed from them ex- 
cept rubber dress sliields. 

Next, put large pieces, one at a 
time, in an earthen jar and cover with 
gasoline. Throw a wet cloth over tlie 



REMOVAL OF SPOTS AND STAINS 



345 



jar, and press the lid down tightly. 
Soak for an hour or more, then rub 
the article well, sousing it up and 
down, and transfer it to a second jar 
containing an equal amount of fresh 
gasoline. Rinse in this, squeeze out 
the gasoline, and hang up to dry. A 
third jar may be used if desired. 

Articles washed in this way will re- 
quire to be hung out and aired for 
two or three days, when the odor will 
entirely leave them. They should not 
be pressed until they are thoroughly 
dry and all the gasoline has evapo- 
rated. The gasoline can be poured 
back into the cans through cheese 
cloth and used again, as the dirt set- 
tles to the bottom. This operation 
must be carried on out of doors, as 
much of the gasoline will evaporate. 
If done in the house the odor would 
be very unpleasant, and, besides, the 
vapor is explosive and might cause 
accident. A small bristle brush dipped 
in the gasoline will be found useful 
for removing grease spots, scrubbing 
collars, and the like. If a small quan- 
tity of gasoline be put in a tin can 
and then surrounded by a vessel of 
boiling water (but not on the stove), 
it will do the work quickly and more 
thoroughly. 

Crape, Mourning, and Other Black 
Goods. — Black dress goods may be 
washed by observing the same caution 
as for other colored fabrics, whether 
cotton, linen, wool, or silk. To re- 
move stains before laundering, apply 
a solution of 1 part of alcohol and 
2 parts ,of water with a soft cloth, 
sponge, or soft bristle brush. 

To remove paint, apply spirits of 
turpentine; for grease, apply benzine 
or gasoline; for mud stains, rub the 
spot with a piece of raw potato. 

To Remove Gloss. — Sponge with a 
saturated solution of borax and water. 
Afterwards sponge with clear water. 

Or boil half a handful of fig leaves 
in a quart of water down to a pint. 
Strain and apply the clear liquor. 

Crape lace. — Dissolve a square 
inch of sheet glue in a pint of boiling 
water, add a pint of skim milk, and 
dip the lace in this while boiling hot, 



When cool enough to handle, remove, 
stretch, and clap the lace between the 
hands. Pin it to a linen cloth and 
stretch the cloth tent fashion to dry 
in the shade. 

White Spots. — If white spots or 
light-colored stains appear on black 
garments, apply India ink, marking 
ink, or common ink with a camel's- 
hair brush. Put a piece of blotting 
paper underneath the stain to absorb 
the surplus ink. 

To Revive Faded Colors. — In 3 
quarts of boiling water stir i pound 
of green vitriol, 1 pound of logwood 
chips, and -| pound of bruised galls. 
Boil gently for 3 hours and strain 
through cheese cloth. 

Or mix oxgall, 4 ounces; logwood, 
^ ounce; green vitriol, | ounce; iron 
filings, ^ ounce; sumac, ^ ounce, and 
vinegar, 1 quart. 

Or make a simple solution of log- 
wood, boiling 3 ounces of logwood in 
1 gallon of water down to 1 quart. 

To apply any of the above, dilute 
with sufficient hot water to cover the 
articles, and boil for half an hour. 
If the infusion of logwood is used 
alone, remove the articles, add an 
ounce of sulphate of iron, and boil 
for half an hour. Hang them up 
without wringing in a shady place 
until they cease to drip. Then rinse 
them in cold water, let them dry, and 
rub gently with a brush moistened 
with a little olive oil. 

To Clean and Scour Woolen Goods. 
— Remove all dirt and dust by shak- 
ing and brushing the articles. Re- 
move grease spots with turpentine, 
benzine, or gasoline. Make a strong 
suds of hard white or curd soap with 
water, and to each gallon add a table- 
spoonful of oxgall. Apply vigorous- 
ly with a fairly stiff nailbrush. Rinse 
by sponging with warm water con- 
taining salt, and dry by rubbing with 
a piece of clean flannel. 

Or, for garments which will not lose 
their shape, rinse in clear cold water 
and hang up to dry. 

Sponging with stale lager beer will 
give some stiffness and gloss to the 
surface, 



346 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Or go over the surface with a brush 
slightly moistened with olive oil. 

To Dry-clean Woolen Cloth. — Re- 
move all spots and stains, and cover 
the garment with clean, damp sand, 
with which may be mixed a quantity 
of French chalk. Rub over the sur- 
face of the sand with the hands to 
work it into the texture of the fabric, 
and allow the garment to dry. Af- 
terwards brush off the sand. 

To Clean Scarlet Cloth. — ^Wash in 
bran water, and rinse in clear water 
containing a tablespoonful of solution 
of tin to each gallon. 

Or add a small quantity of scarlet 
dye to the last rinsing water. 

To Clean Light-colored Worsteds. 
— For delicate light-brown or buff 
colors apply pipe clay mixed with 
water to the consistency of milk. 
Cover the surface with this by means 
of a sponge or brush. Brush off- 
when dry. 

CLEANING AND CAEE OF GLOVES 

To Clean Gloves. — For cleaning 
gloves, gasoline, benzine, naphtha, and 
soap used with either milk or water, 
fuller's earth, with or without pow- 




Wash Them in Gasoline." 



dered alum, cream of tartar, pipe 
clay, French chalk, bread crumbs, and 
corn meal are all recommended; for 



fruit and acid stains, ammonia; for 
ink stains, oxalic acid; and various 
compounds of these substances. 

Gasoline. — Draw the gloves on to 
the hands and wash them in gasoline 
in the same fashion as the hands are 
washed in water. Wipe off surplus 
gasoline with a piece of flannel, and 
allow the gloves to partially dry on 
the hands. Afterwards hang on a 
line to dry in the sun. The .soiled 
parts of tlie gloves may be rubbed 
with any good white hard soap dur- 
ing this process. But they should 
not afterwards be washed in soap- 
suds, as it shrinks and wrinkles them. 
For light glace kid gloves, draw the 
gloves on to the hands and with a 
flannel cloth apply a paste composed 
of flour and gasoline. Rub with a 
clean, dry cloth until quite dry. 

Turpentine. — Before the discovery 
of gasoline, gloves were cleaned by 
washing in spirits of turpentine in 
the same way as they are now washed 
in gasoline. Turpentine is to be pre- 
ferred when the gloves are stained 
with paint or resinous substances. 

Benzine. — Place the gloves in a 
large fruit jar full of benzine, screw 
on the lid and let them soak for twen- 
ty minutes or more, shaking the jar 
vigorously at intervals. Take them 
out and examine for dirt spots, which 
may be removed by rubbing with ben- 
zine on a flannel rag. Afterwards 
hang them up to dry in the open air. 
To remove the odor of benzine, pro- 
fessional cleaners dry articles cleaned 
in this manner in a drying room 
at a temperature of about 200°. 
But this odor will pass off after a 
time. 

Or draw the gloves on the hands, dip 
a flannel rag in benzine, and allow 
it to become nearly dry. While 
slightly damp, moisten the gloves with 
this by rubbing the hands with it as 
if with a towel. 

Or take part of a loaf of bread 
slightly moist, or dry bread crumbs, 
and rub lightly over the gloves until 
they are clean. Change the crumbs 
as they become soiled. Repeat if 
necessary. 



REMOVAL OF SPOTS AND STAINS 



347 



Milk for Zid Gloves. — Draw the 
gloves on the hands, dip a cloth in 
skim milk, and wipe them on the 
cloth as' if on a towel. Let them dry 
on the hands. 

Or draw a glove on one hand and 
with the other hand dip a piece of 
flannel in new milk, rub on castile 
soap or any good hard white soap, 
and rub the soiled glove lightly. 

Or lay the glove on a folded towel, 
dip a flannel cloth in milk, rub on 
castile soap or other white soap, and 
rub the glove lightly, working from 
the back or wrist toward the fingers. 

To Dry-clean Gloves. — Delicate 
white kid or suede gloves may be dry- 
cleaned with cream of tartar, mag- 
nesia, fuller's earth, alum, pipe clay, 
corn meal, or various compounds of 
these. 

A simple method is to draw the 
gloves on the hands and wash them 
thoroughly in fine corn meal. 

Or place the glove in a paper bag 
or fruit jar, fill them with a mixture 
of magnesia and cream of tartar, cov- 
er them with it, shake the bag, and 
let it stand over night. Rub off this 
mixture with a flannel cloth inside 
and out, draw the gloves on the hands, 
and ai^ply a mixture of powdered 
alum and fuller's earth with a small, 
soft brush, sponge, nailbrush, or 
toothbrush. 

Or brush with fuller's earth with- 
out powdered alum, and dust it off. 

If the gloves are not entirely clean, 
draw them on the hands and apply 
fine bran^or pipe clay, or a mixture of 
both. None of these substances will 
injure the gloves, and if one is not 
at hand use another. Bread crumbs 
are also useful, especially when the 
gloves are much soiled. Change the 
crumbs as they become dirty. 

To Clean Wash-leather Gloves. — 
Wash-leather gloves may be cleaned 
with soap and water. Draw them on 
the hands and with a shaving brush 
apply a lather of fine shaving or toilet 
soap. Wipe them on a clean towel 
and let them dry on the hands. 

Or, if much soiled with perspira- 
tion, apply a mixture of magnesia and 



cream of tartar, filling and covering 
the gloves and letting them stand over 
night. Rub off with a flannel cloth, 
draw the gloves on the hands, and 
wash them in lukewarm suds made 
with fine white soap, rinse in warm 
water, and let them remain on the 
hands until quite dry. 

To Color Wash-leather Gloves. — 
While the gloves are still damp they 
may be colored yellow by rubbing 
with yellow ocher, or white by rub- 
bing with pipe clay, or any desired 
intermediate shade by mixing the 
two. Mix into a paste with stale 
beer or vinegar. 

To Renovate Kid Gloves.— White 
kid gloves that are stained beyond 
cleaning may be dyed to a tan shade 
by applying two or three coats of 
saffron and water, drying them be- 
tween the coatings. Apply to the 
surface with a soft brush, wetting as 
little as possible. Black kid or suede 
gloves when defaced may be improved 
by painting the worn spots with a 
mixture of black ink and olive oil. 
Apply it with a camel's-hair brush or 
feather, touch the spots lightly, and 
observe the effect by allowing the 
glove to dry before adding more 
color. Repeat if necessary. 

Glove Cleaners. — Scrape one pound 
of castile or other hard white soap 
into a powder, place in a fruit jar, 
and add alcohol sufficient to make a 
soap jelly. Stir in a teaspoonful of 
ether or chloroform and keep the cov- 
er of the jar glued tight. 

Or grate IJ pounds of castile soap 
in 15 ounces of water and dissolve 
with gentle heat. Melt 3 ounces of 
soap in an equal bulk of water, add 
2 ounces of Javelle water and 1 tea- 
spoonful of ammonia. This will form 
a thick paste or jell. Apply by put- 
ting the gloves on and using a flannel 
cloth. Dry the gloves on the hands. 

To Remove Stains. — Put a few 
tablespoonfuls of aqua ammonia in a 
large two-quart fruit jar, or other 
wide-mouthed bottle or can or similar 
receptacle, taking care not to wet the 
mouth or sides of the vessel. Sus- 
pend the gloves in this vessel above 



348 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



the ammonia, where thej will be 
penetrated by its fumes, and cover 
tightly. Do not allow the gloves to 
touch the ammonia water. This proc- 
ess will not injure the most delicate 
colors. 

To Remove Ink Stains. — First dip 
the stained part in melted tallow to 
absorb the ink. Afterwards cover 
with pipe clay. 

Or insert a roll of brown paper in- 
side the glove and put another piece 
over it; then press gently with a 
warm iron. Repeat if necessary. 

Or, if the stain is not removed, 
make a solution of 1 part of oxalic 
acid to 10 parts of water, and gently 
apply it to the spot with the tip of 
the finger, using as little as possible. 
Follow with a drop of aqua am- 
monia. 

Or wet the spot and cover with 
common soda to neutralize the effect 
of the acid. 

To Clean Kid Gloves. — Shave 3 
ounces of white soap and dissolve in 
a pint of milk with gentle heat. Add 
the white of 1 egg and beat up the 
whole with an egg beater. Add a tea- 
spoonful of sulphuric ether, draw on 
the gloves, and apply the paste with 
a small bit of sponge until clean. It 
is best;, to keep the gloves on until 
they are dry. This method not only 
cleans but softens and revives the 
leather. 

Or draw the gloves on the hand and 
go over them with a cloth dipped in 
skim milk. Wear them until quite dry. 

Or moisten a small sponge or piece 
of cloth in skim milk, rub it on a 
cake of castile or other hard white 
soap, and with this sponge the gloves 
all over until they are clean. Wear 
them until dry. # 

Or shave fine 3 ounces of castile 
or other hard white soap in 3 ounces 
of water, and dissolve with gentle 
heat. Remove from the fire, and when 
cold stir in 3 ounces of Javelle water 
and 1 teaspoonful of aqua ammonia. 
Apply with a flannel cloth. 

Or put the gloves in a large-stop- 
pered bottle about half filled with 
benzine and let stand several hours. 



shaking frequently. Remove the gloves, 
sponge any spots with benzine or 
ether, and hang up to dry. 

Or draw the gloves on to the Hands 
and wash in benzine or turpentine. 
Dry on a soft muslin cloth or towel 
and hang up in a draught until the 
odor disappears. 

To Polish Kid Gloves. — Apply tal- 
cum or other good toilet powder or 
French chalk with a piece of soft 
muslin. 

To Clean Chamois. — To clean gloves 
and other articles of chamois skin, 
dissolve 3 tablespoonfuls of aqua am- 
monia in 1 quart of warm water. 
Soak the articles in this for an hour 
or more. Stir occasionally with a 
wooden spoon. Press out as much of 
the dirt as possible. Pour all into a 
basin of warm water, wash with the 
hands, rinse in clear soft water, dry 
in the shade, and rub between the 
hands until soft. 

TO CLEAN rEATHEBS, PUSS, AND 
STRAW 

To Clean Feathers. — Prepare suds 
by shaving and boiling half a bar of 
hard white or naphtha soap in a 
saucepan with sufficient water. Dilute 
with warm soft water. Immerse the 
plume in this and allow it to soak for 
ten or fifteen minutes, occasionally 
drawing it rather loosely through the 
hands to strip out the dirt with the 
v3uds. Rinse in water of the same 
temperature. If not yet clean, lay 
the feather on a smooth surface and 
with a soft toothbrush rub gently 
with soap and water, working out- 
wardly from the stem. Rinse in clear 
warm water and afterwards, if a white 
feather, in bluing water. Draw through 
the palm of the hand to squeeze out 
the water, but without twisting. Pin 
or stitch the stem to a cloth and hang 
up to dry with the thick end of the 
stem up and the plumage hanging 
down. Shake occasionally while dry- 
ing it, or, if time will permit, shake 
the feathers near the stove until dry. 

Or dry out of doors in a gentle 
breeze. But care must be taken thai 



REMOVAL OF SPOTS AND STAINS 



349 



the wind does not whip the feather 
and break the stem. 

To Renovate Feathers. — Black 
feathers after having been washed 
may be restored to tlieir original lus- 
ter as follows: dissolve 1 ounce of 
sulphate of iron in 1 quart of hot 
water. Immerse the feathers in this 
and let them steep until the liquid is 
cold. Hang up in a shady place to 
dry. Make a solution of logwood 
and gallnuts by boiling ^ ounce of 
each in a copper vessel with 1 quart 
of water down to 1 pint. Remove 
from the fire, while hot, immerse the 
feathers, and allow them to remain 
until cool. Rinse in clear water and 
dry. Lay them on a smooth surface 
and rub from the stem outwardly with 
a piece of flannel slightly moistened 
in olive oil. 

Grebe Feathers and Other Skins. — 
These may be washed in the same 
manner as ostrich plumes by first re- 
moving the lining. They must be 
handled with great care to prevent 
injury by tearing. 

To Curl Feathers. — Feathers which 
have temporarily lost their curl from 
exfjosure to rain or fog may be im- 
proved by holding them over a fire 
and shaking occasionally until the 
matted fibers are loosened, when the 
curl will be restored. 

When the curl has been entirely 
taken out by washing or soaking, it 
will be necessary to curl the fronds 
with the blunt edge of a knife or a 
piece of ivory. The curl will be more 
durable if the feather is held near 
the surface of a hot flatiron while 
curling. The feather should be bone 
dry. Do not take more than two or 
three fronds at a time, and draw them 
between the thumb and the blunt 
edge of a silver knife or ivory paper 
cutter. Begin at the point of the 
feather, and work along the stem on 
both sides. After a little practice 
feathers may be curled to look as 
good as new. 

Swan's-down. — To clean swan's- 
down, first tack the strips on a piece 
of muslin and wash same as ostrich 
j»lumes. When partially dry, remove 



the muslin and rub the feather care- 
fully between the fingers to make it 
pliant. 

To Prepare Quills for Writing. — 
Cut thin, broad layers of cork wide 
enough to float the quills without 
their tipping over. Bore holes through 
these the right size to thrust the nibs 
through them so that they will be 
immersed when the corks float upon 
the water. Place the corks contain- 
ing the quills in a deep kettle or other 
receptacle so that the cover can be 
put on without interfering with the 
quills, and so that the nibs will be 
immersed in water. Boil them three 
or four hours. Dry for twenty-four 
hours, remove the pith, polish with 
flannel, and dry in a warm oven. This 
method hardens the quills like bone 
without making them brittle, and also 
renders them transparent. 

To Clean Fur. — The nature of fur 
is similar to that of wool, as both are 
animal fibers. Hence anything that 
v.'ill injure wool should not be used 
on fur of any description. Stains 
of grease or paint may be removed 
from fur hats or other articles by 
means of turpentine. Afterwards 
sponge with alcohol and dry. 

Or other furs may be cleaned by 
rubbing damp corn meal through them 
and allowing it to dry. Afterwards 
remove by shaking and brushing. The 
coarse furs, as bear, bufi'alo, etc., may 
be scrubbed with warm suds made of 
pure white soap and pure water, and 
their appearance will be very muck 
improved by combing with a coarse 
comb. To improve the luster of furs, 
heat corn meal in an iron skillet to a 
rich brown but without burning. While 
still hot sprinkle it over the fur and 
rub with a flannel cloth. Afterwards 
remove by shaking and brushing. 

To Clean Straw Hats. — The most 
delicate straw goods, as Milan, Leg- 
horn, and other straws, can be thor- 
oughly cleaned by mixing the juice 
of a lemon with a tablespoonful of 
powdered sulphur to form a thick 
paste. A'pply this to the hat with a 
nailbrush or toothbrush, first remov- 
ing the band, and rub the paste thor- 



350 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



oughly int(j the str;nv. Afterwards 
rinse by dashing' water upon it from 
a glass, but without soaking. Sliape 
the hat while still damp with a warm 
iron, pressing through a wet cloth 
nntil dry. 

Or press into shape and dry out of 
doors in the sun. 

Panama Hats. — Apply corn meal, 
slightly damp, with a fairly stiit" nail- 
brusn, changing the meal as it be- 
comes soiled. Brush oft" the excess 
of meal while still damp, dry the hat 
out of doors in the sun, and after- 
wards brush thoroughly. 

Or with a piece of flannel rub full- 
er's earth into the hat, cover quite 
thickly with it, and lay the hat away 
covered with a large piece of paper 
for four or five days. Remove the 
powder by brushing. 

Or apply peroxide of hydrogen with 
a flannel cloth. Repeat if necessary. 

To Size Straw Hats. — Beat up the 
white of an egg and apply to the hat 
after cleaning with a small camel's- 
hair brush or a sponge. 

BLEACHING VEGETABLE AND ANI- 
MAL FIBERS 

Bleaching'. — Bleaching is the proc- 
ess of treating materials in such a 
way as'" to whiten them. Bleaching is 
commonly applied to textile goods, as 
linen, cotton, wool, and silk; also to 
paper, pulp, straw, ivorj', wax, and 
animal and vegetable oils. The oper- 
ation of bleaching textile fabrics con- 
sists of two parts: tirst, removing 
dirt and other impurities and all for- 
eign substances, and afterwards alter- 
ing the natiu-al coloring matter of the 
fabric by chemicals having specific 
bleaching properties. The preliminary 
operation of cleansing fabrics for 
bleaching is much the same as or- 
dinary washing in the domestic laim- 
dry. It depends upon the action of 
alkaline lyes and certain acids to dis- 
solve the resinous and fatty sub- 
stances and other impurities that may 
either be natural or may be intro- 
duced into the fabrics in the process 
of manufacture. 



The principal actual bleaching 
agents now employed are chlorine gas, 
usually combined with lime as chloii- 
ide of lime or bleaching powder; and 
sulphurous acid, usually as fumes of 
burning sulphur. Of these the chlor- 
ine compounds are the more power- 
ful. Like free alkali, however, they 
tend, after decomposing the coloring 
matter, to attack the fibers of the fab- 
ric itself and to injure them. Hence 
it is customary at the proper time to 
treat fabrics bleached by this agent 
with such substances as hyposulphite 
of soda to neutralize the excess of 
chlorine and prevent its further ac- 
tion. 

The various vegetable fibers, as cot- 
ton, flax, and hemp, are composed of 
cellulose, a substance that withstands 
to a great degree the action both of 
the acids and alkalies used in prelim- 
inary cleansing and the chlorine used 
as a bleaching agent. Animtil fibers, 
on the other hand, as silk, wool, feath- 
ers, and the like, contain no cellulose 
and are readily destroyed by these 
agents. Hence they are commonly 
bleached by the action of sulphm'ous- 
acid gas. "N^'arious other chemicals 
have been recommended for bleach- 
ing, but none of them are commonly 
employed. 

Previous to the application of mod- 
ern chemistry (during the latter part 
of the eighteenth centurj'), bleaching 
was done M'ithout the use of chlorine 
or sulphurous acid, by soaking and 
washing the articles alternately in al- 
kaline and acid liquids, exposing them 
on the grass to the action of air, light, 
and moisture, and sprinkling them 
with water several times a day. 

The exact nature of the change 
which takes place in bleaching is not 
known, but it is supposed to be 
brought about by the action of ozone, 
or oxygen, in its active form. This 
is set free during the process of 
bleaching Mith chlorine, and is also 
known to be present in small quan- 
tities in the atmosphere. The ancient 
method of first soaking and Mashing 
articles in lye and acids and after- 
wards exposing them to the action of 



REMOVAL OF SPOTS AND STAINS 



351 



the elements, is still practiced in many 
localities, but ttie modern mettiods of 
bleaching by chlorides and sulphurous 
acid can be practiced successfully in 
any household. 

Bleaching Linen. — The fibers of 
raw or unbleached linen contain a 
large amount of resinous and otiier 
impurities, so that the operation of 
bleaching reduces their original weight 
by about two thirds. These foreign 
substances protect the fiber from be- 
ing injured by the alkali and acids 
which are used in bleaching. Hence 
the treatment recommended for un- 
bleached linen is not suitable for the 
finer qualities of bleached fabrics, but 
must be modified according to the 
quality and condition of the goods. 

The Dutch at one time had a mo- 
nopoly in certain grades of fine linens, 
hence known as " hollands," on ac- 
count of the superiority of their 
bleaching process. This consisted in 
treating the faljric 1)y turns with al- 
kaline and acid liquids, and exposing 
it on lawns or bleaching greens from 
March until September. Hence the 
origin of the word " lawn " for cer- 
tain fine grades of linen. The Dutch 
process consisted of four different 
operations, frequently repeated: 

(1) Steeping in alkaline lye forty- 
eight hours, or in pure water for sev- 
eral days. 

(3) Boiling in alkaline lye, also 
called " bucking " or " hawking." 

(3) Exposing on the grass for 
weeks at a thne and sprinkling fre- 
quently with water. 

(4) Souring with buttermilk. 
After each ojieration the cloth was 

washed in soapsuds and rinsed with 
water. This method is still employed 
and is suitable for either raw linen 
or cotton. It may be shortened by 
the employment of dilute sulphuric 
acid in place of buttermilk, and also 
by the use, under proper conditions, 
of chlorine in the form of chloride of 
lime or bleaching powder. 

Soaking in water or lye, washing, 
boiling in lye, and exposure on tlie 
grass, are still required, and the series 
of operations must be often repeated. 



To Bleach Raw linen and Cotton 
Cloth. — J)issolve 1 pound of chloride 
of lime in a small quantity of cold 
water by rubbing with a stick until 
all lumps have been dissolved. Add 
sufficient cold water to make 3 gal- 
lons, stirring vigorously. Preserve 
this liquid in an earthen jar as a 
bleaching fluid. 

Prepare a lye by dissolving i pint 
of caustic potash or caustic soda in 
2 gallons of water. 

(1) Boil the fabric in this lye for 
three or four hours. 

(2) Wash thoroughly in soapsuds. 

(3) Rinse in pure water. 

(4) Steep three or four hours in 9 
gallons of cold water containing 1 
quart of bleaching fluid. 

(5) Steep for one hour in 2 gallons 
of water containing 2 wineglassf uls of 
sulphuric acid. 

(6) Wash in soapsuds. 

(7) Rinse in pure water. 

(8) Expose on a green lawn and 
sprinkle frequently with clear water. 

This will illustrate the method of 
domestic bleaching. This series of 
operations must be carried on contin- 
uously, and may be repeated weekly 
on the regular wash day when suds 
are at hand in which to wash out the 
lye and bleaching fluid. The articles 
may be exposed during the week and 
the ojierations repeated on the follow- 
ing or subsequent wash days until the 
bleaching has been completed. 

By reducing the strength of the lye 
one half the same series of operations 
may be carried on, a second or a tliird 
time if necessary, without " crofting," 
or exposure on a lawn. The latter 
method is, however, to be preferred. 
After the final operation rinse the ar- 
ticles in 2 gallons of water containing 
about 2 ounces of hyposulphite of 
soda and afterwards rinse in bluing 
water. 

Various methods of bleaching ordi- 
narily recommended and practiced in 
modification of these processes are of 
the nature of short cuts to save labor. 
Some of these, by employing strong 
bleaching agents without sufficient 
care, may tend to weaken the fabrics. 



352 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



and others are not strong enough to 
do the work well. The above is a 
standard that will serve to illustrate 
the principles involved. 

To Sleach Brown Sheeting. — This 
is for an ordinary partly bleached 
cotton fabric. First wash with other 
white goods, and afterwards soak over 
night in strong soapsuds. Dissolve 3 
pounds of chloride of lime in a wash 
boiler containing Qh pails of boiling 
water, or about | pound of chloride 
of lime to the gallon. Stir vigorously, 
and when cold pour through cheese 
cloth into a tub. Immerse the goods 
in this, stirring with a clothes stick 
for half an hour. Rinse thoroughly 
with cold water containing 1 ounce 
of hyposulphite of soda to the gal- 
lon. Finally rinse in bluing water 
and hang up to dry. Repeat if neces- 
sary. This will take mildew out of 
cotton or duck cloth, and restore the 
color of cotton goods that have been 
stored and yellowed. 

These methods are, of course, not 
suitable for more delicate cotton fab- 
rics. 

Sleaching with Sal Soda. — Wash- 
ing soda tends to bleach garments, 
but also inj ures them imless it is thor- 
oughly removed by rinsing. Put no 
more than one teaspoonful in a boil- 
erful of clothes. 

Bleaching by Turpentine. — Dis- 
solve 1 teaspoonful of oil of turpen- 
tine and 3 teaspoonfuls of alcohol in 
the last rising water. 

Wool. — The process of bleaching 
raw wool requires five stages: 

(1) It is washed on the sheep to 
remove sweat and dirt. Among other 
impurities found in sheep's wool is a 
substance called " suint," containing 
potash, which may be preserved and 
utilized, 

(2) The wool is scoured by an am- 
moniacal lye consisting of stale urine 
dissolved in water, or by immersing 
in soapsuds or a weak alkaline lye at 
a temperature of about 130°. This 
removes a kind of lime soap and other 
impurities in it. These are the pre- 
liminary processes of cleansing, after 
which the wool is spun into yarn and 



prepared for bleaching either in the 
yarn or cloth. 

(3) Steeping in a weak lukewarm 
solution of carbonate of soda and 
soajjsuds. 

(4) Washing with lukewarm soap- 
suds. 

(5) Exposing to the fumes of sul- 
phurous acid. 

The last three operations are re- 
peated if necessary. Afterwards the 
yarn or cloth is rinsed in bluing 
water. Operations 1 and 2 may be 
performed on the farm to improve 
the appearance of wool for the mar- 
ket. Operations 3, 4, and 5 may be 
performed in the house to bleach 
yarn or woolen fabrics. 

Chlorine in any form, as chloride of 
lime or bleaching powders, must not 
be used for woolen articles. 

To Bleach Woolen Goods with Sul- 
phur. — An inverted barrel, cask, box, 
or anything that is large enough and 
tight enough to hold the fumes of 
sulphur may be employed. Place this 
out of doors on a still day, or in an 
outhouse, turned upside down and 
su^jported on three or four bricks, to 
admit a slight draught. Suspend the 
articles inside by means of hooks, or 
by passing cord or wire through gim- 
let holes and tying it about them. 
Afterwards fill the gimlet holes with 
rags or wax. 

Kindle coke or charcoal, or place 
other live coals in an iron pan, sprin- 
kle flowers of sulphur, or pulverized 
brimstone on the coals, and set direct- 
ly beneath. If the receptacle used is 
not quite tight, cover closely with a 
wet piece of heavy cloth or old car- 
pet. Care must, of course, be taken 
not to inhale the fumes of sulphur or 
to permit the sulphur to blaze and 
scorch the goods. The articles should 
be first washed in soapsuds, and 
wrung out of weak suds without rins- 
ing. 

For Small Articles. — A paper flour 
sack, to which they may be attached 
by pins or basting threads, is light, 
tight, and convenient for bleaching 
small articles. Put the brimstone in 
a saucer and cover with a tin funnelt 



REMOVAL OF SPOTS AND STAINS 



353 



so that the fumes will be directed ufr 
into the bag. Repeat if necessary, 
hang the articles out of doors until 
the odor has passed away, and wash 
as usual. This method is suitable for 
flannels, woolen hose, yarn, and also 
for silk, straw, and straw goods. 

To Bleach, with Oxalic Acid. — Dis- 
solve 1 ounce of oxalic acid in 1 gal- 
lon of boiling water; allow this to 
cool until it will bear the hands. Im- 
merse the articles and let them steep 
for an hour or more, rinse thoroughly, 
and dry. Repeat if necessary. 

To Bleach Flannel. — Dissolve 1 
oimce of powdered ammonia and 1 
ounce of salt in 2 quarts of water. 
Soak the articles in this for an hour 
or more. 

Or dissolve 2 ounces of bisulphite 
of soda in 1 gallon of water acidulat- 
ed slightly with hydrochloric acid. 

To Bleach Silk. — Nearly one half, 
by weight (30 to 40 per cent), of the 
fibers of silk consists of various gums 
and coloring matter. 

The operation of bleaching consists 
in 

(1) Boiling the silks in soapsuds, 
with the addition of bran, to remove 
these impurities; (2) exposing them 
to sulphurous-acid gas. 

Or boil in soapsuds, rinse, and ex- 
pose to the sun. Or bleach with the 
fumes of sulphur. 

To Bleach !Feathers. — Make a di- 
lute solution of bicarbonate of potas- 
sium, 1 part to 10 parts of water, 
slightljr acidulated with nitric acid, 1 
fluid ounce to the gallon. Immerse 
the feathers for 3 or 4 hours. Af- 
terwards rinse in clear water, slightly 
acidulated with sulphuric acid, 1 fluid 
ounce to the gallon. 

To Bleach Straw Goods. — Sub- 
stances recommended for bleaching 
straw and straw goods, including 
straw hats, are sulphurous acid (i. e., 
fumes of burning sulphur), chlorine 
water (or chloride of lime), citric 
acid, and oxalic acid. Straw goods 
must be prepared for bleaching by 
scrubbing with lukewarm soap and 
water. 

The safest and best method of 



bleaching straw is perhaps by means 
of the fumes of burning sulphur. This 
method is employed by manufacturers 
and milliners to bleach hats and bon- 
nets. All bands and trimmings must 
first be removed. 

Or apply chlorine water with a 
sponge, cloth, or brush. Afterwards 
rinse in clear water containing hypo- 
sulphite of soda. 

Or make a paste of corn meal and 
a solution of oxalic acid in water. 
Spread this on the hat, allow it to 
dry, and remove by brushing. 

Or apply a strong solution of ox- 
alic acid and water, and rinse. 

Or immerse in a weak solution of 
chloride of lime — 2 ounces to 1 gal- 
lon of water. Rinse in water con- 
taining hyposulphite of soda. 

Or make a paste of flowers of sul- 
phur. Or pulverize brimstone with 
water. Cover with this, and expose 
to direct sunshine imtil dry. Repeat 
if necessary. Remove the sulphur by 
brushing. This is simple and success- 
ful. 

To Bleach Straw Braid. — Dissolve 
6 ounces of chloride of lime in a gal- 
lon of water. 

(1) Dip the goods in this for thir- 
ty minutes. 

(2) Dip in clear water acidulated 
with muriatic or sulphuric acid at the 
rate of 1 fluid ounce to the gallon. 

(3) Rinse in clear water containing 
1 ounce of hyposulphite of soda to 
the gallon. 

Or dip in weak soapsuds and ex- 
pose to the fumes of burning sulphur. 

To Prevent White Goods from Fad- 
ing. — If a suitable lawn or grassplot 
is available, spread white garments 
on the grass to dry during the warm 
months of the year. This is more con- 
venient than fastening to a line and 
keeps the garments always bleached. 
Faded articles may be bleached in 
this way by keeping them constantly 
moistened with clear water. 

To Bleach Unbleached Muslin. — 
Unbleached muslin is more durable 
than that which has already been 
bleached. Hence it pays to buy it 
by the piece and bleach it before mak- 



354 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



ing it up. Place on the stove a boil- 
erful of strong bluing water, or use 
indigo instead of bluing. Unroll the 
cloth, put it in the boiler, and boil 
ten or twenty minutes. Hang it out 
on a clear, sunshiny day to drip ; dry 
without wringing. When partially dry 
spread it on the grass to bleach. 

To Whiten Lace. — First wash in 
strong soapsuds, rinse and immerse 
in fresh suds, and expose to the sun. 

Or first wash and iron, stitch on 
cotton with basting thread, and soak 
for twenty minutes in olive oil. Af- 
terwards boil for twenty minutes in 
suds of castile or other hard white 
soap and rinse in warm water. 

To Bleach Faded White Goods. — 
All cotton and linen fabrics and gar- 
ments that have been laundered tend 
to become yellow by the action of the 
alkali contained in the soap, which is 
imperfectly removed in rinsing. Gar- 
ments that have been laid away for a 
time, as siunmer dresses, will fre- 
quently come out in the spring much 
yellowed or faded. Put the faded ar- 
ticles in a separate boiler and add ^ 



pound of cream of tartar. Boil until 
the goods are clear. Wring out of 
bluing water and lay on the grass to 
dry. 

Or soak the garments over night in 
clear cold water, wring out, and soak 
for twenty-four hours in sour milk 
or buttermilk. If much yellowed, 
soak a third night in weak suds con- 
taining a little hard white soap and 
a tablespoonful of kerosene. After- 
wards boil in suds containing a table- 
spoonful of kerosene. Rinse in blu- 
ing water, and hang out to drip dry. 

Or boil the articles for fifteen or 
twenty minutes in strong soapsuds 
containing 1 tablespoonful of essence 
of turpentine and 3 tablespoonfuls 
of aqua ammonia, stirring occasional- 
ly. Care must be taken not to im- 
merse the arms in suds containing 
turpentine. Rinse the articles, using 
a clothes stick, in one or two clear 
waters, and wash and blue in the 
usual way. 

Washing soda should not be used 
for bleaching pur^oses^ as it tends tq 
rot the fabric. 



CHAPTER XI 



WASH DAY 

SOAP AND SOAP MAKING— THE LAUNDRY— NATURE OF THE PRO- 
CESS—WATER FOR THE LAUNDRY— LABOR-SAVING METHODS 
WASHING FLUIDS, ETC. — COLORED GOODS — LACES AND LACE 
CURTAINS — SILKS AND SATIN — WOOLENS, WORSTEDS, AND 
FLANNELS— DRYING CLOTHES 



The custom of this country has 
established Monday as wash day. 
Many families, however, prefer Tues- 
day, in order to have an opportunity 
on Monday to sort over the different 
articles, mend tears, remove stains, 
and the like. 

Bed clothing is usually changed on 
Saturday, and body clothing on Sat- 
urday or Sunday, so that all clothes 
may be readily collected and at hand 
early Monday morning. 

Laundry Bags. — Each person in 
the family should have a laundry bag 
in his or her own room in which 
soiled garments may be kept in 
jjreparation for* the weekly wash. A 
separate laundry bag for soiled table 
linen and napkins should be hung on 
the back of the pantry door or some 
other clean, dry place where mice 
cannot get at it. If these articles are 
not kept out of the way they will 
scent the spots of grease in table 
linen and gnaw their way to them. 

Laundry bags may be made of 
heavy unbleached muslin, or worn-out 
pillowcases may be used, by facing 
them to hold a draw string. 

Ordinary crash toweling, folded 
across and sewed at the sides, makes 
a convenient laundry bag. 

Or ornamental bags may be made 
in the form of a double pocket hav- 
ing one opening across the middle 
with two bag-like receptacles. 

Clothes Hamper. — In addition to 
these laundry bags a clothes hamper 



located conveniently near the laundry 
will be found very handy to receive 
soiled towels and bed linen. Covered 
basket hampers may be obtained at 
the stores. 

Or a cheap clothes hamper may be 
made from a small barrel, by lining 
it inside with cambric or calico and 
covering the outside with cretonne or 
other material arranged in plaits. 
The lid may be covered with the same 
material and supplied with a covered 
knob in the center. The lining should 
be sewed together in breadths like a 
skirt. 

Or a hamper may be made of a 
dry-goods box by lining and covering 
it in the same manner with any suit- 
able material. By padding the top 
this box may be used as a seat and 
may be placed where a barrel would 
be inconvenient. 

Sorting the Laundry. — Spread a 
white sheet on the floor and empty on 
this the contents of the laundry 
bags and hamper. Sort the small and 
delicate pieces of fine linen, as laces, 
fine waists, aprons, and petticoats, in 
one pile. It is a good plan to have 
one or two wash bags of cotton, 
about two feet square, in wliich to 
place these pieces to soak and boil 
them. Or they can be boiled sep- 
arately in a kettle or small boiler. 

Put the table linen, linen towels, 
and doilies in one joile; the bed and 
body linen, kitchen towels, and bath 
towels in another; the colored clothes, 



355 



356 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



hosiery, and coarser articles in a 
third; and the flannels and woolens 
by themselves. These lots should be 
kept separate throughout the wash- 
ing, the fine linen and table linen go- 
ing into tlie first tub and the first 
boiler; bed and body linen into the 
second tub and second boiler; colored 
clothes being washed separately, but 
not boiled; and flannels being re- 
served for separate treatment. By 
this plan the same suds may be used 
in the boiler if desired, although 
changing the water is much to be 
preferred. 

Laundry — To Remove Stains. — 
While sorting the clothes, they should 
be carefully looked over for stains 
from fruit, grass, acids, pencil marks, 
ink, etc., as these may be much more 
readily eradicated before they are 
touched by soap or boiling water. 
Pencil marks especially should be 
erased carefully with a rubber eraser, 
as the hot water will make them in- 
delible. 

SOAP AND SOAP MAKING 

Properties of Soap. — Garments of 
linen and other fabrics become soiled 
principally by the oily exudations of 
the bbdy, as in perspiration and the 
natural oil of the hair, and in the 
case of table linen, by animal fats, 
etc. The skin itself, of course, re- 
tains a considerable part of the oily 
substances not absorbed by the cloth- 
ing. These greasy substances by 
their adhesive quality attract and 
hold particles of dirt. When soap is 
dissolved in water, the neutral alkali 
salts become in part separated into 
alkali which dissolves, and free fatty 
acid which precipitates. This ex- 
plains why the transparency of clear 
water is disturbed by the use of soap 
even of the purest kind. 

The detergent or cleansing proper- 
ties of soap are due to the presence 
of free alkali, either caustic potash 
or soda liberated in the soapsuds. 
This attacks and decomposes the 
grease contained in soiled linen, in 
perspiration, and in dishwater, unites 



with the fatty acids, and in turn sa- 
ponifies them. The process is pre- 
cisely similar to that of soap-making. 
The union of the alkali set free in 
soapsuds with the grease of garments 
or dishwater produces a soapy sub- 
stance which is readily soluble, and 
hence is easily removed by rinsing. 

Free Alkali. — Since the cleansing 
properties of soap are due to the 
presence of free alkali, it may be 
asked why the alkalies themselves — 
as potash lye or sal soda, cannot be 
used without the trouble of uniting 
them with animal fats by soap mak- 
ing. It is true that lye and other 
strong alkalies have strong detergent 
properties. They attack, however, 
not only the grease, but also the fab- 
rics themselves and rot or weaken 
them, and also irritate the skin. 
Hence the object of soap making is 
to form a compound which will re- 
lease a small definite quantity of al- 
kali at the moment that it is required. 

Soap Test. — Alkali has a strong, 
biting taste. Hence the best test of 
soap is to apply the tongue to it. If 
it bites, the soap contains an excess 
of free alkali and is not suitable for 
the toilet or laundry. If it does not, 
it is good soap and will probably not 
injure the most delicate fabrics. 

Importance of Soap. — Whether or 
not cleanliness is next to godliness, 
historians say that the degree of civ- 
ilization of a nation is indicated by 
the quantity of soap it consumes. 
The kind and quality of soap and 
other cleansing articles used by a 
household is a good indication of the 
refinement of the family. There 
should be no economy in the use of 
soap, but since, if very freely used, 
it becomes quite an important item 
of expense, a considerable saving 
may be made by the use of home- 
made soap and other cleansing com- 
pounds. 

The domestic art of soap making 
also has an educational value. Soap 
is a chemical compound and we per- 
form a real chemical experiment 
every time we wash our hands or 
wash clotliing in the laundry. Soap 



WASH DAY 



357 



was made as early as the second cen- 
tury of the Christian era, before the 
modern science of chemistry was in- 
augurated, and good soap may be 
made by observing the following in- 
structions without troubling oneself 
to understand the chemical principles 
involved. On the other hand, it is 
interesting, as a matter of general in- 
formation, to understand the chemis- 
try of soap making. 

There is a group of substances hav- 
ing similar properties, which is known 
in chemistry as alkalies, and another 
group, having very different proper- 
ties, which is known as acids. These 
two kinds of substances have a 
strong attraction or afBnity for each 
other, and when brought together un- 
der suitable conditions they unite to 
form another class of substances, the 
compounds known as salts. Common 
salt is a good example; it consists 
of an alkali, sodium, and an acid, 
chlorine. Most of the salts are freely 
soluble in water. 

Soaps are alkali salts of fatty 
acids. The alkalies commonly used 
in making soaps are soda and potash. 
All of the animal fats, and also the 
animal and vegetable oils, contain 
fatty acids. When the proper alka- 
lies are brought into contact with 
animal fats oi; oils, under proper 
conditions, the alkalies attack the 
globules of fat or oil and unite with 
the fatty acids to form alkali salts 
of fatty acids — i. e., soap. This 
process is known as saponifica- 
tion. 

To make soap it is customary to 
dissolve an alkali, either potash or 
soda, in water, forming a liquid 
known as lye, to dilute the lye, to 
then mix with it a suitable quantity 
of fat or oil, and to stir until saponi- 
fication takes place. If the mixture 
is cold, the process may require sev- 
eral days or even months, depending 
upon the strength and purity of the 
ingredients. But if the mixture is 
raised to 312° F. by boiling, the 
process of saponification may take 
place in a few minutes or hours. 
Hence there are two processes of 



soap making — in the cold and by boil- 
ing. 

The cold process, generally speak- 
ing, produces what is known as a soft 
soap. This is not true or pure soap, 
but contains, in addition to the actual 
dry alkali salts of the fatty acids — 
i. e., real soap — certain other ingredi- 
ents, as water, glycerin (which is con- 
tained in aU natural fats and is lib- 
erated in the process of soap mak- 
ing), more or less free alkali, and 
other impurities. In other words, 
soft soap is only partially saponified. 
The pure or hard soap, completing 
the process of saponification, is ob- 
tained by boiling soft soap until the 
glycerin and other impurities are ab- 
sorbed by the hot lye, and by the 
addition of ■ salt to remove the sur- 
plus of water. The salt, having a 
stronger afiinity for water than the 
soap has, causes the water and the 
impurities it holds in solution to 
sink into the oil. The pure hard soap 
rises to the surface and forms a 
cake which may be removed. The 
lye, containing glycerin and other im- 
purities, can then be discarded. 

A better quality of soap may be 
obtained by melting the product of 
the first boiling a second time, and 
by adding more clean, strong lye and 
clear melted grease or oil, and stir- 
ring over the fire until complete 
saponification takes place. 

THE LAUNDRY 

Utensils for Washing. — The list of 
utensils for the laundry includes wash 
boiler, wringer, washboard, washing 
machine, three or four tubs, two or 
three pa!ils, clothes stick, dipper, and 
large and small clothes baskets. 
Wooden tubs and pails are the most 
common, but those made of paper or 
wood pulp are to be preferred, as 
they are lighter and will not fall to 
pieces if allowed to dry. 

The Boiler. — The ordinary tin boil- 
ers are commonly used, but a copper 
or steel boiler enameled white on the 
inside and painted some suitable color 
outside is the best. Tubs and boilers 



358 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



should be fitted with faucets to avoid 
lifting and the liability of accident 
in carrying hot suds from place to 
place. With good care a wash boiler 
should last a lifetime. Hence it is 
advisable to buy the best. 

The Wringer. — The principal cost 
of a wringer is in the rubber rollers, 
and it is true economy to buy an ar- 
ticle that has rolls made of pure rub- 
ber, and that may cost $5 or $6, 
rather than a cheap article having 




Utensils for the Laundry.' 



rollers made of a composition that 
will last but a short time. When the 
rollers begin to wear, wrap them 
round with straps of strong, un- 
bleached cotton cloth. This will 
lengthen their usefulness many years. 
Washing Machine. — ^We especially 
recommend the purchase of a good 
washing machine. Like the sewing 
machine this instnmient has a very 
important bearing upon the welfare 
of the family by lessening the physical 
labor devolving upon the wife and 
mother, and thus saving much of her 
energy for the higher and more ele- 
vating duties of the household. We 
believe that any of the standard makes 
of washing machines are to be recom- 
mended in preference to the ordinary 
washboard, which is only a relic of 
barbarism. But we especially recom- 
mend the make which contains an in- 



ner cylinder in which the clothes are 
placed, and which is revolved in an 
outer cylinder containing water. This 
method tends to cleanse the clothes 
evenly and with the least possible 
wear. Other makes accomplish the re- 
sult by holding the clothes stationary, 
agitating the water, and squeezing the 
goods, very much after the fashion of 
the old-style clothes pounder; and 
still others revolve the garments in 
the tub by means of prongs, reversing 
the motion from time to time. The 
last method is perhaps the least satis- 
factory. When the clothes are sud- 
denly stopped and sent backward by 
the reverse motion they are subjected 
to a considerable strain. But even 
this method wears out the garments 
far less than does rubbing on the 
washboard, and we strongly recom- 
mend some washing machine to every 
household. If the clothes are first 
boiled with soap and kerosene, or 
other good washing fluid, they can be 
run through the washer in about five 
minutes. Colored clothes cannot, of 
course, be boiled, and will require a 
longer time to wash. 

Small irtensils. — ^A small toy wash- 
board is useful for washing dish tow- 
els, hand towels, handkerchiefs, hose, 
and light neckwear; also to take to 
summer resorts on vacations, as laun- 
dry bills in these places are always 
considerable. A small flatiron is also 
useful for ironing ruffles, puffings, or 
laces. Both these articles can be put 
in the trunk, and the iron can be 
heated over an alcohol lamp and used 
to press ribbons and neckwear. A 
5-gallon lard can, which can be pur- 
chased for 35 cents, is a useful sub- 
stitute for a boiler in washing small 
arlicles that are too dainty to put in 
the regular wash. 

Or small articles may be inclosed in 
cloth bags before being put in the 
wash boiler. 

NATURE OF THE PROCESS 

Objects of Washing. — Dirt has been 
described as " matter which is out of 
place." The substances which soU 



WASH DAY 



359 



garments and household linen are un- 
objectionable in their proper places, 
but become dirt when transferred to 
wearing apparel and linen, and re- 
quire to be removed by washing. These 
substances are principally of three 
classes: fruit, acids, ink, and other 
things which produce stains; animal 
oils, grease, or fats from the oily exu- 
dations from the body in perspira- 
tion; or, in the case of table linen, 
from foods or from other sources; 
and particles of earth and other sol- 
ids, either mixed with grease,-0r caught 
in the texture of the fabric. Stains 
require special treatment according to 
the nature of the substance which pro- 
duces them; greasy substances, as oils 
or fats, require to be decomposed by 
the use of an alkali, in soaps or oth- 
erwise; and particles of earth and 
other substances, when set free from 
the grease in which they are usually 
imbedded, may be removed by the 
mechanical operations of rubbing and 
rinsing. Aside from stains, the most 
difficult part of washing is the decom- 
position, without injury to the fab- 
rics, of greasy substances by the ac- 
tion of an alkali. Unless this point 
is clearly understood, good results in 
washing will come rather from good 
luck than from good management. 

The means employed to remove dirt 
on fabrics are soaking, boiling, rub- 
bing, and rinsing, vdth the use of an 
alkali either in soaps or in the various 
preparations known as washing pow- 
ders and washing fluids. 

Soaking. — The object of soaking 
garments is to soften the dirt and 
loosen it by swelling the fabric. There 
is no objection to soaking the clothes 
in pure soft water for a reasonable 
time, but soaking them over night in 
water with soap and washing fluids or 
powders is not advisable. The first 
eflPect of the alkali contained in soap 
is to soften the greasy substances 
which cause dirt to adhere to the fab- 
ric, and to render them soluble in 
water. But if these substances are 
not immediately removed by washing 
and rinsing, another chemical action 
takes place which produces compounds 



that, while not always visible to the 
eye, are very much more difficult to 
remove. This is especially likely to 
be the case if soap or other deter- 
gents are used which contain much 
alkali. The result is often to give 
the clothes a heavy or musty smell 
and a dingy appearance after iron- 
ing. Instead, try soaking the gar- 
ments for about twenty minutes in 
boiling water containing borax. 

Or rub soiled articles with a piece 
of wet soap on the morning of wash 
day and soak in cold water for about 
two hours before washing. 

If clothes are soaked over night 
use pure soft water only, without 
any soap or other washing com- 
pounds. If not, put the clothes to 
soak in cold soft water the very 
first thing in the morning while the 
wash water is heating and breakfast 
is being prepared, first rubbing soiled 
articles, especially the greasy spots, 
with a piece of wet soap before put- 
ting them in the water. 

Rubbing. — Rubbing is, of course, 
merely a mechanical operation, but it 
assists the action of soap and washing 
compounds by removing the greasy 
substances that have been decomposed 
by the alkali and by bringing what 
remains into contact with the alkaline 
suds. 

Right here note a helpful labor- 
saving device. Instead of rubbing 
the clothes in the usual way, lay 
the washboard across the top of the 
tub and apply soap to them with a 
scrubbing brush having rather stiff 
bristles. Use the brush especially for 
the neck, wristbands, and other spots 
which are especially soiled or greasy. 
This cleanses them much more quick- 
ly than rubbing in the usual manner, 
besides being easier for the laundress 
and much less detrimental to the gar- 
ment. This method is especially help- 
ful for men's overalls, heavy blankets, 
and other coarse articles that are dif- 
ficult to clean. Put the clothes through 
a wringer into the second tub and 
wash again, looking them over care- 
fully for dirty spots. 

Boilini^. — Boiling is also a mechan- 



360 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



ical process, as the steam passing 
through the garments agitates them 
and loosens the particles of dirt con- 
tained in their texture. Boiling water 
and steam also increase the activity 
of the alkali in attacking and decom- 
posing the grease. 

Laundry — Hinsing'. — Rinsing is a 
mechanical operation for removing 
the excess of soap, with the dirt, glyc- 
erin, ana other impurities that have 
been released by the action of the 
washing compounds. 

These processes should be firmly 
fixed in mind, and the nature and 
properties of soap and other cleansing 
compounds should be fully understood 
by all who wish to obtain satisfactory 
results in washing. 

The principal object of rinsing 
clothes is to remove the excess of 
soap. Hence they must be thor- 
oughly rinsed until all the suds dis- 
appear from the water. If plenty 
of hot water can be had it should be 
used for the first rinsing, as the soap 
contained in the garment will dissolve 
in hot water much more readily than 
in cold. It is customary, however, to 
lift the clothes from the boiler direct- 
ly into a tub of cold rinsing water, 
rinse thoroughly, wring out into a 
second- rinsing water, and continue 
rinsing until all trace of soap disap- 
pears. If any soap is left in the gar- 
ments it will unite with the bluing 
and make the clothes yellow. After 
the final rinsing and bluing the arti- 
cles must be wrung out, rolled in bun- 
dles, and sorted, starched pieces 
being placed in one basket and un- 
starched ones in another, and hung 
up to dry at once. It is a good idea 
to first spread a large, clean cloth in 
the bottom of the basket. 

Plan for Wash Day. — ^The following 
routine is especially recommended: 
get up at daylight and get the wash- 
ing out of the way as early as possi- 
ble. It is surprising how much can 
be accomplished early in the morning 
before the regular routine of the day 
begins. 

First Boiling. — Next fill the boiler 
with clear soft water, or if the water 



is hard, add borax to soften it. Put 

it on the stove and bring to a boil. 
Rinse out the tubs with hot water 
and soap to remove any dust that 
may have accumulated. When the 
clothes have been well soaked, run 
them through a wringer or wring 
them out lightly by hand, j>ut them 
in tubs half filled with hot water from 
the boiler, and rub on the washboard, 
using plenty of soap. Or use the 
washing machine. 

Second Boiling, — Run them again 
through the wringer and put them in 
a boiler with cold water over the fire. 
The articles may be rubbed separate- 
ly with soap as they come from the 
wringer before being placed in the 
boiler, or shaved hard soap or other 
washing compounds may be dissolved 
in the water in which the clothes are 
boiled. If washing fluids or powders 
are used care must be taken to dis- 
solve them in the water before the 
clothes are put in, as otherwise they 
may settle in the folds of the fabrics 
and eat holes in them with the excess 
of alkali they contain. Let the clothes 
come to a boil, pressing them down 
occasionally with a clothes stick. The 
first boiler should contain the first 
sorting of fine linen, and while these 
are coming to a boil the second sort- 
ing may be in the process of rubbing. 
The boiler should be emptied and re- 
filled with cold water every time a 
new lot is put in. Clothes should be 
lifted from the boiler with a clothes 
stick, held up to drain slightly, and 
placed in a tubful of clear, cold rins« 
ing water. 

WATER FOR THE LAUNDRY 

Laundry Water Supply. — All water 
for laundry purposes must be soft or 
else the clothes cannot be made clean. 
Hard water that contains lime and 
other mineral substances, or that is 
brackish from its vicinity to the sea, 
will cause the soap to curdle and 
float on its surface. In limestone 
regions and other localities where the 
water is hard, perhaps the best meth- 
od is to collect rain water in a cis- 



WASH DAY 



361 



tern or rain-water barrel, but hard 
water can be softened in various ways 
for laundry purposes. 

To Test Water. — To find out wheth- 
er or not water is fit for laundry pur- 
poses, dissolve a little good white soap 
in alcohol and put a few drops of this 
solution into a glassful of water. If 
the water is pure the soap solution 
will be dissolved and the water will 
continue limpid, but if it is impure 
the soap will form into white flakes 
which will tend to float on the sur- 
face. 

To Soften Hard Water. — ^Bring the 
water to a boil and expose it to the 
air, which may be done by pouring 
it from some little height into a tub 
or other vessel, and afterwards letting 
it stand over night. 

Or boil it with the addition of a 
little baking soda, and afterwards ex- 
pose it to the air. 

Or place a quantity of clean wood 
ashes in a tightly closed woolen bag 
and immerse the bag in a tub of 
water. The required amount of ashes 
can be ascertained by experiment. 

Or use chalk, which may be put 
into the spring or well or used in a 
tub or bucket, the proper amount de- 
pending upon the extent of the im- 
purities, and to_be determined in each 
locality by experiment. 

Or add a small quantity of borax 
or potash or soda lye, but care must 
be taken not to use too much, as oth- 
erwise the alkali they contain will in- 
jure the fabrics. 

Or add 1 to 3 tablespoonfuls of 
quicklime to each tubful of water. 
Slake the lime with a little warm 
water, stirring it to a cream, pour 
it into a tubful or boilerful of water, 
and let stand over night or Ion" 
enough to settle to the bottom. Pour 
off the clear water, taking care not to 
disturb the sediment. 

Rain-water Barrel. — A cask to hold 
rain water should be provided with a 
hinged lid or other cover to prevent 
dust and dirt from getting in, and to 
keep out insects that would use it as 
a breeding place. It should be raised 
above the ground by stone or brick, 



and be furnished with a spigot to 
draw off the water for use. 

To Cleanse Soapsuds. — The water 
supply in some localities is exceed- 
ingly limited, and periods of drought 
sometimes occur when it is almost im- 
possible to obtain sufficient water for 
laundry purposes. Under such cir- 
cumstances a tubful or boilerful of 
water may be made to serve for an 
entire washing by cleansing it when 
necessary. This may be done by dis- 
solving a teasjioonful of powdered 
alum in half a cup of boiling water 
and stirring it into a tub or wash 
boiler of soapsuds. The soap will 
curdle and sink with the other im- 
purities to the bottom, leaving the 
water entirely clear and free from 
odor. The clear water may then be 
poured off, taking care not to disturb 
the sediment, and used again. 

LABOR-SAVING METHODS, WASHING 
FLUIDS, ETC. 

Certain compounds added to the 
water in which the clothes are boiled 
are recommended as labor savers. 
Washing fluids and powders contain 
two kinds of ingredients: volatile sub- 
stances, such as kerosene, turpentine, 
alcohol, ammonia, and camphor gum; 
and alkaline substances, as potash and 
soda lyes from wood ashes, sal soda, 
and various brands of commercial lye. 
These powerful chemicals must be used 
with the most intelligent caution. 

First Caution. — If the hands and 
arms are immersed in hot water con- 
taining turpentine, alcohol, ammonia, 
camphor, and similar substances, these 
are absorbed through the pores of the 
skin and may seriously imperil the 
health. Paralysis is said to some- 
times result from this cause. Hence 
it is best to use these compounds 
only in the boiler, and to take the gar- 
ments out of the first rinsing water 
with the clothes stick, especially if 
hot water is used, rather than to im- 
merse the arms therein. 

When turpentine has been used in 
the boiling water the clothes must be 
very thoroughly rinsed, as if any of 



362 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



it remains in garments worn next the 
skin it may cause mischief. 

Second Caution. — Substances that 
are strong in alkali, as potash and 
soda lyes and the like, are powerful 
cleansers, but clothes should not be 
allowed to lie in water that contains 
them for any length of time. If they 
are used in the boiling water the 
clothes must be boiled for a limited 
time and immediately removed and 
rinsed thoroughly. The alkali, as has 
already been explained, continues its 
action after decomposing greasy sub- 
stances and attacks the fabrics them- 
selves. It is injurious to the skin if 
not thoroughly rinsed from imder- 
wear. 

Third Caution. — All washing pow- 
ders should be thoroughly dissolved 
in the boiling water before the gar- 
ments are added, so that the alkali 
and other ingredients may be present 
in equal strength in all parts of the 
water. If these compounds are add- 
ed after the clothes have been put in 
they may settle in spots in the folds 
of the garments and eat into the fab- 
ric. 

Washing Fluids. — Most washing 
fluids amount to neither more nor less 
than potash or soda lye. In other 
words, they are liquids containing an 
excess 'of free alkali. Their use is 
quite customary on the ground that 
they do the work quickly and well 
and save labor, but they are open to 
the objection that unless used with 
great caution they tend to rot the 
clothes and to roughen and chap the 
hands and arms of the laundress. 
They are, at best, only suitable for 
the coarser articles, and it is probable 
that their constant use weakens any- 
thing which they are employed to 
clean. 

Caustic Soda Lye. — A common fam- 
ily recipe for washing fluid is caustic 
soda lye. Dissolve 1 pound of sal 
soda in 1 gallon of boiling water. 
Slake separately 8 ounces of fresh 
quicklime in 2 quarts of water. Bring 
the soda solution to a boil, pour in 
the slaked lime in a thin stream, stir- 
ring constantly, and let the mixture 



stand over night. Pour off the clear 
lye, taking care not to disturb the 
sediment, and preserve in glass bot- 
tles or stone jugs. When this flmd is 
used it is customary to soak the 
clothes over night in clear wateF, 
wring them out, and soap the soiled 
places. The boiler is then half filled 
with water which is brought to a boil 
and 1 teacupful of this fluid is stirred 
in thoroughly, after which the clothes 
are added and boiled for half an hour, 
when they can be cleaned with very 
little rubbing. The injury that the 
lye may do the fabric is not likely to 
be noticed as a result of a single 
washing, and the gradual weakening 
of the garment is likely to be attrib- 
uted to ordinary wear. Hence it is 
often asserted that this and other 
washing fluids can be used without 
rotting ordinary fabrics. But the in- 
jury, though slight, is certain. At aU 
events, if such fluids are used the 
greatest care must be taken not to let 
garments lie long in the suds, to rinse 
them very thoroughly in two or three 
waters and hang them out as quickly 
as possible. This washing fluid may 
be used in hot water for scrubbing 
floors, removing grease spots, and 
cleaning greasy pots, kettles, and the 
like. But care must be taken not to 
use it on tinware or aluminimi or 
strong enough to injure the hands. 

Caustic Potash Lye. — The basis of 
another class of washing fluids fre- 
quently recommended is potash lye, 
which is perhaps even more injurious 
than caustic soda lye, requiring the 
same cautions and being open to the 
same objections. The addition of 
various other ingredients, as borax, 
ammonia, and the like, may be re- 
garded as beneficial, as they tend to 
increase the cleansing properties of 
the fluid, and thus lessen the amount 
of pure lye necessary to do the work. 

Put i pound of concentrated lye in 
an earthenware jar or iron kettle and 
pour over it 1 gallon of cold water. 
Stir with a wooden stick until dis- 
solved, and let stand until cold. Dis- 
solve, each in a separate vessel, | 
pound of borax, J poimd of salts of 



WASH DAY 



363 



tartar, and ^ pound of lump am- 
monia (not aqua ammonia), using in 
each case as little water as possible. 
After the solution of lye is cold, pour 
into it each of the other solutions in 
a thin stream, stirring constantly, 
pour the mixture into large glass bot- 
tles or earthenware jugs, and cork 
tightly. Use this washing fluid in the 
proportion of 1 or 2 tablespoonfuls 
to each pailful of water. In all cases 
dissolve it in the wash boiler before the 
clothes are put in, for if the clothes 
are put in first and the washing fluid 
afterwards, it wUl be stronger in some 
places than others, and be more likely 
to injure the garments. 

Or put 1 pound of crude potash in 
an earthenware j ug and pour over it 1 
gallon of soft water. When cold stir in 
J ounce of sal ammoniac and | ounce 
of saltpeter previously dissolved in a 
little soft water. Use this fluid at the 
rate of 1 pint to 6 or 8 gallons of water. 

Or dissolve separately J pound of 
sal soda and J pound of potash lye, 
each in 3 quarts of water. Mix the 
two together and pour into a gallon 
jug. Use a teacup ful to a boilerful 
of water. 

Or put 1 can of potash lye in an 
earthenware jar, pour over it 3 gal- 
lons of cold water, and add 1 pound 
of borax and 1 pint of liquid am- 
monia. Pour into stone jugs and cork 
tightly. Use a teacupful to each boil- 
er, and also half a bar of soap shaved 
fine. 

Washing Fluids with Turpentine. 
— Turpentine as a washing fluid, with 
or without other ingredients, as cam- 
phor, alcohol, ammonia, and the like, 
is often recommended, but imless 
great caution is observed it is very 
likely to be injurious. These sub- 
stances, especially turpentine and al- 
cohol, open the pores of the skin and 
thus expose a person to the liability 
of taking cold in hanging out the 
clothes. Their frequent use is also 
debilitating. Hence these substances 
should not be used when washing is 
done by hand. They are only per- 
missible where the clothes are pound- 
ed in the old-fashioned way, or the 



work is done by a washing machine. 
Even breathing the fumes of tm-pen- 
tine in the steam of the laimdry may 
be dangerous under certain circum- 
stances, and, on the whole, these reci- 
pes should be used only with the 
greatest caution. Clothes washed with 
turpentine should be rinsed very thor- 
oughly to remove all traces of it be- 
fore being worn, as otherwise it will 
be injurious to the skin. 

To a boilerful of hot water add 1^ 
bars of hard soap shaved fine, 1 table- 
spoonful of spirits of turpentine, and 
1 teaspoonf ul of aqua ammonia ; bring 
to a boil and stir until all are dis- 
solved before putting in the clothes. 

Or, in addition to the soap, use 
1 tablespoonful of spirits of turpen- 
tine and 1 tablespoonful of powdered 
borax. 

Or to G or 8 gallons of water add 1 
pound of hard soap shaved fine, J 
ounce of spirits of turpentine, and ^ 
ounce of aqua ammonia. 

Or "1 tablespoonful of kerosene and 
1 tablespoonful of turpentine. 

Or, for a washing fluid, shave 2 
poimds of hard white or yellow soap 
into a saucepan, pour over it 1 quart 
of soft water, and melt with gentle 
heat, stirring frequently. Stir in 1 
tablespoonful of white-wine vinegar, 
3 tablespoonfuls of aqua ammonia, 
and 6 tablespoonfuls of spirits of tur- 
pentine. Pour into large glass bottles 
or stone jugs and cork tightly to pre- 
vent evaporation. Use this fluid at 
the rate of 2 tablespoonfuls to 6 or 8 
gallons of the water in which the 
clothes are soaked, and the same 
quantity in the wash boiler. 

To whiten clothes take spirits of 
turpentine, 1 tablespoonful; powdered 
borax, 1 tablespoonful. Mix well and 
use in the water in which the clothes 
are boiled. 

Or first soap the water in which the 
clothes are to be boiled, then add the 
following: spirits of turpentine, 1 
tablespoonful ; aqua ammonia, 1 table- 
spoonful. Housekeepers who have used 
this washing fluid value it highly. 

Washing Fluids with Sal Soda. — 
Dissolve i pound of sal soda and ^ 



364 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



pound of borax in 1 gallon of boiling 
soft water. Add 3 gallons of cold 
soft water and 1 ounce of gum cam- 
phor dissolved in i pint of alcohol. 
Stir well and put in corked bottles or 
fruit jars. Add 4 teaspoonfuls of 
this preparation to 1 pint of soft soap 
or 1 bar of hard soap cut into fine 
shavings, and dissolve the whole in a 
boilerful of hot water before putting 
in the clothes. 

Or dissolve i pound of washing 
soda and | pound of borax in 4 
quarts of boiling soft water. When 
cold add J teacupful of aqua am- 
monia and pour into corked bottles 
or fruit jars. Dissolve in the wash 
boiler in the proportion of 1 teacupful 
to 1 pailful of water before the clothes 
are put in. 

Or dissolve 1 pound of sal soda and 
i pound of quicklime in 6 quarts of 
boiling water. When the mixture has 
settled, poup off and bottle the clear 
liquid, which is soda lye. This is a 
very powerful washing fluid. One 
cupful is added to a boilerful of hot 
water containing 1 pint of soft soap 
or 1 pound of hard soap cut in shav- 
ings will thoroughly cleanse and bleach 
the clothes. This fluid tends to bright- 
en rather than to fade the colors of 
calico land colored flannels. The clothes 
must not be allowed to lie in the 
water. The boiling, sudsing, rinsing, 
and bluing must follow each other in 
rapid succession until the clothes are 
hung on the line, which should be by 
ten o'clock in the morning. 

Dissolve in 1 gallon of cold soft 
water 1 pound of concentrated lye 
and 2 ounces each of powdered am- 
monia (muriate of ammonia) and salts 
of tartar. Preserve in glass bottles 
or fruit jars, tightly corked. Use a 
cupful of this fltiid with a bar of soap 
and boil 15 minutes. 

Or make a saponaceous lye by boil- 
ing 1 gallon of wood ashes in suf- 
ficient soft water to dissolve the ashes, 
then add 2 or 3 handfuls of fresh 
quicklime. Mix thoroughly while boil- 
ing and afterwards cool until the sed- 
iment settles. Draw off the pure 
water and add 1 pint of oil or melted 



grease strained through cheese cloth 
for each 20 quarts of this liquid. 
Ashes from hard wood are the best, 
but if the ashes do not contain a suf- 
ficient amount of alkali a small 
amount of potash or soda may be 
added. The result should be a milk- 
white liquor. Use 1 cupful to a boil- 
erful of water with 1 pound of shaved 
hard soap. 

Or this composition, used by the 
French: hard soap, 1 pound; water, 
6 gallons; spirits of turpentine, J 
ounce; aqua ammonia, ^ ounce. Mix 
well and bottle ready for use. 

Or brown soap, 2 poimds. Cut it 
up and put it into a clean pot, adding 
1 quart of clear soft water. Set over 
the fire and melt thoroughly, stir- 
ring it up from the bottom occasion- 
ally. Take from the fire and stir in 
real white vinegar, 1 teaspoonf ul ; aqua 
ammonia, 3 large teaspoonfuls; spirits 
of turpentine, 7 large teaspoonfuls. 
Stir all well together, put the mixture 
immediately into a stone jar, and cov- 
er without delay so that the ammonia 
will not evaporate. Keep it closely 
covered. 

Washing Powders. — Commercial 
washing powders, such as pearline, 
soapine, and the like, are said by 
chemists to be composed of hard 
white soap groimd to powder and 
mixed with pulverized sal soda in ap- 
proximately equal parts. Hence they 
are liable to the same objections as 
sal soda, which is well known to con- 
tain an excess of alkali. They are, 
however, useful for dishwashing, scrub- 
bing, and many other purposes. They 
can be made at home much more 
cheaply than they can be purchased. 

To make washing powder, melt in 
a double boiler 1 ounce of good white 
glue in 1 gallon of hot water to make 
a thin glue size. Mix equal parts of 
granulated soda ash with granulated 
sal soda, pulverizing them into grains 
about the size of coarse sand by 
means of a rolling pin. Pour over 
this mixture the solution of glue, or 
use instead pure linseed oil and stir 
until the mass forms a stiff, thick 
paste. Spread out the whole on a 



^TASH DAY 



365 



table top or other flat surface in a 
warm room to dry. 

Or, instead of the solution of glue, 
use a solution of 1 pint of linseed oil 
to 1 gallon of water. 

Soap Jelly. — Dissolve 1 teaspoonful 
of any good washing powder in a 
cupful of hot water, or dissolve any 
desired quantity of shaved hard white 
or yellow soap in twice its own bulk 
of hot water, using a double boiler. 
Use instead of soft soap for delicate 
fabrics. 

Kerosene for Washing. — This is a 
favorite labor-saving article in many 
households. Use for each boilerful of 
water 1 pound of good hard soap in 
shavings and 1 teaspoonful of kero- 
sene to each pail of water, or about 
2i tablespoonfuls for a wash boiler 
two thirds full of water. Should it 
be necessary to add more water after 
the first or second boiling, put in J 
pound of shaved soap and 1 table- 
spoonful more of kerosene. This mix- 
ture will not injure fabrics and will 
evaporate when the clothes are laun- 
dered so as to leave no odor. When 
kerosene is used very little rubbing 
will be required. 

Speciar Hints. — ^When rinsing large 
linen pieces, as sheets, tablecloths, and 
large towels, gather the middle of the 
piece into the hand and souse the 
edges in the water several times. This 
leaves the selvage smooth and ready 
for the iron. 

If a little cooked starch is put into 
the rinsing water it will add just 
enough stiffness to launder properly 
and will give to old linen the appear- 
ance of new. 

A little pipe clay dissolved in the 
water in which the linens are washed 
will assist in cleansing the more 
soiled articles, and also in giving 
them the appearance of having been 
bleached. 

The addition of a teaspoonful of 
paraflBn will assist in removing stains. 

A small vegetable brush may be 
used to apply soap and water to the 
spots on the ooarser linens, and a nail- 
brush is convenient to use on the deli- 
cate fabrics. 



Fine cotton goods, as lawns, cam- 
brics, and muslins, should not be 
washed with linen, especially un- 
bleached linen, as the latter has a 
tendency to discolor them. 

Delicate dresses of lawn, muslin, 
cambric, and print goods should not 
be boiled or rubbed with soap. They 
should be washed in tepid water in 
which soap has been previously dis- 
solved, rinsed quickly, and dried in 
the shade. 

A quart of bran sewed into a tight 
bag and boiled in the wash boiler 
will assist in cleansing delicate gar- 
ments. 

The addition of a handful of salt 
helps to set the colors of light cam- 
brics and dotted lawns. 

A little beef gall will brighten yel- 
low, purple, or green tints. 

Handkerchiefs. — Handkerchiefs 
used by persons who have affections 
of the nose, throat, and lungs, as 
grippe, catarrh, bronchitis, and the 
like, should not be put in laundry 
bags or clothes hampers containing 
the family wash. The easiest and 
most sanitary method of handling 
these articles is to keep for the pur- 
pose a large tin or enameled-ware pan 
containing a strong solution of com- 
mon salt. Drop the handkerchiefs into 
this, place the pan on the stove when 
clear from cooking, and bring to a 
boil. They may now be rinsed with 
clean water and put into the rest of 
the laundry, or the pan may be filled 
with boiling water containing a table- 
spoonful of any good washing pow- 
der, the handkerchiefs returned to it 
and boiled from twenty minutes to 
half an hour, then removed, rinsed, 
and laid aside for ironing. 

To Wash Corsets. — Choose a clear, 
sunny day; make a strong solution of 
good soapsuds and a small amount of 
ammonia, spread the corsets on a 
clean board or table and scrub with 
a good stiff brxish until thoroughly 
clean. Apply clear water in the same 
way to rinse them and hang immedi- 
ately in the sun. Do not wring out. 
Let them drip dry, and the shape will 
not be changed. 



366 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Or make good warm suds, lay the 
corsets on a washboard and scrub 
thoroughly on both sides with a stiff 
brush. Then scald a little, rinse thor- 
oughly, starch slightly, and dry. When 
ironed they look much better than 
when rubbed on a washboard. 

Special Pieces. — In addition to the 
regular wash day it is often advisable 
to lay aside small muslins, laces, rib- 
bons, and other delicate articles to be 
washed at other times when they can 
have special attention, rather than to 
put them into the weekly wash. Blan- 
kets and other heavy articles can also 
be washed to better advantage by 
themselves, and in the season when 
the days are long and bright. 

COLOBED GOODS 

Care for Colored Goods. — All col- 
ored goods, especially light dress goods 
having delicate colors, as colored lin- 
ens, muslins, lawns, or cambrics; and 
prints, as chintz, ginghams, and cali- 
coes, require special care in washing. 
They must be handled separately from 
other articles, and in many respects 
it is better to make a special job of 
washing fine colored goods on another 
day than the regular wash day. Care 
must be taken in washing colored 
goods lihat the colors do not soak out 
or run. This may be prevented in 
two ways: by a special process in 
washing, different from the method of 
washing white goods, and by the ad- 
dition of various substances to the 
washing or rinsing water to set the 
colors. 

Cautions for Colored Goods. — The 
best general caution for handling col- 
ored goods is to avoid extremes of 
heat or cold, to avoid hard wringing, 
and to wash and do them up as quick- 
ly as possible. They must not be 
soaked or otherwise delayed in wash- 
ing, boiled, scalded, or exposed to di- 
rect sunlight or the heat of a very 
hot iron. No form of washing soda, 
soft soap, or washing powders or 
fluids containing free alkali should be 
employed. Use pure white or yellow 
neutral soap only for this purpose. 



Neither must they be allowed to 

freeze. 

To prevent the colors from running 
they may be set by adding certain sub- 
stances to the suds or rinsing water 
or both. 

Don'ts for Colored Goods. — Don't 
soak or soap colored goods over 
night. 

Don't boil them, don't wash in hot 
water, don't use washing fluids, wash- 
ing powders, or anything else con- 
taining the slightest particle of sal 
soda. 

Don't put them all into the tub at 
once. 

Don't let them lie any longer than 
necessary in the suds, rinsing water, 
or clothes basket. 

Don't hang them up to dry so that 
the right side will be exposed to the 
hot sun. 
- Don't hang them in the sun at all if 
shade is available. 

Don't iron them with a very hot 
iron. 

To Wash Colored Goods. — Sort out 
the calicoes and other prints, colored 
linens, etc., and prepare suds with 
cold or lukewarm water and good 
hard white or yellow soap. Have at 
hand a tub of rinsing water contain- 
ing alum, oxgall, or other substances 
to set the colors. Wash each piece 
separately, commencing with the light- 
est in color, rinse, and wring it out 
as quickly as possible, leaving the re- 
maining pieces in a dry state. Wash 
all the colored articles as- quickly as 
possible, turn them wrong side out, 
and hang them up to dry, if possible, 
in the shade. 

To Suds Colored Goods. — Prepare 
suds by shaving hard white soap in 
soft water at the rate of about half 
a bar to two pailftds of water. Bring 
the water to a boil, remove from the 
fire, and allow it to cool until it will 
bear the hands comfortably. 

Do not rub soap on delicate colored 
goods. Wash the garments quickly. 
Put them in the water one at a time, 
and rub as little as possible; rather 
souse them up and down in the hot 
suds. If the suds become foul, pre- 



WASH DAY 



367 



pare a fresh lather. Wash each gar- 
ment by itself as quickly as possible. 

To Wring Colored Goods. — Do not 
wring out delicate colored articles, but 
squeeze them gently as dry as possible 
between the hands. 

To Einse Colored Goods. — Rinse in 
two or three clear rinsing waters, add- 
ing various ingredients, according to 
the goods, to set the colors. 

To Dry Colored Goods. — Select 
bright, clear weather to wash delicate 
and expensive colored garments, and 
when washed hang thera to dry in the 
shade. The best goods will fade if 
hung in the sunshine. In freezing 
v/eather they may be dried indoors by 
the fire, as the colors will be irrep- 
arably injured if they are allowed to 
freeze. 

To Wash Calicoes. — An exception 
to the rule against soaking colored 
articles is found in the custom of 
soaking calicoes and other print goods 
in a strong solution of salt before 
washing. Authorities variously recom- 
mend soaking the articles in strong 
salt water for periods of half an hour 
to over night. We wordd recommend 
experimenting with a sample of the 
goods before soaking delicate or ex- 
pensive fabrics for a long period. 
First soak new 'calico garments in 
strong salt water. Dissolve 3 gills of 
salt in 1 gallon of hot water, not boil- 
ing. Put in the garments and soak 
until the colors are thoroughly set. 
The time required will vary accord- 
ing to the fabrics, and may be deter- 
mined by experimenting with sam- 
ples. We would recommend 15 min- 
utes to a half hour as an average. 

Wash same as other colored goods, 
using alum or oxgall in the suds and 
salt in the rinsing water. Use alum 
preferably for green. 

Black calico may be washed in an 
infusion of potato starch. Peel two 
or three potatoes, scrape them, boil, 
and strain, washing the calico in the 
pure liquid. 

Or wash in an infusion of wheat 
bran as hereinafter suggested. 

Colored Goods — To Fix Their Color. 
—Substances recommended for fixing 



the colors of calicoes and other col- 
ored articles vary with the colors and 
the nature of the fabric. They in- 
clude oxgall, salt, infusion of hay, 
alum, and lemon juice or vinegar; for 
red articles, borax, and for black 
goods lye and black pepper. 

Of these, oxgall and salt are the 
most popular. The gall of an ox can 
be obtained from the butcher. It may 
be preserved by adding to it a hand- 
ful of salt, and keeping it corked 
tightly. A bottle of this preparation 
should be always kept on hand in the 
laimdry. Use 1 teacup ful to 5 gal- 
lons of water. 

Common salt may be used in the 
proportion of ^ cupful to 3 gallons 
of water; alxan, 1 ounce to each gal- 
lon of water; borax, 1 tablespoonful 
to the gallon; vinegar or lemon juice, 
the same. Add these substances in 
the above proportion to both suds arid 
rinsing water. 

Or use a large tablespoonful of ox- 
gall in the suds and a teaspoonful of 
vinegar in each rinsing water. 

Or use alum in the suds and vine- 
gar in the rinsing water. 

Do not use both oxgall and alum. 

To Fix Light, Solid Colors. — To 
permanently fix blue, slate, and stone 
colors in cotton fabrics, dissolve 1 
ounce of sugar of lead in 2^ gallons 
of hot water. Stir with a wooden 
stick, and let stand until lukewarm, 
""^mmerse the garments in this solu- 
tion for 1 to 3 hours, and hang up 
to drip dry in the shade before wash- 
ing. Remember that sugar of lead is 
poisonous; hence, after being dried, 
these articles should be washed thor- 
oughly and rinsed in plenty of clear 
water. 

To Fix Dark, Solid Colors. — To fix 
black and other dark colors, dissolve 
2 cupfuls of salt in 2i gallons of 
water, immerse the articles until they 
are thoroughly saturated, and hang 
them up to drip dry in a shady place. 
Add a tablespoonful of salt to the 
rinsing water. 

Or, to prevent black goods and 
hosiery from turning brown, use very 
strong bluing in the water. For black 



368 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



goods, also, add a teacupful of lye to 
each pailful of soapsuds in which the 
articles are washed. They must be 
washed quickly and the excess of lye 
thoroughly rinsed out in clear cold 
water to which salt has been added. 

Or, for black goods, prepare an in- 
fusion of 1 tablespoonful of powdered 
black pepper with sufficient water to 
cover the articles, and steep them in 
it for a half hour before washing. 

To Fix Pinks, Reds, and Greens. — 
Vinegar is especially recommended 
for pink, red, or green goods to 
brighten the color; salt for black, 
blue, and green colors. Hence, to fix 
pink or green, add ^ cupful of strong 
vinegar to 2J gallons of water, im- 
merse the articles, and let them drip 
dry in the shade. 

To Fix Red or Scarlet. — For red or 
scarlet table napkins add 1 table- 
spoonful of borax to each gallon of 
soapsuds when washing. 

To Fix Solid-colored linens. — A 
strong infusion of common hay made 
by boiling the hay and straining off 
the clear liquor is recommended for 
French linens; black pepper, 1 tea- 
spoonful for each pailfui of water, for 
gray and brown linens. 

To Wash Colored Goods with Bran. 
— Delicate lawn and muslin dresses, 
also chintz and cretonne, may be 
washed without soap in an infusion 
of wheat bran. This process cannot 
possibly harm the most delicate fab- 
rics. Boil 1 quart of wheat bran in 
3 quarts of water for about 15 min- 
utes, and strain off the clear liquor 
into the wash water. Boil the bran 
again for 15 minutes in an equal 
quantity of water, and strain off the 
resulting infusion into the rinsing 
water. 

For the wash water add to the in- 
fusion of bran about an equal quan- 
tity of clear soft water. Add also, 
to set the colors, a tablespoonful of 
oxgall or a small lump of alum. Use 
no soap, as the bran itself possesses 
sufficient cleansing properties. Wash 
with as little rubbing and wringing as 
possible. 

Rinse first in the lukewarm bran 



water, adding salt, and afterwards in 
clear water containing a little gum 
arabic. No starch will be required. 
The bran after having been strained 
may be fed to pigs or chickens. 

To Clean Colored Goods with Raw 
Potatoes. — Grate the potatoes to a 
fine pulp and mix with 1 pint of water 
for each pound of grated potato. Sift 
with a coarse sieve and let the liquid 
settle until the starch accumulates at 
the bottom. The clear liquid remain- 
ing may be bottled for future use. To 
apply, lay a linen towel over the wash- 
board and spread the soiled garment 
upon it. Sponge with the clear liquid 
and afterwards rinse with clear cold 
water. 

LACES AND lACE CURTAINS 

- To Wash lace. — To wash cotton or 
linen lace or embroidery prepare suds 
of hard white soap with hot water, to 
which add 1 or 3 teaspoonfuls of 
borax. If much soiled, boil the arti- 
cles in the suds before or after wash- 
ing, or both. Squeeze them with the 
hands or draw them through the fin- 
gers in the suds until clean, rinse in 
clear water, add to the last water 
about ^ teaspoonful of granulated 
sugar to 1 pint of water, and iron 
without starching. 

White laces. — ^White linen and cot- 
ton laces and embroideries may be 
washed in soapsuds in the same man- 
ner as other delicate white- goods, ex- 
cept that more care is required in 
their handling. To prepare these goods 
for the laundry, baste the small pieces, 
as doilies and smaller embroideries, 
Battenberg pieces, edging, and the 
like, on a piece of linen or cotton 
cloth larger than the lace. Take care 
to catch every point with basting 
thread. Several small articles can be 
basted on one large piece. After wash- 
ing, if the cloth is stretched, the lace 
will dry in perfect condition without 
ironing. Fine lingerie, as lace waists, 
etc., may be basted inside a pillow 
case or special cotton bag prepared 
with a draw string for this purpose, 
and need not be taken out from the 



WASH DAY 



369 



time it is put into the first wash water 
until after it is hung on the line, dried, 
and ready to iron. This prevents the 
lace from being frayed or torn by 
buttons catching in it, etc. Lace edg- 
ing and other long pieces may be 
quickly basted on to a piece of cloth 
with the sewing machine by making 
the stitch long. 

Or, to prepare a long piece of lace 
for the laundry, it may be wound 
around a large glass bottle. First 
surround the bottle with a jacket of 
cotton or linen cloth sewed on. At- 
tach one end of the lace to this cloth 
jacket with basting thread, and roll 
the lace around it, overlapping care- 
fully as in bandaging. Catch the ends 
and edges through the cloth jacket 
with basting thread. 

To Soak laces. — If lace is much 
soiled it may be soaked for an hour 
or more before washing in suds made 
of cold water and naphtha or curd 
soap. Do not use yellow soap or any 
form of washing compound which may 
contain free alkali. 

To Prepare Laces for the Wash. — 
First remove all stains, and if much 
soiled by perspiration wash in soap 
and cold water, rubbing the soiled 
spots gently between the fingers. Af- 
ter the stains have all been removed 
the lace may be washed in warm 
suds, and, if necessary, afterwards 
boiled. 

To Suds Laces. — Only the purest 
hard white curd soaps should be used 
for washing laces. Many persons save 
the scraps of fine castile and other 
toilet soaps, melt them with a small 
quantity of water in a double boiler, 
and make a soap jelly for use with 
these delicate fabi'ics. It is better to 
make soapsuds in a small kettle with 
soft water and fine soap in which to 
boil these articles than to put them 
in the regular boiler. If they are not 
much soiled do not boil them, but 
bring the suds to a boil and pour over 
the laces, letting them soak until the 
water is cool enough to bear the 
hands. Wash as other fine goods, 
stripping between the hands as light- 
ly as possible and sousing up and 



down in the suds. Use two or more 

fresh suds if necessary. 

To Boil Laces. — ^Laces that are much 
soiled may be, if prepared and pro- 
tected in the above manner, boiled in 
soapsuds the same as other white 
goods. To boil laces rolled about a 
bottle, first saturate the lace with 
olive oil or sweet oil, prepare strong 
soapsuds, and stand the bottle up- 
right. Or the bottle may merely be 
dropped in with other articles. 

To Rinse and Dry. — Rinse laces 
thoroughly in clear water, pressing 
the water out of them with the hands 
and dry in the hot sun without re- 
moving from the cloth or bottle which 
protect them. 

Point Lace and Battenberg, — Point 
lace may be washed as other laces if 
very carefully basted to a piece of 
fine white flannel and another piece 
of flannel basted over it. Care must 
be taken to catch all the points, using 
very fine basting thread. After rins- 
ing, the flannel must be carefully 
stretched, and while still damp ironed, 
without removing the lace, until per- 
fectly dry. 

Or the professional method may be 
employed, which is as follows: stretck 




Stretch the Dxick Out of Doors." 



the lace, face down, on a piece of 
clean white duck and carefully tack it 



870 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



on, using very fine basting thread and 
taking pains to catch all the points. 
Stretch the duck tent fashion over a 
rod out of doors on a clear day. Make 
a lather of fine castile ©r curd soap 
and apply the soapsuds with a soft 
brush, as an old toothbrush or a nail- 
brush with soft bristles, or with a 
sponge, until it is thoroughly cleaned. 
Rinse by pouring over it water con- 
taining a little alum. Add a little 
bluing to the last rinsing water. Ap- 
ply thin starch or a solution of gum 
arable with a sponge, and when nearly 
dry lay a Turkish towel over the iron- 
ing board, put the duck on this with 
the lace underneath, and iron the 
duck. This is a perfectly safe meth- 
od and gives a polish which cannot 
be acquired in any other way. 

To Wash a White Lace Veil. — If 
not much soiled, first wash in cold 
water with castile or curd soap, squeez- 
ing between the fingers without rub- 
bing. When stains and spots have 
disappeared, squeeze gently from the 
cold water and pour over it the hot 
suds. Let stand until cool enough to 
bear the hands, and continue squeez- 
ing with the fingers until perfectly 
clean, changing the suds if necessary. 
If much soiled, put the veil in a cot- 
ton bag and boil ten or fifteen min- 
utes. Rinse in cold water with a little 
bluing, and starch with a thin solution 
of gum arable, rice water, or corn 
starch. Stretch to its original shape 
and spread over a linen towel stretched 
tent fashion out of doors, and in the 
bright sun if possible. Pull the edges 
out to their proper shape and fasten 
with pins. When nearly dry iron on 
a Turkish towel through a piece of 
flannel or linen cloth. 

To Wash Black Lace. — Make suds 
of castile or other hard white soap 
and boiling water, and add a table- 
spoonful of oxgall to set the color. 
Allow this to cool until it will bear 
the hand, then immerse the lace and 
cleanse by squeezing gently with the 
fingers. Rinse in two or more cold 
waters, adding salt to the first and 
bluing to the last. Starch with a thin 
solntion of gum arable or common 



glue made by dissolving a piece of 
thin glue about an inch square in a 
quart of boiling water. Or use thin 
rice water or cornstarch. Lay over 
black silk or cambric stretched tent 
fashion, stretch, and pin the edges 
securely. When dry arrange face down 
©n a Turkish towel, and iron through 
a thin cloth, following the pattern with 
the point of the iron. Use a warm, 
not hot, iron, as much heat will turn 
the lace rusty. 

To Sponge Black lace. — First dust 
the articles thoroughly and stretch, 
face down, over a piece of black goods, 
tacking down the edges with basting 
thread. Sponge with dilute ammonia 
and water. 

Or sponge with green tea. 

Or use borax water in the propor- 
tion of 1 teaspoonful of borax to 1 
pint of soft water. 

Use, if convenient, an old black kid 
glove as a sponge. Press while still 
damp and without removing from the 
cloth to which it is basted. Lay the 
lace on a Turkish towel protected by 
a piece of dry black goods and iron 
through the protecting cloth on the 
wrong side, using a warm, not hot, 
iron. 

Or a long piece of lace may be 
wound about a bottle and put in a 
warm place to dry. Avoid the direct 
heat of the sun or of a hot stove or 
iron, as these tend to give black arti- 
cles a rusty appearance. 

lace Curtains — When To, Launder 
Them. — Have a special day at house- 
cleaning time for lace curtains, doilies, 
dresser scarfs, and all articles of fancy 
work. These require suds made of 
fancy soap and more care in the laun- 
dry than ordinary articles; hence they 
should be handled by themselves and 
given special treatment. After being 
done up they can be laid away until 
house cleaning is finished, and put up 
as each room is cleaned. 

To Air Lace Curtains. — ^Lace cur- 
tains may be cleaned easily and will 
not need washing so often if hung on 
the line on a clear day with a gentle 
breeze — not too windy — and dusted by 
the wind. Washing these articles is a 



WASH DAY 



371 



delicate and difficult business, and they 
necessarilj suffer more or less from 
the process. 

To Prepare Curtains for the Laun- 
dry. — Stitch a narrow piece of tape 
along the hem of net or lace curtains 
before they go to the laundry. This 
keeps the curtain from pulling out of 
shape when ironed. Lay the curtains 
on an old sheet and brush them care- 
fully with a soft brush to remove the 
dust. Fold them separately as a table- 
cloth is folded, taking care to keep 
the edges perfectly together until the 
folds are about two feet square. Baste 
a strip of white muslin along the 
edges to keep the package in order 
and quilt slightly with basting thread. 
In this shape large curtains can be 
put into suds and cleaned with a 
pounder or otherwise. 

Or fold them carefully and insert 
in a pillowcase, running through them 
at intervals strong basting thread to 
keep them flat and prevent their 
bunching in the end of the case. 

Or they may be carefully gathered 
crosswise and tied loosely in a bunch 
by two or three cords at intervals. 
Wash like other fine white goods, first, 
if much soiled, soaking for an hour 
or more in soap and cold water, next 
rubbing gently between the hands in 
warm or hot soapsuds, and afterwards 
boiling in one or more hot suds ac- 
cording to their condition. Rinse first 
in hot water, afterwards two or three 
times in cold water, adding bluing to 
the last. Kerosene, ammonia, or tur- 
pentine may be used in the boiling 
water, but no washing powders that 
may contain free alkali. 

Or put the curtain in a large tin 
funnel with a wooden handle attached 
to it; work it through suds and rins- 
ing water in such a way that the water 
will pass through the curtain and out 
at the bottom of the funnel, removing 
the dirt by suction. This process will 
not injure the most delicate fabrics, 
no matter how long it may continue. 

Colored Curtains. — If there is any 
doubt about colors being fast, deli- 
cate-colored curtains may be cleansed 
with gasoline. 



To Dry Curtains. — If curtains are 
dried out of doors, cover the line on 
which they are hung with one or more 
thicknesses of paper or throw over it 
a dry sheet. This will prevent the 
clothespin from marking the articles 
and keep them from being injured by 
the wind. 

Or, if the curtains are folded and 
basted together with muslin, dry them 
before taking them out of the folds. 

Or lay a blanket on the floor 
and spread the wet curtains on it, 
stretching them carefully. They will 
keep their place and dry without fas- 
tening. 

To Stretch Curtains. — A curtain 
stretcher is not used in most families, 
and hence is something of a luxury. 
Sometimes two or three families in a 
neighborhood can combine to purchase 
one for their common use. As a sub- 
stitute lay a sheet or clean wrapping 
paper on the floor, stretch the cur- 
tains over this, and fasten by means 
of heavy pins caUed bank pins, which 
can be obtained at the stores. Use a 
pin for each scallop, driving them in- 
to the floor with a tack hammer. Lay 
other curtains over these, hooking 
them on the same pins, as is done on 
stretchers. Several curtains may be 
hooked on the same set of pins. The 
pins may be afterwards removed and 
used again. 

Or the curtains may be pinned to «. 
sheet laid upon the carpet, two or 
three curtains by carefully matching 
the scallops being pinned down at the 
same time. 

Or stretch a sheet on a quilting 
frame, and pin the curtains to this. 

Or, while damp, hang the curtains, 
one at a time, on a curtain rod, and 
slip a heavy rod or curtain pole 
through the hem at the bottom. Stretch 
the curtains to their full width, and 
allow them to hang until dry. The 
weight of the rod at the bottom will 
stretch them sufficiently. 

SILKS AND SATIN 

To Launder Silks. — ^To wash silk 
dresses and other garments, ribbons. 



372 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



handkerchiefs, stockings, and the like, 
first rip apart made-up garments, 
shake, and brush thoroughly to free 
them from dust. Prepare soap jelly 
by cutting castile or other good white 
hard soap into shavings, pour over it 
about double its own bulk of water, 
and dissolve by gentle heat. Have 
ready two or three tubs or pans and 
fill these partly full of hot water. 
Thus the washing and rinsing waters 
will cool alike and always be of ex- 
actly the same temperature. This is 
the great point to observe in washing 
all animal fibers, as silks or woolens. 

In the first receptacle dissolve 
enough soap jelly to make good suds, 
and let stand until the hands can be 
comfortably borne in the water. Was! 
each piece separately in the suds by 
sousing it up and down, raising it in 
one hand and stripping it through 
the fingers with the other. Continue 
this process until clean, but without 
creasing, wringing, or squeezing it. 
When washed clean, strip through the 
fingers to remove suds. If soiled spots 
do not come out, rub on a little soap 
jelly and inmiediately dip again into 
the suds. Change the suds if neces- 
sary. Rinse in clear water, following 
the same process as in washing, strip 
out the water between the fingers, or 
shake ou1;_ the pieces without wring- 
ing, and iron at once without hanging 
up to dry. 

Or mix 6 ounces of strained honey 
with 4 ounces of soft-soap jelly made 
of castile or other hard white soap, 
and add 1 pint of whisky. Rip apart 
made-up articles, spread the pieces 
flat on a smooth surface, and apply 
this mixture with a brush, rubbing 
lightly with the grain of the silk. 
Rinse in two or three clear waters, 
not too hot to bear the hands com- 
fortably, and without wringing, creas- 
ing, or folding the silk. Add a little 
sugar or a tablespoonful of honey to 
the last rinsing water. Iron at once. 

Or for delicate fabrics, as China 
silk, pongee, and similar dress goods, 
for each article, as a waist or sum- 
mer gown, put IJ pints of bran in a 
bag of white muslin, and pour over it 



sufficient boiling water to wash the 
garment. When the hands can be 
borne in it comfortably, squeeze the 
bag in the water to extract the solu- 
tion of bran. Add 1 or 3 teaspoon- 
fuls of powdered borax, wash, rinse 
in clear water, and iron at once. Use 
no starch, as the bran gives sufficient 
stiffness. 

To Wash Colored Silks. — The same 
cautions must be observed in washing 
colored silks as in the case of other 
colored goods, with the additional cau- 
tion that they must not be crushed, 
squeezed, or wrung when wet, or 
wrinkles may be formed which will 
not iron out. Prepare suds for silk 
by dissolving hard white soap in boil- 
ing water, and add oxgall or alum to 
set the colors. Allow the suds to cool 
until they will bear the hands, and 
immerse the silk in them. Lay the 
washboard across the tub, spread an 
old towel or piece of flannel over it, 
lay the silk flat on this, and apply the 
suds by rubbing gently with a soft 
cloth or a sponge, or a toothbrush or 
nailbrush having medium hard bris- 
tles. When the silk is clean apply 
cold water with the brush and after- 
wards souse in cold water containing 
salt. If the silk is of solid color, dis- 
solve a little dye the color of the silk 
in the rinsing water. If the color has 
faded this will restore it. Silk gar- 
ments rinsed in diluted dye water will 
come out nearly as fresh as new. 

To Wash White Silk. — Prepare suds 
as for other delicate white goods by 
using hard white soap, but no soda 
or washing compounds containing free 
alkali. Cleanse the silks by applying 
the soapsuds with a soft cloth or 
brush, rinse in cold water, partially 
dry in the sun, and while still damp 
iron between two cloths on the wrong 
side. 

To Wash Satin. — Satins may be 
washed in the same manner as silks, 
or sponge the way of the grain with 
a weak solution of borax. 

To Wash Silk Stockings. — Prepare 
a lather and wash as other silk goods. 
For white stockings add a little blu- 
ing to the last rinsing water. For 



WASH DAY 



37^ 



other tints add a little dye of the re- 
quired color. Stretch the stockings 
to their proper shape, and pin or 
baste them between two tliicknesses of 
a clean linen towel. Stretch this tent 
fashion, and the stockings will dry in 
their natural shape without ironing. 
Or wash in bran water. 

WOOLENS, WORSTEDS, AND FLAN- 
NELS 

To Wash Woolen Goods and Tlan- 
nels. — Washing woolen goods and 
flannels without shrinking them or 
causing them to lose their natural 
softness and delicate colors is one of 
the best tests of the skillful laun- 
dress. 

Cautions for Woolen Goods.^Wool- 
en and flannel goods must not be 
soaked, boiled, scalded, or wrung out 
by twisting. They must not be dried 
near a hot fire. The fibers of wool 
are hooked and curled, and when they 
are crushed together by rubbing they 
form knots, which thicken the fiber 
and shrink it in both dimensions. This 
is one of the principal causes of the 
shrinking that is so much feared. Or 
the expansion and contraction caused 
by alternate heat and cold may cause 
the fibers to interlace. Flannels may 
be shrunk, if desired, before they are 
made up by first placing them in cold 
and afterwards in hot water. But 
they can be washed without shrinking 
if proper precautions are observed. 

To Suds Woolens and Flannels. — 
Prepare suds by dissolving 1 bar of 
hard white soap shaved fine in a boil- 
erful of water and adding 3 table- 
spoonfuls of aqua ammonia. Do not 
use yellow soap which contains borax 
or soda in any form, or washing fluids 
and powders of the composition of 
which you know nothing. Pour the 
suds into a tub and allow them to be- 
come cool enough to bear the hands 
comfortably before putting in the 
flannels. Wash these articles one at 
a time as quickly as possible. Do not 
rub soap on them or rub them on the 
washboard. Souse them up and down 
in the water and rub them together 



with the hands until cleaned. Do not 
put them through the wringer or 
wring by twisting, but squeeze out 
the soapsuds with the hands, shake 
out carefully, stretch, and wash in a 
second lather prepared like the first, 
but not so strong. Rinse in warm 
water as near the temperature of the 
suds as possible, to which a little 
bluing may be added, press out the 
rinsing water, shake vigorously, and 
stretch the articles to prevent shrink- 
ing. 

Pull each piece as nearly as possi- 
ble into its proper shape and hang 
up carefully in such a way that the 
shape may be preserved. A clear, 
bright day with sunshine and a light 
breeze is desirable. Flannels should 
be taken down while still slightly 
damp and rolled up in a dry cloth. 
If the weather is not clear they may 
be dried indoors, but not near the 
stove. The object should be to avoid 
extreme changes of temperature, as 
these cause flannels to shrink and be- 
come hard. 

To Wash Colored Woolens and 
Flannels. — ^Wash colored woolens and 
flannels same as other colored goods, 
adding oxgall or alum to the suds to 
set the colors, and salt or vinegar, or 
both, to the rinsing water. Omit the 
use of ammonia or borax. Dry deli- 
cate colored flannels in the shade. 

To Wash Colored Woolen Dress 
Goods, — Cashmere, merino, alpaca, 
and llama dresses and colored worst- 
ed and flannel waists and blouses may 
be washed in suds prepared as for 
other colored woolen goods, provid- 
ed the same cautions are observed. 
Do not soak, boil, or scald any woolen 
goods. Do not use any form of soda, 
lye, or unknown washing fluids or pow- 
ders. Do not use borax or ammonia for 
delicate colored articles. Use pure 
neutral white or yellow soap shaved 
and dissolved in boiling water until 
it will bear the hands comfortably, 
and keep the suds and rinsing water 
at the same lukewarm temperature. 
Rub and wring as lightly as possible, 
rather sousing the garments up and 
down and squeezing out the water 



374 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



with the hands. Add oxgall or alum 
to the suds, and salt or vinegar to 
the rinsing water to set the colors. 
Dry delicate colors in the shade. 
Avoid direct sunlight or proximity to 
a hot fire. Take down before dry and 
iron while damp, but without sprin- 
kling. 

Soap Jelly for "Woolen Goods. — To 
avoid preparing suds by shaving soap 
and boiling each time, it is convenient 
to prepare in advance a soap jelly, as 
follows: shave any amount of neutral 
white or yellow soap in the propor- 
tion of -1 pound of soap to 1 quart of 
boiling water and simmer until dis- 
solved. When cold it will jell. Use 
this jelly in the proportion of 1 heap- 
ing tablespoonful to ^ gallon of warm 
water to prepare suds for washing all 
flannel or woolen goods. This saves 
the time required to bring the water 
to a boil. 

To Wash. Colored riannel and 
Woolen Goods — Other Methods. — In 
addition to soapsuds, flannel and wool- 
en goods may be washed in bran, flour 
starch, or rice. To use flour starch, 
take a teacupful of flour and rub it 
smooth with a little water to form a 
fine paste. Add boiling water slowly, 
stirring vigorously to make a smooth 
starch. Boil five or ten minutes and 
strain through cheese cloth into half 
a tubful of warm water, stirring vig- 
orously. This will make good suds 
without soap. 

To Wash Dress Goods with Rice. — • 
Boil 3 pounds of rice in 12 quarts 
of water for 3 or 3 hours. Pour half 
of this into a tub, and when cool 
enough to bear the hands put the 
garments in and wash them with the 
soft boiled rice the same as with soap. 
Strain the other half through cheese 
cloth. Put the solid part into an- 
other tub of warm water and wash 
the garments once in this. Rinse in 
clear warm water, and a second time 
in warm water in which the clear rice 
water that was reserved for this pur- 
pose has been added. This will take 
the place of starch. No soap or 
starch need be used. The rice should 
be boiled a day or two in advance and 



kept in readiness, so that garments 
may be washed early in the morning 
and done up the same day. 

Woolen Fancy Work — Crochet, etc. 
— Small and delicate woolen articles 
may be put into a cotton bag or tied 
up in a pillowcase and washed the 
same as other woolen articles. The 
suds and rinsing water should be plen- 
tiful. The articles need not be taken 
out of the bag while washing, and 
they may be hung up in it on the line 
to dry. 

Woolen Table Covers. — First re- 
move all stains and grease spots ; next 
soak thirty minutes in strong salt 
water. Prepare suds, wash, rinse, and 
dry same as other colored woolen 
goods. If much soiled, apply soap and 
water with a scrubbing brush, laying 
the cloth on the washboard placed 
crosswise upon the tub. 

To Wash Knitted Shawls. — Knitted 
or crocheted shawls may be folded as 
flat as possible and laid carefully in 
a pillowcase, run through at inter- 
vals with basting thread to keep flat, 
and treated like other flannel or wool- 
en goods. If washed separately, ob- 
serve the usual cautions for woolen 
goods, gently squeezing through the 
hands and keeping the suds and rins- 
ing water of the same lukewarm tem- 
perature. Do not hang knitted goods 
up to dry, but put in the oven on a 
big platter, shaking and turning oc- 
casionally, or lay on a clean cloth in 
the bright sunshine. 

Woolen Shawls. — The most delicate 
colored cashmere and other woolen 
shawls may be washed in soapsuds if 
proper precautions are observed. Make 
suds same as for other woolen goods 
by dissolving 1 pound of hard white 
soap in 21 pailfuls of water. Add 1 
tablespoonful of oxgall or 2 ounces 
of alum and wash the articles by sous- 
ing up and down, rubbing as little as 
possible. Squeeze the water out of 
them and rinse in two or three waters, 
each containing a teaspoonful of salt. 
Place between two dry sheets to wring 
out and wring lightly. Press while 
still damp with a warm, not hot, 
iron. 



WASH DAY 



S75 



To Wash Blankets. — Choose a warm, 
sunny day with a gentle breeze. Pre- 
pare suds by dissolving in hot water 
i bar of any good white hard soap, 1 
tablespoonful of borax, and 1 table- 
spoonful of aqua ammonia for each 
pair of blankets. Let the suds cool 
until they will bear the hands. Im- 
merse the blankets and let them stand 
in the suds for an hour, keeping the 
temperature about as hot as the hands 
will bear by frequently adding hot 
water. Do not rub soap on the blan- 
kets nor scour nor rub them. Lay the 




Lay the Washboard Across the Tub." 



washboard flat across the tub, put in 
one blanket at a time, raise the blan- 
ket on to the washboard and go around 
the edge, applying the suds with a 
scrubbing brush and rubbing vigor- 
ously. Meantime heat sufficient water 
for two more lathers. Remove from 
the first to a second suds prepared in 
the same manner, seize the blanket by 
the middle and souse it up and down. 
Squeeze and press it between the hands 
until clean. Rinse in three clear 
waters, keeping them at the same tem- 
perature as the suds, namely, as hot 
as the hands will bear, and run through 
the wringer or squeeze the water out 
of them rather than wring them in 
the usual way. Fasten by the edges 
to the line and frequently shake and 
stretch them to their proper size while 
drying. To have the best success in 
washing blankets two points must be 
observed, namely: to keep the water 



at a uniform temperature, neither boil- 
ing hot nor cold enough to chill, but 
as hot as the hands will bear; and not 
to wring or rub the blankets in s-uch 
a way that the fibers will become in- 
terlaced and cause shrinking. When 
thoro"ghly dry beat the blankets 
while on the line with a carpet beater. 
This will cause the wool to become 
fluffy like a new blanket. 

To Wash Bedspreads. — If bed- 
spreads are changed quite frequently 
they will not require soaking, but if 
very much soiled they may be soaked 
by putting them in a tub and po-ar- 
ing over them a boilerful of hot water 
in which 2 tablespoon fuls of borax 
has been dissolved. Prepare suds by 
dissolving 1 bar of hard white or 
yellow soap in a boilerful of hot 
water and wash same as other white 
goods. Do not use any form of soda, 
lye, or any washing fluids or com- 
pounds. If washed on a windy day, 
bedspreads will need no ironing. 
Fold the edges together and join them 
on the line with the wrong side out. 
This not only prevents the spread 
from wearing across the middle, but 
gives it a fresher appearance than 
ironing. 

To Wash Comforters. — Sometimes 
a heavy comforter can be washed by 
simply tacking it smoothly on a cleati 
shingle roof and letting the rain fall 
on it. It is well to previously soak it 
for half an hour or more in a strong 
solution of common salt to prevent 
the colors running. 

Or soak the comforter for an hour 
or two in borax water. Prepare suds 
as for other colored goods, with the 
addition of oxgall or alum and salt. 
Lay the washboard across the top of 
the tub and apply the suds with a 
soft scrubbing brush, especially round 
the edges. Continue as in washing 
blankets. Those who have a supply 
of running water may use the garden 
hose for rinsing blankets, bedspreads, 
and comforters. Remove from the 
suds without wringing, hang them on 
a line, and drench them with water 
from the hose until they are rinsed 
thoroughly. 



376 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



DEYING CLOTHES 

Bag for Clothespins. — The ordi- 
nar_y wooden clothespins are the best. 
Keep clothespins for convenience in a 
bag made like a laundry bag of crash, 
linen, or other washable material, or 
use for this purpose a 24-pound flour 
sack. A wire hoop at the top of the 
clothespin bag is a convenience in 
keeping it open when clothespins are 
wanted. 

To Preserve Clothespins. — Put the 
clothespin bag into a kettle of boiling 
water every few weeks. Remove after 
three to five minutes and spread the 
clothespins out to dry in the sun, or 
dry quickly near the fire. This keeps 
them from becoming brittle and crack- 
ing. 

Dip the heads of part of the clothes- 
pins in dark paint, part in light paint, 
and leave the rest unpainted. Use 
the ones with dark heads for colored 
garments, those with light heads for 
miscellaneous pieces, as flannels, tow- 
els, and the like, and the unpainted 
ones for sheer white garments. This 
will prevent using on sheer white 
pieces pins that have been stained by 
colored garments. 

To Have Clothespins Handy. — Make 
an apron with a large baglike pocket 
to contain clothespins, to wear while 
hanging out the clothes. 

Or put clothespins into a small bas- 
ket (an ordinary grape basket is con- 
venient), and hang the basket on the 
clothesline by a hook made of wire, 
such as is used to hold the basket by 
apple and berry pickers. Push the 
basket along as you hang the clothes. 
It is handy, and is also out of the 
way. 

Or hang on each clothes post a bag 
made of oilcloth with a lapel. Attach 
a sufficient number of pins to the 
clothesline by pieces of strong cord 
about a foot long. Fish line is ex- 
cellent for this purpose. Make a loop 
of the cord over the clothesline large 
enough to admit of it slipping along, 
and fasten the pins securely at the 
other end. After the clothes are taken 
down, the clothespins will remain sus- 



pended from the line by the cords. 
Now shove them all along the line 
to the post, drop them into the bag 
without untying them, cover with 
the lapel, and leave them there for 
future use. But this plan necessi- 
tates leaving the clothesline out of 
doors. 

Or set the clothes basket and 
clothespin bag on a child's four- 
wheeled cart, or even a wheelbarrow, 
and push them along under the line 
as you proceed. 

To Keep the Hands Warm. — Set the 
clothespin bag in a kettle of boiling 
water. Remove and dry near the 
stove. The hot clothespins will help 
to keep the hands warm in freezing 
weather. 

To Select and Preserve Clotheslines. 
— Gutta-percha clotheslines are much 
more satisfactory than rope. They can 
be left out of doors in all weathers, 
and wiped clean with a damp cloth. 
But clotheslines of rope will last lon- 
ger and keep in better order if they 
are boiled in water for a couple of 
hours when first purchased, and af- 
terwards dipped in boiling water once 
a month. 

They must be thoroughly dried by 
hanging them near the fire or stretch- 
ing them on the clothes posts in the 
sunshine. Care must be taken not to 
allow them to kink. 

To Wash Clotheslines. — A soiled 
line may be cleansed and made to 
look like new by boiling it in strong 
soapsuds. For this purpose, make suds 
of a neutral white or yellow soap, but 
do not use soda in any form or wash- 
ing powders containing free alkali. 
The line is so thick that the alkali 
may not all be rinsed out of it and 
hence will be likely to rot the fiber. 
Wind the line into a coil around the 
elbow, tie it securely at both ends, and 
put it in the boiling suds. If it is 
much soiled, change the water. Pour 
the last suds into the tub, place the 
coil of line on the washboard, and ap- 
ply the suds with a scrubbing brush, 
scrubbing downward. Dry by stretch- 
ing between clothes posts in the sun- 
shine or indoors by the fire. Take 



WASH DAY 



S77 



care that the line is thoroughly dry 
before it is put away. 

To Avoid Kinks in Clotheslines. — 
To prevent a clothesline from becom- 
ing kinked or twisted when taken 
down, wind it toward you instead of 
from you. This tends to remove the 
kinkiness. 

Care of Clotheslines. — Do not put 
out a clothesline xmtil the clothes are 
ready to be hung out. When they are 
dry take the line down at once, coil 
it carefully over the elbows to avoid 
kinks, knot the coil at one end, and 
slip it into a clean cotton bag with a 
draw string at one end to keep it free 
from dust and dirt. Hang the bag 
in a clean, dry place. 

To Hang Out Clothes. — The orderly 
arrangement made by sorting the 
clothes in the first instance should be 
observed in hanging them on the line. 
Hang the contents of the first boiler 
in one row, those of the second boiler 
in another, sheets together, towels to- 
gether, napkins together, and so on. 
Expose plain white goods and coarser 
articles to the sun, but hang colored 
goods and delicate woolen and flannel 
goods in the shade. Hang up the 
clothes, especially colored articles, as 
quickly as possible after they are re- 
moved from the rinsing water. If 
small or delicate articles, as laces, 
crocheted articles, and the like, are 
boiled in a cotton bag or pillowcase, 
hang them up in this receptacle to 
dry. Take down woolens and flan- 
nels, including blankets, before they 
are quite dry. While drying, stretch 
them occasionally as nearly as possi- 
ble to their proper shape. 

To Hang- Out Large Pieces. — Fold 
large pieces, as tablecloths, sheets, 
blankets, counterpanes, quilts, and the 
like, and pin the opposite edges to the 
line rather than by the middle. The 
articles will thus be less injured by 
whipping and present a better appear- 
ance. Figured counterpanes hung in 
this way will require no ironing, and 
if on account of sickness or otherwise 
it is necessary to save labor, sheets 
and even tablecloths may be used 
rough dry. 



To Take Down Clothes. — When 
taking clothes from the line place 
the clothes basket in a child's cart or 
wheelbarrow. Lay a large clean cloth 
in the bottom, shake the wrinkles 
from each article, fold it carefully. 




Place the Basket in a Child's Cart." 



and lay all in orderly fashion in the 
basket. Put the corners of the sheets, 
tablecloths, towels, and other similar 
articles exactly together, and it will 
be found much easier to iron them 
than if they were thrown into a clothes 
basket in a disorderly mass. 

To Prevent Freezing. — The excess 
of soap and washing powders con- 
taining alkali which may be left in 
fabrics by careless rinsing will in time 
give white articles a dingy or yellow 
color. This is very much intensified 
by freezing. Colored articles will al- 
ways be more or less faded by freez- 
ing, and all garments are injured 
more by one freezing than by several 
weeks of constant use. To prevent 
freezing add salt to the rinsing water. 
This makes tKe clothes less liable to 
freeze. 

If the corners especially of towels, 
napkins, etc., and the edges of sheets 
and tablecloths be dipped in rather 
strong salt water they will not freeze 
so tightly, and there will be less dan- 
ger of their tearing when whipped by 
the wind or when being removed from 
the line. 

Bad Weather. — If wash day is 
stormy the clothes may be thoroughly 



378 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



wrung dry, rolled tip, and laid away 
in covered tubs or baskets for a rea- 
sonable time while waiting for fair 
weather. This plan is better than to 
keep them soaking in a tub of water. 

If the clothes are on the line and it 
is necessary, on account of bad weath- 
er, to take them down before they are 
dry, it is a good plan to put the 
clotheshorse in the yard, fold the 
pieces, and lay them over it, rather 
than to crowd the wet clothes into 
the basket. They can then be car- 
ried on the clotheshorse indoors and 
placed by the fire. 

Or clothes may be dried indoors by 
special drying arrangement in the 
kitchen or other warm, convenient 
room. Place hooks or small pulleys on 
either side of a room opposite one 
another, about 3^ feet apart and at 
a height a few inches above the head 
of the tallest member of the family. 
Stretch the clothesline on these so that 
it Will go back and forth across the 
room. Instead of allowing the clothes 
to hang down on the line, stretch 
them across horizontally, up and out 
of the way. Put the heaviest articles 



nearest the store, and keep a good 
fire. Open the windows a few inches 
at the top for ventilation. An entire 
wash for a family of half a dozen 
persons can be thus dried without 
serious inconvenience in an ordinary 
kitchen. If there is a special room 
set apart for the laundry, this method 
will be found equally convenient. 

To Dry Knit Goods. — Children's 
knitted underwear, woolen shirts, and 
other small but expensive articles 
which tend to shrink when drying, may 
be kept in shape by drying on frames. 
These may be purchased or can be 
readily made by any ingenious mem- 
ber of the family. They should be 
about an inch wider than the gar- 
ment, made in two parts hinged to- 
gether, and each having an arm piece 
with a blunt point projecting at the 
side. Shut the stretcher by means of 
the hinges, slip it into the garment 
while wet, insert the arm pieces, 
stretch it out flat, button the garment, 
and hang it up to dry. This not only 
preserves the shape and prevents 
shrinking, but gives the article the 
appearance of being new. 



CHAPTER XII 

IRONING DAY 

BLUING AND SPRINKLING— STARCH AND STARCHING— CARE OF 
IRONING UTENSILS— IRONING— TO DO UP SILKS, RIBBONS. 
AND WOOLENS— TO DO UP LACES AND CURTAINS— TO MARK 
AND STORE LINEN 



BLUING AND SPRINKIING 

Bluing. — It is very difficult to rinse 
clothes quite free from all traces of 
soap or other washing compounds. 
The minute quantities of alkali left 
in the fabrics tend to give white arti- 
cles a dingy or yellow tinge. The ob- 
ject of bluing is to correct this. 
Hence it is customary to add bluing 
to the last rinsing water for white 
articles or colored goods that have a 
white background. For dark colored 
goods it is also customary to add a 
liberal supply of bluing to the starch. 
Some laundresses do not wring from 
the bluing water table linens and 
similar articles which they desire to 
have a fine, clear white, but hang 
them up dripping in order to deepen 
their luster. 

To Make Bluing. — In addition to 
the various kinds of commercial blu- 
ing upon the market, the following 
recipes are recommended: 

Dissolve 1 ounce of the best solu- 
ble Prussian blue powder and ^ 
ounce of powdered oxalic acid in 1 
quart of soft water. 

Or dissolve 1 package of blue dia- 
mond dye for cotton in 1 quart of 
soft water. To prevent lumps, pre- 
pare this as you would starch. Rub 
the dry powder into a paste with a 
little water, add a little more cold 
water, then add the rest of the water 
boiling hot. Cool and bottle for use. 

Sprinkling. — The object of sprin- 
kling is to give the garments a uni- 
form dampness, to soften wrinkles, 
and to prevent the iron from scorch- 



ing. Hence the clothes should be 
sprinkled slightly and afterwards 
rolled up and allowed to lie until the 
moisture has uniformly penetrated 
all parts of the fabric. Delicate col- 
ored goods, flannels and other wool- 
ens, and fine linens will have a better 
appearance if ironed on the same 
day that they were washed than if 
allowed to become entirely dry before 
ironing. Colored goods especially 
should not be sprinkled if it can be 
avoided. 

Utensils for Sprinkling. — An ordi- 
nary brush broom, a child's sprinkling 




"An Ordinary Brush Broom 



can, a tin baking-powder can or glass 
fruit jar with metal top perforated 
by holes made with a hammer and 



379 



380 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



small nails, are all convenient utensils 
for sprinkling. A small fine-grain 
sponge and a basin of water should 
be at hand when ironing. If small 
spots of sheer goods become dry they 
should be dampened before ironing, 
or if a smudge or patch of starch ap- 
pears it can be thus removed without 
affecting the rest of the garment. 

STARCH AND STARCHING 

To Make Starch.^Starch is a sub- 
stance contained in various vegetables, 
as grains, potatoes, etc. 

Starch is made from grain by steep- 
ing it in cold water until it becomes 
soft. It is then placed in sacks and 
pressed in a vat with water. The 
milky juice which is produced by this 
process is allowed to stand until it 
becomes clear, when the starch sinks 
to the bottom in the form of " white 
powder. 

Starch may be made from potatoes 
by grating them in water and strain- 
ing and squeezing the mass through 
thin cloth, as cheese cloth, or a suit- 
able sieve. The liquid is then allowed 
to stand until the potato starch set- 
tles at the bottom. The clear liquid 
from which the starch has settled has 
considerable cleansing properties and 
is especially useful to clean colored 
silks, woolens, and other delicate ar- 
ticles without injury to their color 
or texture. The coarse fiber of the 
potato removed by straining may be 
used in washing heavy colored wool- 
en articles, as blankets, horse blankets, 
carriage robes, and the like. These 
articles should be soaked in water 
containing salt to set the colors, and 
afterwards scrubbed with the grated 
potato fibers and scrubbing brush and 
water. 

Starch may be made from potatoes 
which are too small for domestic use, 
and a fairly good quality may also 
be made from frosted potatoes, al- 
though this last may have a slightly 
darker color. The starch from frosted 
potatoes may be improved by adding 
fresh water after the first clear liquid 
has been turned oflF, stirring, and al- 



lowing it to settle once more, and so 
continuing until the liquid is entirely 
clear. 

To Prepare Starch. — The amount of 
starch to prepare for a given wash- 
ing depends upon the articles to be 
starched, and must be determined in 
each family by experiment. The abil- 
ity to do up starched linen perfectly 
is one of the most severe tests of the 
successful laundress. Hence the im- 
portance of knowing how to prepare 
good starch. First mix the required 
amount of common starch with a small 
quantity of cold water to the con- 
sistency of cream. Carefully rub and 
beat the starch with a spoon to break 
up all lumps and insure that the 
particles of starch are evenly wet 
through. Thin to the consistency of 
milk with a little more cold water. 
For thick cooked starch add 8 parts 
o'f boiling water to 1 of starch. For 
thin cooked starch add 16 parts of 
water to 1 of starch. Pour the water 
while boiling vigorously in a thin 
stream, and stir constantly to pre- 
vent the starch from lumping. Set 
the starch over the fire and continue 
to boil it from 3 to 5 minutes, stirring 
vigorously all the time. If such sub- 
stances as wax, borax, oil, etc., are 
used, they should be mixed with the 
starch while cooking. Bluing should 
not be added until the starch is cold. 
Raw starch or that which has been 
insufficiently cooked will stick to the 
iron and make much trouble for the 
laundress. Cooked starch" may be 
thinned by the addition of cold water. 

Cornstarch. — Common cornstarch, 
such as is used for making puddings, 
is preferred by some laundresses in- 
stead of the ordinary laundry starch. 
It is about as cheap and in the 
opinion of many gives a finer gloss 
and more finished appearance to deli- 
cate starched articles. Try this some 
time when the laundry starch is 
out and see how you like it. A mix- 
ture of the two kinds is also much 
favored. 

Starch with Wax. — For white cuffs, 
collars, and shirt bosoms melt with 
gentle heat white wax or a mixture 



IRONING DAY 



381 



of equal parts of white wax and sper- 
maceti or a mixture of 1 part of white 
wax to 2 parts of spermaceti, as pre- 
ferred, and stir into ordinary starch 
while boiling. Use a lump of wax 
about the size of a walnut to a quart 
of cooked starch, or estimate the 
amount of wax in the proportion of 
xV to ^ of the bulk of dry starch re- 
quired for the garments. 

Starch with Borax. — Add 1 table- 
spoonful of borax to each pint of 
cooked starch while boiling. This 
makes the starch go farther by lessen- 
ing the amount that adheres to each 
garment. It increases the gloss with- 
out giving additional stiffness and 
tends to prevent the irons from stick- 
ing. 

Or add 1 teaspoonful of borax to 1 
pint of uncooked starch for garments 
requiring stiffness. 

Or mix 1 teaspoonful of borax and 
2 tablespoonfuls of dry starch. Rub 
carefully in a small quantity of cold 
water and add enough to make IJ 
cupfuls. 

Starch with Salt. — Add 1 teaspoon- 
ful of table salt to 1 pint of cooked 
or uncooked starch. This prevents the 
starch from being whipped out oi the 
garments by the wind when drying, 
and also from freezing in severely cold 
weather. 

Or add 1 teaspoonful of Epsom 
salts to each bowl of cooked starch 
while boiling. This wiU add stiffness 
and tend to prevent the articles from 
being scorched by hot irons. 

Starch with Soap.^ — Make the boil- 
ing water in which starch is cooked 
slightly soapy with pure castile or 
other neutral white soap. This will 
assist in producing a gloss and will 
also prevent the irons from sticking. 

Starch with Gum Arabic. — Prepare 
a solution of gum arable by putting 
about 2 ounces of the white gum fine- 
ly powdered in a glass bottle or quart 
fruit jar and pouring over it 1 pint 
of boiling water. Cork tightly and 
shake until the powder is dissolved. 
After 24 hours strain through cheese 
cloth and preserve the clear gum wa- 
ter for use. Add 1 tablespoouful to 



each pint of cooked starch while boil- 
ing. This is especially useful for fine 
dress goods, either white or colored, 
as lawns, muslins, calicoes, and the 
like, giving them much of the body 
and appearance of new material. Less 
of the gum water may be used for the 
finished materials, as muslins, and 
more may be added for cuffs, collars, 
and shirt cuffs to increase the stiff- 
ness and impart a gloss. 

Starch with Sugar, — Add a tea- 
spoonful of granulated sugar to each 
pint of starch while boiling. This as- 
sists in giving the so-called domestic 
finish. 

Starch with Stearin. — Add a tea- 
spoonful of stearin to each pint of 
starch when boiling. This substance 
with the addition of bluing is sold 
under the name of " starch luster " at 
a much higher price than the stearin 
itself costs, and is no better. 

Starch with lard. — Add half a tea- 
spoonful of lard or butter to each 
quart of cooked starch when boiling. 
This helps to give the soft or domes- 
tic finish, and prevents the irons from 
sticking. 

Additions to Starch. — Among the 
various substances added to starch for 
different purposes are wax, borax, salt, 
soap, lard, sugar, gum arable, glue, 
stearin, and glycerin. Borax makes 
the starch more fluid, so that it goes 
farther, and also increases the gloss. 
Salt prevents the starch from freezing 
in garments ; wax and gum arable and 
stearin increase the gloss and give 
additional stiffness, and soap and 
sugar improve the gloss. These sub- 
stances may also be mixed together 
according to various special recipes. 

Special Recipes for Starch. — Melt 
together with gentle heat white wax, 
3 ounces; spermaceti, 3 ounces; borax, 
i pound; gum tragacanth, 1^ ounces. 
Add 1 teaspoonful of the mixture to 
1 pint of cooked starch while boil- 
ing. 

Or, to prevent irons from sticking, 
rub ^ teaspoonful of lard and 1 tea- 
spoonful of salt into the dry starch, 
and proceed as with ordinary cooked 
starcli, 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Or mix 1 teaspoonful of white soap 
run through a grater with 1 pint of 
starch while boiling. 

Or melt with gentle heat 1 ounce 
of isinglass, 1 ounce of borax, 1 tea- 
spoonful of white glue, and 3 tea- 
spoonfuls of white of egg. Stir into 
2 quarts of cooked starch while boil- 
ing. This will give shirt bosoms a 
high polish. 

Starch with Soda. — Add ^ teaspoon- 
ful of baking soda to 1 pint of cooked 
starch when boiling. This prevents the 
starch from whipping out of garments 
on the line, and also assists in giving 
finer finish. 

To Apply Starch. — Strain the hot 
starch through a piece of cheese cloth 
and use while it is still warm. Select 
first the articles that require the most 
stiffness, as shirt bosoms, collars, and 
cuffs. A portion of the starch of 
course adheres to each, so that it be- 
comes thinner by using. Starched 
clothes such as skirts, etc., should 
never be stiff enough to rattle. The 
garments to be starched should be 
nearly dry. Immerse them or such 
part of them as should be starched in 
the thick starch, and rub between the 
hands to work the starch thoroughly 
into their texture. Remove from the 
starch, squeeze out the excess, and rub 
once more with the hands to distribute 
the starch evenly through the mate- 
rial. If this is not done the surface 
will not iron smoothly. Dry the arti- 
cles, sprinkle them, spread them on a 
clean white cloth, and roll them up 
in bundles so that the dampness will 
be evenly distributed before ironing. 

To Starch Colored Clothes. — Divide 
the starch, set apart the required 
amount for colored clothes, and add 
bluing sufficient to make the starch 
quite blue. Use a liberal supply of 
bluing for blacks aad dark colors, but 
not so much for light garments, es- 
pecially pink. This will prevent white 
patches of starch from appearing on 
dark garments. 

Or dip black or colored goods, as 
lawns and calicoes, in sweet or sour 
milk and use no starch. Milk alone 
will give the desired stiffness. 



Or, for delicate colored goods, use 
a simple solution of gum arable in- 
stead of starch. 

Or rinse in dilute bran water or rice 
water instead of starch. 

To Starch White Dress Goods. — 
Thin white dress goods, as white 
waists and simimer gowns, may be 
starched with cold raw starch. Dry 
without starching. Dissolve a heap- 
ing tablespoonful of starch in suf- 
ficient water to immerse the garment, 
dip it into the starch until saturated, 
rinse in cold water, wring out, roll up 
in a dry cloth, and iron half an hour 
later. 

Or dry the garments, dip a. clean 
muslin cloth into raw starch, and lay 
over them long enough to dampen 
them. After a few minutes press 
them with- % hot iron. 
_For delicate? lawns and siaiilar fab- 
rics use a solution of gum arabic di- 
luted to give the stiffness required. 

CASE OF raONING UTENSILS 

Ironing' Utensils. — Various im- 
proved implements and machines have 



\ 




^An Ironing Machine for Domestic Use." 



been perfected for ironing, but the 
old-fashioned flatiron heated on the 



IRONING DAY 



383 



range is still a well-nigh universal 
favorite. Mangles, or large heated 
cylinders revolving under pressure for 
ironing garments, have been in general 
use in laundries for many years, to- 
gether with polishing machines and 
similar appliances. But until quite 
recently there has not been upon the 
market a satisfactory ironing machine 
suitable for domestic use. Such ma- 
chines can now be obtained, and they 
are to be recommended for large fam- 
ilies who can afford them. 

The denatured alcohol flatiron is 
a cheap, practical, and serviceable, 
device. 

The electric flatiron is an ideal 
utensil in homes that are supplied 
with electricity. 

The patented flatiron which has a 
removable wooden handle is a great 
improvement over the old-fashioned 
solid iron which requires the use of 
cloth or asbestos holders. 

The asbestos flatiron is an imple- 
ment that is especially recommended. 

To do fine ironing it is necessary to 
have several kinds of irons. For shirt 
bosoms, coUars, and cuffs a ribbed or 
other polishing iron is necessary. Ruf- 
fles will be improved by the use of a 
fluting iron. The puff iron for fine 
tucks, puffy sleeves, and other elabo- 
rate work is especially useful. Thi3 
iron is attached to a standard and the 
cloth is passed through it. It may be 
heated at the ordinary range. 

Some persons are satisfied with the 
cold mangle, especially for table lin- 
ens, linen sheets, and other linen pieces, 
on the theory that heat has a ten- 
dency to deteriorate the linen and 
also to give it a yellow tinge, but 
ironing by means of hot irons is still 
the custom. 

A toy flatiron such as is sold for 
children is not only useful in the hands 
of a child for ironing dolls' clothes as 
a lesson in domestic economy, but is 
also very convenient to the laundress 
for tucks, fluting, and other difficult 
parts of dresses and similar garments. 
Such an iron may be packed in a 
trunk and taken on vacation trips. 
It will be found most useful in hotels, 



where it can be heated over the gas or 
by means of a small alcohol lamp, and 
used for doing up handkerchiefs, laces, 
ribbons, a.nd other small articles, both 




"a. Device for Heating Flatirons. b. Holder, 
c. Emery-cloth Board, d. Wax. e. Stand." 

as a measure of economy and also to 
prevent their being deteriorated by 
careless treatment In the laundry. 

To Prevent Rust on Irons. — If irons 
are exposed to moisture or stored 
away for a time, brush or rub them 
when warm with a mixture of vaseline 
and sweet oil. Lard or vaseline alone 
may be used for this purpose. These 
substances may be removed by wash- 
ing the iron in good soapsuds when 
ready for use. 

To Keep riatirons Clean. — In small 
apartments it is often convenient to 
store the flatirons on the back of the 
range. To keep them free from grease 
and dirt take a common pasteboard 
shoe box or other box of convenient 
shape and size, and cover with sheet 
asbestos glued on. Keep the irons in 
this, and they will be clean, dry, and 
always handy. 

Care of Irons. — Care must be taken 
to prevent the roughening of irons 
from starch or other sticky substance 
adhering to them and burning on. 
This is especially likely to happen if 
raw or partly cooked starch is used. 
To prevent this, tack a piece of very 
fine sandpaper on the ironing board 
and rub the iron on it each time be- 
fore returning to the fire. 

Or use bath brick, dry salt, or pow- 
dered pumice stone spread on a 
smooth surface, with or without sand- 
paper. 

Or fill a cheese-cloth bag with pow- 
dered pumice stone and rub the iron 
on this. 



384 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Starch may be prevented from stick- 
ing to the iron by the use of beeswax, 
paraffin, wax paper, or kerosene. To 
use beeswax, put it in a little bag of 
cloth or between two pieces of paper, 
and attarh to the ironing board. Rub 
the iron over this. Save the paraffin 
on the tops of jars of jelly, melt up, 
and pour into a mold to cool. Put 
this in a cloth bag and use the same 
as beeswax. 

Or save the wax papers that come 
in cracker boxes or the inside linings 
of laimdry soap, and rub the irons on 
these. 

Or have at hand a cloth saturated 
with kerosene, and rub the iron over 
this. These methods all tend to make 
the ironing easier by lessening the 
friction and also keep the iron clean 
and give polish to the fabrics. 

Cautions. — Never use irons for 
cracking nuts or hammering nails. 
Never allow them to become red hot. 
They do not retain the heat equally 
throughout afterwards and will al- 
ways be rough. Do not keep them on 
the stove when not in use without pro- 
tecting them from the heat by as- 
bestos. 

To Heat Irons. — Irons will heat 
more quickly and with less fuel and 
will keep hot longer if an iron or 
tin pjSi is turned over them while 
heating. A sheet-iron pan, like a 
bread pan, is best for this purpose, 
but a deep dripping pan, frying pan, 
or solid tin pan may be used. This 
will be found especially important in 
summer, when a hot fire is unbear- 
able. When gas is used, if a pan is 
turned over the flatirons and a tea- 
kettle placed on top, hot water also 
may be had with the use of a single 
burner. 

To Test the Heat of Irons. — The 
iron is hotter when a drop of water 
will run along the surface than when 
it is immediately evaporated. A very 
hot iron will form a cushion of steam 
which will keep the drop from the 
surface. Hence if a drop of water 
sticks and immediately evaporates, the 
iron is not sufficiently hot for some 
purposes. 



Holders foi Irons. — A thin sheet of 
asbestos between two folds of cloth 
makes the best holder for flatirons. 
A square piece of leather, cut from 
the top of an old boot and put be- 
tween two thicknesses of cloth, is con- 
venient and comfortable. These hold- 
erg may be boimd with braid. 

To Hang Up an Ironing Board. — 
Put screw eyes on the end of the iron- 
ing board so that it can be hung 
from nails on the wall or the inside 
of pantry doors. 

Covers for Ironing Boards. — Make 
two or three covers for the ironing 
board to fit tightly when drawn on, 
like a pillowcase. When one is soiled 
another may be substituted. The 
quickness and convenience with which 
these may be changed will soon pay 
for the labor of making them. A 
somewhat looser calico bag to slip 
'over the board when not in use will 
keep it clean. Old sheets and dis- 
carded wrappers will furnish materials 
for these covers. 

To Arrange the Ironing Board. — 
Fix two heavy screw eyes in the broad 
end of an ironing board and attach 
to these a piece of strong picture wire 
the same as if you intended to hang 
the ironing board like a picture upon 




Leaves the End Unobstructed." 



the wall. Screw into the top of the 
baseboard, high enough from the floor 
to be out of the way of mops and 
brooms, two strong screw hooks. Now 
draw a stand or narrow table oppo- 



IRONING DAY 



385 



site these screw hooks in such a way 
that the broad end of the ironing 
board may rest upon it while the nar- 
row end projects into the room. In 
this position the ironing board should 
about balance, but of course the pres- 
sure of the iron on the unsupported 
end would cause it to tip. Now catch 
the wire guys attached to the broad 
end of the ironing board over the two 
screw hooks in the baseboard. These 
will prevent the narrow end of the 
board from tipping, and leave it un- 
obstructed, so that skirts, shirts, and 
other similar articles may be slipped 
over it conveniently. 

IRONING 

To Iron Shirts. — Starch the shirt 
bosoms, collars, and cuffs in cooked 
starch containing also wax or lard or 
other similar substance. The addition 
of gurai arable will increase the stiff- 
ness. First use the common iron in 
the usual way, making the surface 
smooth, but without polishing. Iron 
first the back and sleeves, next the 
collar and bosom, last the front. This 
dull or domestic finish, as it is called, 
is preferred by many persons to a 
high polish, but if the latter is de- 
sired use a smooth hard-wood board 
covered rather thickly with cloth on 
one side, but not on the other. First 
use the padded side of the board, 
ironing the bosom smooth, then turn 
the board, lay the bosom upon the 
hard wood, take the polishing iron, and 
polish by rubbing vigorously cross- 
wise. A good polishing iron should 
weigh between 6 and 7 pounds and 
have a rounded edge at the heel. The 
iron is not laid down flat, but only 
the edge of the heel is used to give 
the polish. Keep the iron very hot 
and dampen the bosom slightly before 
using it by brushing with a damp 
cloth or sponge. If the bosom rises 
in wavelike blisters, dampen it slightly 
and go over it again. It requires a 
little care to use a polishing iron, but 
with experience any laundress can give 
as good a polish as can be produced 
in a steam laundry. A greater finish 



can be obtained by laying over the 
bosom a cloth dipped in starch just 
before the polishing iron is applied. 

To Iron Colored Goods. — Colored 
goods should be ironed, when possible, 
before they are quite dry. They 
should not, as a rule, be sprinkled nor 
allowed to lie over night. The iron 
should be allowed to cool slightly, as 
delicate colors, esjiecially pinks and 
greens, will frequently fade as soon 
as they are touched by a hot iron. 
The pink may turn to purple and the 
green to blue. 

If, however, colored goods cannot 
be ironed the day they are washed, 
they should not be allowed to lie over 
night in a wet condition, but should 
first be thoroughly dried and then 
slightly dampened just before iron- 
ing by rolling them in a damp cloth 
and allowing them to stand for fif- 
teen or twenty minutes. 

Press colored goods on the wrong 
side, especially the collars and cuffs. 
Iron on the right side no more than 
is absolutely necessary to take out the 
wrinkles. 

To Iron Black Sateen and Farmer's 
Satin. — Use no starch. Iron on the 
wrong side. 

To Iron Fancy Work. — Press rib- 
bons, lace, and embroidery on the 
wrong side, and iron delicate articles 
through a piece of linen. For colored 
silks and ribbons, allow the iron to 
cool slightly as with any other col- 
ored goods. 

To Iron Linen. — The appearance of 
linen will be improved if it is ironed 
the same day it is washed and with- 
out hanging out to dry. Rinse thor- 
oughly, wring dry, and roll the linen 
articles in a dry sheet. Let them lie 
for a time and iron dry with a hot 
iron. This saves the wear on fine linen 
of whipping on a clothesline, and gives 
an additional stiffness and luster, es- 
pecially to cheap linens and well-worn 
articles. 

To Do Up Handkerchiefs. — ^To save 
ironing, spread the handkerchief wet 
from rinsing water on a clean pane 
of glass or mirror. When dry, fold 
and lay away. Guests at summer 



386 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



hotels and persons who are boarding 
will find this plan very convenient. 
It is especially desirable for fine linen 
and delicate lace handkerchiefs, to 
save the wear and tear of the laun- 
dry. 

Ironing Hints. — Table linen and 
handkerchiefs frequently show wear 
where the customary folds have been 
ironed in. To save wear press the arti- 
cle all over until perfectly dry, without 
folding. Then fold and press the folds 
lightly with a hot iron. The appear- 
ance will be the same as if the folds 
had been ironed separately, but the 
articles will wear longer. 

Large tablecloths that are awkward 
to manage without folding may be 
rolled upon curtain poles as fast as 
they are ironed. When the entire cloth 
has been ironed it may be unrolled 
and folded with a light pressure. 

The clothes wringer will smooth 
sheets, towels, pillowcases, and the 
like sufficiently without ironing, and 
upon occasion these articles may be 
folded and put away rough dry. Give 
handkerchiefs one fold less than is 
customary, leaving them oblong in- 
stead of square. The economy of time 
is small, but the handkerchiefs lie 
more conveniently in the drawer. 

To Iron Embroidery.— Embroidered 
articles-, as doilies, shirt waists, and 
the like, Hamburg trimmings, and 
other goods of similar texture may be 
ironed over a Turkish towel. This 
method raises the pattern clearly and 
beautifully. It may also be used for 
napkins, handkerchiefs, and table- 
cloths. The towel yields slightly, less- 
ening the labor of ironing, and the 
process adds to the appearance of the 
article. 

To Take Down Clothes. — Use care 
in wringing clothes and hanging them 
on the line. Lift tablecloths and sim- 
ilar large pieces by the middle from 
the last rinsing water, so as to straight- 
en out the selvage edge, and wring by 
hand. Hang these carefully on the 
line so that they will dry straight and 
not draw on the bias. In hanging 
clothes, straighten the collars, raise 
the bands, and open the sleeves. Fold 



carefully when taken from the line, 
or, if too cold to fold outdoors, do so 
as soon as they are brought into the 
house and before the wrinkles caused 
by packing them in the basket have 
become set. In warm weather spread 
sheets, towels, and the like upon the 
tall grass. They will need very little 
pressing, and will be bleached by the 
sun. 

TO DO UP SILKS, RIBBONS, AND 
WOOLENS 

To Iron Silks.— Lift silks from the 
rinsing water, shake and snap them 
to remove as much water as possible 
without squeezing or wringing, and 
smooth them out on pieces of old cot- 
ton cloth or towels. Roll them up in 
these and iron as soon as possible 
without drying. Smooth pieces out 
while wet on the ironing board, lay 
over them a piece of thin white mus- 
lin, and iron on the wrong side with 
a moderate iron to prevent smutting. 
Now remove the cloth, iron perfectly 
dry on the wrong side, and smooth 
slightly, if desired, on the face with a 
warm, not hot, iron. The whole proc- 
ess of washing and ironing should 
be done as quickly as possible after 
the silk is wet, as the colors may 
be affected by lying in that condition. 

To Iron Colored Silks. — Like other 
colored goods silk should not be al- 
lowed to dry, but should be ironed 
while still damp with a warm, not 
hot, iron. Place between two cloths 
and iron on the wrong side. 

To Do Up Ribbons.- Wash same as 
other colored silks, and if stiffness is 
required, rinse in weak soapsuds con- 
taining a small amount of gum arable. 
Now roll the ribbon about a glass 
bottle, or wind about a small rolling- 
pin, smoothing carefully, and dry in 
the shade. 

Or smooth them out, face down, 
upon a piece of varnished wood. When 
dry they will require no ironing. 

To Remove Wrinkles from Silk. — 
Wrinkled or creased ribbons and silks 
may be restored by laying them on a 
smooth surface and sponging them 



IRONING DAY 



387 



evenly with a sponge moistened in a 
weak solution of gum arabic. Smooth 
out while wet on a polished flat sur- 
face of wood, or roll about a rolling- 
pin and dry in the shade. Iron be- 
tween two pieces of cloth, pressing on 
the wrong side with a warm, not hot, 
iron. 

To Store Away Silks. — Do not wrap 
silks in white paper. The chloride of 
lime used to bleach the paper will at- 
tack the colors of the silk. 

To Iron Flannel and Woolen Goods. 
— Iron flannels and woolens the same 
day they are washed, if possible, and 
before they become quite dry. Take 
from the line when still damp, roU up 
in a dry cloth, and press on the wrong 
side with an iron not too hot. If 
they become dry they should be damp- 
ened slightly by rolling up in a damp 
cloth to await their turn. 

To Iron Blankets. — Iron blankets 
before they are quite dry, and air 
thoroughly before storing away. 

TO DO UP LACES AND CTJRTAIITS 

To Starch Laces. — Good lace does 
not require starching. Enough white 
sugar dissolved in the last rinsing 
water to make it slightly sweet should 
give it the required stiffness. 

Or boil 4 ounces of rice in 1 quart 
of water until the kernels break up. 
Strain through cheese cloth and dip 
the laces in the clear rice water. 

Or use a thin solution of giun* 
arabic. 

Or mix 1 teaspoonful of cornstarch 
or wheat starch with cold water to the 
co»sistencj of cream, beating and rub- 
bing until all is wet evenly. Dilute 
to consistency of milk with cold water, 
add 5 or 6 drops of gum arabic, and 
thin with boiling water until nearly 
transparent. Boil for 5 or 6 minutes 
until well cooked. The poorer the lace 
the more stiffness will be required. 
Hence do not dilute too much for 
poor laces. 

To Tint Laces. — For an 6cru tint 
add black coffee or powdered saffron 
to the rinsing water. Or add tea to 
give a stronger shade. Experiment 



with a small sample of the goods, add- 
ing a little more color at a time imtil 
the right shade is obtained. 

To Iron Laces. — If laces are basted 
on cloth, and the cloth is thoroughly 
stretched, or if they are carefully 
wound about a bottle and stitched, 
they may not require any ironing. 
Lace wound about a bottle may be 
dipped into very thin starch or gum- 
arabic water without being removed, 
and may not need any ironing. Lace 
handkerchiefs may be pulled into 
shape while wet and carefully laid on 
a pane of glass, wrinkles being all 
smoothed out. When dry they will 
be ready for use. 

Or dry small lace articles between 
two pieces of clean white blotting 
paper under a weight, with or with- 
out ironing. When starch is used, 
do not allow laces to dry, but roll 
them in a dry towel for half an hour 
or more, and press while still damp, 
Iron on the wrong side over a Turk- 
ish towel to bring up the pattern, 
protecting the articles from the iron 
with a piece of muslin or other thin 
white cloth. Use a warm, not hot, 
iron. Ironing pieces while damp great- 
ly improves their appearance; ironing 
on a soft, rough surface both protects 
them and brings up the pattern, and 
ironing through a thin cloth makes it 
possible to bring out the points and 
pattern of the lace with the point of 
the iron without injury. New em- 
broideries should be washed and ironed 
before using. 

To Remove Wrinkles. — If lace be- 
comes dry before ironing, or if it is 
desired to remove the wrinkles from 
clean lace without washing, hold it 
over the steam of the teakettle or a 
basin of steaming water until thor- 
oughly moistened. While damp press 
it under a weight, with or without 
blotters, or iron it as above suggested. 

To Starch. Curtains. — Do not use 
much starch for lace curtains. This 
is a common mistake when curtains 
are done up at home. It is contrary 
to the essential delicacy of lace to 
make it stiff with starch. Moreover, 
the sun will rot lace which contains 



388 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



too much starch or other stiffening 
substances. Only the coarsest kind of 
lace can stand stiifening. 

To Do Up Curtains. — Starch cur- 
tains the same as other laces with a 
thin boiled cornstarch or wheat starch 
containing a solution of gum arable, 
and stretch them on suitable frames 
or otherwise to dry. If they are 
stretched properly, they will require 
no ironing or they may be pressed 
slightly when dry. 

To Iron Curtains. — Lay the curtains 
while still damp on a folded flannel 
blanket and press on the wrong side 
with irons as hot as possible without 
scorching. This method brings out 
raised figures and designs. 

To Prevent Scorch. — Wipe the iron 
on a cloth wet with kerosene. 

To Remove Scorch. — Linen articles 
and other white goods slightly scorched 
by hot irons may be restored, if the 
fibers have not been destroyed, by 
simply exposing them to the heat of 
the sun or, on dark days, to the heat 
from an open oven. Moisten them at 
intervals by sponging lightly with clear 
water. If the stains are deeper, rub 
chlorine water into the spot with a 
sponge or linen rag. 

Or run two onions through a meat 
cutter, squeeze out the juice through 
cheese 'cloth, and mix with half a pint 
of vinegar. Heat the mixture to a 
boil, and add a piece of hard white 
soap the size of an English walnut 
and two or three ounces of fuller's 
earth. Boil five minutes, cool, and 
pour over the scorched linen. Let it 
dry on, and afterwards remove by 
Avashing. Repeat if necessary. 

TO MARK AND STORE IINEN 

linen Closet. — A special closet or 
wardrobe for linen is a great con- 
venience. If this is not possible, and 
linen must be packed in chests or 
bureau drawers, the various articles 
Mill lie one upon another so that it is 
difficult to keep them in proper order. 
The shelves of the linen closet should 
be just wide enough apart to admit of 
piles of a dozen articles of each sort, 



and just deep enough to admit one 
row of articles. Numerous shallow 
shelves relatively close together make 
a more convenient arrangement than 
deeppr shelves wider apart. A little 
care devoted to making the shelves 
tight, polisliing them, and coating 
them with enamel paint or varnish 
to give them a smooth and shining 
surface will be more than compen- 
sated for by the beautiful appear- 
ance of the snowy linen reflected 
upon the shelves and the ease -with 
which they may be kept in perfect 
order. 

Comparatively few persons can af- 
ford a surplus of fine linen, but when 
possible, articles should be bought in 
half dozen or dozen lots and used in 
regular rotation. All fabrics will wear 
better if not used continually, but al- 
lowed to rest at intervals. 

Place linen on the shelves in regu- 
lar piles of one dozen each, and when 
it comes from the laimdry sort it 
carefully and place the articles that 
have been just laundered at the bot- 
tom of the piles so that they will be 
used in regular rotation. It will as- 
sist you to do this and also to keep 
account of linen if the articles are 
numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on, and 
piled in that way. 

As linen and other articles are 
often mislaid or stolen when sent to 
laimdries, and sometimes taken from 
the line or blown away when spread 
on the grass to bleach, it is advisable 
to make an inventory of the contents 
of the linen closet, a copy of which 
may be fastened with thumb tacks to 
the back of the closet door, and 
checked up each time the laundered 
articles are stored away. This will 
also assist in the preparation of a 
shopping list when articles that are 
worn require to be replaced. 

While the term "linen closet" is 
Tised (and every housewife knows the 
good qualities of linen and would be 
glad to use it exclusively for many 
purposes), the same remarks apply to 
the disposition of cotton sheets, pil- 
lowcases, etc. These, if of good qual- 
ity and well laundered, present al- 



IB.ONING DAY 



389 



most as attractive an appearance as 
the linen itself, and will equally re- 
pay the same care and attention. A 
separate place should be set apart 
for those articles which have become 
worn past their original uses, and they 
should be laundered and stored in the 
linen closet until opportunity offers 
for making them up into covers for 
the ironing board, dishcloths, dish 
towels, and the many other uses men- 
tioned elsewhere. Old linen is es- 
pecially valuable for many purposes, 
and the discarded articles should be 
carefully stored in an orderly fashion 
instead of being thrust, as is too often 
the case, helter-skelter into the com- 
mon ragbag. 

AVhen linen has been properly laun- 
dered, aired, and stored in the linen 
closet, nothing is required for the fur- 
ther care of articles in ordinary use 
except to preserve them from damp- 
ness and insects. The various essen- 
tial oils and other perfimie-bearing 
substances will assist in preserving 
linen from the attacks of insects. The 
use of thyme, mint, and lavender for 
this purpose by good housekeepers in 
colonial days and in England is pro- 
verbial. Bags containing any or all 
of the following may be employed for 
this purpose: 

Spices, as powdered cloves, mace, 
nutmeg, and cinnamon. 

Flowers of any sort, dried and mixed 
with spices. 

Odorous leaves, as mint, balm, south- 
ernwood, laurel, geranium, sweet mar- 
joram, rosemary, hyssop, and orig- 
anum. 

Roots, as orris and angelica. 

Perfumed woods, as sandalwood, 
rosewood, cassia, sassafras, rhodium. 

Animal perfumes, as ambergris, 
musk, and civet. 

Or essential oils extracted from any 
of these. 

To Store linens. — If linen articles 
are not in constant use they should 
be wrapped in brown, blue, or other 
dark-colored i:)aper, as the bleaching 
powder and other forms of chlorine 
used in bleaching white and light-col- 
ored papers have a tendency to turn 



linen articles yellow, and so does ex- 
posure to air and sunlight. 

To Prepare Linen for the Wash.— 
It will be found a matter of economy 
to examine the linen before it goes to 
the laundry and remove all stains, and 
also mend bracks, tears, and worn 
places before the articles are washed. 
Otherwise they may catch on the 
washboard or in the washing machine, 
or be whipped by the wind, caught by 
a flatiron, or otherwise made larger 
than is necessary. Here, as elsewhere, 
" a stitch in time saves nine." 

Marking Linen. — A good stamping 
outfit may be obtained very cheaply 
and linen may be stamped with initials 
that can afterwards be worked over 
with embroidery. Large Gothic let- 
ters appear to be most approved for 
this purpose. 

Or, by the use of a few cents' worth 
of carbon paper, which may be ob- 
tained of any stationer, linen may be 
stamped by tracing over any desired 
pattern. A paper pattern may be 
used for this purpose, or one article 
may be sent away to be marked and 
the initial afterwards transferred to 
the others by tracing over with car- 
bon. 

Before starting to work on any 
stamped linen, take a copy of the de- 
sign on a piece of paper for dupli- 
cates, which may then be transferred, 
at very small expense of time and 
trouble, by means of carbon paper to 
other articles. 

Or plain articles may be marked by 
tracing the initial with a soft lead 
pencil and going over the outline with 
the sewing machine, using any color 
of silk thread that may be desired. 

Or apply marking ink with a steel 
pen or fine camel's-hair brush. For 
recipe, see under " Ink " elsewhere in 
this volume. 

To Hem Table Linen. — Draw a 
thread at either end and cut straight 
across. Turn the hem through the 
narrow henuner of an unthreaded sew- 
ing machine. This makes a narrower 
and more even hem than can be turned 
by hand. 

The difficulty of drawing the thread 



390 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



from linen is mucii lessened if a 
piece of castile or other hard white 
soap is first rubbed carefully over the 
threads. 

Tablecloth Economics. — If a table- 
cloth wears around the edge by rub- 
bing against the table, draw threads 
on either side of the worn place, cut 
straight across, and sew together with 
a perfectly flat, even seam. This will 
hardly be noticed, and the tablecloth 
will be almost like new. 

When buying new tablecloths get a 
half yard extra material and from 
time to time take a narrow strip off 
one of the ends. This will bring the 
creases in different places and pre- 
vent the cloth from wearing where it 
is creased in the laundry. Ravelings 
taken from these strips will be found 
the best material with which to darn 
frayed places. 

When a tablecloth is past its proper 
use it is still available for many pur- 
poses. The whole parts will make an 
excellent bread cloth and one or more 



tray cloths or napkins suitable for 
lunches and picnics, or for use par- 
ticularly in the fruit season, when the 
best napkins often receive peach and 
other fruit stains that are so difficult 
to remove. The small pieces make the 
best of silver polishers, as they are so 
soft that they will not scratch the 
finest silver. 

Or figured centerpieces may some- 
times be embroidered, as for stamped 
linen, and made to do duty as doilies 
and lunch cloths. 

Toweling. — Raw linen towels can 
be purchased at surprisingly low 
prices, and under proper care may be 
perfectly bleached in the laundry. Or 
remnants of tablecloth damask may 
be picked up, cut to the proper length, 
and hemstitched all around, or fin- 
ished in drawn M^ork and decorated 
with embroidered initials. For ordi- 
nary uses nothing is more satisfactory 
than wash crash toweling, which wears 
well, has a good appearance, and saves 
the wear of linen towels. 



CHAPTER XIII 



SWEEPING DAY 



UTENSILS FOR SWEEPING— DUST AND DUSTING— HARD-WOOD 
FLOORS— RUGS— MATTING— OILCLOTH AND LINOLEUM 



One day in the week, usually Fri- 
day, is set apart as sweeping day. 
At the top of the house, in the attic 
stairway, keep cleaning rags, brush, 
soap, dusters, and broom. Have a 
wastebasket in each of the rooms to 
receive bits of paper, rags, lint, 
burnt matches, and the like. Com- 
mence at the top of the house and 
clean each room as you go. Take up 
the dust from each room and put it 
in a tin bucket or other deep recep- 
tacle so that it will not be blown 
about. Never sweep the dirt from 
one room to another, and thence down 
the stairway to the front hall. This 
method covers the door lintels, win- 
dow casings, and high shelves with a 
thick coating of dust which is blown 
about the room with every passing 
breeze. 

Sweep the stairs with a short-han- 
dled brush or stiff whisk broom, hold- 
ing a dust pan to catch the dust at 
each step. Triangular blocks, or 
brass fixtures made for this purpose, 
tacked into the corners of the stair- 
ways will assist in keeping them 
clean by preventing dust from accu- 
mulating. 

After a room has been swept, open 
one or more windows, if possible, be- 
fore beginning to dust. 

UTENSILS FOR SWEEPING 

Carpet Sweeper. — The ideal method 
of sweeping is by means of a carpet 
sweeper. This goes over the surface 
of the carpet with a light and even 
pressure, and takes up all dust and 
dirt with the least possible friction 



and consequent wear upon the carpet, 
and raises practically no dust at all. 
It saves strength and time, and prob- 
ably saves money by outwearing the 




391 



" The Ideal Method of Sweeping." 

brooms that could be purchased for 
the same price. Hence a good carpet 
sweeper may be regarded as a neces- 
sity rather than a luxury in every 
household. 

How to Sweep. — The old-fashioned 
brooms, however, are still commonly 
used, and are needed for some pur- 
poses in every household. To sweep 
well with a broom is an art that calls 
for quite a little skill and intelli- 
gence. There are wrong ways in 
sweeping as well as the right way, 
and the former are perhaps more 
often practiced than the latter. 



^iYl 



iioiTSKiT()i,n nis( (ni'^mi^s 



Tt IS urons; 1o Itvin o)\ \\\c hroom, 
or ilig' into ll>o o;iriH"i wifh !in\Ml t'onv, 
US if irying to d'lff dowTi find firl \\\c 
tliri. out of ii. This c.innot l)o done 
cxorpt by iidving' up tlio o;irprt mul 
lu-atino' i'l. All llio dusl and dirt llmt 
can he rc\uo\cd is iliat which litv-; on 
the siu'faee. 

It is \vron,i>' lo |Mish Ihe broom for- 
ward so as to drive a cloud of dust 
into the air. 

It is wrona; to sweep the whole 
length of the room toward the door 
in order to sweep Ihe tlirt into the 
next rooni. This carries the dirt over 
a larger siirfaee of carpet than is nec- 
essary. 

It is wronfc to sweep always on one 
side of a broom so that it will get 
lopsided and have to be thrown away. 

'I'he right way to use a broom is to 
keep the handle always inelining for- 
ward anil never allow it to come to 
the perpenilienlar; luueh less ineline 
biu'kwanl. The stroke should be rath- 
er long, the sweeper standing on the 
soiled portion of the carpet, reaching 
back, and drawing the dust and tlirt 
forward as if i>\illing or dragging it 
ovi-r ihe sin-face. A skillful sweeper 
will lift the broom before it be- 
ctuues jHM'peudieular so as not to 
raise the slightest dust, and will tap 
it gew-tly to shake the dirt out of 
it before reaching back for another 
st roke. 

l>egin in one corner, and work along 
the crack between the baseboartl and 
carpet, as this is where nuiths and car- 
l>et bugs do their nuvst destructive 
w(n-k. Work aroui\d the room, sweep- 
ing towaril the center, and when that 
has been reached take up the ilust 
with pan and brush. It is obvious that 
this ]>rocess moves the dirt over a 
smaller surface than sweeping toward 
one of the doors. The practice of 
sweejung the dirt from one room into 
anolher, even if the latter rooni bo 
the kitchen, is certainly inadvisable. 
Both brooms and car]icts will wear 
jnueh longer if sweeping is done in 
proper fashion, ami the dust in furni- 
ture, draperies, ami bric-a-brac will be 
rcilueed to a minimum. 



Sweeping. — Tiefore sweeping dip the 
broom in hot soapsuds, and have at 
haiul a jiailful of soapsuds in which 
to rinse the broom when it becomes 
(histy. Stpice/.e out the water so that 
the broom is dami> but not wet. This 
]u-ai'ticc tmighcns the straw, makes 
the broom last much longer, and soft- 
ens it so that it does not cut the ear- 
pet. A dani]> broom also takes up the 
dirt better than a dry one and ]ire- 
viMits the dust from rising in the air. 

To }irevent dvist when swee])ing 
wet a news]iaiier, tear it in small 
])ieces, and scatter them over the car- 
]iet. SipiecKC the paper so that it w ill 
not drip. 

Or sprinkle the carpet with moist 
tea leaves, which may be saved daily 
for this i^urpose. 

If a room is heated by hot air, a 
good deal of dust will conuMip througlj 
the register. To prevent this, place 
a thu^ wire screen or two or three 
thii'kncsses of cloth imder the regis- 
ter, so that the hot air will be screened 
in ]vissing through. When shaking 
down the fvn-naee or renuning the 
ashes sprinkle wet sawdjist over the 
ashes. This will prevent ilUing the 
house with dust. When upholstered 
furnitm-e, draperies, carpets, and Ori- 
ental rugs require dusting, lay over 
them large ]>ieees of cheese dolh or 
outing thnmel wrung out of cold 
water, and beat them with a stick or 
small carpet beater. As the dust arises 
it will adhere to the wet cloths, and 
these can be riiised occasionally. 

To Select Brooms. — Select a broom 
of light-green color anil fine straw. 
It wears longer and gathers line dirt 
that coarse straw would pass by. 
Choose a tlat broom, not a roiuul one. 
Shake the broom, and choose one which 
is not loose, otherwise the straw will 
fall out. Re sure that there is no stalk 
below the thread. 

Care of Brooms. — Broom straw w hen 
dry is brittle and easily broken. It 
is also stilV ami wears the carpets. 
Hence before using a new broom set 
it in a pail of boiling suds and let it 
stand until the water is cold. HiUig 
it out of doors to dry. 



SWEEPING DAY 



393 



When not in use a broom should al- 
ways be hung upside down so tiiat the 
straws will fall ajjart. This helps to 
keep it in shajjc. Have different 
i)rooiiis for different purposes. Use the 
newest for the finest carpets, the next 
older broom for kitchen use, and the 
oldest broom for the pavement and 
other rough i)laccs. When through 
sweej)ing pick all the lint from the 
broom, shake the dust out of it, and 
rinse in hot water before hanging it 
up. 

Make a j)ocket in which to hang the 
broom upside down. 

Or put two large clothes hooks fac- 
ing each other, or two nails, and hang 
the head of the broom between these. 

Or drive nails through two large 
spools to protect tlie straw. 

Or put up a ring on the wall and 
thrust the broom handle through this. 

Keep the broom in a dry, cool place, 
away from rats or mice. Too much 
licat makes it brittle, and rats and 
n)iee will gnaw it when they can. Af- 
ter a time the ends of a Ijroom split 
and become sharp, and the broom gets 
out of shape. Wet it in hot suds, cut 
the split and broken ends straight 
across, and press it between weights 
to restore it to shape. A new broom 
swecj)s clean because the straws are 
straight and the broom is square, hence 
a broom thus treated will sweep like 
new. When sweeping, sweep first with 
one side of the broom, then with the 
other, else it will get one-sided and 
have to be thrown away. 

Care of Carpet Sweepers. — The car- 
))et swcei)er should be emptied every 
sweei)ing day, and never put away full 
of dirt. It may be opened over a 
newsjiaper. The brush should be tak- 
en out and freed from dust and lint 
with the fingers or a coarse comb, 
rinsed in soajjsuds, and dried before 
being rejjlaced. 

When the rubber tires on the wheels 
become worn they may not assist the 
brush to revolve with sufficient strength 
to do good work. New tires may be 
obtained from the manufacturers, or 
thick rubber Ijands purchased from a 
stationer or rubber-goods dealer may 



be substituted. Remove the ol<l tires 
and adjust the new ones with glue or 
cement. New brushes may be ob- 
tained from the manufacturer, and 
with care a good carpet sweeper 
should last a lifetime. 

A toy carpet sweeper is a great 
convenience, as it may be kept at iiand 
or easily carried from place to place. 
In the sewing room it is useful to 
catch all ravelings and small pieces 
from the floor without stooping. This 
may be done without rising from the 
chair. In the nursery it takes all bits 
of paper torn by children, about the 
dining-room table it catches crumbs, 
and all with little effort and without 
the need of using or even ])ossessing 
a large-sized sweejjer. The toy sweep- 
er costs less than half a dollar and 
will save its i)rice many times over. 

DUST Ain) DUSTING 

Dust is defined by the Century 
Dictionary as " earth or other matter 
in fine dry particles so attenuated 
that they can be raised and carried 
by the wind." The particles of earth 
and other mineral substances con- 
tained in dust are troublesome, but 
not especially harmful. In addition 
to this, dust contains three sorts of 
spores or germs, i. e., molds, yeasts, 
and bacteria. All of these are alive, 
or capable of life, and under suitable 
conditions multiply rapidly. They 
are invisible except under the micro- 
scope, and are exceedingly numerous. 
The conditions most favorable to 
their growth are darkness, warmth, 
and moisture. Direct sunlight kills 
them, and in the absence of moisture, 
they do not usually multiply. 

All of these germs produce minute 
plant or vegetable organisms of 
which common mold or " mildew " 
dnd the yeast used in raising bread 
are familiar examples. A visible il- 
lustration of the spores or germs, 
that are the seeds of plants of this 
sort, is found in the common puff- 
ball or " smoke " ball, so familiar to 
country children. When broken, the 
contents escape as a cloud of dust. 



394 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



These are the spores or seeds of the 
plant. The air is fiill of similar 
spores or germs, and while many of 
these are not harmful, others are the 
agents of decay and a few are the 
germs of contagions diseases. These 
are called bacteria. Their natural 
home is in moist soil. Thus they 
multiply rapidly in the soil of damp 
cellar floors, esj^ecially if decaying 
vegetable matter is present, and in 
the accumulation of dirt and grease 
beneath boarded-up sinks, and in the 
corners of rooms that are shut up 
and darkened. They are also very 
numerous about drains and cess- 
pools. They sometimes find their way 
into the body by means of drinking 
water or by accidental contact with 
the body when the skin is cut or 
scratched. But more frequently they 
are dislodged from some moist local- 
ity and become dry. Then they are 
caught up by every passing breeze, 
and float in the air as dust, whence 
they are taken into the mouth and 
lungs in breathing. 

The bacteria which cause disease 
find lodgment under certain condi- 
tions and grow in the body. They 
throw off in the process of growth 
certain poisonous substances called 
toxins. And these toxins are what 
produce the symptoms and condi- 
tions present in such diseases, and 
eventually, in many cases, produce 
death. 

Spores or germs of mold that set- 
tle»on carpets or other fabrics and on 
wood, books, or other objects where 
moisture is present, produce a crop 
of tiny plants, well known under the 
name of mildew. The yeast germs 
are less common and are relatively 
harmless. Knowledge of these facts 
emphasizes the dangers of dust, which 
may be avoided in three ways: by 
sterilization, by prevention, and by 
removal. 

Sterilization of Dust. — The most 
efficient agent to sterilize dust, by 
killing germs that it contains, is di- 
rect sinilight. Like many other 
things that are plentiful and free, 
sunlight is not appreciated at its true 



value. In cities, buildings are crowd- 
ed so closely together as to shade 
one another, and in the country too 
frequently direct sunshine is cut off 
from dwelling houses by thick masses 
of evergreen and other trees, shrubs 
or vines. Formerly it was the custom 
in many localities to keep the parlor 
and spare chambers closed by shut 
doors and drawn blinds. And rooms 
are still too often darkened to pre- 
vent carpets and other fabi'ics from 
fading. Happily, a change for the 
better is already apparent. Hard- 
wood floors and Oriental rugs do not 
fade. It is much less customary than 
formerly to exclude light and air 
from spare rooms, to board up sinks 
and other plumbing, and otherwise 
to harbor breeding places for the 
germs of mildew, disease, and decay. 
In cities, boards of health are con- 
stantly studying these matters, and 
laws have been passed that tend to 
prevent unsanitary conditions. The 
resulting knowledge is being rajjidly 
spread everj^vhere. And within re- 
cent years the death rate of most lo- 
calities has been greatly diminished. 
There is little doubt that many 
deaths have been due to conditions 
that could have been prevented by a 
knowledge of the dust dangers. 

But in the presence of direct sun- 
shine, dust is rendered harmless. 
Hence choose furnishings that sun- 
shine will not harm, and admit the 
sunlight freely to all parts of the 
house. 

Preventing Sust. — A certain 
amount of dust, according to local 
conditions, is always floating in the 
outer air, and finds its way into 
dwellings through doors, windows, 
and other openings. This cannot 
usually be much lessened except by 
such means as oiling streets; sprin- 
kling streets, lawns, and gardens; the 
prevention of smoke and the like. 
But the amount of dust formed with- 
in doors by the wear of fabrics, fur- 
niture, woodwork, and other objects, 
can be much lessened by the selec- 
tion, when furnishing, of durable ar- 
ticles of all sorts, and by protecting 



SWEEPING DAY 



395 



floors, fiyniture, and other woodwork 
by smtable coatings of oil, wax, paint, 
or varnish. And, in addition, vari- 
ous means may be taken to prevent 
the distribution of dust when sweep- 
ing. 

Removing Dust. — The ordinary 
means of removing dust is by sweep- 
ing, and afterwards wiping all ex- 
posed surfaces by means of a damp 
cloth, chamois, or other suitable dust- 
er. Good ventilation is also valuable 
as a means of removing dust, espe- 
cially if the intake is screened so that 
the fresh air is pure when admitted. 
Carpet sweepers are especially valu- 
able as dust removers. But the mod- 
ern vacuum cleaners may be regard- 
ed as ideal for this purpose. 

Vacuum Cleaners. — At present this 
method of cleaning is somewhat ex- 
pensive, and is confined to localities 
where electric or other power is 
available. It is to be hoped, how- 
ever, that vacuum-cleaning apparatus 
may be devised that can be run by 
cheap gasoline or alcohol motors at 
a price within the means of the aver- 
age family. These cleaners, by pro- 
ducing a vacuum, cause suction pow- 
erful enough to draw dust, dirt, and 
other small objects out of the fiber 
of carpets and hangings, and from 
the surface of woodwork, furniture, 
and other objects. The dust is taken 
in through a suitable nfiouthpiece 
provided with a handle with which to 
guide it as desired, and carried, to- 
gether with a current of air, through a 
tube into a receptacle containing wa- 
ter. This may afterwards be emptied, 
and all dust permanently removed 
from the premises. There is little 
doubt that some such means of clean- 
ing will eventually take the place of 
the broom and carpet sweeper in or- 
dinary households, and that thus the 
dust question will be finally and sat- 
isfactorily settled. 

Dusters. — The object of dusting is, 
or should be, to remove the dust per- 
manently from the room, and not 
merely to change its location from 
hangings, shelves, or furniture cover- 
ing, whence it will be stirred by every 



footstep and carried by the first breeze 
back to its former resting place. 

The old-fashioned feather duster is 
useful for moving the dust from one 
place to another, but for no other pur- 
pose. The feather duster doubtless 
owes its popularity to the long handle, 
which permits of dusting the lower 
parts of furniture without stooping, 
and also of dusting objects that would 
otherwise be out of reach. A substi- 
tute may be made on the same plan 
by using a short piece of broomstick, 
the handle of an old feather duster, 
or a child's broom, and fastening to 
the end with cord or wire in the 
same way that a whisk broom is wired, 
a deep double ruffle made of any suit- 
able cloth and of any desired length 
and thickness. 

A duster made in this way will 
retain the dust better than a feath- 
er duster, and it can be shaken 
out of the window. Cheese cloth is 
perhaps the best material for this 
form of duster, but almost any soft 
fabric may be employed. 

Or hem squares of cheese cloth of 
any convenient size. 

Or use the tops of old cotton or 
silk hose, either men's or women's. 
Cut these down the seam and whip 
them together with a loose seam. 

Or for certain purposes, as dusting 
around baseboards, over windows, 
doors, and all woodwork that it is dif- 
ficult to reach with a cloth, use a com- 
mon dish mop. This is much superior 
to a feather duster, as it holds the 
dirt and can be easily cleaned. It will 
be improved for this purpose by wir- 
ing the upper end with a piece of 
wire taken from an old whisk broom. 

Chamois leather slightly dampened 
is perhaps the best kind of duster, es- 
pecially for polished furniture. 

To Dust. — Begin in one corner of 
the room and dust thoroughly as you 
go. Commence with the highest arti- 
cles, wiping but not brushing off the 
dust, the object being to cause aU the 
dust to lodge on the cloth. 

Shake the duster frequently out of 
the window. After using it wash it 
and hang it up. 



396 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



"Wing Dusters. — The wings of fowls, 
turkeys, geese, and chickens are use- 
ful to dig out the corners in washing 
windows, and also as brushes about 
the stove and hearth. Dip the bony 
ends in a bichloride solution to keep 
out moths and insects. Do not leave 
them where the cat can chew them. 

To Freshen Carpets. — Before sweep- 
ing, scatter dry salt over the carpet. 
It brightens the colors and checks the 
ravages of moths. 

Or, after sweeping, go over the car- 
pet lightly with a broom dipped into 
half a pailful of hot water to which 
two teaspoonfuls of ammonia have 
been added. This freshens the colors 
of the carpet. 

Or slightly moisten salt with kero- 
sene. Sprinkle the carpet and sweep 
thoroughly. The dust will not rise, 
but will be thoroughly taken up by 
the mixture. The kerosene will leave 
no greasy effect, the odor will soon 
pass off, and the carpet will be won- 
derfully freshened. Corn meal may 
be substituted for salt. The same 
treatment may be applied to matting 
with equally good results. 

Smooth Floors. — Smooth floors of 
hard wood, oilcloth, linoleum, or mat- 
ting should not be swept in the usual 
way. Make a heavy canton or outing 
flanneb-bag with a draw string, large 
enough to hold the head of the broom. 
Or use for this purpose ticks that are 
becoming worn. Wring this bag out 
of hot water containing a little am- 
monia, slip the broomi head into it, 
and draw the puckering string tight 
about the handle. This takes up all 
dust, lint, and bits of paper, and 
makes the room much fresher than 
ordinary sweeping. Cast-off flannel 
garments, such as nightshirts and the 
like, may be utilized in this manner. 

Or stitch together loosely old cot- 
ton hose, crazy-quilt fashion. 

HARD-WOOD FLOORS 

Finish for Hard-wood Floors. — 
Rub down a new floor with sandpa- 
per, and polish with pumice mois- 
tened with a little water. Wash clean, 



let dry, fill the nail holes w\th putty, 
and if the grain of the wood is open, 
apply a suitable filler. Avoid a cheap 
filler, based on plaster of Paris and 
the like, as these are not durable. 
The best filler consists of ground 
quartz mixed with linseed oil about 
as thick as white-lead paint. The 
particles of quartz are angular and 
adhere to the grain of the wood. 
When nearly dry, or as soon as it be- 
gins to " flat," go over it with a cloth 
or other polisher, and wipe clean all 
that will come off. Let stand a day 
or two and polish lightly with the 
finest grade of sandpaper. Wipe off 
the dust with a soft cloth and follow 
with two coats of the best quality of 
pure shellac. Avoid cheap shellac, as 
it is much less durable. This gives 
a high gloss. But if a dull finish is 
required, the shellac may be rubbed 
down by means of a piece of felt 
tacked over a flat surface as a block 
of wood, with pumice stone mois- 
tened with cold-drawn linseed oil or 
olive oil. 

Or to refinish a hard-wood floor 
that has become defaced by age or 
wear, remove the previous finish by 
washing the floor with a strong solu- 
tion of sal soda, or, if necessary, caus- 
tic potash or soda lye. Or if this 
does not remove the spots, apply 
turpentine. After the wood has been 
perfectly cleaned, proceed as above. 

Wax for Hard-wood Floors. — Shel- 
lac alone makes a tough and dura- 
ble finish, but on account of its high 
gloss it readily mars and scratches. 
And these defects ai-e very appai-- 
ent. Moreover, a shellac surface can- 
not be touched up in spots because 
the brush marks will show. When 
defaced, it must be refinished all 
over. Hence it is customary to fol- 
low the shellac with a protective 
coat of wax. 

Or wood may be oiled with cold- 
drawn linseed or other clear fixed oil, 
and a coat of wax applied directly 
to the oiled surface without shellac. 
This last is the usual custom abroad. 

A suitable wax properly applied 
gives a hard, glossy surface, is not 



SWEEPING DAY 



397 



sticky, and does not rub off. Scratches 
or mars on any part of the surface 
can be waxed over at any time, and 
the whole surface can be repolished 
frequently with a weighted brush. 
Floor oils, unless rubbed and pol- 
ished with great care, tend to stain 
skirts, rugs, and draperies. Hence 
wax is the most satisfactory of all 
floor dressings. 

To Wax Floors. — Apply, by means 
of a flannel cloth, beeswax thinned 
with turpentine and rub down with a 
weighted brush. Thio is a hard wax 
and difficult to apply without turpen- 
tine. But the turpentine quickly 
evaporates, and the wax then forms a 
very durable coating. 

Or as a substitute for beeswax, use 
paraffin wax, which is cheaper, soft 
and easy to apply, but less durable. 
Paraffin is one of the petroleum 
products, and if not properly refined, 
tends to combine with the tannin of 
oak floors to form black petroleum 
stains, which are difficult to remove. 

Or fasten together four or more 
common red bricks. Lay one or more 
thicknesses of felt over the largest 
surface, surround the whole with 
flannel or other soft cloth, sew it on 
and attach an old broom handle with 
which to push or drag it over the 
floor. This is equally as effective as 
a weighted brush and costs nothing. 

Steel "Wool for Waxed Ploors. — 
To scour a hard-wood floor when 
scratched or marred, or to remove 
dirt that is ground in, use steel wool, 
which comes by the pound for this 
purpose. It can be used in the same 
fashion as cotton waste, and is a very 
effective scourer, which will not in- 
jure the finest surface. 

Polish for Waxed Floors. — Sub- 
stances recommended for polishing 
waxed floors are beeswax or rosin, 
thinned with turpentine, or paraffin 
wax. Stearin and even tallow can- 
dles are sometimes used for the pur- 
pose, but are much less suitable. 
Pure beeswax thinned with turpen- 
tine is the simplest and perhaps most 
desirable polish, but the following 
are recommended: 



Rub through a coarse grater 6^ 
pounds of beeswax. Add 3 pounds of 
pearlash and a little water. Bring to 
a boil and stir well imtil they cease to 
effervesce. Now stir in 3 pounds eft 
dry yeUow ocher and pour all into a 
tin paU, having a tight cover, in 
which to preserve it for use. Thin 
when required for use with boiling 
water to the consistency of cream, 
and apply while hot with a soft cloth. 
Polish with a weighted brush and 
wipe up with a coarse flannel. 

Or place in a tin pan 5 ounces 
of poAvdered rosin, 24 ounces of yel- 
low beeswax, and rub through a 
coarse grater. Add 1 pint of tur- 
pentine, and place the pan in a 
larger pan, surrounded by boiling 
water. This should be done at a dis- 
tance from a stove or open flame, 
and matches should not be lighted in 
the vicinity, as the turpentine gives 
off an inflammable gas. Stir until of 
a uniform consistency, and pour into 
glass fruit jars or tin pails having 
tight covers to preserve for future 
use. When required for use, thin 
with turpentine to the consistency of 
cream, and apply as above. 

Spots on Waxed Floors. — Apply a 
little benzine or turpentine on a soft 
cloth to remove the wax. Rub clean 
with a dry cloth, and let the benzine or 
turpentine evaporate before waxing. 

To remove dirt that is ground in, 
scour with steel wool. After the spot 
has been removed, rub over the spot 
and adjacent surface with a cloth 
moistened in a solution of wax and 
turpentine or other polisher. Rub 
dry with a weighted brush to a fine 
polish, otherwise it will be sticky. 
Avoid the use of water, as it will turn 
the wax white. Never use soft soap, 
sal soda, or other alkalies, as they 
tend to cut the oil in which the shel- 
lac is mixed, strike through and 
darken the floor beneath. 

Oil for Floors. — Do not use crude 
petroleum oil on oak or similar hard- 
wood floors. The crude petroleum 
contains a dyestuff which, with the 
addition of tannin, is the basis of 
black ink. AH oak and some other 



398 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



hard woods contain tannin, which 
unites with certain constituents of 
crude oil and some other petroleum 
products to form in the fibers of the 
wood an insoluble black inky dye. 
Thus, in a short time the floor will be 
turned jet black, and its appearance 
ruined. To remove this stain, wash 
the floor with sal soda or caustic pot- 
ash lye, rinse, dry, and apply a solu- 
tion of 1 pound of oxalic acid dis- 
solved in 10 or 12 quarts of warm 
water. Wet the floor with this so- 
lution and let it dry without rins- 
ing. Let stand, if convenient, over 
night. But remember that oxalic 
acid is an active poison. Hence care 
must be taken to keep pets and chil- 
dren out of the room, and not to 
breathe in the dust that rises from 
the dry crystals. Pour out the rins- 
ing water into a pit and cover it with 
earth. Oxalic acid will not injure 
shellac or interfere with any subse- 
quent treatment. 

Care of Hard- wood Floors. — To 
prevent furniture from scratching or 
marring hard-wood floors, get pieces 




"And Rub Down with a Weighted Brush." 



of thick felt or soft rubber or obtain 
from a cobbler a sheet of rubber sol- 
ing. Cut these to the exact size of 



the table and chair feet. Cover them 
with glue, and when the glue becomes 
" tacky " lay them on. Put news- 
papers under the chairs to protect 
the floor until the glue is quite dry. 
The floor will be kept in much bet- 
ter condition if the members of 
the family wear rubber heels on their 
shoes. 

To Restore Wax Floors. — Old wax 
may be removed from a hard-wood 
floor by mixing equal quantities of sal 
soda and slaked lime, and using about 
1 jiound of the mixture to a pailful 
of water. Apply this with a mop, 
and afterwards scrub the floor with 
sand soap and water. If necessary 
apply dilute sulphuric acid, 1 part of 
acid to 10 parts of water. After- 
wards rinse in water containing a lit- 
tle ammonia and wipe dry. 

Remove any remaining traces of 
-wax by means of turpentine. Other- 
wise shellace will not adhere. 

EUGS 

Care of Bugs. — Before sweeping, 
rugs should be removed from the room 
and thoroughly cleaned before they 
are returned to the floor. If rugs 
are caught by the ends and shaken 
they soon tear out and unrayel. 
A better way is to hang them on 
a line and beat them with a carpet 
beater. 

Or lay the rug on a clean floor and 
sprinkle table salt over it. Sweep it 
hard with a broom until it is clean; 
turn it and sweep the other side the 
same way. 

If rugs must be beaten indoors lay 
a damp cloth over them. If they are 
very much soiled, rinse the cloth in 
hot water and repeat until the rug 
is clean. 

To Lay Rugs. — To prevent rugs 
from curling at the corners fasten 
under each corner a triangular bit of 
corrugated rubber. Let these extend 
8 or 9 inches along the rug. Bore 
several small holes in the rubber and 
sew through holes in the fabric. This 
not only keeps the rugs in place but 
makes them last longer. 



SWEEPING DAY 



399 



Or sew dress stays or whalebone 
under the corners to keep the rug 
from curling. 

Or turn the rug upside down and 
apply a liberal coat of cold flour paste 
with a brush to the corners and edges. 
Let the rug dry flat on its face, and 
when dry turn it over, and the weight 
of the paste will keep it in position. 

Care of Oriental Eugs. — Oriental 
rugs, if genuine, are in fast colors, 
and the top or right side is practically 
indestructible. The threads at the 
back, however, are very easily dam- 
aged. Hence Oriental rugs should al- 
ways be beaten on the right side. 
When beaten they should be hung on 
the line or laid over grass or other 
soft surface. 

If much soiled, they may be washed 
or scrubbed by means of a stiff brush 
with soap bark dissolved in boiling 
water, and afterwards wiped off with 
a clean sponge and dried with a dry 
cloth. In winter lay an Oriental rug 
on the porch or other flat surface out 
of doors, sprinkle it with snow, and 
brush it off with a stiff broom or 
heavy whisk broom. 

To Brighten Colors. — Slightly mois- 
ten salt with kerosene. Sprinkle this 
over the rug and sweep it off. Kero- 
sene will leave no greasy effect. The 
dirt will soon pass off and the colors 
will be freshened. 

Or substitute corn meal for salt. 

MATTING 

To Clean Matting. — First sprinkle 
matting with bits of wet newspa- 
per or similar substances, as with 
carpets, and sweep the way of the 
weave, but not across it. Wash with 
strong salt and water to strengthen 
the fibers. 

Or wash with skim milk, rinse in 
warm water, and dry quickly with a 
coarse cloth. 

To Brighten Matting. — If light- 
colored mattings become stained and 
faded, wash with strong soda water. 
This will give them a uniform solid 
cream color, harmonizing the dift'erent 
tints. 



Or with a water-color brush apply 
suitable dyestuff t(? the pattern to 
revive and restore it. 



OILCLOTH AND LINOLEUM 

To Clean Oilcloth.— Oilcloth should 
not be scrubbed with a stiff brush or 
mop, or saturated with water, nor 
should sal soda or other strong wash- 
ing compounds be used upon- it. The 
surface is nothing but paint, and if 
it becomes soaked, especially with 
water containing strong soapsuds or 
washing compounds, it crumbles and 
quickly decays. 

To use a large sponge with luke- 
warm water containing skim milk is 
the best way to wash oilcloth. A very 
little hard white or yellow soap may 
be used if necessary. A sponge is 
excellent, since it leaves no lint, and 
does not admit of scrubbing the floor 
hard enough to crack or peel off the 
surface. 

After removing the dirt with skim 
milk and water, go over it a second 
time, rinsing with a sponge wrung out 
of clear warm water, and dry enough 
to take up nearly all of the mois- 
ture and admit of the floor drying 
quickly. 

Or rub it over with a dry woolen 
cloth. 

Finally go over the surface with a 
rag dipped in boiled linseed oil or 
crude petroleum oil. This is very 
cheap, costing only 8 or 10 cents a 
quart, and a cloth dipped in it will 
take up enough oil to go over the 
floor several times. After the cloth 
has been once saturated it will require 
but a small quantity of oil each time 
afterwards. 

Or use buttermilk to wash the oil- 
cloth. Afterwards rinse with a sponge 
di^iped in clear water. 

Table Oilcloths. — The thin oilcloths 
used on kitchen tables, shelves, etc., 
may be cleaned in the same manner 
as the floor oilcloth. Do not use either 
soap or hot water, but moisten the 
rag slightly in kerosene. Rub the oil- 
cloth until it is perfectly clean, wring 
the cloth out of hot water, and dip 



400 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



again in kerosene when necessary. 
Afterwards rub dry with a flannel 
cloth. 

Or wash with skimmed sweet milk or 
buttermilk, and rinse with a sponge 
and clear water. 

Polish with a little linseed oil or a 
cloth slightly dampened with new 
milk. 

To Wax Oilcloths and linoleums. 
— First wash the floor as above and 
apply a thin coating of wax with a 
flannel cloth. 



Or use a floor oil mixed with wax. 

This gives a hard, smooth surface, 
which is easily wiped up and kept 
clean. 

To Hemove Spots on Oilcloth. — 
Anything hot placed on oilcloth turns 
it white. To remove these spots rub 
with alcohol and polish with a dry 
cloth. 

To Brighten Oilcloth. — Put a little 
salt in the water in which oilcloth is 
washed. This will brighten and fresh- 
en the colors with which it is painted. 



CHAPTER XIV 

HOUSE CLEANING 

CLEANING THE CELLAR— CLEANING THE ATTIC AND CLOSETS- 
CLEANING THE CHAMBERS— TO CLEAN FLOOR COVERINGS 
—CLEANING AND REFINISHING WOOD FLOORS— CLEANING 
PAINT— WHITEWASHING— PAPER HANGING— CARE OF WALLS- 
WINDOWS, DOORS, ETC.— CLEANING AND CARE OF FURNI- 
TURE—CLEANING PICTURE FRAMES— CLEANING BRIC-A-BRAC 
AND MISCELLANEOUS OBJECTS— TO CLEAN MARBLE, BRICK, 
AND STONE — CLEANING KITCHEN STOVES AND OTHER 
METALS— PACKING 



In addition to the daily and weekly 
routine of housework it is customary 
to give the house and its furnishings 
a thorough overhauling and renova- 
ting once or twice a year, usually in 
the spring and fall. But this custom 
varies in different parts of the coun- 
try, and in cities is also quite differ- 
ent from what it is in rural neighbor- 
hoods. In cities, winter is the season 
when guests are received and most 
entertaining takes place; hence the 
fall house cleaning, as a preparation 
for the duties and festivities of the 
winter season, is likely to be the more 
important. 

In rural neighborhoods, however, 
summer is the period of greatest ac- 
tivity, and the sjjring house cleaning 
is usually the more thorough and 
painstaking. 

Spring House Cleaning. — Spring 
house cleaning should ordinarily be 
postponed until the weather has be- 
come sufficiently settled, so that win- 
ter underwear, draperies, carpets, etc., 
may be stored away if desired, and so 
that the health of the household need 
not suffer by reason of the open win- 
dows and dampness attendant upon 
scrubbing floors and walls, white- 
washing, painting, and the like. Most 
women, after constant confinement 
during the winter months, are more 



or less run down in the spring, and 
the change from the bracing tem- 
perature of winter to the enervating 
warmth of the fir»t spring days is 
likely to result in a lowering of tone 
that may expose them to serious mis- 
chief from overexertion. For these 
reasons there is a gradual change of 
sentiment in favor of making spring 
house cleaning a comparatively sim- 
ple affair, putting off the heavy work 
until the fall. But the spring house 
cleaning must be sufficiently thor- 
ough to renovate and protect all 
woolens, furs, and feathers from the 
ravages of moths, to remove heavy 
hangings and draperies, and every- 
thing that impedes the free circula- 
tion of air during the heated term. 

Plan of Campaign. — The work of 
house cleaning will be very much 
simplified by thinking out in advance 
a systematic plan of campaign. In a 
blank book make an inventory of the 
principal contents of each room. 
Measure the floors and the width and 
length of the window shades needed. 
Ascertain the number of yards of 
carpet or matting, the number of 
rolls of wall paper and the yards 
of border required for every room in 
the house, the amount of paint or 
stain needed for the various floors; 
also the size of the dining-room table- 



401 



402 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



':loths, the length and width of sheets, 
and the size of pillow slips for dif- 
ferent pillows. Divide the book in 
sections, assign a number of pages to 
each room in the house, take accurate 
measurements, note them down, and 
preserve the book for future use. Con- 
sult it to determine what changes shall 
be made in the rooms, what articles 
shall be stored away, and what, if 
any, need to be repaired. Provide in 
advance the requisite amount of ma- 
terials of all sorts, and have them at 
hand when the work begins. 

"William Morris says: "Have noth- 
ing in your house that you do not 
know to be useful or believe to be 
beautiful." Hence before house clean- 
ing go through the house and critical- 
ly examine each object. Some of Vvm 
may have passed their usefulness, or 
your tastes may have changed and 
you may no longer regard them as 
beautiful. Then remove them without 
question. The art of successful living 
consists in getting along with as few 
articles of furniture as possible, rath- 
er than in accumulating many differ- 
ent pieces. Remember that every ad- 
ditional one is an additional care. If 
you decide to retain an article, consid- 
er, if it is in order or not, if it can be 
put in order, and in that case whether 
it can ,Jbe done at home. Gather up 
such pieces as you decide to repair 
and take them to the family workshop. 

Consider the discarded articles to 
see if they can be given away, sold, 
or used for fuel, and if not, throw 
them together to make a bonfire to 
celebrate with when the house clean- 
ing is finished. 

Rules for House Cleaning. — It is a 
good rule in house cleaning to first 
clean the cellar, because it is the most 
difficult and often the most neglected 
part of the house. Afterwards begin 
with the attic and work down. 

Another good rule is to clean thor- 
oughly one room at a time, settling it 
as you go. 

Preparations for House Cleaning. 
— Experienced housewives arrange for 
house cleaning by preparing food in 
advance, boiling ham, baking beans, 



pies, bread, and cake, so as to be 
spared as far as possible the labor of 
cooking while house cleaning is go- 
ing on. 

While house cleaning, dress appro- 
priately for the work. Some house- 
keepers wear a divided skirt or bloom- 
ers made of four widths of heavy dark 
skirting. These are gathered into bands 
and buttoned about the ankles and 
waist. They are valuable protectors 
for skirts, and facilitate climbing step- 
ladders, scrubbing floors, etc. 

Pull the sleeves up as far as you 
want them to go, and put elastic bands 
on the arms over the sleeves. Trim 
the finger nails as short as can be 
borne wich comfort. This prevents 
their being broken or torn when obliged 
to work without gloves. Wear a dust 
cap, a big apron, and loose gloves. 

Half the disagreeableness of house 
-cleaning is taken away by having a 
lotion to apply to parboiled and un- 
comfortable hands. Soak 2 or 3 ounces 
of quince seed over night, strain 
through cheese cloth, and add 2 quarts 
of water and 3 ounces each of glycer- 
in, boracic acid, and witch-hazel. This 
is one of the best of lotions. 

CLEANMG THE CELLAE 

To Clean Cellars. — Begin to clean 
house with the cellar. It is a hard 
job, and you may be inclined to neg- 
lect it if you wait till the rest of the 
work has been done. No part of the 
house cleaning is so important from 
the standpoint of sanitary cleanliness 
or, because it is out of sight, more 
likely to be neglected. 

First sweep all dust and cobwebs 
from rafters and ceiling; sweep the 
shelves and wash them with strong 
suds or soda and water; remove, 
empty, and clean bins and barrels 
that have contained vegetables, and 
set them out of doors exposed directly 
to the air and sunlight. If the cellar 
admits of thorough drainage, wash 
down the ceilings, walls, and floor 
with a hose, or dash water on them 
from pails by means of a large dip- 
per. Open the bulkhead windows ancl 



HOUSE CLEANING 



403 



sweep the floor, especially digging out 
the corners. Remove everything that 
is not necessary. The fewer objects 
to accumulate dust and to get in the 
way when cleaning, the better. 

Dissolve 2 pounds of copperas in 1 
gallon of water, and sprinkle the walls 
and floor with this solution by means 
of an old whisk broom or watering 
pot having a fine spray. This is a 
good disinfectant and assists in driv- 
ing away rats and other vermin. 

Finally whitewash the walls with an 
old whitewash brush or old broom, 
and use plenty of whitewash, to which 
add copperas at the rate of J pound 
to 1 pound for each pailful. 

Vegetable Cellars. — If vegetables 
are kept in barrels or bins in the house 
cellar, they should be examined from 
time to time and picked over as soon 
as they begin to rot. Leaves from 
cabbage heads, celery tops, and other 
vegetable stuff not wanted should be 
carefully removed before they begin 
to spoil. Decaying organic matter of 
any kind is the favorite breeding 
ground of the germs of typhoid fever, 
diphtheria, and other contagious filth 
diseases, and decay is much assisted 
by dampness. Hence unless the cellar 
is perfectly dry, clean and free from 
rotten vegetables, those who are re- 
sponsible for its condition cannot i,i 
case of sickness have a clfear con- 
science. An outbreak of black diph- 
theria which caused the death of five 
children in a single family was traced 
by a physician directly to some de- 
cayed vegetable matter on the cellar 
floor. 

Or make an outdoor vegetable cel- 
lar by sinking a strong cask or box 
in the ground below the frost line. 
Knock out the bottom and let the 
vegetables rest on the ground. Pro- 
vide a water-tight cover in two layers, 
with sawdust or charcoal between. Or 
throw over the top straw or hay. Thus 
cabbages, celery, and the like may be 
kept fresh in v/inter without danger 
of contaminating the air of the house. 

To Keep Cellars Warm. — Make a 
flour paste containing a strong glue 
size, and with a whitewash brush apjjly 



one or more layers of building paper, 
brown paper, or even newspapers to 
the rafters of the ceiling, and let it 
come down over the sills and around 
the frames of windows to prevent 
draughts. The thicker the layer or 
laj^ers of paper the better. This helps 
to keep the floors warm and to make 
the cellar frost proof. 

Care of Casks. — Keep an empty 
cask bunged up tight to keep it sweet. 

Tar casks slightly on the inside to 
assist in preserving salt meat. 

To sweeten a sour cask that has 
held pickles, vinegar, or wine, wash it 
with lime water, or throw in hot char- 
coal and ashes. Add water and let 
the cask soak. 

To remove must or other odors, 
wash with sulphuric acid and rinse 
with clear water, or whitewash with 
quicklime, or char the inside with a 
hot iron. In all cases rinse thorough- 
ly with scalding water before using. 

To Prevent Dampness in Cellars. — 
To avoid damp cellars furnish jets, 
gutters, and leaders to carry rain 
water from the roof to a cistern or 
away from the foundations of the 
house. Lay tile or other drains under 
the cellar floor to carry away water 
from springs or other natural mois- 
ture. Lay cellar walls in mortar made 
of water lime, and cover the cellar 
bottom and walls with hydraulic ce- 
ment, water lime, or concrete made 
by melted asphaltum poured upon a 
surface of gravel and tamped hard 
while hot. 

Or employ a layer of coal tar and 
asphaltum laid on a surface of gravel 
and covered with melted asphaltum 
applied hot. Finish with a layer of 
fine sand. Apply by means of a brush 
a thin layer of waterproof cement to 
the walls, floor, and sills. 

If tile or other drains underly the 
cellar floor, let the floor slant slightly 
to an opening in the drain so that 
water coming in from freshet or oth- 
erwise may be carried off, and so that, 
if desired, the floor and walls may be 
flushed with water. 

To Ventilate Cellars. — The upper 
part of the house being warmer than 



404 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



the cellar, the warm air of the upper 
rooms creates, by rising, a suction 
which draws the cellar air into Mie 
rooms above through cracks in the 
cellar door, or through the doorway 
whenever the door is open. By this 
means any impurities or germs of dis- 
ease in the cellar are communicated 
freely to all parts of the house. Hence 
the importance of good ventilation in 
cellars. 

Locate cellar windows, when possi- 
ble, opposite one another so as to cre- 
ate a draught. Being placed near the 
ceiling, such windows afford good ven- 
tilation. But the best ventilator is a 
chimney reaching down to the cellar 
floor or resting on the foundation wall 
and communicating with the cellar by 
one or more good-sized openings. 

Have the cellar windows open freely 
by means of rods or otherwise, and 
keep them open in clear weather when- 
ever possible. 

To Remove Dampness. — Place in the 
cellar a large open box or pan con- 
taining fresh lime. This will tend to 
dry and purify the air. Change the 
lime as fast as it becomes air-slaked. 

Whitewash for Cellars. — Slake 
enough lime for a pailful of white- 
wash. Mix half a pint of flour with 
cold water to a smooth paste, thin 
with scalding water, and boil until it 
thickens. Pour this boiling hot into 
the whitewash and stir vigorously. 

Or use boiled rice strained through 
cheese cloth. Add a teacupful of the 
strained rice to a pailful of slaked 
lime. 

Cover cellar walls twice a year or 
oftener with whitewash, to which add 
copperas at the rate of 2 pounds to 
the gallon. Apply whitewash freely, 
especially in out-of-the-way corners, 
removing all shelves, etc., so as to 
cover the entire surface of the walls. 

To Disinfect Cellars. — Close win- 
dows and other apertures and stuff 
the cracks with burlap. Burn a quan- 
tity of sulphur in a suitable receptacle 
on the cellar floor. An ordinary tin 
pie plate covered with earth or sand 
may be used. Place on this live coals, 
on which sprinkle flowers of sulphur 



or brimstone. Take precautions to 
escape quickly . so as not to breathe 
the fumes. 

To Prevent Dust in Cellars. — To 
minimize dust from furnaces, wet the 
ashes by throwing water on them from 
a dipper before taking them up. Or 
sprinkle them with water from a 
watering pot. Or sprinkle over them 
wet sawdust. 

This also prevents dust from rising 
into the upper rooms through the reg- 
isters. 

Bins for Cellars. — Have all bins for 
use in the cellar small enough to be 
freely movable. Or use barrels, and 
place bins and barrels on planks turned 
on edge to lift them above the cellar 
bottom. Make a sufficient number of 
swinging shelves by tacking pieces of 
board to the rafters so as to project 
downward, and suspend shelves on 
"these to hold canned preserves and 
other articles in place of having shelves 
on the walls. Keep the walls free to 
admit of complete whitewashing. 

Pipes — To Prevent Prost. — Wrap 
exposed water pipes with bands of hay 
or straw twisted tight around them, 
or cover with the asbestos tubes that 
are on the market for this purpose. 

Pumps — To Prevent Freezing. — Re- 
move the lower valve and drive a tack 
into the under side of it, projecting 
in such a way that the valve cannot 
quite close. The pump will work as 
usual, but the water will gradually 
leak back into the well or cistern. 

Or have at hand a suitable hook of 
stout wire by which to lift the valve 
and let the water out of the pipe at 
night. 

To Thaw Pipes. — If the pipe is ac- 
cessible, wrap woolen cloths, as old 
pieces of underwear, carpet, and the 
like, thickly about it and pour on 
boiling water. This holds the heat 
and melts the ice gradually. 

Or, if possible, pour boiling water 
containing as much salt as it will dis- 
solve into the pipe above the frozen 
part. This will settle and dissolve the 
ice. 

To Clear Drainpipes. — Flush the 
pipe once a week witli boiling water 



HOUSE CLEANING 



405 



containing sal soda. Rinse the liitchen 
sink daily with strong soda water. 

To Stop Leaks. — For cold-water 
pipes apply a thick paste of yellow 
soap and whiting mixed with a little 
water. Or, if the leak is too large, 
wrap the pipe tightly with a tarred 
cloth bandage, melt the tar, and spread 
it over strong duck canvas or burlap 
cloth three or four inches wide. Be- 
gin to wind the bandage several inches 
from the leak and lap it one half or 
more upon itself at each round. 

For hot-water pipes miix iron filings 
with vinegar and sulphuric acid to a 
thick paste. Dry the pipe, fill the 
cracks with this mixture, and keep 
them dry until it sets. This is very 
durable. 

To Protect lead Pipes. — Coat the 
inside of the pipe with sulphide of 
lead. This is insoluble and cannot be 
acted upon by water. To effect this 
fill the pipes with a warm concentrat- 
ed solution of sulphide of potassium, 
and let stand fifteen or twenty min- 
utes. Then rinse it out. The sulphide 
coating will be formed by chemical 
action. 

To Clean Boilers. — To prevent scale 
forming on the inside of the boiler 
put into it two or three white oak 
saplings. These will be entirely dis- 
solved in three or four weeks, and the 
boiler will be clean. 

CLEANING THE ATTIC AND CLOSETS 

Closets and Drawers. — Choose a 
sunny day and empty the contents 
of bureau drawers, wardrobes, closets, 
and other storage places upon an old 
quilt or a sheet spread upon the lawn. 
Shake and dust these vigorously with 
a whisk broom, and sort them. Put 
in one pile ragged articles that are no 
longer useful except for carpet rags 
or to sell to the ragman; in another, 
those that are available for dusters, 
mops, dishcloths, and the like. Lay 
aside articles that need to be mended 
or renovated. Separate woolens and 
flannels, which require protection 
against moths, from cotton fabrics, 
which are moth proof. After remov- 



ing with a whisk broom all traces of 
moths, hang the larger pieces on the 
line and leave the others out of doors 
exposed to direct sunshine. 

Meantime apply suitable moth de- 
stroyers to the insides of the drawers, 
wardrobes, and boxes that have been 
emptied. Take ofp the wall paper in 
the closets, as behind the wall paper 
is where you will find the nests of 
moths and other vermin. Wash the 
floors and walls with moth destroyers, 
and apply suitable preventives to 
cracks and openings. Wash out the 
insides of the drawers, and take them 
out to dry in the sun. 

Save fine towels that are too worn 
for further use and lay them in the 
bottom of the drawers, with lavender 
between the folds. 

While the clothes on the line are 
airing, pack flannels, furs, feathers, 
etc., in moth-proof paper bags or boxes 
to be stored away in the attic, and 
before the dew falls at night return 
cotton and other fabrics required for 
summer use to the drawers and ward- 
robes that have been cleansed and 
aired. 

Destroy with a hard heart every 
useless thing, and burn everything 
that you see no probability of need- 
ing in the near future. With the best 
of care odds and ends will accumu- 
late, and the labor of handling and 
preserving them in the hope of finding 
use for them by and by is often more 
than they are worth. 

But remember, if similar objects 
are classified and kept together, many 
uses may be found for them collective- 
ly. A lot of old stockings may be 
turned into a quilt. Old underwear 
is useful for dusters and many other 
purposes. Hence sort, classify, and 
arrange as much as you can, but when 
odds and ends are left over, throw 
them away. 

Drawers that Stick. — Now is the 
time to remedy the bureau drawer 
that sticks. If it is not quite dry 
when returned to its place, you will 
discover the spot that in damp weath- 
er is likely to swell and make trouble. 
Take a piece of common yellow soap. 



406 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



moisten it, and rub freely the parts 
which are too tight. Also soap the 
under part of the drawer where it 
slides. Or apply a tallow candle. Or 
rub the parts freely with bacon rind. 
But the soap is likely to effect the 
more permanent cure. 

Periodicals. — Each spring the attic 
will reveal a pile of magazines and 
papers. Some of these may be thrown 
away, but in others there will be one 
or more stories or articles of especial 
interest. Take out the wire fasteners 
and sort the contents into fiction. 




Pile of Magazines.' 



travel, biography, history, and the like. 
Take out of each pile only what is 
really wanted. Thus, for example, the 
best short stories may be collected 
and made into a valuable book. To 
bind these articles together, cut strips 
of manila paper 1^ to 2 inches in 
width and the length of the maga- 
zines. Fold these lengthwise in the 
middle, and paste on either side. Slip 
the back edge of the printed pages 
into the crease thus formed, fastening 
it securely with paste. Now thread a 
needle with strong thread and sew the 
pages through and through to this reen- 
forcement. Place as many of the sepa- 
rate stories as desired together, bore 
holes through them ^ inch from the back 
edge near the top, bottom, and in the 
middle, and lace them together with 
a strong cord. Draw over the out- 



side of all a strong manila cover, past- 
ing it liberally to the back. 

Or the sheets may be sent to a book- 
binder and at a slight expense made 
into an interesting and valuable book. 

Or the periodicals will always be 
welcome at hospitals, schools, and oth- 
er institutions, which in many cases 
will send for them if notified that they 
may be had at the expense of removal. 

Curtains and Draperies. — Take 
down all curtains and draperies; laun- 
der, fold, and store them before the 
house cleaning begins. Thus they will 
be out of the way and ready to be 
put up when papering, painting, and 
whitewashing are finished. 

How to Clean Rooms. — Clean one 
room at a time, doing everything thor- 
oughly. Settle each room before go- 
ing to another. This avoids upsetting 
the whole house, and is much better 
'than cleaning by floors and having all 
the bedrooms or all the living rooms 
upset at the same time. 

First take up the carpet and scrub 
the floor; then beat and clean the car- 
pet and hang it on the line, so that 
both the carpet and the floor from 
which it is taken may have all day to 
dry and air. 

Or, after the floor covering is taken 
up, the ceiling may be first cleaned, 
and papered or whitewashed, if neces- 
sary, and the walls papered before the 
floors are scrubbed, this being reserved 
for another day. Lastly, any neces- 
sary painting and varnishing may be 
done and the windows and woodwork 
cleaned. 

In cleaning paint use but little soap, 
as the alkali tends to inj ure paint and 
varnish. If paint is kept in good con- 
dition by being rubbed occasionally 
with a cloth moistened in kerosene, 
it will need little scrubbing at house- 
cleaning time. 

Last of all, stain or paint the floor, 
or relay the floor covering, and return 
furniture and pictures to their posi- 
tions. 

House-cleaning Hints. — Split open 
two short pieces of rubber hose and 
fasten them on the lower end of the 
stepladder. Turn them up on the 



HOUSE CLEANING 



407 



sides of the supports, and nail them 
there. This prevents the stepladder 
from slipping on tlie bare floor. 

Use a stiff bristle brush, preferably 
of wood fiber, to clean the cracks and 
crevices of woodwork, iron beds, and 
the like. Lay the brush when wet 
with the bristle side down. This pre- 
vents the water from soaking into the 
wood and loosening the bristles. 

Or use a damp whisk broom that 
has served its time as a clothes brush 
to take dust from cracks and corners, 
carvings of furniture and woodwork, 
and to clean windows. If rinsed fre- 
quently it removes every particle of 
dust with little trouble and no injury. 

Have at hand a small stick 3 or 4 
feet long and 1 inch in diameter, with 
a screw hook screwed in one end. This 
is always handy to reach for articles 
that have fallen out of the window, 
behind furniture, or into the water 
pail or barrel, to hang or take down 
pictures, pull down escaped window 
shades, and for many other purposes. 

CLEANING THE CHAMBERS 

To Clean Bedrooms. — Take down all 
curtains and draperies, if not already 
removed, and carry them to the laun- 
dry. Put the bedding on the line, 
shake and beat it, and leave it to air. 
Take the mattress out of doors, and 
beat and air it. 

If the bed spring is exposed and of 
metal, take it out of doors and turn 
the hose on it or dash water on it 
from a pail. Let it dry in the sun. 

If the bedstead is of wood, wash it 
with water containing borax or am- 
monia, but do not use washing soda 
or soap, as the former will spoil the 
paint and the latter will leave a dis- 
agreeable odor. 

If the bedstead is of metal, wipe 
it with a cloth dipped in kerosene. 
Or brush it over with gasoline and 
wipe off with a dry towel. 

Rub the paint of wooden bedsteads 
with a cloth dipped in paraffin. This 
both cleans and freshens it. 

Remove extra blankets and quilts 
to the laundry. 



Take up carpets and rugs to be 
beaten and shaken, or if there is mat- 
ting on the floor and it is not neces- 
sary to take it up, sprinkle dry salt 
over it and wipe with a cloth wrung 
out of warm water. 

If the floor is of hard wood, wash 
it with gasoline as you would with 
water, and ventilate thoroughly before 
admitting a light. Polish with wax 
and suitable furniture polish. 

If the floor covering is drugget, 
scatter moist bran over it and let re- 
main several hours. When swept up 
the bran will take the dirt with it. 
Then scrub the drugget with hot water 
and ammonia by means of a stiff 
scrubbing brush, and afterwards wipe 
off with a soft cloth until the rinsing 
water is perfectly clear. 

To Renovate Metal Beds. — If the 
enamel is worn from a white enameled 
bed, go over it with an additional coat 
of white enamel, or obtain gilt enamel 




"Go Over It with Enamel." 

and gild it. This gives the appearance 
of brass. The gilding wears better 
than white enamel and can be washed 
with gasoline. 

Or, if desired, give the white bed 
that needs renovating a coat of black 
enamel. 

Cotton Blankets. — In summer, cot- 
ton blankets and spreads, which are 
much cheaper than woolen ones, are 
to be preferred to woolen blankets or 
old-fashioned cotton quilts. They can 



408 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



be easily washed and are more sani- 
tary. The aim should be in summer 
to have the bed coverings as light and 
easy to handle as possible. 

Eiderdown. — With use an eider- 
down quilt becomes compacted to- 
gether and loses its elasticity. Take 
it out of doors, shake and brush it, 
and expose it to sunshine for several 
hours. Spread it on the lawn and 
work over it with a stiff whisk broom 
to loosen the nap. Thus its elasticity 
may be restored, and it will again feel 
soft and downy. 

To Clean Mattresses. — Stains on 
mattresses may be removed by cover- 
ing them with dry laundry starch and 
moistening this with enough soap or 
soap jelly (made by melting scraps 
of hard soap in about their own bulk 
of boiling water) to form a thin paste, 
which will dry on, but not soak through 
into the mattress. Let dry, and brush 
o£f with a stiff whisk broom. Repeat 
if necessary. Afterwards sponge with 
ammonia and water. 

To Purify Feathers. — New feathers 
quickly become foul as the grease con- 
tained in the quills decays. Hence 
they require a thorough cleansing to 
remove the animal oils and other 
greasy substances. Old feather beds 
may also be renovated. 

Firsti dry the feathers in the sun- 
shine or by a fire, and put them in a 
sack. Moisten two sheets of burlap, 
lay the feathers between these, and 
beat them to loosen the dirt, which 
will adhere to the wet cloth. 

Prepare a solution of limewater at 
the rate of ^ pound of quicklime to 
1 gallon of water. Stir vigorously, 
allow to settle, and jiour off the clear 
liquor. Soak the feathers in this for 
3 or 4 days. 

Or use instead cooking soda at the 
rate of 1 teaspoonful to 1 quart of 
water. Take a large piece of cheese 
cloth and pour the limewater or soda 
water and feathers upon this so that 
the water will pass through, leaving 
the feathers in the cloth. Now pour 
cold water over them and rinse them 
well. 

Put on a wash boiler half full of 



water, and add a cupful of powdered 
borax. Put the feathers in this, bring 
them to a boil, and again pour them 
on cheese cloth. Drain and squeeze dry. 

Tie the corners of the cheese cloth 
together and hang it over a clothes- 
line, shaking occasionally imtil dry. 
Several days may be required to dry 
the feathers thoroughly. Do not use 
soap to wash feathers. 

Care of Feather Beds. — Many feath- 
er beds are in use which have been 
slept on for more than one generation 
without being renovated. When the 
feathers have been properly cleaned 
and the ticks cared for, they perhaps 
do not need renovating oftener than 
once in two or three years, but at 
least once in three years the feathers 
should be passed into a fresh tick, the 
ticking washed, and the feathers reno- 
vated before they are returned to it. 
After the tick has been washed, rub 
the inside with a mixture of equal 
parts of beeswax and turpentine and 
go over it with a warm iron. This 
will prevent the feathers from being 
soiled by perspiration or otherwise 
or from working through the tick. 

Or, once a year, place the feather 
beds and pillows out of doors on the 
grass or on a clean, flat roof, and 
allow them to be thoroughly drenched 
by a warm summer rain. 

Hang them to the limb of a tree 
to dry in the shade. 

To Clean Feather Pillows. — Feath- 
er pillows may be washed without re- 
moving the feathers by boiling them 
in borax water to which a small quan- 
tity of ammonia has been added. Use 
half a teacupful of borax to a boiler- 
ful of water, and add a tablespoonful 
of ammonia. Boil fifteen or twenty 
minutes. After removing the pillow 
from the boiler, scrub the tick, if bad- 
ly stained, by laying it on a wash- 
board and applying suds with a stiff 
brush. Rinse in two or three waters 
and hang on the line in a shady place 
to dry. Shake the pillow and change 
ends two or three times a day. Bring 
the pillows into the house before the 
dew falls or if it should come on to 
rain, as it takes a long time to dry 



HOUSE CLEANING 



409 



pillows at best. This process makes 
the feathers light, flaky, and sweet 
smelling. 

Or, if you do not wish to wash the 
feathers, pass them into pillow covers 
and hang them on the line to air while 
the ticks are being washed. 

Or put the pillows out of doors in 
a drenching rain storm. Afterwards 
squeeze as much water out of them as 
possible and hang them up to dry in 
a shady place. 

To Mend Old Blankets. — To mend 
all breaks and tears in old blankets, 
cover both sides with cheese cloth. 
Tack all together with white or col- 
ored yarn, and thus make a light quilt 
superior to a comforter. Finish the 
edge by crocheting around all four 
sides. 

To Store Bedding. — Line a large 
packing case with heavy wrapping 
paper by using brass tacks or by 
pasting paper to the inside of the case 
with flour paste and a whitewash 
brush. This will prevent moths from 
making their way through the cracks 
of the case and the folds of the paper. 
Air the bedclothes thoroughly, fold 
blankets in paper, and scatter freely 
among the folds hemlock or arbor- 
vitae sprigs, dry sweet flags, lavender, 
or sachet powder. These are equally 
as effective as moth balls, and give 
the bedclothes an agreeable odor. 
Paste the ends of the paper together 
and paste wrapping paper over the 
top of the case in such a way as to 
leave no cracks through which moths 
can find an entrance. Nail down the 
lid. 

Bedroom Ornaments. — Remove all 
unnecessary bric-a-brac from the bed- 
rooms and take unnecessary articles 
from dressing tables. A room looks 
much daintier without useless little 
things. 

To Clean the Bathroom. — Thor- 
oughly wash down walls and floors, 
clean out the medicine closet, and 
throw away everything that is not 
likely to be used. Look over the shelves 
carefully for cracks and crevices which 
may give lodgment to vermin, and 
wash them with strong soap and 



water. Clean the porcelain tub and 
basin with a cloth wet with kerosene. 
Pour in kerosene, if necessary, and 
scrub with a whisk broom or fiber 
brush. Remove stains from porcelain 
with dilute muriatic acid (1 part of 
acid to 10 parts of water), applied 
by means of a cotton swab held in a 
cleft stick. Polish the metal work of 
faucets and pipes with a suitable 
cleaner. 

Or clean the bathtub, washbowl, etc., 
with gasoline and flannel. 

When painting the bathroom, if you 
wish the floor darker than the walls, 
without buying two shades of paint, 
get a light-colored paint, as lead color 
or light yellow, and after the walls 
are painted add to the remainder of 
the paint powdered burnt umber. This 
will give to the floor a darker color of 
the same general tone. 

TO CLEAN FLOOR COVERINGS 

Floors in Summer. — Take up car- 
pets in the spring, beat and clean 
them, roll them up, protect them 
against moths, and, if desired, store 
them away until the fall house clean- 
ing. Fill the floor cracks, if any, with 
a suitable wood filler, and paint or 
stain the floor, or cover with matting 
during summer. This plan saves time 
and labor in the care of floors, and 
prevents much dust from sweeping 
during the hot months. If carpets can 
be replaced by hard-wood floors and 
rugs, so much the better, and taking 
up carpets during the summer time is 
a step in the right direction. Or, if 
preferred, the cai'pets may, of course, 
be returned to the floors after clean- 
ing. 

When taking up large rugs and art 
squares for the summer, roll them on 
sticks and sew them in canvas or bed 
ticking. These may be tied with strong 
cords and slung on hooks attached to 
the wall or ceiling in the attic or store- 
room. Thus they are well protected 
and out of the way. 

To Take Up Carpets. — First draw 
the tacks and pick them up without 
moving the carpet. Then begin at one 



410 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



end of the room and roll the carpet 
carefully to the other end. Double 
tlie roll on itself or, if two persons 
can assist, take it up at both ends and 
carry it oiit of doors to be cleaned. 
Roll up papers or carpet lining care- 
fully with the dust, and take them out 
of doors to be burned. If the papers 
are handled gently little or no dust 
will remain in the room, and the floor 
may be readily cleaned with soapsuds 
and a mop. 

Or, if no lining papers were used 
and the floors are covered with dust, 
sprinkle wet sawdust or bits of wet 
newspaper about the floor, and stir 
them gently with a broom to gather 
the dust. Sweep part of the room at 
a time, taking up the sweepings, and 
repeat with a fresh lot of sawdust or 
newspaper. Afterwards wash the floor 
with a mop. 

To Put Down Carpets. — Use an 
ordinary carpenter's hammer, taking 
care to choose a tool which has a 
square, flat head, and not a hammer 
the head of which has grown round. 
One or two blows with such a tool 
will drive a tack, where a small tack 
hammer will require six or seven. The 
best and most convenient carpet 
stretcher is a pair of rubber over- 
shoes. Tack the carpet down on one 
side, put- on a pair of old rubbers, and 
scuff across the room. Repeat the 
process for the other three sides. If 
one person can stretch the carpet and 
another tack it as fast as it is 
stretched, it may be laid very quickly 
and with comparatively little effort. 

Carpets — To Prevent Wear. — Before 
returning old carpets to the floor, rip 
up the seams and transpose the 
breadths, putting the least worn strips 
in place of those that are most worn; 
or turn the carpet end for end to 
change the wear. 

Or, if the carpet is ingrain, turn 
and use wrong side up for a season. 

Stair Carpets — To Prevent Wear. — 
Tack several thicknesses of newspaper 
or carpet lining or old carpet on the 
top of each step, having them deep 
enough to hang three of four inches 
over the edge. This pad prevents the 



stair carpet from wearing along the 
edge. It doubles the life of the stair 
carpet. 

To Mend a "Rag Carpet. — Holes in 
rag carpet caused by the breaking of 
the warp may be mended by sewing 
back and forth on the sewing machine. 
Large holes may be mended in this 
manner so as not to be noticeable. 

When cutting out the good parts 
of an old rag carpet, sew across the 
rags back and forth before cutting. 
This prevents the carpet from ravel- 
ing when cut, and the edges of the 
good pieces may be sewed together 
with the seam held down. 

To Sweep Carpets. — Before taking 
up the carpet it should be well swept. 
The less dust it contains the quicker 
it can be beaten. Sprinkle with salt 
or corn meal, or with a mixture of 
salt and corn meal moistened with 
•kerosene. 

Or, if fresh clippings from a lawn 
mower can be had, sprinkle the carpet 
rtith them. Or, if the carpet is of a 
dark color, with wet tea leaves. Tea 
leaves may stain a light-colored car- 
pet. 

Or wring a newspaper out of cold 
water until it is damp, but not wet. 
Tear in small pieces and sprinkle with 
them. Sweep thoroughly before taking 
up the tacks. 

To Beat Carpets. — If you have a 
clean green lawn, draw the carpet 




" Use a Wire Beater." 

over the grass for some distance, turn, 
and draw back on the other side. Beat 



HOUSE CLEANING 



411 



the carpet v/hile lying on the grass. 
Reverse the carpet so as to draw it 
over another spot, and beat on the 
other side. Then hang it over a line 
and beat until clean. Beat first thor- 
oughly on the wrong side and after- 
wards more gently on the right. 

To beat carpets, use preferably a 
wire beater made by bending a heavy 
piece of wire 8 or 10 feet long and ^ 
inch or more in thickness. Of this 
form a loop, and attach the ends to a 
convenient handle, as a broomstick. 

Or use flexible hickory switches 
rather than heavy sticks, which may 
injure the warp of the carpet. 

To Clean Carpets. — If a carpet is 
much soiled it may require washing 
or scouring after having been beaten. 
This may be done after the carpet has 
been laid on the floor. First remove 
stains and grease spots. Next wash, 
then, with a stiff bristle brush the size 
of a nailbrush, apply suds made with 
warm water and one of the following 
cleansing mixtures: 

Have at hand a pail containing 
suds, another containing clear hot 
rinsing water, a stiff bristle brush, 
a large sponge, and a number of coarse 
porous cloths. Use as little water as 
possible. Take one breadth at a time 
and scrub what can be reached with- 
out moving. Rinse this section imme- 
diately with a sponge wrung out of 
clear water and dry with a coarse 
cloth before proceeding to the next. 
Soap soiled spots with any good hard 
white soap dipped in water. Take 
about IJ yards at a time and work 
quickly, so that the water will not 
soak into the carpet. 

Or pure soapsuds made by dissolv- 
ing 1 bar of Castile of other hard 
white soap in 2 gallons of water. 

Or one bar of hard white soap, 1 
tablespoonful each of borax, washing 
soda, fuller's earth, and salts of tar- 
tar. Cut the soap fine, mix the in- 
gredients in a kettle, add 1 gallon of 
boiling water, and stir imtil all are 
dissolved. 

Or 1 pint of ox gall dissolved in 1 
quart of cold water. Apply with a 
scrubbing brush imtil a lather is 



formed. Rub pure ox gall on soUed 
places, rinse, and dry as above. 

Or dissolve 1 bar of hard white soap 
in 1 gallon of water. Dissolve 4 ounces 
of borax and 4 oimces of sal soda 
in 4 gallons of water; mix, remove 
from the fire, and add ^ pint of 
alcohol, stirring well. Apply when 
cold. 

Finally, open the windows and al- 
low the carpet to thoroughly dry be- 
fore the room is used. Kindling a fire, 
if convenient, will assist in drying. 

Or ingrain carpets may be ripped 
into breadths and washed in the tub 
like other woolen goods with soap and 
water, or hung out on the line during 
a warm sununer rain. 

Any of these methods is suitable for 
all forms of carpets or rugs of similar 
materials, as Oriental, Smyrna, and 
domestic rugs, art squares, and the 
like. 

To Clean Oriental and Other Rugs. 
— Oriental rugs and other rugs having 
fast colors may be scrubbed with soap 
and water, or any of the above cleans- 
ing mixtures. Tack the rug on a bare 
floor, as a porch or piazza, and pro- 
ceed as with a carpet. 

The following mixture is especially 
recommended for the best quality of 
rugs or carpets and other woolen fab- 
rics: dissolve 8 ounces of good white 
soap in the same quantity of boiling 
water; add 10 ounces of aqua am- 
monia, 5 ounces of alcohol, 5 otmces 
of glycerin, and 4 ounces of ether or 
chloroform. Keep in a fruit jar or 
large glass bottle and cork tightly. 
Use 1 tablespoonful of tliis prep- 
aration to a pailful of warm water, 
and apply with a stiff brush. Or for 
obstinate stains use a stronger solu- 
tion. 

To Wash Goatskin Rugs. — Wash 
goatskin rugs in gasoline, or in a mix- 
ture of gasoline and pure soapsuds 
made of hard white soap. 

To Freshen Faded Carpets. — After 
carpets have been cleaned and laid, the 
colors, if faded, may be freshened by 
sprinkling the carpet with strong salt 
water and sweeping hard. 

Or dampen a cloth with ammonia 



412 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



and rub over the surface of the 
carpet. 

Or i:)ut ^ pint of turpentine in about 
1^ gallons of water. Wring a cloth 
out of this solution and with it rub 
the carpet. 

Or go over the carpet with a broom 
or whisk broom moistened with gaso- 
line. 

Or put 1 cupful of cold tea and 1 
tablespoonf id of turpentine in 2 quarts 
of warm water. Dip the broom in 
this before sweeping. 

Or put 3 tablespoonfuls of turpen- 
tine and 4 of salt in 3 gallons of water, 
and moisten the broom with it. 

Or put 1 gill of ox gall in 1 gallon 
of water and apply with a cloth wrung 
out so that it will not drip. 

Or dissolve 1 teaspoonful of alum 
in 1 gallon of water. 

Or apply to the patterns suitable 
dyestuifs or water colors mixed with 
gum arable, following the outline of 
the design with a water-color brush. 

Or any of the above may be ap- 
plied with a clean mop if care is taken 
to wring it out so that it will be damp 
rather than wet. The above will not 
only Ifrighten and set the colors of a 
carpet, restore faded colors, and pre- 
vent fresh colors from fading, but will 
also act as preventives against moths, 
and to some extent kill germs that 
may be present in the carpet. 

To Clean Tiag Carpets. — Shake and 
beat the carpet, drag it across the 
lawn a few times to remove dust by 
contact with the soft grass, and leave 
it spread on the grass or hung over a 
line during a gentle rain. Remove 
any grease spots with a suitable 
cleanser. 

To Eemove Grease from Carpets. — 
Subgtances recommended for taking 
grease out of a carpet are ammonia, 
saltpeter, ox gall, chloroform, ether, 
gasoline, fuller's earth, potter's clay, 
and various combinations of these. 

To Eemove Grease. — Apply gaso- 
line, benzine, or naphtha with a sponge 
or stiff scrubbing brush. 

Or, if the grease is fresh, cover the 
spot with a layer of French chalk or 
fuller's earth. Lay a piece of brown 



paper or blotting paper upon the chalk, 
and place on it a hot flatiron. Change 
the iron occasionally. The grease will 
be melted and absorbed by the chalk 
and powder. 

Or apply pure ox gall with a stiff 
brush. 

Or apply chloroform or ether with 
a toothbrush. 

Or shave 3 ounces of hard white 
soap in 2 quarts of water. Add 3 
ounces of aqua ammonia, 1 ounce of 
glycerin, and 1 ounce of ether; mix 
and apply with a stiff brush. 

Or shave and dissolve 2 ounces of 
hard white soap in 1 quart of water. 
Add 2 ounces of ammonia and 1 tea- 
spoonful of saltpeter and apply with 
a brush. 

To Remove Ink Stains. — Cover 
quickly with dry salt or starch. Take 
Jhis up with a spoon as it soaks up 
the ink, but do not rub or sweep it. 
It will take up the surplus and pre- 
vent the spot from spreading. Leave 
the spot covered with dry salt and 
test to see the kind of ink spilled. 
Put some of the ink on a piece of 
writing paper and allow it to dry. 
Or, better, take some writing made 
with the same ink that has stood sev- 
eral days and test that. First apply 
water, and if the ink runs, after hav- 
ing been thoroughly dried, it is proba- 
bly stylographic ink, made of coal-tar 
products, eosin or nigi'osine. In this 
case you must not use buttermilk or 
any acid. Use instead an alkali, as 
potash lye or sal soda, diluted with 
water. If the dry ink does not run 
when touched with water, it is proba- 
bly an iron-gall ink or logwood ink 
with or without aniline dyes. For 
these inks use dilute sulphuric acid, 1 
part of acid to 10 parts of water. 
If this takes out the color, restore it 
with aqua ammonia. 

Or cover with fresh salt or starch, 
and moisten with buttermilk or salts 
of sorrel or tartaric acid, and let stand 
until dry. Repeat if necessary. 

If the colors fade, apply aqua am- 
monia. 

To Remove Kerosene. — To i:emove 
kerosene spilled on a carpet, cover the 



HOUSE CLEANING 



413 



spot with blotting paper or brown 
paper and press with a hot iron. Re- 
peat if necessary. 

Or cover with corn meal, starch, or 
salt, and let stand until dry. 

To Remove Whitewash. — Scrub with 
soapsuds applied with a brush, and 
renew the color by applying aqua am- 
monia, vinegar, or other acid. 

To Remove Soot. — To remove soot 
which sometimes, in case of a defec- 
tive flue or turning up a lamp too high, 
fills a room and falls on the carpet, 
sprinkle the floor liberally with corn 
meal and sweep carefully a little 
at a time, taking up the sweepings 
as you go and before they are trod- 
den on. Continue to apply corn 
meal and sweep until the soot is all 
removed. 

To Take Tip Matting. — Take up the 
matting, roll it up, and shake as much 
dust from it as possible by jarring it 
on the floor. Unroll it on a green 
lawn and apply the hose to it, or dash 
pails of water on it until it is thor- 
oughly clean. This should be done on 
a hot day, and the matting should be 
thoroughly dried in the open air as 
quickly as possible. Take it in before 
the dew falls and air it again the 
second day if it does not quite dry 
the first. 

Or draw the matting over a table 
and apply moist corn meal with a 
scrubbing brush, thoroughly cleaning 
a section at a time. 

Or scrub with bran water. 

To Clean Matting on the rioor. — 
Matting should not be washed or 
scrubbed with soapy water, as damp- 
ness is injurious to it. It may be 
swept with a broom previously dipped 
in hot water, and afterwards gone 
over with a flannel cloth or sponge 
dipped in salt and water. The salt 
will freshen the colors and prevent 
the matting from turning yellow. It 
should be quickly dried with a second 
cloth before the water soaks in. 

Or borax may be used in the water 
in place of salt. Afterwards, to give 
it a gloss and freshen the colors, it 
may be gone over with a cloth slightly 
moistened in fresh milk. 



To Remove Stains from Matting. 
— Matting that has been badly stained 
may be cleaned by washing with a 
solution of oxalic acid in the propor- 
tion of 1 ounce of acid to 1 pint of 
water. Apply to the stain with a stiff 
brush, use as little of the solution as 
possible, and afterwards wipe off with 
a dry cloth. Care must be taken to 
throw out the water immediately after 
using, as oxalic acid is a deadly 
foison. 

To Remove Grease Spots. — Cover 
with French chalk and moisten with 
turpentine. Let this stand for a few 
days, and then scrub off with a stiff 
brush. 

To Lay Matting. — Before laying 
matting, cover the floor with several 
thicknesses of old newspapers. Mat- 
ting is porous and lets the dust 
through. The paper catches this and 
admits of its being easily removed at 
house-cleaning time. Paper also pro- 
tects the matting from the sharp and 
uneven edges of the boards. 

Matting may be tacked down with 
ordinary carpet tacks or double- 
pointed brads. 

Or the difi"erent breadths may be 
sewed together with strong linen or 
cotton thread, using loose buttonhole 
stitches an inch or an inch and a half 
apart. To prevent tacking, the edges 
may be fastened with flour paste. 

Or, to avoid sewing, the edges of 
the several breadths may be pasted 
down. 

Pieces of matting may also be used 
as rugs on hard-wood floors, especially 
for bedroom use in summer, by sewing 
the breadths together with buttonhole 
stitches and binding the cut ends with 
cotton braid or tape. 

To Lay Oilcloths. — Oilcloths may be 
put down without the use of tacks by 
making a cooked paste of flour and 
water somewhat thicker than flour 
starch. Lay the oilcloth in place and 
apply a strip of paste about an inch 
wide first to the floor and afterwards 
to the edgo of the oilcloth. Stand a 
heavy board edgewise over this strip 
until the oilcloth sticks. 

Or, if Conditions are right, merely 



414 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



press the oilcloth down with the hands. 
The edges may be fastened to the 
floor in the same manner. 

Thus the oilcloth can be taken up 
when necessary without the injury 
caused by tacks and with little diffi- 
culty. 

To Repair a Smyrna Hug. — Shak- 
ing a Smyrna rug often ravels out the 
ends. Continue this raveling so as to 
expose two or three inches of the 
woolen filling. Tie and knot the loose 
threads to form a fringe. This will 
prevent additional raveling, and the 
fringe will stand as much wear as if 
new. Use the pattern as a guide, so 
as to make both ends imiform. 

To Patch Rugs and Carpets. — A 
hole in a rug or carpet may be patched 
with the rubber mending tissue used 
for patching garments. Dampen a 
piece of the same material or of bur- 
lap, lay over this a piece of the rub- 
ber mending tissue, and place it di- 
rectly under tlie hole. Over all lay a 
piece of bro\^ai paper and press with 
a hot iron. Clip off any frayed edges 
with scissors or darn tliem with the 
ravelings. 

To Clean Sheepskin Rugs. — A sheep- 
skin rug should never be immersed in 
water. The less the pelt side is wet 
the better. Hence tack the skin on a 
barrel, pelt side down, and apply hot 
soapsuds to the wool side with a stiff, 
clean scrubbing brush imtil it is clean. 
Rinse well by dashing cold water 
upon it, putting in the last water suf- 
ficient bluing to make the wool ap- 
pear white, and leave it on the barrel 
to dry. This process does not expose 
the pelt to the rays of the sim, which 
would cause it to become dry and 
hard. After the wool is dry go over 
it carefully with a clean currycomb 
or other coarse comb to prevent the 
wool from matting. It will thus be 
left fluffy and white as snow. 

Stair Carpets. — The better plan is 
to leave the stairs uncarpeted, but if 
a stair carpet is used the steps should 
be padded, especially over the edges, 
as otherwise the carpet will tend to 
wear along the edge. For this pur- 
pose use cotton batting or carpet felt 



or folded newspapers, tacking them 
at the back of each step and allowing 
them to fall two or tln-ee inches over 
the edge. This will also assist in dead- 
ening the sound of footsteps. 

CLEANING AND REFINISHING WOOD 
FLOORS 

Cracks in rioors. — Place in a 
saucepan 1 pound of pastry flour and 
rub up with a little cold water un- 
til free from lumps. Add 3 quarts 
of boiling water, place on tlie stove, 
bring to a boil, and stir in 1 table- 
spoonful of alum. Cut a quantity of 
newspaper into fine bits and stir it 
into this paste until it is about as 
thick as putty. Boil and stir until 
the mass is of a uniform consistency. 
Fill the cracks with this by means 
of a putty knife. Or a case knife 
-with the point broken or filed square 
across will answer the purpose. Be 
sure to crowd it into the crack as 
deep as possible and finish level with 
the surface. This hardens like papier- 
mach6, is of similar appearance and 
nearly as hard as the wood itself, and 
is very durable. 

Or make a strong glue size of 1 
ounce of glue to 16 ounces of water, 
and while boiling hot stir in bits of 
newspaper as above; or equal quanti- 
ties of fine sawdust and prepared 
chalk; or plaster of Paris, and apply 
as above. Any of these may be mixed 
with coloring matter to match the 
boards. 

Or cracks may be filled with putty. 
But this is not equally good, since 
with shellac or varnish it shows 
through, and is of a slightly different 
color than the wood. 

Oil for Floors. — To oil floors, use 
linseed oil boiled. First remove all 
previous wa::, paint, or varnish, wash 
the floor clean and let it dry. Ap- 
ply the oil with a paint brush, keep- 
ing it at the boiling ^loint by means 
of a small alcoUol stove or other- 
wise. 

One or two coats of oil, applied 
twice a year, will greatly improve 
kitchen or other rough wood floors, 



HOUSE CLEANING 



415 



and the addition of a coat of wax 
will improve the finish and prevent 
the oil from soiling anything. 

An oiled floor should be cared for 
in the same manner as a waxed floor, 
without the use of soap, washing 
powder, or an alkali. 

To Color Floor Oil. — Add | table- 
spoonful of burnt umber to each 
quart of oil to darken it. Or an equal 
amount of yellow ocher to make it 
light. 

Stains for Floors. — Ordinary oil 
and lead paints are not suitable for 
floors for two reasons: they tend to 
soften the wood, and also to crack, 
chip, and peel, or wear away in spots 
that are most trodden, so as to give 
the floor an uneven appearance. 
Hence suitable stains (which are the 
same colored pigments that are used 
in paints thinned with oils so as to 
penetrate into the fiber of the wood, 
but without lead) are better for this 
purpose. 

Or the pigment may be applied in 
a vehicle of glue size. 

Or various dyestuffs, as aniline and 
other dyes, may be applied, either 
dissolved in water or oil. 

But the following will be found 
the most generally satisfactory: 

For a floor 16 feet square, or ap- 
proximately 350 square feet of floor 
space, one heavy or two thin coats, 
mix 3 quarts of cold-drawn linseed 
oil and 1 quart of turpentine, to 
which add 4 ounces of Japan dryer. 
Stir in about 2 heaping tablespoon- 
fuls of any desired pigment or mix- 
ture of pigment, or enough to bring 
the whole to about the consistency 
of ordinary lead and oil paint, and 
bring to a boil over a slow fire. Dis- 
solve with gentle heat 2 or 3 ounces 
of yellow be«swax in a little tur- 
pentine, taking care that the tur- 
pentine does not catch fire. Stir in 
the wax, remove from the fire, and 
when about lukewarm, thin with tur- 
pentine to about the consistency of 
new milk. Try the stain on a piece 
of the same kind of wood as the 
floor before using, to see if the color 
is right. Soft wood like pine will 



absorb more of the color than hard 
wood like maple. Hence it is im- 
portant to thin the stain to the 
right consistency to get the desired 
effect. Take care to apply the stain 
evenly with the brush, as in painting, 
and lay it on freely the way of the 
grain, rather than against it. The 
addition of turpentine causes the 
stain to strike into the wood. 

Or in place of cold-drawn linseed 
oil with turpentine, use boiled linseed 
oil mixed with any desired pigment, 
and apply boiling hot. Keep the oil 
at the boiling point by means of an 
alcohol stove or otherwise. 

Or dissolve 3 ounces of glue in 2J 
quarts of soft water. Remove from 
the stove and stir in 2 pounds of 
yellow ocher. Apply with a paint 
brush while hot, and follow with a 
coat of boiled linseed oil. Let stand 
over night before walking on it. 

Or to give the floor a deep black 
like ebony, boil 1 pound of logwood 
chips in 2 quarts of water down to 

1 quart, and apply one or two coats 
with a paint brush. When dry, fol- 
low with a strong solution of sul- 
phate of iron in water. Afterwards, 
when dry, apply a thin coat of boiled 
linseed oil, wax, and polish. 

Or to 6 quarts of caustic-potash 
lye made from wood ashes add 1 
pound of copperas more or less, to 
give a light or dark oak shade as de- 
sired, and apply one or more coats 
with a brush. When dry, varnish the 
floor, wax, and polish. 

Pigment for Stains. — Add any of 
the following pigments in the form 
of dry powder at the rate of about 

2 heaping tablespoonfuls to the gal- 
lon of stain, to obtain the colors 
mentioned : 

To imitate mahogany, use burnt 
sienna. For black walnut, burnt um- 
ber or Vandyke brown. For cherry, 
burnt sienna mixed with iron oxide. 
For yellow, raw sienna, yellow ocher, 
or raw umber. Or any of the above 
may be combined freely to form 
tints or shades as desired. Experi- 
ments may be made by adding the 
pigments a little at a time and test- 



416 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



ing the color from time to time on a 
piece of board of the same kind of 
wood as the floor is made of. 

Varnish for Stained rioors. — 
Place in a 6-quart saucepan about 
10 ounces of linseed oil. Bring to a 
boil over a brisk fire, stirring con- 
stantly, and stir in 3 ounces of 
pure white borate of manganese in 
very fine powder. Heat separately 8 
pounds of linseed oil to the boiling 
point, and add it to the first solution 
in a thin stream, stirring constantly. 
Continue to heat the mixture as hot 
as possible without burning. Stir 
constantly and boil for half an hour. 
Take off the stove and strain through 
cheese cloth. Apply one or two coats 
while hot, and follow when dry with 
shellac or hard white copal varnish. 

Or oil stains may be followed by 
ordinary shellac varnish with the ad- 
dition of 4 ounces of cold-drawn lin- . 
seed oil to each quart of varnish. One 
quart of varnish will be required for 
a floor 12 by 12 or about 150 square 
feet of surface. 

To Clean Stained Floors. — Obtain 
a quantity of coarse sawdust of non- 
resinous wood free from dust or 
dirt, and store it in a bin where it 
will be kept dry and clean. Scatter 
this sawdust freely over the floor and 
scrub ,±he floor with it by means of 
a stiff scrubbing brush, as if using 
water. The sawdust may then be 
swept up and burned, and the floor 
wiped up with a soft cloth drawn 
over the head of a broom. This is ' 
suitable treatment for unpainted, 
waxed, or varnished floors if much 
dirt has been tracked in upon them. 

Or wring a mop out of kerosene 
oil and wipe up with this. Use about 
1 quart for an ordinary floor. Use 
for this purpose only refined kero- 
sene of the best quality, but do not 
use it freely on oak, as it tends to 
darken the wood. 

Care of Oil-stained Floors. — An 
oil-stained floor will not soak up 
grease or show spots like a bare 
floor, and will not require scouring. 
It may be wiped up by means of a 
mop wrimg out in clear warm water. 



but do not use soft soap, \^ashing 
powders, or any alkali on an oiled 
surface, as the alkali will dissolve the 
oil. Oil-stained floors may be pol- 
ished with wax or turpentine if de- 
sired. 

Or the oil stain may be foUowed 
by one or more coats of hard white 
copal or shellac varnish before the 
wax is added. 

To Clean Wood Floors. — Detergents 
recommended for cleaning Ivitchen 
floors and other coarse and unpainted 
woodwork are caustic potash and soda 




"Clean a Small Section." 

lyes, soft soap, sand, lime, chloride of 
lime, ammonia, kerosene, gasoline, and 
various mixtures of these. 

To scrub a wood floor, first take up 
grease spots. Then apply hot soap- 
suds witli a scrubbing brush or mop, 
rinse with clear water, and wipe dry. 
Clean and dry a small section of the 
floor at a time and change the water 
frequently. 

Mops and Pails. — A strong pail fit- 
ted with a small wringer such as is 
used by janitors of large bmldings 
will be found a great convenience. To 
save stooping, place this on a chair. 
Use two mops of soft woolen rags, 
one of small size for washing the floor, 
and a larger one for wiping dry. 



HOUSE CLEANING 



417 



TTnpainted Floors.- — An unpainted 
board floor, " white enough to eat 
oflf," as the homely saying goes, is 
very attractive, but requires a good 
deal of hard work. Our grandmoth- 
ers used to cover unpainted floors 
with sand. Thus the family, in the 
process of walking to and fro, kept 
the floor boards scoured to a snowy 
whiteness. This is still a good way 
to whiten an unpainted board floor. 
Sprinkle the floor freely with clean 




"A Pail with a Small Wringer." 

white sand, and if there is no objec- 
tion, let it remain a few days. Or 
the floor may be scoured with dry 
sand by means of a stiff scrubbing 
brush. The best sand for this pur- 
pose is obtained by purchasing mar- 
ble clippings and heating them to 
redness in an old iron kettle or other- 
wise. When cold, they may be read- 
ily pulverized. 

Or prepare a scouring mixture 
composed of 3 parts of sand, 3 parts 
of soft soap or soap jelly, and 1 part 
of lime. Apply with a stiff scrubbing 
brush, rinse with clear water, and rub 
dry with a flannel cloth. This has 
the additional advantage that it kills 
yermiu. 



Or mix equal parts of slaked lime 
and calcinated soda. Let stand 
about an hour and add eight times 
their weight of cold water. Place on 
the fire and bring to a boil. Wet the 
floor with this by means of a mop. 
Let stand over night to dry. Next 
morning scrub by means of a stiff 
brush with scouring sand and water. 

Or moisten a thin flannel cloth with 
kerosene, draw it over the head of a 
broom, and wipe up the floor each 
day with this. It removes dust and 
grease, and thus obviates the necessity 
for scrubbing oftener than once every 
two or three weeks. 

Or scatter sand over the floor and 
with an old whisk broom sprinkle 
upon the sand a solution of 1 pound 
of caustic potash or soda in 1 quart 
of water. Scrub with hot water and 
scrubbing brush, or mop, rinse, and 
dry. 

Or apply soapsuds and sal soda. 

Or dissolve unslaked lime in potash 
lye and apply with a mop. 

Or add 1 tablespoonful of ammonia 
to a pail of water. 

Or, for musty floors, use chloride 
of lime, I pound to a pailful of water. 

Spots and Stains. — Scatter ground 
quartz-stone sand, or marble sand, 
over the stain. Pour over it a strong 
solution of caustic soda or potash at 
the rate of 1 pound to a pint of wa- 
ter, and scrub by means of a stiff 
bristle brush wet in soapsuds. 

Or scour with a mixture of 1 part 
of chloride of lime and 3 parts of 
sand. This will bleach the boards 
and destroy vermin. 

To remove whitewash, scrub with 
vinegar and water. 

To remove mold, first scour with 
soap and sand, then sprinkle with 
chloride of lime. Pour on boiling 
water and scrub by means of a stiff 
brush. 

To Remove Grease. — To prevent 
hot grease from sinking into the 
floor, sop cold water on it mth a 
cloth to harden it. Scrape off what 
is on the surface with a dull knife. 
Remove the stain with a wet cloth 
sprinkled with baking soda. 



418 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Or mix equal parts of fuller's earth 
or pearlash to a paste with boiling 
water. Cover the grease spot, and 
let stand over night. Scour by means 
of a stiff brush with sand or other 
cleanser. 

Or kill the grease by pouring tur- 
pentine over it and then scour as 
above. 

Or cover the spot with slaked 
lime. Wet the lime and let it stand 
over night. Remove it and wash 
the spot with a cloth wet in soda 
and water. 

Or sponge with gasoline, but take 
care not to work near a lighted 
stove. Greasy walls and other wood- 
work may first be rubbed with gaso- 
line to kill the grease before wash- 
ing them. 

Or wash greasy paint with fresh 
slaked lime diluted to the consist- 
ency of milk. Let dry and rub off. 
Repeat if necessary. 

Or sprinkle a grease spot with 
whiting, fuller's earth, or laundry 
starch. Lay blotting paper or brown 
paper over it and over that a hot 
flatiron. Let stand until cold. Re- 
peat if necessary. 

Or apply a paste of wood ashes 
and soap. Let stand over night, and 
wash off with soda and water. Re- 
peat t4f necessary. 

Or apply sand mixed with chlo- 
ride of lime, and scrub with a stiff 
brush. 

Or scrub with a mixture of pow- 
dered pumice stone and any strong 
washing powder. 

To Remove Ink Spots from 
Floors. — If the ink contains coal-tar 
products, eosin or nigrosine, use a 
strong alkali, as caustic soda or pot- 
ash; otherwise use a strong acid, 
as muriatic acid, vinegar, salts of 
lemon, or oxalic acid diluted with 
water. 

Dissolve a solution of 1 part of 
oxalic acid and 10 parts of boiling 
water. Apply by means of a cloth, 
and afterwards rinse with water con- 
taining sal soda to neutralize the 
acid. 

Or cover the ink spots with a paste 



of chloride of lime moistened with 
water. 

Or scour out the ink spots with a 
solution of 1 part of sulphuric acid in 
20 parts of water, applied by means 
of a stiff scrubbing brush with sand 
and water. Rinse with a strong so- 
lution of ammonia or sal soda in 
water. 

CLEANING PAINT 

To Clean Paint. — To clean paint 
and varnish, whiting, fuller's earth, 
cold tea, wood ashes, kerosene, soda, 
ammonia, turpentine, and bran wa- 
ter are all recommended. Do not 
use much soap or washing powders 
containing free alkali to clean paint, 
nor any soap at all to clean varnish. 
Soap tends to streak or to remove 
paint. Keep the water warm, but 
not hot, and change frequently. Use 
a flannel cloth or chamois, as cotton 
and similar goods leave lint, which 
sticks to the paint. 

Or use outing flannel or flannel- 
ette. 

Old underwear makes good wash 
cloths for woodwork. Moisture is 
good for woodwork, and hence it 
should be wiped off once a week 
with a damp cloth, and will be im- 
proved by a thorough washing sev- 
eral times a year. If woodwork is 
too dry, it tends to shrink. Hence it 
is important to wash woodwork for 
the sake of moisture as well as for 
the sake of cleanliness. Beware of 
recipes which call for soft soap, lye, 
and strong soapsuds to clean paint. 
They will remove the dirt, but in 
time will take the paint with it. 

To Clean White Paint and Var- 
nish. — To clean white and other 
delicate colored paints and varnish, 
moisten chamois or flannel cloth 
with warm water, dip it in whiting 
or fuller's earth, and rub over the 
surface gently. This will remove the 
dirt and leave the paint as bright as 
new. Rinse with clear water and 
dry with a soft cloth. 

Fiiller's earth is an excellent sub- 
stitute for soap. 



HOUSE CLEANING 



419 



Or, for white paint, moisten a 
cloth in milk, dip it in whiting or 
fuller's earth, and apply. 

Or, to wash varnish or delicate 
paint, use cold tea, with or without 
whiting or fuller's earth. Apply 
with flannel and rub until clean. 

Or boil a pound of bran in a gal- 
lon of water and with it wash the 
paint. This will thoroughly clean 
the most delicate surfaces without 
in j uring them. 

To Clean Coarse Paint. — First go 
over it with a cloth dipped in kero- 
sene to loosen the smoke and grime. 
Then rinse with J teacupful of kero- 
sene in 1 gallon of water, and wipe 
dry with a soft cloth. 

Or mix baking soda with water 
to form a thin paste. Smear the 
paint with this and wipe off with a 
cloth wrung out of clear warm wa- 
ter. Cover a small surface at a 
time and remove the soda before it 
dries. 

Or wet a cloth in strong soda and 
water, wash the paint quickly, rinse 
with clear water, and dry at once. 
This should not be used on varnish 
or delicate paint. The cloth should 
be damp rather than wet. 

Or mix 1 tablespoonful of am- 
monia with 1 quart or more of 
warm water for coarse or dirty 
woodwork. This saves labor and 
takes off the dirt, but should not be 
used on varnish or delicate painted 
surfaces. 

Or dissolve 1 bar of hard white 
soap in 1 gallon of boiling water. 
Add 1 tablespoonful each of sal 
soda and saltpeter and 2 tablespoon- 
fuls of ammonia. Bottle and cork 
tightly for future use. 

Or mix 1 quart of sweet oil with 

1 pint of turpentine and apply. 

To Polish Woodwork. — Mix equal 
parts of lard oil and turpentine, or 

2 parts of sweet oil to 1 part of 
turpentine, and rub the woodwork 
lightly with a cloth saturated with 
the mixture. This may be used on 
any painted surface after washing. 

To Remove Smoke Stains. — To re- 
move smoke stains, wet a cloth, dip 



it into very fine sifted wood or coal 
ashes, and scour the paint clean. 

To Remove Match Stains. — To re- 
move the marks left by scratching 
matches on paint, rub gently with a 
slice of fresh lemon and rinse with 
clear water, using a soft cloth. 

To Remove Paint. — Detergents 
recommended for removing paint 
from woodwork are turpentine, ben- 
zine, gasoline, chloroform, oxalic 
acid, ether, alcohol, caustic potash, 
sal soda, and quicklime. When paint 
begins to check, it indicates that its 
ingredients were impure, and it must 
be removed. 

To soften the paint, apply with a 
paint brush wood alcohol, spirits of 
turpentine, benzine, or a strong so- 
lution of equal parts of oxalic acid 
and water. Any of these will soften 
the paint so that it can be wiped off 
with a coarse cloth or scrubbed 
away. Repeat as often as necessary. 

Or, if these do not soften the 
paint, apply chloroform, either alone 
or mixed with an equal quantity of 
spirits of ammonia. Moisten only a 
smaU surface, and scrape off the 
paint while moist before proceeding 
farther. 

Or slake 3 pounds of quicklime, 
add 1 pound of potash, and dilute 
with water to the consistency of 
cream. Apply with a paint brush 
and let stand over night. Remove 
by washing the surface with a flan- 
nel cloth or mop dipped in a strong 
solution of sal soda and ammonia. 

Or scrub with a stiff scrubbing 
brush. 

Or dissolve a bar of hard yellow 
soap in twice its bulk of water. 
When cool, add 1 tablespoonful of 
potash lye and i cupful of kerosene. 
Before the mixture sets, apply to 
the woodwork with a paint brush. 
After 24 hours apply a strong so- 
lution of sal soda with a scrubbing 
brush. 

Or paint may be burned off by 
going over the surface with a flat 
flame produced by a regular lamp 
made for that purpose, called a 
"paint burner." 



420 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Or apply a red-hot iron. Take 
care to remove the paint as soon as 
it is soft and before the wood is 
charred or burned. 

To Remove Putty. — Go over the 
surface of the putty with a red-hot 
poker or other iron, taking care not 
to burn or char the woodwork. The 
putty can then be peeled oflp with a 
blunt knife blade. 

Or with a brush apply a, paste 
made of soap jelly containing caus- 
tic potash or soda. 

Or apply dilute sulphuric, nitric, 
or muriatic acid with a brush. But 
if any of these soaks into the wood- 
work, it tends to rot the frames. 
Hence burning is the better method. 

To Destroy the Odor of Paint. — 
Fill a pail partly full of hay and 
pour over it boiling water. Let it 
stand in the room which has been 
painted. 

WHITEWASHING 

Before applying whitewash, go over 
the wall or ceiling with a brush or 
dust cloth to remove dust, and wash 
with clear water. Fill all cracks and 
broken places with new plaster. Cut 
away the edges of broken places to 
make a square edge. Fill small cracks 
and 'breaks with plaster of Paris. 
Do not apply whitewash until the 
surface is quite dry. Give two or 
more coats as needed. 

To Prepare Whitewash. — The prin- 
cipal ingredients in various kinds of 
whitewash are slaked lime, whiting, 
Paris white or sulphate of baryta, 
oxide and sulphate of zinc, alum, 
sugar, rice and wheat flour, and glue 
mixed with milk or water. These 
ingredients are used in various com- 
binations. The addition of a little 
bluing will make a clearer white, 
and a small amount of salt assists 
by making the whitewash stick bet- 
ter. 

The following mixtures are recom- 
mended : 

Dissolve 2 ounces of fresh slaked 
lime in a small amount of milk to 
the consistency of cream. Add suf- 



ficient milk to make 2 quarts and 
stir in slowly 5 pounds of whiting. 
Mix the whole mass thoroughly by 
beating with a wooden spoon or an 
egg beater. For a clear white, add 
a little bluing. For a cream color, 
add a small amount of ocher, or tint 
with any other coloring matter as 
desired. 

Or mix 4 pounds of Spanish whit- 
ing with cold water to the consist- 
ency of milk. Dissolve 2 ounces of 
pure white glue in hot water over a 
slow fire, and pour it into the whit- 
ing in a thin stream while hot, stir- 
ring thoroughly. 

Or slake a suJSicient amount of 
lime in water to make a pailful of 
whitewash, and while still hot stir in 
a pint of flour boiled with water to 
form a thin cooked starch. Stir well 
and dilute with hot water to the 
right consistency. 

Or prepare a wash of slaked lime 
in a pail or tub and strain through 
cheese cloth. Mix 4 ounces of whit- 
ing or pulverized burnt alum, 2 
pounds of sugar, and 2 quarts of 
rice flour with hot water and bring 
to a boil, stirring constantly. Add 
this mixture to 1 pailful of sifted 
lime wash. Add also 1 pound of 
best white glue dissolved in boiling 
water over a slow fire. This is a very 
brilliant and durable wash and will 
last for many years. 

Or slake 8 quarts of lime, and add 
I pound of sulphate of zinc and i 
pound of common salt' dissolved in 
water. This is a hard, firm wash 
that will not crack. 

Or mix 6 pounds of Paris white 
with cold water to form a paste, and 
dilute with hot water to the consist- 
ency of milk. Stir in 4 ounces of the 
best white glue dissolved in boiling 
water over a slow fire. This is a 
cheap wash and gives a fine, bril- 
liant surface. 

To Color Whitewash. — For a fine 
clear white, add a little bluing. 

For a reddish pink, add Spanish 
brown. 

For a red stone color, mix com- 
mon clay with Spanish brown. 



HOUSE CLEANING 



421 



For yellow, add yellow ocher (or 
chrome yellow, which goes farther 
and makes a better shade). 

For gray or lead color, add lamp- 
black. 

For cream color, yellow ocher. 

For stone color, 3 parts each of 
Umber and lampblack. 

For fawn color, 4 parts of umber, 
3 parts of Indian red, and 1 part of 
lampblack. 

Do not use green with whitewash. 

The quantity of coloring matter 
required depends upon the amount 
of v/hitewash and the warmth of the 
tint desired, and must be deter- 
mined by experiment, but approxi- 
mately two or three pounds to a 
pailful of wash will be advisable. 

Whitewash for Outdoor Use. — To 
make a good whitewash for fences, 
outbuildings, barns, stucco, and oth- 
er surfaces exposed to the weather, 
slake 13 quarts of lime in a tight 
cask or barrel. Cover with canvas 
to keep in the steam. Strain through 
a large piece of cheese cloth or a 
fine sieve and add 2 quarts of coarse 
salt and 2 gallons of water. Bring 
this to a boil and skim off any im- 
purities. Stir in 2 pounds of potash, 
8 quarts of fine sand, and coloring 
matter as desired. This wash may 
be applied to wood, brick, or stone, 
looks as good as paint, and is weath- 
erproof, fireproof, and very durable. 
It is an excellent preservative for 
shingle roofs and walls. 

Or slake 8 quarts of lime in a 
tight cask or barrel, strain, and add 
2 quarts of salt dissolved in hot wa- 
ter. Add boUing starch made of 3 
pounds of rice flour. First mix the 
starch with cold water to a thin 
paste, dilute with hot water, and boil 
the mixture 15 minutes. Stir in 
while boiling hot. Then stir in 4 
ounces of powdered whiting and 8 
ounces of best white glue dissolved 
in hot water over a slow fire. Dilute 
with 3 gallons of hot water, stir vig- 
orously, cover, and let stand 3 or 4 
days. This mixture should cover 24 
to 36 square yards of wood, brick, 
or stone. It may be used instead 



of oil paints, is much cheaper, and 
will last for years. It should be 
applied hot, which may be done by 
using a portable furnace or by sus- 
pending a kettle over a camp fire by 
means of three poles in the form of 
a tripod. 

Or slake 8 quarts of lime, strain, 
and add 1 pound of dissolved glue 
and 1 or 2 quarts of boiled linseed 
oil. Dilute with water. 

Or dissolve in hot water 4 quarts 
of water lime, 4 quarts of fresh- 
slaked lime, 4 pounds of powdered 
yellow ocher, and 4 pounds of burnt 
umber. This gives a rich cream col- 
or for fences, outhouses, and barns. 

Wash for Bricks. — To make a 
wash for red brick walls, dissolve 2 
ounces of glue in 1 gallon of water 
over a slow fire. Soaking the glue 
for a day or two beforehand will 
make it dissolve more quickly. Bring 
the glue to a boil and stir in 1 
tablespoonful of powdered alum, J 
pound of Venetian red, and 1 pound 
of Spanish brown. Or vary these 
proportions according to taste. Mix 
and apply with a brush. 

To Prepare Calcimine. — Dissolve 
with boiling water in separate ket- 
tles 10 pounds of Spanish whiting, 
8 ounces of white glue, and 8 ounces 
of powdered alum. Use in each case 
enough water to make a thin cream. 
Pour together, stirring vigorously, 
strain through cheese cloth, and add 
1 teaspoonful of bluing. Apply while 
warm. Add coloring matter to suit, 
and dilute with soap jelly to the 
right consistency. Remove paper, if 
any, wash off old calcimine or lime, 
fill holes or cracks with plaster of 
Paris, and apply a sizing of glue or 
shellac. 

Mix calcimine with any coloring 
matter desired and apply the same 
as whitewash. 

Blue Wash for Walls and Ceil- 
ings. — Dissolve 1 pound of blue vit- 
riol and 8 ounces of whiting in 3 
quarts of water. Boil with gentle 
heat 2 or 3 hours, stirring fre- 
quently. Remove from the fire, stir, 
and aUow to cool. Pour the liquor 



422 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



from the sediment, mix the latter 
with 1 ounce of common glue dis- 
solved in 1 gallon of water, and ap- 
ply with a brush. 

To Paint rrescoes. — To paint in 
fresco consists in applying colors 
not injured by lime to the fresh 
mortar, stucco, or plaster while still 
damp. The advantage of this sort 
of painting is that it incorporates 
with the mortar, dries with it, and 
is very durable. Frescoes may be 
applied in any design, free hand or 
by means of stencil. Or the walls 
may be painted in fresco with tints 
or solid colors. 

Glazing for rrescoes. — To protect 
frescoes, dilute paraffin with benzol, 
and apply a thin coating with a 
brush. 

PAPER HANGING 

To Remove Wall Paper. — To pre- 
pare a wall for fresh treatment, 
whether by painting, calcimining, or 
hanging fresh paper, first remove 
any paper that may be on the walls. 
Never lay one paper over another. 
The germ of disease, eggs of ver- 
min, and other obnoxious matter are 
not to be gotten rid of by this proc- 
ess. Wet the walls with boiling wa- 
ter applied with a whitewash brush, 
and remove the paper with a hand 
scraper or a large case knife or 
wide-bladed putty knife. Do not al- 
low the scrapings to harden on the 
floor, as when dry they are very dif- 
ficult to remove. After the paper is 
off, wash down the walls with pure 
water or strong soda water or vine- 
gar and water applied with a large 
sponge or brush. Let them dry thor- 
oughly befoi'e treating. 

To Repair Plaster. — To repair 
cracks formed in plaster by the set- 
tling of new houses, the sagging of 
old houses, the decay of ceilings and 
floor timbers, and accidental breaks 
in the plaster, first cut away the 
edges of the cracks or breaks with a 
sharp Isnife. Make the edge straight 
or slightly slanting in. Then fill 
with plaster of Paris mixed with 



water, to which may be added vine- 
gar, flour paste, or sand. 

Or fill with paper pulp moistened 
with glue. 

To mend small breaks, mix plaster 
of Paris with cold water and apply 
quickly with a case knife, smoothing 
the plaster as you apply it. Mix 
a small quantity at a time and work 
quickly, as the plaster hardens very 
fast. 

Or to prevent plaster of Paris 
from hardening quickly, when repair- 
ing larger breaks that take more 
material and more time, mix 1 table- 
spoonful of plaster of Paris with 3 
or 3 tablespoonfuls of fine sand and 
dilute with vinegar. The more vine- 
gar used, the slower the plaster will 
set. 

Or mix plaster of Paris with an 
equal quantity of cold flour paste. 

Or to mend large cracks and breaks, 
soak bits of wall paper to a pulp 
with water, squeeze out the water, 
and mix to a stiff paste or jell with 
thin size or glue made by dissolving 
1 ounce of good glue in 1 pint of hot 
water over a slow fire. Pour the 
whole on cheese cloth to remove the 
excess of water. Press the paper 
pulp into the cracks and holes in the 
plaster with a putty knife. But do 
not quite fill the crack to the surface 
of the plaster, as the pulp does not 
admit of a smooth surface. When 
nearly dry, smooth the surface with 
plaster of Paris and let dry before 
tinting or repapering. The paper 
pulp when hard is as strong as wood, 
and cracks filled in this manner will 
never reopen. 

Size for Paper Hanging, — To pre- 
pare walls for paper hanging, first 
remove old paper, mend cracks and 
breaks, and wash down the walls 
with a cloth or sponge wet in warm 
water. Then apply with a whitewash 
brush a solution of 4 ounces of com- 
mon glue dissolved in 1 gallon of 
boiling water over a slow fire. Or 
apply a good shellac size. 

Paste for Paper Hanging. — See 
" Adhesives " elsewhere in this vol- 



HOUSE CLEANING 



423 



To Hang Wall Paper. — First trim 
close to the pattern the plain strip on 
one edge of the paper, but not the 
other. Next measure the height of the 
room by holding an end of the paper 
up to the ceiling and marking along 
the baseboard with any blunt instru- 
ment. Cut along this mark and use 
the first strip as a pattern. Cut a 
sufficient number of additional strips 
for the plain walls, making allowances 
for doors and windows. Lay the strips 
face down on a large table, or make 
a suitable bench by laying old boards 




Lay the Strips on a Table." 



across a couple of chair backs or bar- 
rels. Apply the paste with a white- 
wash brush. If the paper is heavy, 
let it lie after pasting until it is slight- 
ly soaked with the paste, or until the 
surface is sticky rather than wet. 
Commence at a door or window and 
place the close-cut edge against the 
frame. First press the upper end 
against the ceiling and press down- 
ward with a clean cloth. Place the 
next strip so that the close-cut edge 
will overlie the half-inch strip left 
upon the first strip, and so proceed 
until the room is finished. 

But remember that all heavy-weight 
papers in solid colors, as ingrain, du- 
plex, or cartridge papers, and most 
cloth or fabric wall coverings, must 
be " butted " rather than overlapped. 
That is, the edges must be placed close 
enough together to cover the wall, but 
without overlapping each other. 

To fit around doors, window cas- 



ings, and other jogs, cut and paste a 
full strip, apply it to the wall at the 
ceiling, and press with a cloth down 
to the top of the door or window 
frame and along the side of the ad- 
jacent wall. Press carefully up to 
the frame and cut along the edge 
with a sharp knife to take out the 
section of paper which comes over the 
door or window. It will assist to clip 
diagonally with shears toward the 
corner of the opening; taking care 
not to clip too far, although the di- 
agonal clipping, if it extends into the 
paper on the wall, may be concealed 
by carefully bringing the edges to- 
gether. 

To Paper a Rough Wall.— To paper 
old walls of boards, planks, or wains- 
coting without plaster, or sanded walls 
that have not been " skimmed " with 
plaster or lime, or other rough sur- 
faces, it may be necessary to first 
hang a layer of cotton cloth to furnish 
a smooth surface on which to hang 
paper. The difficulty of hanging paper 
on a rough surface is that the paper, 
being stiflF, does not yield to the de- 
pressions in the wall. Hence air 
spaces are left that cause the paper 
to blister and peel off. The advan- 
tages of using cloth are that it is 
flexible, that it takes up more paste 
than paper does, and hence that it 
adheres more closely to the wall. It 
affords a smooth and suitable surface 
on which to hang paper, and gives the 
final result a good appearance. First 
go over rough surfaces with sand- 
paper. Tack this to a large block of 
wood, into which, to avoid using a 
stepladder, insert an old broom han- 
dle. 

Next apply liberally to the walls 
hot boiled flour or other suitable paste 
containing a tablespoonful of borax 
to each gallon of water. Cover with 
paste one strip at a time, and immedi- 
ately hang on the wet wall any suit- 
able cotton stuff. Unbleached cotton 
sheeting or cheese cloth answers this 
purpose; or old sheets, pillowcases, 
and the like may be utilized. After 
hanging the cloth, brush it down with 
a whitewash brush dipped in the hot 



424 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



paste, and allow it to dry. Then hang 
the wall paper in the usual manner. 

To Paint Rough Walls. — To obtain 
a suitable surface for painting or tint- 
ing in colors on rough boards, sanded 
walls, stucco, or other rough surfaces, 
first apply a layer of cotton cloth as 
above and hang a cheap, light-colored 
wall paper. When dry, pare off with 
a potato knife the seams in the paper 
caused by overlapping the edges, run- 
ning the sharp edge down the seam 
from top to bottom, or use carefully 
an old razor for this purpose. Apply 
two or three coats of paint and white 
varnish alternately, allowing one to 
dry before putting on the next. The 
varnish will prevent the paint from 
becoming soiled, and the surface will 
last a lifetime. 

To Paint a "Whitewashed Wall. — 
Scrape off the loose lime with any 
blunt-edged tool. A hoe is convenient. 
Go over the wall with sandpaper tacked 
to a large block of wood and fastened 
to a handle. Wash with a sponge to 
remove the lime and let dry. Fill 
cracks and breaks with plaster of 
Paris. They will be concealed by the 
paint. Do not use putty for this pur- 
pose, as that when dry would have a 
different-looking surface. Apply one 
or two coats of shellac or glue size, 3 
or 4 ounces of either to a gallon of 
boiling water. Cover with any suit- 
able paint and varnish. 

CARE OP WALLS 

To Clean Wall Paper. — Brush down 
the walls with a hairbrush or dust 
cloth, then cut a loaf of yeast bread 
two or three days old once vertically 
through the middle, and again cross- 
wise. Hold these pieces by the crust 
and rub the wall downward with long, 
light strokes. Do not rub across the 
paper, or rub harder than is neces- 
sary. An ordinary coarse grater held 
in the left hand will be found con- 
yenient to rub off the surface of the 
bread as it becomes soiled. Clean thor- 
oughly as you go. 

Or make a stiff dough of rye flOur 
and water and apply in the same man- 



ner. The dough should be stiff enough 
not to stick to the hands or to the 
paper. Take a piece as large as the 
fist, dip it in dry corn meal, and use 
until it becomes soiled. Change as 
often as necessary. 

Or make a similar stiff dough of 
wheat flour and water. Afterwards 
brush down the walls with a clean soft 
brush or dust cloth to remove the 
crumbs. 

To Remove Grease from Wall Paper. 
— To remove grease and oil stains 
from wall paper, fold a piece of 
blotting paper, and in the fold 
spread pipe clay or French chalk. 
Stitch or pin the edges together to 
keep the chalk from falling out. Lay 
this over the grease spot and apply a 
hot iron, taking care not to scorch 
the paper. Change the blotting paper 
occasionally, and, if necessary, repeat 
with a fresh iron. 

Or make a thick paste of powdered 
pipe clay or French chalk and apply 
it to the spot with a brush. Let it re- 
main until dry. Then brush off and 
repeat if necessary. 

To Dust Walls. — To remove dust 
from walls, use a clean hairbrush or 
window brush with a suitable handle. 
Brush from the top downward. 

Or make a bag to cover the head 
of the broom. 

Or draw a sleeve or leg of a suit 
of old knit underwear over the head 
of the broom. Put the broom handle 
through the large part and draw it 
well down over the broom. The down- 
ward motion of the broom on the wall 
will hold the cloth tightly in place. 

Or crumple an old paper bag in the 
hands, but without tearing it, and slip 
it over the head of the broom. This 
can be removed and burned after 
using. 

Or insert into a clean mop handle 
a suitable dust cloth, as several thick- 
nesses of cheese cloth or discarded 
cotton or woolen underwear, and sweep 
down the walls with this. 

To Mend Wall Paper. — To patch a 
spot knocked out of the wall paper, 
or holes in exposed cracks or edges, 
take a piece of paper to match the 



HOUSE CLEANING 



4^5 



pattern aiid expose to the sun until 
it fades to the same shade. Cut a 
patch an inch or two larger than the 
broken place, laj it face down on a 
piece of glass, moisten it with a suit- 
able paste, and when moist scrape or 
pare the edge with a sharp knife or 
old razor to a very fine slant or bevel. 

Lay on a fresh coat of paste, es- 
pecially around the edge, and apply 
the patch so as to match the design. 
Rub the edges down with gentle strokes 
of a soft cloth, and if done skillfully 
the patch will not be noticeable. 

Or, if spots are too small to patch, 
obtain, for a few cents, a child's box 
of water colors, mix the colors to ob- 
tain the right shade, and paint the 
spots with a small camel's-hair brush. 
A 25-cent box of colors will last 
a long time, and a little practice 
will enable anyone to match the colors 
and keep the wall paper in good order. 
Faded spots left on solid-colored wall 
papers by the removal of pictures may 
be renovated by painting them with 
dyestuff. Select a color as near that 
of the paper as possible, follow the 
directions that come with the dye, and 
apply to the wall with a brush. Care 
must be taken not to let the dye drip 
on floor coverings or furniture. When 
first applied, the painted spot will be 
darker than the rest, but it will quick- 
ly dry to its proper tint or shade. 

To Clean Calcimined Walls. — Rub 
on corn meal with a coarse cloth, or 
moisten a soft cloth or sponge in aqua 
ammonia and rub spots very lightly. 

To Renovate Blackened Walls. — ^A 
smoked or blackened ceiling or wall 
may be cleaned by means of a cloth 
wrung out of a strong solution of 
baking soda and water. Or use vine- 
gar and water. If the stain is not all 
removed, dissolve gum shellac in alco- 
hol to the consistency of milk or 
cream and with it cover the sooty 
parts. Paint or whitewash over the 
shellac. The black will not show 
through. 

To Dry Walls that Are Damp. — If 
there is much dampness in a room 
that is not commonly heated, it may 
cause the walls to mold or mildew, be- 



sides being unhealthy. To absorb the 
dampness, place unslaked lime in flat, 
open vessels, as dripping pans, plates, 
or saucers. Lime has an affinity for 
dampness and also purifies the air. 
Renew the lime as fast as it becomes 
air-slaked and crumbles into a fine, 
dry powder. 

Walls are often damp for no ap- 
parent cause. Brick and other porous 
walls may hold moisture, or it may 
work up from springs through the 
foundations of brick or stone houses. 
The causes should be sought and, if 
possible, removed. 

To prepare damp walls for cal- 
cimine or paper, make a size of 1 
ounce of glue to 1 gallon of water, 
and add 4 ounces of alum and 4 ounces 
of boiled linseed oil. Apply one or 
two coats and let dry before paper- 
ing. 

Or apply with a whitewash brush, 
during summer when the wall is dryer, 
a solution of 1 pound of castile or 
other hard white soap in 1 gallon of 
water. Let stand a day or two 
to dry. Follow with a second coat of 
J pound of alum in a pailful of water, 
and let dry before papering. 

Or, if the walls are very damp, ap- 
ply thin sheet lead or tin foil to the 
walls with a suitable cement. Or 
fasten with flat-headed copper tacks. 
These may be driven into the damp 
spots only or, if necessary, into the 
entire wall. Afterwards paper. 

To Remove Mold from Walls. — To 
remove mold or mildew from walls or 
ceilings, apply with a whitewash brush 
a solution of 1 pound of chloride of 
lime dissolved in a pailful of water. 

To prevent dampness when build- 
ing, after the walls are a few feet 
above the ground lay a row of stone 
or brick with a mixture of tar pitch 
and fine sand in place of mortar. 

WINDOWS, DOORS, ETC. 

To Clean Windows. — Do not use 
soapsuds on windows. The soap ad- 
heres and requires a good deal of 
rinsing to remove. The easiest way 
to clean windows is with a chamois 



426 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



or clean cloth and clear water. Wring 
out the chamois or cloth so as to be 
wet but not dripping, and wash the 
windows clean. Afterwards wring dry 
and go over them again. Finally pol- 
ish with a dry cloth or chamois. Rinse 




Clean Windows with a Chamois.' 



the cloth and change the water as 
often as necessary. 

Or, if the windows are much soiled, 
use a little washing soda, but do not 
let water containing soda drip or stain 
the paint on the sash. Wash one pane 
at a time and wipe with a dry cloth. 
Or add a little gasoline to the water. 
This cleans quickly and gives a high 
polish. 

Or add 1 tablespoonful of kerosene 
or ammonia to 1 quart of water. 

Or, if the windows are not much 
soiled, wet them with a soft cloth 
dampened with kerosene or ammonia 
water, and wipe with a dry cloth. 

Or mix a little dry starch with cold 
water to the consistency of cream, 
and wash the windows with this, leav- 
ing it to dry on. When dry, rub it off 
with a damp newspaper. This gives 
a high polish without lint or streaks. 

To Remove Paint. — To remove paint 
spots from windows, soften them with 
hot, strong vinegar, and rub a copper 



or silver coin over them to loosen the 
paint. 

To Eemove Putty. — To remove put- 
ty, go over it with a red-hot poker or 
other hot iron, taking care not to 
touch the paint on the window sashes. 
When the putty is hot, slip a dull 
knife blade between it and the wood- 
work and it will readily come off. 
Any other method that will remove 
putty is likely to injure the paint on 
the sashes. 

Or apply two or three coats of par- 
affin oil by means of a small brush, 
allowing each coat a half hour or more 
to penetrate before the next one is 
applied. 

Or apply soft soap freely by means 
of a brush. In a short time the hard- 
ened linseed oil is dissolved, making 
the putty plastic, so that it can be 
readily removed. 

-Window Corners. — Use a whisk 
broom to dig out the corners of the 
window sash, or use wings of turkeys, 
geese, or chickens. These are also 
Cood to wash windows, £is they are 
free from dust and lint. 

Or use a piece of whalebone or a 
skewer to clean out the corners of the 
sash. 

To Polish Windows, — Polish win- 
dows with dry chamois or tissue paper 
or an old newspaper slightly mois- 
tened. 

Or apply with a moistened rag pow- 
dered indigo, pumice stone, or fuller's 
earth, and polish. 

Or fold a piece of cheesecloth and 
put a quantity of pulverized pumice 
stone between the folds, stitching 
around the edge to keep the powder 
from spilling. Polish chimneys and 
window panes with this prepared cloth. 
It gives a high polish instantly, and 
will last a long time. 

Or with a soft cloth rub a little 
vinegar on the glass. Rub dry and 
polish. 

To Prevent Windows from Steam- 
ing. — After cleaning the glass, rub 
over it a rag slightly moistened with 
glycerin. 

Windows — To Keep Out the Sun. — 
Make a paste of powdered gum traga- 



HOUSE CLEANING 



427 



canth and white of egg. Beat with an 
egg beater and let it stand twenty- 
four hours. Apply with a soft brush 
and let dry. 

To Clean Mirrors. — Mix a little 
powdered bluing, whiting, or pumice 
stone with alcohol to form a thin 
paste. Smear the surface of the mir- 
ror with this by means of a small 
sponge or soft rag, and before the al- 
cohol evaporates rub it dry with a 
clean cloth. Afterwards polish with 
silk, chamois, or tissue paper. 

Or wring a cloth or chamois out of 
clear water, dip in dry whiting, and 
apply. Rub with a dry cloth or cham- 
ois and polish. 

Or apply whiting mixed with tea to 
form a thin paste. Use clear tea to 
remove stains. 

Or wring a newspaper as you would 
a cloth out of cold water, so that it 
will be damp but not wet. Rub the 
glass with this, and afterwards dry 
with a fresh newspaper softened by 
crumpling it in the hands. 

To Polish Mirrors. — Use a dry 
chamois or pimiice bag, or a silk hand- 
kerchief, or tissue paper, or apply 
powdered chalk or whiting with any 
of these. Or use a dry cloth slightly 
moistened with a few drops of aqua 
ammonia. 

To Support Window Sashes. — To 
support window sashes not provided 
with sash lines and pulleys, obtain a 
number of ordinary bottle corks and 
a bit or an auger of the same size. 
Bore three or four holes in the side 
of the sash and insert a piece of cork 
in each of these, letting it project 
just enough to rub against the groove 
of the window frame. The elasticity 
of the corks will admit of the window 
being raised, but the pressure will be 
sufficient to support the sash at any 
desired height. Renew the corks as 
often as necessary. 

To Lubricate Window Sashes. — To 
lubricate a window sash that rubs or 
swells in damp weather so that it can- 
not be raised and lowered readily, 
slush freely with common yellow soap 
the edge of the sash and the groove in 
which it runs. This may be done by 



moistening the soap and rubbing it 
over the parts, or by dissolving the 
soap in its own bulk of water, and 
applying the soap jelly with a brush. 

Or use a wax candle instead of 
soap. 

To Prevent Window Sashes from 
Rattling-. — A half of a clothespin will 
cure temporarily the rattling of a 
window sash. 

To Bestore Window Glass. — To re- 
store the transparency of window 
glass that has become dingy by ex- 
posure to the elements, rub with di- 
lute muriatic acid, 1 part of acid to 
10 parts of water, and polish with a 
moist cloth dipped in whiting. 

To Keep Doors Open. — Cover a com- 
mon red brick with cretonne, carpet, 
or any suitable material to match 
the floor covering, and have a number 
of these weights about the house to 
place against the doors and keep them 
open. 

To Prevent Doors from Creaking. 
— Dip a feather in oil and apply to 
the hinges. 

Or rub on a piece of soap. 

Or mix equal parts of soap, lard, 
and black lead, and apply with the 
point of a lead pencil or in melted 
form by means of a small brush. 

Burglar-proof Lock. — Lock the 
door, leave the key in the lock, and 
keep it there by means of a heavy 
copper wire 11 inches long bent in 
the shape of a hairpin. Put this over 
the spindle back of the knob, with 
the ends down through the head of the 
key. The key cannot then be pushed 
out or turned by a burglar's tool or 
another key inserted from the out- 
side. This is a convenient device for 
a traveler to use in hotels, where du- 
plicate keys are often issued to ser- 
vants and others. 

Or one end of the wire may be fas- 
tened to the casement by means of a 
staple, and the other end formed into 
a hook to hold the key in position. 

Or an ordinary hook may be used 
for this purpose. 

Skeleton Key. — Obtain from a lock- 
smith a skeleton key similar to the 
keys used by burglars and furnished 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



to employees of hotels whose duties 
require them to have admission to all 
the rooms. This will be exceedingly 
convenient when other keys are lost 
or mislaid. 

To Fit Keys, — To fit an old key or 
a blank to replace a key that has been 
lost, hold the key to be fitted in the 
flame of a candle until it is thorough- 
ly blackened, insert it carefully in the 
lock, and turn it until it strikes the 
wards. Withdraw the key and file 
away the parts where the soot has 
been rubbed off by the wards. 

CLEANING AND CARE OF FURNITURE 

To Clean Furniture. — Furniture, 
like other woodwork, tends to shrink 
if it becomes too dry, and should be 
washed for the sake of moisture as 
well as for the sake of cleanliness. 
Hence furniture, besides being cleaned, 
when necessary, with suitable cleans- 
ing compounds, should be sponged oc- 
casionally with clear water and wiped 
dry. 

But do not use soap or washing 
powders on painted or varnished fur- 
niture. Remove dirt, dust, and stains 
with other cleansing agents, and rinse 
by sponging with clear water. Wipe 
dry, oil, and polish. Detergents recom- 
mended ,.for cleaning furniture, re- 
moving finger marks, white spots, and 
stains are olive, sweet, linseed, paraf- 
fin, and other oils; whiting, fuller's 
earth, cold tea, kerosene, turpentine, 
soda, essence of peppermint, camphor, 
asphaltum, vinegar, various acids, and 
combinations of these. 

To Wash Furniture. — To wash fur- 
niture, use a large sponge, wipe dry, 
and polish dry as possible with a 
chamois skin wrung out of clear water, 
or with a soft flannel cloth. Do not 
use dry chamois on varnished wood 
or polished surfaces. Wipe always in 
one direction, preferably with the grain 
of the wood. 

Wash carved wood with a stiff hair 
paint brush dipped in clear water. 

Or wash with cold tea applied with 
a sponge or brush, vidpe dry, oil, and 
polish. 



Care of Furniture. — To keep pol- 
ished or varnished furniture in good 
order, each article should be gone 
over lightly once a week on cleaning 
day with clear hot (not boiling) water 
without soap, or with cold tea, or any 
other suitable cleanser. 

Or, if there is not time for this, af- 
ter dusting the furniture, rub it over 
with a cloth moistened with kerosene, 
turpentine, cold tea, or cold-drawn 
linseed oil, or with a mixture of equal 
parts of these. This practice will as- 
sist in keeping it in good order. 

To Remove Finger Marks. — Mois- 
ten a flannel cloth in olive, linseed, 
sweet, or paraffin oil to remove the 
spots. Wipe dry, and polish with flan- 
nel or a chamois skin wrung out of 
clear water. For oiled furniture use 
kerosene. 

To Remove White Marks. — To re- 
move white marks on furniture caused 
by heat or water, hold a hot iron near 
them, but not near enough to burn or 
scorch. 

Or rub with a cloth moistened with 
kerosene. 

Or with a cloth apply equal parts 
of linseed oil and alcohol. 

Or, if the stain is obstinate, cover 
with baking soda and hold a hot iron 
close to the spot, taking care not to 
scorch or burn the wood. Repeat if 
necessary. 

Or apply olive oil or sweet oil, and 
polish with a cloth moistened in al- 
cohol. 

Or apply essence of peppermint 
with a cloth. Wipe dry and polish. 

Or use a mixture composed of equal 
parts of vinegar, sweet oil, and tur- 
pentine. 

Or rub with a cloth wet in spirits 
of camphor or camphorated oil or 
turpentine. 

Or use a cloth saturated with any 
of these. 

After using any of the above, wipe 
the spot dry, apply furniture oil, and 
polish with damp chamois or silk or 
linen cloth. Do not allow alcohol, 
turpentine, camphor, or similar de- 
tergents to remain on a polished sur- 
face. 



HOUSE CLEANING 



429 



To Hemove Ink Stains. — To remove 
ink stains, first test the ink by ap- 
plying water to see if it contains coal- 
tar products, as eosin or nigrosine. 
If these are present the ink when wet 
will run. In that case use an alkali, 
as baking soda mixed with water to 
form a paste, and let it dry on. Re- 
peat if necessary. 

Or, if water does not cause the ink 
to run, it is probably an iron-gall or 
logwood ink; hence apply an acid, 
preferably oxalic acid, dissolved in 
an equal quantity of water. Saturate 
a cloth with the solution and lay it on 
the spot to soften the ink. Then wash 
with the solution until the ink disap- 
pears. 

Or apply salts of lemon. 

Or a mixture of 6 parts of spirits 
of salt (diluted hydrochloric acid) 
and 1 part of salts of lemon. 

Or use 1 part of nitric, muriatic, 
or sulphuric acid diluted with 10 parts 
of water. Apply by dipping a cork 
in the mixture and touching the stain, 
or by means of a feather. 

But remember that all of these acids 
are poisonous, and that all except ox- 
alic acid will burn or blister the skin. 
Also, if used in too great strength, 
they will remove paint and varnish 
and themselves stain the surfaces they 
are applied to. Hence use no more 
acid than is necessary and immedi- 
ately sponge oflf with clear water con- 
taining a little ammonia, wipe dry, 
oil, and polish. 

To Remove Bruises from Furniture. 
— To renovate furniture that has been 
bruised or scratched without injuring 
the fiber of the wood, apply moisture 
and heat. Wet a cloth in warm water, 
not hot, and lay it over the parts. 
Hold near a hot iron, but not near 
enough to scorch or char the wood. 
Repeat until the bruise comes up. If 
the varnish is discolored, apply any 
of the above remedies. 

Or use, instead of cloth, several 
thicknesses of brown paper moistened 
in water. 

Or, if the bruise is small, omit the 
cloth or paper. Wet the spot and 
hold near it a hot iron. Then lay over 



the scratched or bruised surface a 
cloth dipped in linseed oil. Finally 
rub with a mixture of equal parts of 
turpentine and linseed oil, and polish. 
Oils for Wood Furniture. — Furni- 
ture polish containing oil or wax will 
not be needed if the wood is washed 
occasionally with clear warm water, 
not hot, without soap, and rubbed 
dry with chamois or a soft cloth. 
But if furniture polish containing 




Oil Must Be Rubbed In.'* 



fixed oils is used the furniture must 
be rubbed vigorously and kept in 
condition by daily rubbing to pre- 
vent oil accumulating so as to be felt 
or seen. Furniture oil should be 
sparingly used and the wood rubbed 
to a high polish or until it does not 
have any greasy feel. 

Soap for Furniture. — Soap should 
not be used on wood finished with 
shellac or varnish or , treated with 
furniture wax or oil. Soap has the 
property of destroying oily and resi- 
nous substances, and thus tends to 
eat away the coating, destroy the 
polish, and expose the wood. 

To K-emove Furniture Scratches. 
— Go over the articles with a soft 
rag dampened in kerosene oil. This 
will cause aU light scratches or sur- 
face bruises to disappear. 

Or, if the scratches or cracks are 
deep, melt a little beeswax, and thin 



430 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



out with turpentine to the consist- 
ency of sirup. Apply with a soft 
cloth, and polish with flannel or vel- 
veteen. 

To Restore the Color of Furniture. 
—Apply raw linseed oil by means of 
a flannel cloth to restore the color, 
and let stand over night. 

Or, for highly polished surfaces, 
as; rosewood or mahogany, apply a 
cloth moistened witii alcohol. After- 
wards polish with a soft cloth mois- 
tened with turpentine. 

Linseed Oil for Furniture. — Ap- 
ply raw linseed oil as a restorer, with 
or without an equal quantity of tur- 
pentine. 

Care of Piano. — The back of the 
piano should be protected by a dust 
cloth of denim or other suitable ma- 
terial tacked or pasted lightly to the 
frame. In moist climate the wires 
will be protected from rust by 
sprinkling them with unslaked lime. 
The keys should be wiped with al- 
cohol once a week on cleaning day 
to prevent them from yellowing, and 
the varnish may be kept in good con- 
dition by wiping once a week with 
a chamois wrung out of cold or warm 
water, or by wiping with a cloth 
moistened with turjjentine, kerosene, 
or cold-drawn linseed oil, or a mix- 
ture of these. 

To Clean Pianos. — A careful in- 
quiry by a dealer in pianos from the 
largest factories in the United States 
discloses the fact that there is no 
better means of cleaning a polished 
piano or any other highly polished 
furniture than to simply wash it in 
lukewarm water, drying each part 
perfectly by rubbing briskly as fast 
as it is washed. This method is as 
safe as it is simple. It leaves the 
polish absolutely uninjured. 

To Clean Piano Keys. — Remove 
stains with oxalic acid and keep the 
keys white by r\abbing with a soft 
I)iece of cloth \iet with alcohol or 
with cologne water. Expose the keys 
to sunshine on bright, sunny days to 
bleach them. 

Cleaner for Musical Instruments. 
— To clean guitars, violins, etc., mix 



equal quantities of linseed oil, tur- 
pentine, and water. Shake well be- 
fore using to form an emulsion or 
cream. Rub the instrument with a 
cloth dampened in this cream, wipe 
dry, and polish with woolen cloth, 
chamois, or velveteen. 

To Clean Cane Chairs and Wicker, 
Bamboo, and Rattan Furniture. — 
First blow the dust out of the crev- 
ices with a pair of bellows or a good- 
sized bellows or bicycle pump. This 
will greatly assist in cleaning. Make 
a suds by dissolving half a bar of 
white soap in a gallon or more of 
water and add half a cupfid of com- 
mon salt. This Mill prevent the cane 
from turning yellow. Apply the suds 
to the chair with a scrubbing brush, 
first one side arid then the other, 
using plenty of water so that the cane 
may be thoroughly soaked. Place it 
out of doors to dry in a shady place. 
This will make the cane firm and 
tight and renew its elasticity. 

To Bleach Willow Furniture. — 
To bleach willow furniture, make a 
suds as above and add 2 ounces of 
bleaching powder. 

To Renovate Cane Chairs. — ^When 
the cane bottoms of chairs wear out, 
buy new cane and learn to weave 
cane seats. This is a simple art 
which may be easily learned by any- 
one, experimenting with the cane of 
an old chair and by a little practice. 

CLEANING PICTURE FRAMES 

To Protect Gilt Picture Frames. — 
Brush gilt frames with water in 
which onions have been boiled — three 
or four to a pint. Also wash the 
glass with it. Onion water will not 
injure the frames, and will prevent 
flies from lighting upon the picture. 

Or, after dusting, go over the 
frames lightly with a soft flannel 
cloth moistened in kerosene. 

Or give them a coat of clear 
parchment size. This will prevent 
the dirt from darkening the gilt. 
The size may be sponged with cold 
water or oil of turpentine, and left 
to dry without wiping. 



HOUSE CLEANING 



431 



Or give the frames when new a 
coat of white varnish. Tliis may be 
washed with clear cold water. 

Or wash soiled gilt frames with a 
gill of vinegar dissolved in a pint of 
cold water and applied with a soft 
brush. 

Or stir into a quart of water 
enough powdered sulphur to give it 
a slightly yellow tinge, and in this 
water boil four or five sliced onions. 
Strain and apply with a soft brush 
to soiled gilt frames. 

Or to 3 ounces of white of egg add 
1 ounce of chloride of potassium 
or soda and beat up together. Dust 
the frame with a soft brush, and 
brush over them with the above mix- 
ture. 

Or apply well-beaten white of egg 
with a camel's-hair brush and wipe 
off with a soft flannel cloth. But 
rub with the cloth very little and 
very lightly. 

Or wash with alcohol or spirits of 
turpentine, using a soft sponge, and 
let dry without wiping. 

All picture frames should be 
treated with one of the above prepa- 
rations several times during the 
spring and summer. 

Or cover the frames with oiled 
tarlatan, which may be obtained 
ready oiled for this purpose. 

Or brush boiled linseed oil over 
ordinary tarlatan. This is excel- 
lent for keeping dust from books, 
bric-a-brac, and various other ob- 
jects. 

Apply alcohol to fly spots and 
other stains with a camel's-hair 
brush to soften them, and wipe off 
the frame with a soft chamois or 
flannel cloth. Do not use linen for 
this purpose, as it deadens the 
brightness of the gilding. 

To Renovate Gilt Frames. — Apply 
gilt paint with a camel's-hair brush 
to spots where the gilding has come 
off so as to expose the wood. 

Or if the bit of gilding that has 
come off can be found and is large 
enough, moisten the spot with glue 
and replace it, bringing it up to a 
ievel by means of putty if necessary. 



Let dry and go over it with gold 

paint. 

To Clean Gilt Ornaments. — Make 
a strong solution of cyanide of po- 
tassium. But remember that this is 
a deadly poison. Apply with a stiff 
brush, or dip the articles in this 
solution. Afterwards rinse with wa- 
ter, using a soft brush, and dry in 
boxwood or other hard-wood shav- 
ings. These may be obtained of any 
jeweler. Store away gilt articles in 
boxwood shavings to keep them from 
tarnishing. 

Or clean them with a lather of 
soft white soap, rinsing with clear 
water. 

To Clean Silver Ornaments. — Make 
a suds by dissolving hard white soap 
in boiling water, immerse the arti- 
cles, and boil for five minutes. Re- 
move and scrub gently with a soft 
brush, rinse in clear boiling water, 
and wipe dry with a soft cloth. Lay 
them near the fire until the moisture 
has perfectly evaporated, or cover 
them with boxwood sawdust until 
fully dried. 

To Preserve Oil Paintings. — Ap- 
ply two or three coats of pure white- 
lead paint to the back of the can- 
vas. This preserves the canvas from 
damp, mold, and mildew, and makes 
it practically indestructible. Many 
ancient canvases treated in this way 
have been preserved for centuries. 
The same process will strengthen a 
decaying canvas. 

To Clean Oil Paintings.— To clean 
an oil painting, wash the surface 
gently with clear warm water, using 
a soft cloth or fine sponge, let dry, 
and rub gently with a soft flannel 
cloth moistened with pure olive oil. 
The water softens the accumulated 
smoke, dust, and dirt, and the oil 
assists in wiping it away. 

Or wash with milk diluted with 
warm water, and dry without rins- 
ing. 

Or cut a potato in half and rub 
gently w^ith the fresh surface, slicing 
off the soiled portions, until the 
whole is cleansed. 

The practice of covering the sur- 



432 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



face of paintings with soft soap or 
other alkaUne lyes is a very mischiev- 
ous one. If the paintings are of any 
value, they should be cleaned only by 
an expert. 

To Clean. Prints. — Fasten the print 
to a board by means of thumb tacks, 
cover with fine common salt, and 
moisten the salt slightly with lemon 
juice. Turn the board at an angle 
and pour boiling water over the sur- 
face until the salt and lemon juice 
are washed off. Dry gradually in 
the shade. 

Or, to remove yellow stains from 
engravings, dissolve hydrochloride of 
soda in water. Moisten a cloth with 
this solution and lay over the stain 
until it is removed. Rinse with clear 
water. 

To Restore White in Oil Paint- 
ings. — To renovate old oil paintings 
in which the whites have become 
dark by the action of the air on 
paints containing carbonate of lead 
or other lead compounds, apply, by 
means of a soft brush, water charged 
with four or five volumes of oxygen. 
Afterwards let dry and go over the 
painting with copal varnish. 

To Mend Gilt Frames. — To replace 
on gilt frames ornaments that have 
been broken off and lost, melt to- 
gether w^th gentle heat 1 pound of 
rosin, i pint of linseed oil, and ^ 
gill of Venetian turpentine. Dissolve 
separately ^ pound of glue in 2 
quarts of water and mix the two 
solutions. Boil and stir constantly 
until the water is evaporated, leav- 
ing a thick mass, to which add pow- 
dered whiting until the whole is of 
the consistency of putty. Mold to 
the desired shape while warm, and 
when cold it will set and harden. 
Color with gilt paint. 

To Clean Wood Prames. — First 
dust with a soft brush, and after- 
wards wipe with flannel dipped in 
sweet oil. 

To Henovate Old Gilt Frames. — 
Gilt frames that are past retouching 
with gilt paint may be renovated by 
removing the gilding with fine sand- 
paper or rubbing down the surface 



with a moistened cloth dipped in 
powdered pumice or rotten stone. 
Paint with black or other color of 
enamel paint or any desired stain, 
and afterwards apply a coat of co- 
pal or any hard white varnish. 

CLEANING BRIC-A-BRAC AND MIS- 
CELLANEOUS OBJECTS 

To Clean Brass Furniture. — Brass 
bedsteads and brass fittings on fur- 
niture may be cleaned by moistening 
a cloth in sweet oil and dipping it 
in powdered whiting or rotten stone 
pulverized finely and sifted through 
cheese cloth. 

Or mix finely powdered tripoli with 
linseed oil. Apply with a sponge or 
rag, and polish with a piece of felt or 
velveteen. 

Or moisten a cloth in ammonia 
a^id dip in powdered whiting. 

To Clean Brass Inlaid Work. — 
Mix equal quantities of rotten stone, 
starch, and oxalic acid with water 
to a stiff paste and dilute with sweet 
oil. Apply with a piece of felt or 
velveteen, and polish with a flannel 
rag or moistened chamois. 

To Clean Bric-a-Brac. — Brass or- 
naments on bric-a-brac may be 
cleaned with a piece of stale bread. 
Hold the bread by the crust and rub 
carefully, allowing the crumbs to 
fall with the dirt. Brass candle- 
sticks, lamps, and the like may be 
cleaned with soap and water, but 
lacquered articles require' careful 
treatment without soap. 

To Clean Bronzes. — Genuine 
bronzes may be washed with good 
soapsuds and a sponge or rag, and 
wiped dry with a soft flannel cloth 
or chamois. 

Or dirt and stains may first be 
removed with a flannel cloth mois- 
tened in sweet oil; afterwards pol- 
ish with flannel or chamois. 

To Clean Mother-of-Pearl. — Rub 
with a cheese-cloth bag containing 
dry pumice, or apply finely pow- 
dered pumice moistened with sweet 
oil, and polish with a piece of felt 
or velveteen. 



HOUSE CLEANING 



433 



To Clean XTpholstered Furniture. 
■ — In cities the pneumatic cleaning 
machine removes all dust and dirt 
from upholstered furniture with lit- 
tle labor, but where this is not avail- 
able take the furniture out of doors 
and freely apply gasoline or naph- 
tha. Pour these on so as to saturate 
the upholstered parts, and rub vigor- 
ously with a soft hair brush, sponge, 
or flannel cloth dipped in warm 
gasoline until all spots and soiled 
places are fully cleaned. Keep the 
furniture out of doors in a draught 
until the cleanser evaporates. This 
process will also destroy moths. 

To Clean Brick or Stone Work. — 
Mop with a solution of caustic potash 
or soda with oxalic acid dissolved in 
water. Or pour the mixture over the 
surfaces and scrub with a scrubbing 
brush, but do not dip the hands in 
this mixture and do not use it too 
strong. 

To Clean Ivory. — For cleaning 
ivory, use prepared chalk, lime, brick 
dust, turpentine, lemon juice, salt and 
vinegar, lime, potash, and alum. 

Ivory ornaments, brooches, card 
cases, bracelets, carvings, piano keys, 
and the like may be cleaned by 
painting them over with spirits of 
turpentine and, when possible, ex- 
posing them for two or three days 
to sunshine. Or articles that can he 
taken out of doors may be bleached 
by simply moistening them with wa- 
ter and exposing them to direct sun- 
shine. 

Or dissolve slaked lime in water 
to the consistency of mUk. Cover 
the articles with this, or dip them in 
it if convenient, and steep as long 
as may be necessary. Remove them, 
allow the slaked lime to dry on, and 
when dry rub off and polish with a 
dry cloth. 

Or apply salt and lemon juice. 
Polish with whiting. Apply with a 
moist cloth and rub with a chamois. 

If small ivory articles are badly 
stained and discolored, first soak 
them for 24 hours or longer in a 
solution of 1 part of baking soda 
to 4 parts of water. Rinse, and 



immerse in a solution of 1 part of 
sulphite of soda to 3 parts of wa- 
ter for another day or 2. Finally 
add to the latter solution 1 ounce of 
hydrochloric acid diluted with 6 
ounces of water, and allow the arti- 
cles to stand in this for 3 or 3 
days. Wash in clean water, dry, and 
polish. 

To Clean Bric-a-Brae. — For deep, 
narrow-necked flower vases, rose 
bowls, or carafes, cut some potato 
parings in small squares and pour 
over them water in which baking 
soda has been dissolved. Put them 
into the glasses to be cleaned, let 
stand a few minutes, and shake well. 
Afterwards wash in soapsuds and 
polish. 

Or use 3 tablespoonfuls of vinegar 
to 1 of rice. Shake well. 

To polish, use fuller's earth finely 
powdered or whiting. Never, use hot 
water for these articles. Allow the 
water to cool until it will bear the 
hands comfortably. 

To Clean a Chandelier. — Apply 
pure vinegar with a small sponge ; 
afterwards wash in soapsuds and 
polish with flannel or chamois. 

To renovate tarnished metallic 
parts, paint black with the dull-black 
paint used for ebonizing. Or apply 
white, gilt, or any other enamel paint 
desired. 

Glass Stoppers. — The glass stop- 
pers of decanters or carafes and oth- 
er bottles sometimes stick and are 
very difficult to remove. To obviate 
this, use a large glass marble, either 
of clear glass or containing fancy 
figures. This makes a good stopper 
for a decanter or water bottle and is 
easily removed. 

To remove a stopper that sticks, 
first apply a few drops of sweet oil 
or salad oil to the neck of the stop- 
per, and let stand a few minutes to 
soak in between the stopper and the 
neck of the bottle. 

If this does not loosen the stopper, 
apply heat to the neck of the bottle 
on the outside. It is well known that 
heat expands all substances, and, if 
applied to the outside, the neck of 



434 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



the bottle will expand before the 
stopper does, and the stopper will 
become loosened. This may be done 
by putting a narrow strip of flannel 
about the neck of the bottle and 
drawing it back and forth rapidly 
to create friction. This will some- 
times cause heat enough in a few 
minutes. 

Or hold the hand about the neck 
of the bottle until the heat of the 
hand causes it to expand. 

Or, if this is not sufficient, dip a 
rag in water as hot as the hands will 
bear and wrap it about the neck of 
the bottle. This must not be done, 
however, when the bottle is very 
cold, as it may be cracked by ex- 
panding too suddenly. 

Or hold the neck of the bottle 
near a gas jet or an open flame, 
turning it constantly to prevent any 
part from becoming overheated. 

Or wrap a piece of cloth about the 
stopper and with a light piece of 
wood tap it gently, first on one side, 
then on the other. Do not use a 
hammer or other metal tool or uten- 
sil for this purpose. 

To Clean Clocks. — To clean a 
clock, saturate a cloth or pad of 
cotton with kerosene oil and lay it 
inside on a small dish that will pre- 
vent the woodwork from being satu- 
rated. As it evaporates, the fumes 
will loosen any foreign substance on 
the wheels of the clock and cause it 
to drop. Repeat as often as neces- 
sary. The fumes also tend to lubri- 
cate the works. 

Or remove the works of alarm 
clocks and others which are made 
exclusively of metal, and place them 
in an earthenware jar or other clean 
vessel having a tight-fitting cover. 
Pour over them kerosene oil through 
a cloth strainer or filter paper to 
remove all sediment. Let stand un- 
til the grease and dirt have been en- 
tirely cut and removed. The clock 
may be returned to its case without 
waiting for the excess of oil to evap- 
orate. 

To Oil Clocks. — To oil a clock, ob- 
tain the purest olive oil and cleanse 



it by adding half a pint of lime wa- 
ter to each quart of oil. Shake well 
and let stand three or four days, 
when the pure oil may be carefully 
poured off the sediment and strained 
through silk or filter paper. 

To Clean Metals. — Various acids 
are recommended for cleaning metals, 
as tartaric, oxalic, acetic, muriatic, 
and the like; also alcohol, turpentine, 
and petroleum products, and such 
materials as whiting, powdered pum- 
ice, rotten stone, bath brick, etc., 
mixed with water or oil. 

Paste for Metals. — Mix 1 ounce of 
oxalic acid with 6 ounces of rotten 
stone, and dilute to a soft paste with 
equal parts of train oil and spirits of 
turpentine. 

Or mix strong potash or soda lye 
with alcohol and apply to metals with 
a brush. Let dry, and polish with a 
soft cloth or moist chamois. This will 
remove verdigris and most other forms 
of rust or tarnish. 

Brass — To Prevent Tarnishing. — 
Moisten powdered sal ammoniac with 
water and apply to the brass by means 
of a brush. Afterwards heat the ar- 
ticle until the sal ammoniac is melt- 
ed. Cool, and polish with dry whiting 
and soft cloth. 

To Clean Brass. — Dissolve ^ ounce 
of oxalic acid in 1 pint of soft water 
and wash the brass, or moisten a cloth 
in sweet oil dipped in powdered whit- 
ing or rotten stone, and scour. 

Or mix to a soft paste 1 ounce of 
starch, 12 ounces of rotten stone, 2 
ounces of sweet oil, and 2 ounces of 
oxalic acid with water, and apply with 
a cloth or chamois. 

Or, to clean brass inlaid work, mix 
tripoli with linseed oil, and apply by 
means of a piece of folded velveteen 
or other suitable polisher. Or use a 
good furniture paste. But if the wood 
has a very high polish, finish the 
cleaning by rubbing on dry starch 
with the palm of the hand. 

Or mix 2 ounces of sulphuric acid, 
1^ ounces of nitric acid, 1 dram of 
saltpeter, and 3 ounces of rain water, 
and let stand until the solution set- 
tles. Dip the articles in this, or go 



HOUSE CLEANING 



435 



over them with a soft brush dipped 
in this mixture, rinse immediately with 
soft water, and wipe dry. Or dry 
in sawdust. To prevent future tar- 
nishing, apply a good coat of brass 
lacquer. 

To Clean Bronze. — To cl^an genu- 
ine bronze, apply hot soapsuds or boil 
the article in suds. Rinse and wipe 
dry with a soft cloth or chamois 
skin. 

Or, for small articles, apply sweet 
oil with a brush and rub off with a 
flannel cloth. 

Polish with dry whiting and cham- 
ois skin. 

To Clean Nickel. — Mix equal quan- 
tities of alcohol and aqua ammonia 
and stir in whiting to the consistency 
of thin cream. Apply with a brush 
and soft cloth, let dry, and jiolish with 
a clean, dry cloth or chamois skin. 

Or, to remove stains from nickel, 
dilute 1 part of sulphuric acid in 50 
parts of alcohol, and dip the articles 
in the solution until the stains are re- 
moved, which should take not more 
than 5 or 10 seconds. Rinse in al- 
cohol and afterwards in clear water, 
and polish with dry whiting and cham- 
ois. Repeat if necessary. 

To Clean Gilt Metals. — Metals fin- 
ished in gilt or lacquer should not be 
washed with strong soaps containing 
free alkali, but preferably with clear, 
soft warm water and a fine sponge. 

Or a little castile soap or other fine 
white soap may be used if necessary. 

Clean out the crevices in the orna- 
mental parts with a soft brush, as an 
old toothbrush, but use no more force 
than is necessary to avoid injuring 
the gilding. Wipe dry with chamois 
or a piece of soft woolen cloth or 
silk. 

Bronzed articles, not genuine bronze, 
require only dusting or wiping with 
a soft cloth. Washing will injure the 
bronzing. 

Burnishing Powder. — To make a 
high polish for metals, mix 4 ounces 
of prepared chalk, li ounces of pipe 
clay, 1 ounce of white lead, 1 ounce of 
carbonate of magnesia, and J ounce of 
jeweler's rouge. 



TO CLEAN MARBLE, BRICK. AND 
STONE 

To Clean Marble. — ^To clean marble 
mantels, table tops, tops of bureaus, 
washstands, and other polished marble 
surfaces, wipe them with a cloth mois- 
tened in kerosene. 

Or mix 3 ounces of common soda, 1 
ounce of pumice stone, and 1 ounce of 
fine common salt, and dilute with 
water to the consistency of cream. 
Pour this mixture over the marble and 
let stand until all stains are removed. 
Afterwards wash the marble with salt 
and water, rinse, and wipe dry. 

Or mix soft soap and whiting to a 
thin paste, and apply to the marble 
by means of a soft brush. Let stand 
until fully dry, and wash off with 
lukewarm suds made of hard white 
or yellow soap. 

Or give the marble a coating of mu- 
cilage made by boiling to the con- 
sistency of thick cream 4 omices of gum 
arable in 1 quart of water. Dilute 
with hot water if necessary. Apply 
with a brush and expose the (article 
to the sun and air until the mucilage 
cracks and can be readily rubbed off, 
then wash with clear water and a soft 
cloth. Repeat if necessary. 

Or stir into 1 pint of soft soap 1 
teaspoonful of bluing and 3 teaspoon- 
fuls of whiting, and bring to a b®il. 
Apply hot, let dry, and rinse off the 
clear water. 

Or make a paste of equal parts of 
whiting, soap, and sal soda with a 
small amount of bluing; apply with 
a piece of felt or velveteen and rinse 
with clear water. Wipe dry, and pol- 
ish with a flannel cloth or chamois. 

Or dissolve 1 pound of pipe clay in 
1 quart of boiling water. Add 1 quart 
of beer and a few drops of bluing. 
Bring to a boil and stir. Apply this 
freely with a cloth, wipe dry, and pol- 
ish. 

To Remove Iron Rust from Marble. 
— To remove iron stains from marble, 
dilute 1 part of oxalic acid with 10 
parts of alcohol, or 1 part of sul- 
phuric acid with 25 to 50 parts of al- 
cohol; cover the spot and let stand 



436 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



15 minutes to a half hour. Wash ofp 
with water containing aqua ammonia 
to stop the action of the acid. Re- 
peat if necessary. 

Or cover the spot thickly with salt 
and moisten with lemon juice. 

Or apply 1 part of nitric acid dilut- 
ed with 25 parts of water, and rinse 
with aqua ammonia. 

Or apply strong nitric acid direct 
to the stain by means of a small swab 
or cloth, or cotton on the end of a 
stick, and at once rinse off with aqua 
ammonia and water. Remember that 
the acid tends to eat and injure the 
marble if it is not immediately rinsed 
off; hence rinse well. If the surface 
of the marble is roughened by the 
acid, scour with a moist cloth dipped 
in rotten stone or powdered pumice. 

Or cover the spot with salts of lem- 
on, and add just enough water to dis- 
solve the crystals. 

Or mix equal quantities of salts of 
lemon and pumice stone, and rub the 
spot with a cloth dipped in this mix- 
ture. Continue until removed. 

To Clean Marble Steps. — To clean 
coarse marbles, as doorsteps, monu- 
ments, and the like, mix equal quan- 
tities of quicklime and potash lye and 
dilute with water to a thin cream. 
Apply with a brush, let stand twen- 
ty-foui^ hours or more, and wash off 
with hot soapsuds. 

To Remove Stains from Marble. — 
Cut a lemon in half and rub with it, 
or apply a saturated solution of oxalic 
acid. 

Or make a paste of equal parts of 
whiting and sal soda dissolved in 
water. Cover the stains, and let stand 
for several hours. Afterwards wash 
off with soapsuds. 

To Remove Oil Stains from Marble. 
— Apply common clay, starch, whit- 
ing, or prepared chalk, and saturate 
with gasoline or other petroleum 
product. Should these injure the pol- 
ish, scour with a moistened cloth 
dipped in pumice stone, and polish 
with whiting. 

Or mix with boiling water 2 ounces 
of soft soap, 2 ounces of caustic pot- 
ash, and 4 ounces of fuller's earth. 



Cover the spots thickly, and let stand 
for several hours. Rinse with clear 
water. 

To Polish Marble. — For polishing 
marble, sandstone, sand and water, 
emery powder, putty powder, tripoli, 
and whiting are all recommended. 
But the coarser materials, such as 
sandstone and fljie sand, should only 
be used on rough marble which has 
never been previously polished. Select 
material suitable to the condition of 
the marble, and follow with a finer 
one until the desired polish is ob- 
tained. 

To polish a rough marble slab, use 
first a level block of fine sandstone 
for working down. Cover the surface 
with water and rub with the sandstone 
in a circular motion, working outward 
from the center until the whole sur- 
face shows a uniform texture. Next 
tack a piece of felt to a smooth block 
of wood and use a finer quality of 
sand or glass powder with water. 
Follow this with a fresh piece of felt 
mounted on a level block of wood, 
using fine emery powder with water, 
and lastly use putty powder or tripoli 
with water and a chamois skin mount- 
ed on a block of wood. 

To Clean Brick and Stone Walks. 
— To remove the green fungous growth 
on brick or stone walks and walls ex- 
posed to moisture, pour over them 
boiling water in which potatoes or 
other vegetables have been cooked, pro- 
vided that it does not contain grease 
of any kind. Repeat if necessary. 

Or pour strong brine over the brick 
or stone, or scatter dry salt over it 
just before or after a rain. This will 
also kill any tufts of grass and weeds 
that come up between the bricks and 
stones, but care must be taken that it 
is not used in quantities sufficient to 
leach off into the soil and kill the ad- 
jacent grass of the lawn or the plants 
in flower beds. Hence use a small 
quantity of salt, and repeat if neces- 
sary. 

To Polish Stucco Work. — Let the 
stucco dry, then rub it down with a 
flat block of pumice stone. Follow 
with whiting and polish with tripoli. 



HOUSE CLEANING 



437 



using a piece of felt mounted on a 
block of wood. Wash down with 
soapsuds. 

To Polish Mother-of-Pearl. — Polish 
with finely sifted pumice stone, fol- 
lowed by putty powder or tripoli 
mixed with water and applied with a 
piece of felt. 

To Clean Alabaster. — Remove stains 
from alabaster by covering the spot 
with whiting and water, or with white- 
wash, or with salt and lemon juice. 
Or apply equal quantities of quick- 
lime and soda made into a thin paste 
with water. Let stand until dry, then 
wipe off with a sponge or soft cloth 
and clear water. Repeat if necessary. 

Or, to remove obstinate stains, ap- 
ply a dilute solution of oxalic acid or 
spirits of salts, and rinse with aqua 
ammonia. 

Or wash with castile soap and water. 
Cover with a coating of whiting mixed 
with water, let stand until dry, rinse 
with clear water, and polish. 

To Polish Alabaster. — To polish 
alabaster, marble, or any similar min- 
eral, first clean the articles, then take 
out scratches or other rough spots 
with finely powdered pumice stone or 
emery and water. Polish with putty 
powder and water by means of a piece 
of felt mounted on a block. 

To Polish Glass. — A scratched win- 
dow pane or a show-case top which 
has been roughened by use and par- 
tially lost its transparency may be 
polished by covering with a strong 
solution of potash lye applied by 
means of a brush. Let it dry, and 
polish with a moist cloth. Repeat if 
necessary. 

Or, if this is not efPectual, polish 
with putty powder and water by means 
of a piece of felt. 

To Clean Papier-mache'. — ^Wash with 
clean cold water, using a sponge or 
soft cloth. While still damp, cover 
it with dry flour and rub dry with a 
piece of woolen cloth or chamois. 

To Clean Gntta Percha. — Dissolve 
with gentle heat a little hard white 
soap in an equal bulk of water, and 
stir into the soap jelly thus made 
an equal bulk of powdered charcoal. 



Scour the article with this, and polish 
with a dry doth and finely powdered 
charcoal. 



CLEANING KITCHEN STOVES AND 
OTHER METALS 

To Clean Stoves. — First examine the 
stove or range to see if any parts need 
replacing. Make a note of these, and 
obtain new ones from the manufactur- 
ers or some local merchant. Remove 




"See if Any Parts Are Needed." 

clinkers, clean the grate, fireplace, 
spaces under and over the oven, flues, 
etc. Dust off the top of the stove, 
and wash the outside with very hot 
water and soda applied with a stiff 
brush or a coarse cloth, or both. 

Suggestion's for removing rust and 
polishing nickel and other ornaments, 
and for blacking and polishing the 
stove and preventing rust when not in 
use, will be found elsewhere. 

To Make a Hearth. — Prepare mor- 
tar by mixing sifted wood ashes with 
salt and water in the proportion of 
1 tablespoonful of salt to 1 gallon of 
ashes. Spread this over the hearth 
with a trowel, and tamp it down as 
hard as possible with the end of a log 
of wood, or otherwise. Level smooth- 
ly with the trowel. 

Make a hot fire in the fireplace or 



438 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



grate. If the mortar cracks, add 
moi-e, tamping it into the cracks. This 
makes a hard, smooth white surface. 

Or mix 2 parts of unslaked lime 
and 1 part of smith's black dust with 
water, and treat as above. 

To Clean Grates. — Brush the dust 
from the grate with a stiff brush. 
Then mix 4 ounces of pure black lead 
with 1 pint of beer, add 3 ounces of 
hard white or yellow soap, bring all 
to a boil, and while hot apply this 
mixture with a paint brush. Allow it 
to cool, then polish with a hard brush 
or polishing mitten. 

Or, if the grate is much rusted, al- 
low the black lead to remain for a 
day or two. It will loosen the rust so 
that it can be scraped off. The grate 
may then be blacked and polished. 

Or first scrub the grate with soap 
and water and apply rotten stone 
moistened with sweet oil. Black and 
polish. 

To Black Grates. — Melt 2i pounds 
of asphaltum and add 1 pound of 
boiled oil. Remove from the fire, and 
when cool add 3 quarts of spirits of 
turpentine, stirring vigorously. Ap- 
ply with a brush. 

Or melt 6i pounds of asphaltum; 
add 1 pound of litharge and 1 gallon 
of boiled oil. Boil until the mixture 
falls iipL strings from the stirrer. To 
test, put a little on a glass plate. If 
on cooling it becomes quite hard, re- 
move the mixture from the fire, and 
when cold, thin to any desired con- 
sistency by adding 3 or more gallons 
of spirits of turpentine. 

To Prevent Rust. — Substances rec- 
ommended for preventing rust are 
various animal fats, as lard, suet, and 
tallow, and oils, as linseed oil, olive 
oil, vaseline, etc.; also black lead, 
paraflSn, collodion, quicklime, gutta 
percha, varnish, pitch-tar paint, and 
various mixtures of these. The ob- 
ject in all cases is to prevent contact 
of the metal with the oxygen of the 
air, especially where there is mois- 
ture. 

The formation of rust is a process 
of combustion similar to that which 
takes place in breathing and in the 



burning of fuel and other combusti- 
bles. The oxygen of the air uniting 
with iron forms a compound called 
ferrous oxide, which is iron rust. This 
action is very much hastened by mois- 
ture. Hence a coating of any oily, 
greasy, or sticky substance which will 
adhere to the metal without injuring 
it will prevent rust. Which of the 
following recipes is best will depend 
upon the article to be protected, and 
whether or not it is to be used or 
stored away. Such substances as col- 
lodion, paraffin, and black lead mixed 
with lard or other animal fat, boiled 
linseed oil, etc., can be used on small 
polished articles, as steel tools, skates, 
and the like. They can be readily re- 
moved, when necessary, by washing. 

Paraffin, collodion, boiled linseed oil, 
and copal varnish may be applied to 
tools and other articles which are in 
process of use, the excess being wiped 
off with a dry cloth. Pitch tar and 
paint can, of course, only be applied 
to coarser articles according to their 
several characters. 

Stoves — To Prevent Hust. — To pro- 
tect from rust stoves and stovepipes 
that are taken down in the spring and 
stored during the summer, apply kero- 
sene with a brush or cloth. The crude 
oil is better for this purpose than the 
refined. It costs less and does not 
evaporate so quickly. 

Or melt 3 parts of lard with 1 part 
of rosin, and apply with a brush while 
warm. 

Or apply linseed oil, or a mixture 
of equal parts of linseed oil and kero- 
sene. 

Or a mixture of 4 parts of linseed 
oil, 4 parts of kerosene, and 1 part of 
turpentine. 

Apply the above mixtures in a thin 
coat while slightly warm. 

To Protect Stovepipes from Bust. 
— Shake the dirt and soot out of the 
inside of the stovepipe, then insert an 
old broom and brush out as clean as 
possible. Paint the outside of the 
stovepipe with a coat of black paint, 
or apply any of the above rust-proof 
mixtures. 

Stovepipes rust on the inside as 



HOUSE CLEANING 



439 



well as on the outside. Hold the pipe 
with an open end toward a good light, 
or reflect a light inside by means of a 
mirror. Affix a brush to a long han- 
dle and cover the inside of the pipe 




"Reflect a Light Inside." 

as well as the outside with oil or other 
rust preventives. 

To Keep Nickel Fittings from Rust- 
ing. — Remove the nickel fittings from 
the stove, cover them with any of the 
above preventives, wrap them in thin 
cloths, and lay them away imtil 
wanted. 

Or cover them with unslaked lime. 

Or, if badly rusted, go over the 
nickel fittings with aluminum paint. 

To Prevent Rust. — To prevent rust 
on tin roofs and other exposed metal 
surfaces, bring to a boil 3 pounds of 
linseed-oil varnish. Stir into this a 
mixture of 3 ounces of black lead, 8 
ounces of sulphide of lead, and 2 
ounces of sulphide of zinc. Apply 
with a brush. 

Or paint exposed metal surfaces 
with a paint consisting of 30 parts of 
pure white lead, 8 parts of crude 
linseed oil, 3 parts of boiled linseed 
oil, and 1 part of spirits of turpen- 
tine. Apply two or more coats as 
needed. 

To Preserve Metals from Rust. — To 
preserve stoves, skates, sleigh runners, 
and other steel articles which are 
stored for a portion of the year, smear 
them with vaseline. 

Or paint them with lampblack mixed 



with equal quantities of boiled lin- 
seed oil and copal varnish. 

Or use powdered black lead and 
lard, melting the lard and stirring in 
the lead, and add a small piece of 
gum camphor. Apply while warm 
with a brush. 

Or melt paraffin, and apply while 
warm with a brush, sponge, or cloth. 

Or clean thoroughly and dust over 
with unslaked lime. 

Or plunge small articles into un- 
slaked lime. 

Or dip the articles in boiled linseed 
oil and allow it to dry on them. 

Or apply a coat of copal varnish. 

Or melt 5 pounds of beef or mut- 
ton suet, 1 pound of gutta percha, and 
1 gallon of neat's-foot oil or rape oil 
until dissolved. Mix thoroughly and 
apply when cold. 

Or coat with collodion dissolved in 
alcohol. 

Or wrap in zinc foil or store in zinc- 
lined boxes. 

Or mix 1 ounce of oil varnish with 
4 ounces of rectified spirits of turpen- 
tine and apply with a sponge. 

Or heat the articles and dip them 
in train oil. 

To Prevent Rust on Tinware. — Rub 
new tinware with fresh lard, and heat 
in the oven before using. This tends 
to make it rust proof. 

To Preserve Nails, etc., from Rust. 
— To preserve from rust nails, screws, 
hinges, and other hardware that will 
be exposed to water, heat them (but 
not enough to injure the temper) in 
an iron skillet over a fire and drop 
them into train oil. This will pre- 
serve them for many years. 

Or mix h pound of quicklime in 1 
quart of water and allow it to settle. 
Pour off the clear liquid and add to 
the lime sufficient olive oil to form a 
stiff paste. Apply with a brush to 
iron or steel articles to be stored. 

Or, for rough castings and fence 
wire, mix mineral pitch, coal tar, and 
sand in the proportion of 1 pound 
each of coal tar and sand to 20 pounds 
of mineral pitch. Immerse the articles 
in the mixture, remove them, and let 
them stand a day or more to harden, 



440 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



To Prevent Hust on Piano Wires. 
— Sprinkle piano wires with unslaked 
lime. 

Steel Table Knives. — Fill a flower 
pot or other deep receptacle with 
quicklime and into it plunge the blades 
of the knives. Do not allow the lime 
to touch the handles. 

To Remove Rust from Small Arti- 
cles. — Substances recommended for 
removing rust are muriatic acid, kero- 
sene, chloride of tin, and unslaked 
lime used with or without various 
abrasives, as sandpaper, emery paper, 
pumice stone, powdered brick, and the 
like. 

First immerse the articles in a hot 
solution of sal soda or soapsuds to 
free them from oil or grease. 

Or dilute muriatic acid with twice 
its own bulk of water and immerse 
the articles from a few minutes to 
several hours, according to the amoimt 
of rust. Remove and apply soap and 
water with a scrubbing brush. Re- 
peat if necessary. Rinse, dry, and 
polish with oil and emery paper or 
other good abrasive. 

Or immerse the articles in kerosene 
oil for several hours, or as long as 
may be necessary. This loosens the 
rust so that it may be rubbed off with 
sandpaper or emery paper. 

But 'if the rust has etched deeply 
into the articles, they may have to be 
refinished. 

Or soften rust with sweet oil and 
rub with sandpaper. 

Or mix 3 parts of pumice stone with 
1 part of sulphur. Moisten with sweet 
oil and apply with chamois. 

Or use emery and oil. 

Or inmierse the articles in a saturat- 
ed solution of chloride of tin over 
night, or as long as necessary. Rinse 
in clear water and polish with cham- 
ois. 

Or immerse them in olive oil, and 
polish with whiting or slaked lime by 
moistening a cloth or chamois and 
dipping it into the dry powder. 

To Clean Zinc. — Substances recom- 
mended for cleaning zinc are kero- 
sene, soft soap, salt and vinegar, vine- 
gar and almn, paraffin, coal ashes, 



sulphuric acid, turpentine, and vari- 
ous compounds of these. As zinc is 
not easily injured, these may all be 
used freely. Rub with a coarse cloth 
saturated with kerosene oU. 

Or heat 2 ounces ef salt or 2 ounces 
of alum in 1 quart of vinegar and ap- 
ply hot. Wipe with a dry rag. 

Or dip a cotton cloth in melted 
paraffin and rub until the dirt is re- 
moved. Rinse with clean water and 
wipe dry. 

Or wet with cold vinegar, let stand 
for a few minutes, rinse, and wash. 

Or make a soap jelly by dissolving 
hard soap with twice its own bulk in 
water. Mix with sifted coal ashes to 
a stiff paste. Apply with a moist 
cloth. 

Or mix dilute sulphuric acid (1 part 
of acid to 10 parts of water) with 
glycerin. 

Or mix 1 pint of linseed oil with 
4 ounces of turpentine. 

Or polish with bath brick. 

To Clean Nickel. — Substances rec- 
ommended for cleaning nickel are 
kerosene, jeweler's rouge, whiting, 
powdered borax, and alum. When 
not much soiled, use jeweler's rouge 
and vaseline mixed to a thin paste. 
Apply with flannel and polish with 
chamois. 

Or dampen a rag and dip in pow- 
dered borax. Or, if the articles are 
small and movable, boil in alxaa and 
water. 

Or rub with a cloth dipped in kero- 
sene. 

To Clean Brass. — Substances recom- 
mended for cleaning brass are vine- 
gar and salt, lemon juice, citric acid, 
oxalic acid, rotten stone, turpentine, 
alum, ammonia, sulphuric, nitric, or 
muriatic acid, and various compounds 
of these. 

To clean brass kettles and other 
utensils, dissolve a tablespoonful of 
salt in a teacup ful of vinegar and 
bring to a boil. Apply as hot as pos- 
sible to the brass with a scrubbing 
brush. 

Or apply a solution of oxalic acid 
with a scrubbing brush or cloth, using 
equal parts of oxalic acid and water. 



HOUSE CLEANING 



441 



Or apply strong aqua ammonia with 
a scrubbing brush. 

Or dissolve 1 ounce of alum in 1 
pint of strong lye and apply with a 
scrubbing brush. 

Or mix 6 ounces of rotten stone, 1 
ounce of oxalic acid, 1 ounce of sweet 
oil, and | ounce of gum arable, and 
dissolve to a thin paste with water. 
Apply with a cloth. 

Or use rotten stone moistened with 
sweet oil. Apply with a cloth mois- 
tened in turpentine. 

Or mix 1 ounce of bichromate of 
potash, 2 ounces of sulphuric acid, and 
2 ounces of pure water. Do not touch 
this with the hands, but apply with 
a mop. 

Or wet a cloth in water, dip in pow- 
dered sal ammoniac, and apply. 

Or mix 4 ounces of rotten stone, 1 
ounce of oxalic acid, and 1 ounce of 
sweet oil with turpentine to form a 
paste, and apply with a brush mois- 
tened in water. 

Or dissolve 1 ounce of alum in 1 
pint of strong potash or soda lye. 
Immerse the articles in this solution 
or apply hot with a scrubbing brush. 

Or dissolve 1 ounce of alum in 8 
ounces of water and apply hot with a 
scrubbing brush. 

To Polish Brass. — After removing 
tarnish with any of the above cleans- 
ers, wash the article with warm soap- 
suds made of any good, hard white 
soap, dry with a cloth, and polish 
with dry chamois or any good silver 
polish, as whiting, or the like. Fin- 
ish by rubbing the articles with a cloth 
slightly moistened with vaseline. This 
will prevent tarnishing. 

Or coat with collodion dissolved in 
alcohol, or thin shellac applied by 
means of a camel's-hair brush. 

PACKING 

Packing — To Move. — Obtain 
plenty of barrels, and a relatively 
large number of small packing cases 
rather than a few large ones, a quan- 
tity of excelsior, burlap, and strong 
manila cord. Also a number of 
strong manila tags on which write. 



stamp, or print your name and the 
address to which the goods are to 
be shipped. Number these tags from 
1 upward. Pack, as far as possible, 
by themselves articles from each sep- 
arate room or part of the house, and 
note in a blank book the contents of 
each barrel, case, or package. For 
example, if numbers 1 to 5 are china, 
and numbers 5 to 10 are kitchen 
hardware, the packages can be de- 
livered to the appropriate part of 
the house and unpacked as required 
without confusion. 

To Pack China. — Pack china and 
other fragile articles, also small me- 
tallic objects, as lamps, kitchenware, 
bric-a-brac, etc., in barrels rather 
than packing cases. To pack such 
articles, first cover the bottom of 
the barrel with a layer 3 or 4 inches 




" Nest Dishes Together and Pack on Edge." 

deep of excelsior or fine hay slightly 
moistened. Wrap each article sepa- 
rately in newspaper or tissue paper. 
Select the larger and heavier pieces 
and lay a number of them side by sid(» 
2 or 3 inches apart. Stack plates and 
platters together, with just enough 
packing material between them to sep- 
arate them i of an inch or so, and 
stand them on edge. Nest together 
in the same way cups and saucers, 



442 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



oauce disHes, and other articles of 
similar shape and size, putting a lit- 
tle packing between, but handling the 
entire nest in packing as one solid 
article. Take special care to protect 
handles and other protuberances so 
that no strain will be likely to come 
upon them. 

Surround these dishes with a layer 
of excelsior or hay 3 or 3 inches in 
1;hickness, crowding the packing ma- 
terial also between them, and finally 
cover them with a layer of equal 
thickness. On this lay a number of 
other articles of somewhat smaller 
size and less weight, surrounding, 
separating, and covering them with 
several inches of packing material, 
and pressing all so firmly together 
that they cannot be shaken out of 
place. Shake the barrel occasionally, 
and if any two pieces are not prop- 
erly separated by the packing mate- 
rial, the fact can be detected by the 
sound of their contact. 

Continue to add successive layers 
until the barrel is filled within 4 or 
5 inches of the top. Fill in this 
space with packing material, heap it 
up, take off the top hoop, throw over 
the top a piece of burlap, replace 
the hoop, and tack it securely so as 
to hold the burlap in position. Fas- 
ten on the burlap near the top a tag 
containing your address on one side 
and on the other the words, " Fragile 
—This Side Up With Care." 

To Pack Cut Glass. — Cut glass and 
delicate bric-a-brac, lamp shades, 
and the like may be packed in the 
same manner as china, or carefully 
wrapped in cloth and packed in bar- 
rels surrounded with pillows, or 
placed in trunks containing clothing, 
or in clothes baskets surrounded by 
pillows and covered with burlap. 
Barrels and baskets crated and 
marked "Fragile" will be handled 
with much more care than wooden 
cases, the lids of which are nailed or 
screwed on. 

To Pack Pictures. — Pack small 
pictures face to face, with blankets 
or quilts or other folds of heavy 
cloth between, and lay them in bu- 



reau drawers, with thick layers of 
clothing above and below them. 

Or place two large pictures face 
to face separated by a quilt, tie 
them with strong cord, and surround 
the whole with a crate of rough 
boards. 

To Pack Mirrors. — Place two mir- 
rors face to face, with several thick- 
nesses of cloth between, and crate 
them. 

To Pack rurniture. — Remove all 
movable parts from furniture, as the 
splasher racks from washstands, mir- 
rors from bureaus, and the like. Re- 
move the casters, tie together with 
stout cord those belonging to each 
article of furniture and attach them 
to some part of the article or drop 
them into a bureau drawer. Thus 
they can be found when wanted. 

Pack the drawers with clothing 
and put small pictures, platters, and 
similar breakable articles between. 
Surround the whole with burlap 
sewed together at the corners, and 
crate with rough boards. Wrap the 
legs of chairs, serving tables, etc., 
with manila paper, newspapers, or 
cloth, and wind them with a stout 
cord secured so that it will not 
slip. 

To Pack Books. — To pack a large 
quantity of books, use either a suita- 
ble number of small packing cases 
or barrels rather than a few large 
packing cases. Books are very heavy, 
and large packing cases are liable 
to burst open by their weight. Bar- 
rels are stronger, and if properly 
packed perhaps better than packing 
cases. To prepare books for pack- 
ing, wrap up together, in packages 
of six or eight or more, those books 
that are most nearly of the same 
size. Have at least one thickness of 
paper between each binding and 
around the entire package. Tie the 
package together with a soft cord so 
that the books cannot rub against 
each other. To pack books in bar- 
rels, handle these packages the same 
as articles of china or bric-a-brac, 
surrounding them with excelsior, hay, 
straw, or other similar material, or 



HOUSE CLEANING 



443 



with ermnpled newspaper; excent 
that not so much of the packing ma- 
terial need be used. The barrel may 
be headed up instead of covered 
with burlap, but care must be taken 
not to leave an inch of vacant space. 
Mark it " Books— Keep Dry." 

To pack books in small packing 
cases, stand the parcels on end, with 
the edges next to the sides of the 
cases and the back of the bindings 
pointed inward, and pack between 
crumpled newspapers to ease the 
pressure on the round part of the 
books, which may otherwise be pressed 
flat. Line the case with wrapping 
paper. Lay a thickness of wrapping 
paper over the top, and fasten on the 
cover with screws in preference to 
nails. Or, if nails are used, take 
care to see that they do not slip and 
injure the contents. 

Tools. — Pack in a hand satchel 
hammer, screw-driver, box opener, 
nails, tacks, and other necessary im- 
plements for unpacking and settling 
your goods, together with the book 
containing your inventory and list 
of packages. Then when the goods 
arc unpacked, the movers can be di- 
rected to take each package to the 
]iroper room, and when any particu- 
lar article is needed it can be readily 
located and unpacked as required. 
Also, if any case is missing or in- 
jured, the exact contents will be 
known, and a sworn statement can 
!je made out as the basis of a claim 
for damages. 

To Pack for Traveling. — To pack 
a trunk or satchel, first decide what 
to take with you. An old traveler 
describes his method of packing at 
short notice, without forgetting any 
necessary article, by saying that his 
method is " to commence with his 
feet and work up." The idea is to 
run over in mind the various articles 
of wearing apparel in that order. 
Thus, enumerate shoes, stockings, 
underwear, outer garments, linen, 
neckwear, etc. Determine what par- 
ticular articles and how many of 
each to select. Get these all together 
and check them u]) to sec that 



nothins has been omitted. Add, of 
course, toilet articles, night gear, 
medicines, etc. Pack first the heavy 
things or those the last to be needed. 
Fold each garment and lay it 
smoothly in the trunk. Do not at- 
tempt to roll garments into tight 
bundles in order to economize space. 
Folded articles laid flat will pack 
more tightly. 

While packing, press down the con- 
tents occasionally to see that there 
are no lumps or other inequalities. 

To Pack Men's Coats. — Spread out 
the coat on a flat surface with the 
outside up. Fold the sleeves back at 
the elbows and draw them straight 
down at the sides. Turn back the 
front laps of the coat over the 
sleeves, pull the collar out straight, 
take up the coat at the sleeve holes, 
and fold it wrong side out length- 
wise. Thus the front flaps will be 
folded twice in. 

To Pack a Plaited Skirt.— Pin 
each plait in its place at the bottom 
of the skirt. Lay the skirt on a flat 
surface and fold to just fit the lar- 
gest part of the trunk or suit case. 
In other words, fold as little as pos- 
sible. 

To Pack Summer Gowns. — Remove 
the arm shields and fold the skirt in 
as few folds as possible. Fold the 
waist in the same fashion as a man's 
coat, stuff the sleeves and bust with 
tissue paper, put paper under ruffles, 
and surround the whole with tissue 
paper. But do not use white tissue 
for this purpose, as it is bleached 
with chloride of lime, which tends to 
turn white goods yellow. The blue 
tissue is therefore to be preferred. 

Or put waists on coat hangers and 
stuff the sleeves and bust with tis- 
sue, or lay them flat in the tray 
or top of the trunk. When thus 
packed, they will neither lose shape 
nor wrinkle. 

To Pack Hats. — Pin hats to the 
lids of hat boxes to prevent their 
moving around. Or improvise a hat 
box by laying the hat on the bottom 
of the trunk or tray, and cutting a 
strip of cardboard as high as the 



444 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



highest point of the trimming. Pin 
this together at the ends, thus in- 
closing the hat, and lay a piece of 
cardboard across the top. Surround 
this with other articles packed firmly 
to keep them from shifting, and the 
hat will receive no harm. 

Miscellaneous Objects. — Pack bot- 
tles inside of shoes. Pack a cliafing 
dish in the middle of the trunk and 
fi-U up with small articles. Lay pic- 



tures in the middle tray between 
folded garments and fill the tray 
with clean starched clothes. Put 
summer gowns or evening gowns at 
the top of the tray, which should not 
be packed quite full. Pack in the 
bottom of the trunk a child's toy 
washboard. You can then do up 
for yourself small pieces at hotels 
and summer resorts where lavmdry 
chai'ges are high. 



I 



CHAPTER XV 
HOUSEHOLD AND GARDEN PESTS 

THE CLOTHES MOTH— CARPET BEETLE OR "BUFFALO MOTH"— 
THE HOUSE CENTIPEDE— THE COMMON COCKROACH OR CRO- 
TON BUG— THE BEDBUG— THE HOUSE FLEA— RATS AND MICE- 
BLACK AND RED ANTS— THE WHITE ANT— THE COMMON HOUSE 
FLY— THE MOSQUITO— ORCHARD, FARM, AND GARDEN PESTS 



THE CLOTHES MOTH 

History of Clothes Moths. — The 
life history of the clothes moth must 
be understood in order to fight in- 
telligently against it and prevent its 
ravages. It is well worth while to 
give the necessary attention to this 
subject, since of all household pests 
the clothes moth stands in the most 
direct and obvious relation to the 
family pocketbook. 

"A garment that is moth-eaten" 



as these are among the most expen- 
sive materials used as garments, floor 
coverings, drajDcries, and otherwise, 
the destruction of such articles in a 
single season by moths may and 
often does amount to many dollars. 
The three species of moths common- 
ly found in the United States are 
the case-making species, universally 
distributed in the Northern States; 
the webbing species or Southern 
clothes moth, distributed through the 
Southern States as far north as or 




Fig. 1. — Case-making Moth: Above, Fro. 2. — Southern Clothes Moth: Fig. 3. — Tapestry Moth: 
Adult; at Right, Larva; at Left, Moth, Larva, Cocoon, and Adult Moth. En- 
Larva in Case. Enlarged (from Empty Pupa Skin. Enlarged larged {from Riley). 
Riley). (from Riley). 



has been mentioned in the Book of 
Job, hence the moth is known to be 
very ancient and it is distributed in 
all parts of the world. The destruc- 
tive feeding habits of the larvae have 
caused them to be very carefully ob- 
served and studied, and there is 
abundant information as to preven- 
tives and remedial measures against 
them. 

Moths, as is well known, feed ex- 
clusively on animal substances, as 
woolens, silk, fur, and feathers, and 



farther than the latitude of Wash- 
ington, and the gallery species or 
tapestry moth, which is rare in the 
United States, and is found princi- 
pally in barns and carriage houses, 
infesting horse blankets and the up- 
holstery of carriages. 

The eggs of the case-making spe- 
cies, which may be called the North- 
ern moth, are laid but once a year, 
in the spring, the moths appearing 
from June to August. Professor 
Fernald states that the eggs are 



445 



446 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



never hatched in winter in the 
North, even in rooms that are heated 
night and dayi but in the South this 
species appears from January to Oc- 
tober, and breeds two or more times 
a year. 

The webbing species or Southern 
clothes moth breeds twice a year, the 
first eggs being laid in May, and the 
second in August or September; 
hence in the North the moth is a 
summer problem, but in the South it 
must be fought the year round. 

The adult moths do no damage 
except to deposit the eggs from 
which the injurious maggots or larvas 
are hatched. Moths choose darkness 
rather than light, and select a quiet 
and secluded spot M'here they are 
not likely to be disturbed in which 
to deposit their eggs. They also ap- 
pear to prefer garments or other ar- 
ticles which are soiled with spots of 
grease or other organic matter, and 
the larvse appear to choose soiled 
spots or articles in preference to oth- 
ers. The eggs are very minute, and 
are usually deposited on woolens, 
feathers, furs, or other articles which 
are suitable food for the larvse; but 
the latter have the ability to crawl 
from place to place, if necessary, to 
seek proper food. Hence they may 
be deposited in crevices of closets, 
trunks, etc., through which the larvae 
may subsequently enter. 

The larva of the moth is a dull 
white caterpillar. The larva of the 
case-making or Northern moth sur- 
rounds itself with a movable case or 
jacket, but that of the webbing or 
Southern moth merely spins a cob- 
webby path wherever it goes. When 
the larva of the case-making moth is 
mature it becomes quiescent and un- 
dergoes a transformation in its case. 
After about three weeks the moth 
appears. The larva of the Southern 
moth when mature weaves itself a 
cocoon in which it undergoes a simi- 
lar transformation. 

To Prevent Moths. — The facts 
above noted indicate the proper pre- 
cautions to be preserved. In general, 
the moths must be prevented from 



laying their eggs on valuable wool- 
ens, silks, furs, or feathers, and tin; 
eggs themselves, or larvae hatched 
from them, must be destroyed or re- 
moved before they can do serious 
damage. The measures neressaiy to 
effect these results are: (1) a thor- 
ough cleaning of all wardrobes and 
other receptacles liable to be infected 
by moths, and of the floors, espe- 
cially the edges, on which woolen car- 
pets are laid. (2) Treatment with 
suitable preventives, and the frequent 
beating and brushing of woolen and 
other articles, followed by exposure 
to outdoor air and sunshine. (3) 
Packing articles not required for im- 
mediate use in tight receptacles, 
after first removing from them all 
moths' eggs or larvae with which they 
may be infested. Various moth pre- 
ventives and moth destroyers have 
been discovered, all of which will be 
carefully indicated. 

Preventives Against Moths. — Pre- 
ventives against moths are of vari- 
ous kinds, as repellents, poisons, and 
various mechanical methods. Expe- 
rience indicates that moths are averse 
to strong odors; hence among repel- 
lents may be mentioned naphthaline, 
moth balls, camphor, and various es- 
sential oils and perfumed woods. 
Other repellents are pepper, tobacco, 
and the like. Various substances 
applied to wardrobes, floors, and 
other moth-haunted receptacles also 
act as repellents, but it .must be 
clearly understood that they cannot 
be depended upon. They merely 
tend to discourage the visits of the 
moths, but they do not destroy the 
moths, their eggs, or their larvae; 
hence if moths are present, and es- 
pecially if the receptacle which con- 
tains them is tightly closed and un- 
disturbed, they will deposit their 
eggs, and the yoimg will hatch and 
feed practically the same ir the pres- 
ence of these repellents as otherwise. 
Hence other preventive measures are 
necessary to insure protection against 
them. 

Repellents for Moths. — Among 
substances recommended as repellents 



HOUSEHOLD AND GARDEN PESTS 



447 



against moths are paper dipped in 
melted paraffin, cedar chests, cloves, 
cloths saturated with gasoline, sprigs 
of cedar, pine, or other evergreens, 
tallow candles, wood soaked with 
carbolic acid, pieces of Russia leath- 
er, and lavender. 

To Destroy Moths. — Chemicals and 
methods recommended for destroy- 
ing moths are fumigation with hy- 
drocyanic-acid gas or sulphurous- 
acid gas, the application of bisulphide 
of carbon, various petroleum products 
(especially gasoline and benzine), tur- 
pentine, solution of alum, corrosive 
sublimate, carbolic acid, chloroform, 
and the application of steam or hot 
water. 

To Fight Moths. — In general, the 
following methods are recommended: 
in April or May, at the time of 
spring house cleaning, carry out of 
doors the contents of all wardrobes, 
bureau drawers, boxes, etc., contain- 
ing woolens, furs, feathers, or other 
articles made of animal products, 
and empty them on a large quilt or 
sheet spread upon the grass. Choose 
for this purpose a clear, sunny day 
with a gentle breeze. Hang large 
articles on the line and beat them; 
afterwards brush them carefully with 
a stiff whisk broom, especially un- 
derneath the collars, lapels, and oth- 
er similar places. Turn pockets in- 
side out and brush them. Let them 
air in the sun as long as possible. 
Shake and brush thoroughly the 
smaller articles. Finally separate 
those that are likely to be used dur- 
ing the summer months, and lay 
aside all others to be packed in moth- 
tight receptacles and stored. 

While these articles are airing, ap- 
ply suitable moth destroyers to the 
inside of the empty wardrobes, chests 
of drawers, and boxes, and, if con- 
venient, set them out of doors in the 
sun to air. Return to closets and 
chests of drawers the articles likely 
to be in constant use during the 
summer. Wrap those to be stored in 
newspapers or tar paper, carefully 
sealing the opening with flour paste, 
and label the packages. Or fold the 



articles in suitable paper, place them 
in pasteboard or wooden boxes, and 
paste strips of paper around the 
covers and joints and over all cracks 
so as to make the receptacles moth 
proof. 

Adult moths cannot bite, hence 
they are unable to make their way 
through the thinnest layer of paper 
or other protective covering. The 
larvae will not ordinarily chew wood, 
cotton, linen, or paper, especially 
newspaper, but both the moths and 
their larvae will penetrate very mi- 
nute cracks and crevices. Hence 
protection is to be found only in 
tightly closing all such openings with 
paper and paste. Put no dependence 
upon moth balls or other repellents. 

To Protect Clothes Against Moths. 
— Clothing in closets, wardrobes, or 
chests of drawers not sealed may be 
protected against moths by tight 
bags or sacks of cotton or linen, or 
by wrapping in newspapers carefully 
pasted together at the edges; but at 
least once a week the contents of 
wardrobes and all articles of wool, 
fur, or feathers not sealed against 
moths should be carried to the open 
air, shaken or beaten, brushed thor- 
oughly, and hung on a line to air 
during the heat of the day. This 
practice is also advisable on grounds 
of hygiene, personal cleanliness, and 
economy. Clothing thus cared for 
will last longer, present a fitter ap- 
pearance, and be free from germs, 
mold, and other forms of impurity. 

Substituting oiled or painted bare 
floors, and using rugs instead of car- 
pets in summer time are effective 
measures against moths, but if car- 
pets are used, care should be taken 
to sweep with especial thoroughness 
along the edges between the carpet 
and the baseboard. 

To Hepel Moths. — Line drawers 
and other receptacles with newspa- 
pers or wrap articles in newspapers. 
Moths do not like printer's ink. 

.Or place articles in unbleached 
cotton bags. Moths do not like cot- 
ton. 

Or put gum camphor in and about 



448 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



the articles. Or shavings of cedar 
wood or camphor wood inclosed in 
small cotton bags. 

Or put allspice, black pepper, the 
seeds of the musk plant, tansy leaves, 
lavender flowers, juniper berries, or 
bits of sponge, paper, or linen mois- 
tened with turpentine, or Cayenne 
pepper or tobacco or, in fact, almost 
any substance or combination of sub- 
stances which has a strong pungent 
and lasting odor, in and among the 
articles to be protected. Probably 
crystals of naphthaline are as effec- 
tive as any repellent that can be 
mentioned. 

Or place a vial containing chloro- 
form, and having a small slit or hole 
in the cork through which it can 
slowly evaporate, where the fumes 
will penetrate the articles. 

To Destroy Moths. — Fumigate with 
hydrocyanic-acid gas or sulphur or 
camphor. 

Or brush out and dust the inside 
of closets, wardrobes, and chests of 
di'awers, brush floors that have been 
or are to be covered by woolen car- 
pets, and wash the woodwork, espe- 
cially all cracks and crevices, with 
hot soapsuds. Then apply a strong 
solution of alum dissolved in boil- 
ing water (1 or S pounds to the 
gallon)'; 

Or a strong solution of carbolic 
acid or spirits of turpentine, kero- 
sene, benzine, or gasoline. 

Or a solution of creolin in water. 

Apply any of these by means of a 
brush or spring-bottom oil can or 
atomizer. Take care to work it into 
the cracks by means of a small 
brush, a long feather, or otherwise. 

To Protect Carpets from Moths. — 
Sprinkle the floor with turpentine, 
benzine, gasoline, or petroleum, or 
scatter peppermint or other fragrant 
herbs upon it, before the carpet is 
laid. 

Or, if a carpet becomes infested 
while on the floor, sponge the infest- 
ed spots with a solution of 60 grains 
of corrosive sublimate dissolved in 1 
pint of alcohol. 

Or apply gasoline freely to the 



carpet by means of a sponge, brush, 
atomizer, or sprinkler. 

Or apply turpentine freely. Any 
of these will destroy the eggs and 
larvae. 

Or sprinkle borax freely about the 
edges of the carpet and work it into 
the pile of the carpet beneath heavy 
pieces of furniture and other spots 
that cannot be easily swept. 

Or spread a damp towel above the 
suspected places in the carpet and 
iron it dry with a very hot iron. 
Do the same round the edges of the 
carpet, under heavy furniture, and 
at other places not frequently swept. 
The hot steam destroys the eggs and 
larvae. 

Or, if necessary, take up the car- 
pet, beat it as clean as possible, re- 
move the grease spots, and sponge 
carefully on both sides with a mix- 
ture of 1 pint of turpentine to 1 
gallon of water. Wash the floor with 
hot suds made of borax with the 
addition of turpentine, and apply 
around the edges a strong solution 
of alum, carbolic acid, or creolin. 

To Protect Furs from Moths. — 
Beat the furs, using preferably a 
piece of rubber hose. This will not 




"Beat Furs with Rubber Hose. 



cut or tear them. Comb them over 
with a steel comb and expose them 
to direct sunshine in the open air. 
Shake and brush each piece care- 
fully, wrap it separately in newspa- 
per, paste the edges tightly, label it. 



HOUSEHOLD AND GARDEN PESTS 



449 



and lay it away in a drawer, chest, or 
wooden box where the pajDer in which 
it is wrapped will not be broken. 

Or, to prevent accidental breaking 
of the wrappers, lay the packages in 
pasteboard or wooden boxes and seal 
the joints Avith newspaper and paste. 
Cedar chests, moth balls, or other re- 
pellents are not necessary if all moths, 
eggs, and larvaj are first removed and 
the furs are packed tightly; but there 
can be no objection to sprinkling 
naphthaline crystals, red or black 
pepper, various essential oils, and 
other substances having strong odors 
among the furs, or to wrapping up in 
them pieces of gum camphor, tallow 
candle, etc. 

Or, instead of newspapers, put the 
articles in tight pillow slips or un- 
bleached cotton bags, tying these tight- 
ly at the tops. Moths will not pene- 
trate cotton or newspaper. 

Or furs may be washed in a solution 
of 12 grains of corrosive sublimate in 
1 pint of warm water. 

CoH Storage for Furs. — Many fur- 
riers and most of the large depart- 
ment stores in cities have arrange- 
ments for placing valuable furs in cold 
storage during the summer months. 
A temperature as low as 40° F. will 
prevent the depredations of moths, 
and many warehouses maintain as low 
a temperature as 20° F. These estab- 
lishments insure furs against loss or 
damage. 

Mixtures for Moths. — Dissolve 4 
ounces of r.lum in 1 pint of water. 
Add 4 ounces of salt and ^ pint of 
spirits of turpentine. 

Or dissolve 1 ounce of camphor and 
1 ounce of carbolic acid in 1 pint of 
benzine. 

Or dissolve 1 ounce of gum cam- 
phor and 1 ounce of red pepper in 8 
ounces of alcohol. 

Petroleum Products for Moths. — 
Gasoline, benzine, and naphtha may be 
freely applied to all woolen goods, gar- 
ments, carpets, upholstered furniture, 
and the like by sprinkling or saturat- 
ing the articles by means of a small 
watering pot having a fine spray, 
an atomizer, a sponge, brush, or rag. 



Or they may be applied freely to 
floors, the inside of wardrobes, and 
other receptacles. 

Or turpentine may be used in the 
same manner as petroleum products. 

Corrosive Sublimate for Moths. — 
Mix in a glass bottle 1 ounce of cor- 
rosive sublimate and i pint of water. 
Let stand a day or two and shake oc- 
casionally. Then add ^ pint of alco- 
hol. Apply to cracks in floors, ward- 
robes, drawers, and other receptacles, 
or other suspected places. The liquid 
soaks into the wood, leaving a thin 
powder of corrosive sublimate on the 
surface. Do not allow this mixture 
to touch brass or copper. It is very 
poisonous to human beings. 

Camphor for Moths. — This is mere- 
ly a repellent and does not destroy 
moths. Gum camphor may be wrapped 
up in articles to be stored, or placed 
in and about articles in wardrobes and 
chests, or it may be dissolved in al- 
cohol and sprinkled upon them, but 
the former is the better method. 

Tobacco for Moths. — Tobacco may 
be used in the form of snufi' sprinkled 
on articles stored away, or in and 
about floors, wardrobes, etc. Or fine- 
cut tobacco may be sprinkled freely 
in the receptacles, or among the arti- 
cles themselves, or about floors or un- 
der woolen carpets; or a strong in- 
fusion of tobacco steeped in water 
may be used to wash or sprinkle wood- 
work, or applied to cracks and crev- 
ices, etc. 

Pepper for Moths. — Black or Cay- 
enne pepper may be freely sprinkled 
in receptacles or among the articles 
themselves. 

Borax for Moths. — Borax may be 
used with water to make suds to wash 
woodwork, or scattered dry about 
floors or the inside of receptacles. 

To Trap Moth Millers. — A deep 
dish partly filled with sweetened milk, 
on which a candle is floated, support- 
ed by a piece of light wood or a cork, 
is said to form an elifective trap for 
moth millers where they are very nu- 
merous. 

To Store Furs and Woolens. — A 
cedar-wood chest, in which to store 



450 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



furs and woolens against moths, was 
formerly thought indispensable, but 
many substitutes arc now in use that 
are cheaper and just as good. Em])ty 
lard cans which may be had of butch- 
ers and grocers are excellent. They 
arc light, tight, and take up little 
room. Ordinary tin bread or cake 
boxes are good, but they must be 
wrapped up in ])aper or have paper 
pasted over the joints. Large paper 
flour sacks are excellent. The tops 
must be pasted together after the ar- 
ticles have been inserted. 

Or pasteboard boxes that are used 
by dealers to deliver garments, or dry- 
goods boxes lined with newspapers or 
with tarred paper pasted carefully to 
the insides. 

Or old trunks lined in the same 
manner. 

Or a cask or barrel that has been 
used for whisky, wine, or alcohol, and 
still smells strongly of alcohol. 

To Store Bedding. — Line a large 
dry-goods box with several thick- 
nesses of nevi'spapers pasted smoothly 
on the inside, or use one or more lay- 
ers of tarred paper. Shake and air 
the articles, fold and pack them in 
this box, and paste papers on the cov- 
er in such a way that they will pro- 
ject several inches outside. Fold these 
edges downward and paste them to 
the sides of the box so as to make a 
tight joint, and finally tack down the 
lid. 

Moths in Feathers. — Moths will not 
get into feather pillows, feather beds, 
etc., imless the ticks are ripped or 
torn, but should they infest feathers, 
the best remedy is to boil the feathers 
for half an hour or more, and after- 
wards wash and dry them. 

Or soak feathers thoroughly with 
benzine or gasoline. 

To Store Garments. — To protect 
winter garments, such as suits, over- 
coats, and the like, left hanging in 
closets or wardrobes during the sum- 
mer, place one or more suits and over- 
coats on a good clothes hanger and 
prepare a bag of unbleached cotton 
or any old cotton cloth large enough 
to cover the whole while hanging in 



its natural shape. Draw this up over 
the garments and tie at the top with 
a hard knot. 

A section of a barrel hoop covered 
with cotton cloth and having a piece 
of old broomstick fastened between 
the two ends of the crescent makes 
a good clothes hanger. A pair of 
trousers may be folded and hung over 
the rod, and coats and overcoats hung 
upon the convex side, A piece of 
stout twine or wire may be adjusted 
in the middle to hang by. 

To Prepare Garments for Packing. 
— Wash or dry-clean all woolen gar- 
ments before packing them away for 
the summer. Remove especially all 
grease spots, which are very attractive 
to moths, and by decaying tend to in- 
jure the fabrics. This takes time, but 
saves clothes and money. 

To Clean Furs. — Before packing, 
'clean dark furs by heating bran or 
oatmeal. Rub this thoroughly into 
the fur while warm. Remove by shak- 
ing and repeat if necessary. Beat the 
furs with a piece of rubber pipe and 
comb them with a steel comb. 

Clean white furs by laying them on 
a flat surface and rubbing them with 
bran moistened in warm water. Ap- 
ply the bran with a flannel, rub until 
dry, and afterwards apply dry bran. 
Shake clean, and apply magnesia 
against the grain of the fur. Shake, 
beat, and air well before packing. 

To Pack Clothes. — Wash, dry-clean, 
shake, and air. Button coats and 
waists; fill sleeves and bodies with 
crushed newspapers. Place one upon 
another. Newspapers prevent creases. 
In folding skirts and trousers, place 
newspapers, not crushed, where the 
folds come and fold them inside the 
garments. Wrap loosely in newspa- 
pers sejiarate articles when folded, 
and store them in boxes, trunks, or 
chests lined with newspaper or tarred 
paper. Label each package sepa- 
rately. 

Wrap silk, linen, and other delicate 
articles in colored tissue papers. Chem- 
icals used to bleach white paper vfill 
turn them yellow. Do not use news- 
papers. 



HOUSEHOLD AND GARDEN PESTS 



451 



To Remove Odors. — Musty and oth- 
er unpleasant odors in goods packed 
and stored may be prevented by 
sprinkling charcoal in and about the 
articles, and putting lumps of char- 
coal in the receptacle in which they 
are stored. 

To Store Silk. — To prevent silks or 
woolen goods from turning yellow 
when packed and stored, break up a 
few pieces of genuine white beeswax, 
fold loosely in cheese cloth, and place 
among the goods. Wrap up the arti- 
cles in old white linen or cotton cloth. 
Do not use white paper. It will turn 
them yellow. 

To Pack and Store Linen. — Wash 
linen articles, rinse without bluing or 
starch, and rough dry. 

To Store Lace. — Cover lace with 
powdered magnesia to prevent its 
turning yellow. 

Whitewash for Vermin. — Prepare 
whitewash as usual, and add to 1 gal- 
lon 4 ounces of corrosive sublimate or 
2 ounces of powdered copperas pre- 
viously dissolved in boiling water. 

Alum Wash for Vermin. — Dissolve 
1 or 2 pounds of alum to 1 gallon of 
water by boiling until dissolved. Ap- 
ply with an oil can, a brush, or other- 
wise. 

Benzine Wash for Vermin. — Make 
suds of hard white or yellow soap, 
using about * bar of soap to 1 pailful 
of water, and add 1 pint of benzine. 
Use to wash floors or woodwork. Ap- 
ply with a brush, mop, or otherwise. 

Phosphorus Paste for Vermin. — 
Mix 2 drams of phosphorus with 2 
ounces of lard, and add 6 ounces of 
fiour and 2 ounces of brown sugar, 
making the whole into a paste with a 
little water. Add to this fov rats or 
mice a small quantity of cheese. 

But remember that phosphorus is 
easily set on fire by friction, also that 
it must not be allowed to fall on the 
skin, as it burns the flesh, forming a 
dangerous ulcer. Hence pure phos- 
phorus, which is a solid, is kept under 
water and handled by means of pin- 
cers or a sharp-pointed penknife. 

To mix the above, place the phos- 
phorus in a wide-mouthed glass bot- 



tle and pour over it an ounce or so or 
alcohol. Immerse the bottle in hot 
water until the phosphorus is melted. 
Cork it and shake vigorously until 
cold. Pour oflf the spirit, mix the 
phosphorus and lard, and add the 
other ingredients previously mixed to- 
gether. 

Salberg Vermin Wash. — Mix bi- 
chloride of mercury, 2 ounces; spirits 
of turpentine, (> oimces; muriatic aci^l, 
1 ounce; water, 100 ounces. 



CARPET BEETLE OR "BUFFALO 
MOTH" 

The destructive habits of these 
common and injurious pests are well 
known. The mischief is done by this 
insect in its larval stage, when it 
feeds u})on woolen goods, particu- 
larly carpets. It is then rather less 




Fia. 1. — The Carpet Beetle: a, Adult; b, Pupa, 

Ventral View; c, Pupa wUliin Larval Sicin; 
d, Larva, Dorsal View. All enlaryed {from 
Riley). 

than a fourth of an inch in length, 
and is covered with stiff brown hair. 
It is often discovered working about 
the edges of carpets making irregu- 
lar holes or following the line of a 
floor crack, and thus cutting the car- 
pet in a long slit. It is most com- 
mon in the northern and eastern por- 
tions of the United States, and most 
active in the summer months, al- 
though in well-heated houses it may 
continue its depredations the year 
round. The adult insect is a black 
and white beetle, having a red stripe 
down its back. It is rather less than 
one fourth of an inch in length. 

The carpet beetle is rarely found 
in houses having polished floors with 
rugs, straw matHngs, or oilcloth as 
floor coverings, and this fact suggests 



452 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



the most effective remedy. When the 
house has become infested with these 
insects, it is very difficult to eradicate 
them. Thorough house cleaning at 
least twice a year is advisable. And 
a special house cleaning toward the 
middle or latter part of the summer 
is particularly effective. Take up the 
carpets, beat them, spray with ben- 
zine, and hang on the line to air in 
the direct sunshine all day. Wash 
down floors and spray the floor and 
crevices about the baseboards with 
benzine or kerosene. Meantime open 
the windows and ventilate thoroughly 
before introducing a light. Fill all 
floor cracks and cracks about the 
baseboards with suitable crack-fillers, 
as elsewhere recommended, and, if 
possible, before relaying the carpet, 
cover the floor with a lining of 
tarred roofing paper. Tack the car- 
pet loosely, and occasionally look un- 
der the edges to see if insects have 
put in an appearance. In that case 
lay a wet cloth over the spot and iron 
dry with a very hot iron. Steam im- 
til the insects are exterminated. Or 
fumigate the premises with sulphur 
or bisulphide of carbon or hydro- 
cyanic-acid gas. 



THE HOUSE CENTIPEDE 

This insect is most commonly found 
in moist, warm localities, as in cel- 
lars, closets, and bathrooms. Its well- 
known appearance, rapid movements, 
and the fact that its bite is supposed 
to be poisonous, causes it to be an 
object of alarm. The centipede prob- 
ably never bites human beings except 
in self-defense, but it is known to be 
carnivorous in its habits and feeds 
upon roaches, bedbugs, and other in- 
sects. The effect of its bite depends 
upon the susceptibility of the indi- 
vidual, but in the case of most per- 
sons, it is very slightly poisonous, 
causing an inflammation similar to 
that of a mosquito bite, which may be 
allayed by promptly treating it with 
aqua ammonia. This insect rarely 
occurs in sufficient numbers to make 
any special mode of treatment neces- 



sary. Open plumbing and care to 
avoid the accumulation of moisture 
in any part of the house are the best 
preventives. Bathrooms, closets, and 
other localities where they harbor 
may be inspected occasionally and 
the insect killed when they make tlxir 
appearance by means of a wire or 
screen fly killer. 



THE COMMON COCZEOACH OR 
CROTON BUG 

Exterminators of Cockroaches. — > 
Substances recommended to kill or 
disperse cockroaches are fumes of 
hydrocyanic-acid gas, sulphur, pyr- 
ethrum, bichloride of mercury, borax, 
phosphorus, plaster of Paris, arsenic, 
pokeroot, chloride of lime, hellebore, 
and various mechanical means of trap- 
ping the insects. 

To completely exterminate cock- 
roaches in dwellings, warehouses, 
libraries, and stores, fumigate with 
sulphur or hydrocyanic-acid gas. 

Or mix in a glass bottle 1 ounce 
of corrosive sublimate and ^ pint of 
water. Let stand a day or two and 
shake occasionally. Then add ^ pint 
of alcohol. Apply to cracks infested 
by cockroaches from an oil can or 
syringe. This liquid soaks into the 
wood and leaves a thin powder of cor- 
rosive sublimate covering the crevices. 
This is a deadly poison to cockroaches 
and other insects, but is also poison- 
ous to human beings and must be 
handled with the utmost care. Do not 
allow this mixture to touch brass or 
copper. 

Or mix equal quantities of grated 
sweet chocolate and powdered borax, 
or equal quantities of powdered sugar 
and powdered borax, and spread free- 
ly on shelves where cockroaches run, 
or spread on pieces of slightly mois- 
tened bread. 

Or spread phosphorus paste on moist 
bread in their runways or under a 
damp dishcloth, towel, or mop. 

Or mix in a saucer 1 part of plaster 
of Paris and 3 parts of flour, and 
place in the runways. Place near by 
another saucer containing pure water. 



HOUSEHOLD AND GARDEN PESTS 



453 



Lfiy thin pieces of cardboard from 
one to the other as bridges and float 
on the water bits of thin board touch- 
ing the margin. The cockroaches eat 
the flour and plaster of Paris, become 
thirsty, and drink. The plaster then 
sets and kills them. This is an Aus- 
tralian method. It is simple, safe, and 
said to be very eifective. 

Or scatter pulverized hellebore on 
shelves, behind baseboards, about 
sinks, etc. 

Or scatter hellebore on moistened 
bread, but remember that this is also 
poisonous to children and household 
pets. Cockroaches eat it freely. 

Or mix hellebore with molasses, 
powdered sugar, or grated sweet 
chocolate. 

Or mix arsenic with Indian meal or 
molasses. Spread on moistened bread. 
This also is a dangerous poison, and 
cockroaches will not take it as freely 
as other poisons. 

Or mix in saucers chloride of lime 
with sweetened water and place in the 
runways, with bits of pasteboard lead- 
ing up to the saucers and strips of 
wood floating on their surface touching 
the edge. 

Or boil 2 ounces of pokewood in 1 
pint of water 15 or 20 minutes. 
Strain through cheese cloth, mix with 
molasses, and spread on moistened 
bread or plates. 

Or dust the cracks, shelves, etc., 
with powdered pyrethrum by means 
of a pair of bellows or otherwise. This 
is especially useful in libraries, but it 
stupefies and does not always kill the 
cockroaches ; hence they must be swept 
up and burned. 

Or scatter fresh cucumber peelings 
in their runways. 

Or mix plaster of Paris, 1 part, oat- 
meal, 3 parts, powdered sugar or grat- 
ed SAveet chocolate, 1 part; scatter on 
moistened bread and place near to 
open water. 

Or mix equal parts of carbolic acid 
and powdered camphor, and let stand 
until dissolved. Apply with a small 
paint brush to cracks and crevices 
haunted by them. 

But of all the above, powdered 



borax, with or without flour, and pow- 
dered sugar, or both, is perhaps the 
safest and most useful remedy. It 
may be dusted freely on shelves, sinks, 
and kitchen floors, and also forced by 
means of bdlows into cracks and 
crevices, about floors, baseboards, cup- 
boards, sinks, etc. It is cheap, and 
harmless to children and household 
pets, and is far superior to any so- 
called " cockroach powder " upon the 
market. 

To Trap Roaches. — Take any deep 
pasteboard or wooden box and substi- 
tute for the cover four pieces of win- 
dow glass slanting toward the center. 
Put bread moistened with molasses in 
the trap and place it so that the cock- 
roaches can easily get to the top. 
They fall from the glass into the box, 
and cannot get out. This is a well- 
known French device. 

Another trap used in England con- 
sists of any suitable box of wood or 
pasteboard having a round hole in the 
lid fitted with a glass ring and baited 
with bread moistened with molasses or 
other sweetener. 

Or take any deep china bowl or jar 
and put in it about a quart of stale 
beer or ale, of which cockroaches are 
especially fond, or water sweetened 
with molasses. Lean against this a 
number of pieces of pasteboard or any 
inclined surface bending over the top 
so as to project inside the vessel 2 
or 3 inches. The cockroaches climb 
up the inclined plane, slip into the 
liquid, and cannot escape. 

To Tlse Cockroach Traps. — Bait the 
traps freshly each night with any 
moist sweet substance, and destroy 
the catch of roaches each morning by 
fire or boiling water. Have traps al- 
ways at hand, and they will keep 
down cockroaches so that it will not 
be necessary to use dangerous poisons 
more than perhaps once. 

Crickets. — The celebrated story by 
Charles Dickens called "The Cricket 
on the Hearth," and the well-known 
superstition in regard to crickets, will 
perhaps prevent many persons from 
numbering these little insects among 
household pests. To exterminate them, 



454 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



if desired, scatter snuff about their 
haunts, pour boiling water into cracks 
and crevices from which they emerge, 
or put ginger cordial in open saucers 
where they can partake of it. 

THE BEDBUG 

To Keep Down Bedbugs. — Each 
week on cleaning day air the mat- 
tresses and turn them. Use, if possi- 
ble, metal beds rather than wooden 
ones. Take down the bedsteads three 
or four times a year, especially at 
spring and fall house cleaning, and 
oil the joints with a mixture of kero- 
sene and turpentine. At spring house 
cleaning in March or April apply bed- 
bug exterminators thoroughly to kill 
the eggs that are laid at this time. 
Keep bedsteads dusted and cracks 
cleaned out at least once a week. Go 
over the bedstead inside and out with 
a cloth moistened in kerosene. Scat- 
ter wild thyme about the mattress and 
in the vicinity of the bed. The odor 
drives them away. Do not depend 
upon Persian insect powder. 

Poisons for Bedbugs. — Poisons rec- 
ommended for exterminating bedbugs 
are hydrocyanic-acid gas, sulphurous- 
acid gas, kerosene and other pe- 
troleum products, gasoline, benzine, 
naphtha, etc. ; hot water, with or with- 
out alum, chloride of zinc; turpentine, 
camphor, corrosive sublimate dissolved 
in alcohol, and various combinations 
of these. 

To thoroughly exterminate bedbugs, 
fumigate with hydrocyanic-acid gas or 
sulphurous-acid gas. This is the quick- 
est and most effective method. 

Or, if this is not convenient and the 
pests are numerous, take the paper 
off the walls, wash down the walls 
with boiling water containing sal soda 
and alum, apply one or more of the 
following eradicators, and repaper the 
walls. Take all bedding out of doors, 
beat and clean mattresses and other 
ticks, and apply gasoline to them free- 
ly with a sponge, cloth, or brush. Ap- 
ply suitable poisons to all cracks in 
bedsteads and other furniture. Re- 
place, if possible, wooden bedsteads 



with brass or iron ones, and carpet or 
matting with rugs. 

Next to fumigation the best exter- 
minator is kerosene or other petroleum 
products, as gasoline, benzine, or 
naphtha. Take down the bedsteads, 
dust the j oints with a brush, and wash 
with soap and hot water. Boil cedar 
leaves in the water. While their scent 
lasts bedbugs will stay away. Thor- 
oughly oil all joints and cracks with 
kerosene, benzine, or gasoline from a 
spring-bottom oil can or with a small 
paint brush or long feather. Gasoline 
and benzine do not leave any stains. 
Hence use these freely about base- 
boards and on bedsteads where kero- 
sene might stain carpets or bedding, 
but remember that they are highly in- 
flammable. Use them only during day- 
light, and before introducing a lamp 
or lighted match, air the room until 
all odor disappears. 

Kerosene is less dangerous, and its 
stains will evaporate with time or may 
be taken up by such absorbents as 
whiting, prepared chalk, starch, and 
the like. 

Or use an equal mixture of turpen- 
tine and kerosene. 

Or fill all cracks after oiling with 
hard yellow soap or putty. 

Or with a soft, small brush go over 
the bedstead, springs, and woodwork 
with a generous coating of hard oil 
varnish. Work this into all cracks 
and crevices, and your bedbug troubles 
will be over. 

Or dissolve 3 pounds of alum in 3 
or 4 quarts of boiling water, and ap- 
ply hot from an oil can or with a 
brush to all crevices in furniture, 
walls, or floors where bedbugs harbor. 

Or apply a weak solution of chloride 
of zinc. 

Or apply with a brush equal parts 
of blue ointment and kerosene oil. 

Or apply a mixture of 1 pint of 
benzine and i ounce of corrosive sub- 
limate. Apply from oil can or with 
a brush. 

Or i ounce of corrosive sublimate 
and i pint of alcohol. 

Or A ounce of corrosive sublimate 
and i pint of turpentine. 



HOUSEHOLD AND GARDEN PESTS 



455 



Or 1 ounce of corrosive sublimate, 
1 ounce of camphor, 4 ounces of spir- 
its of turpentine, and J pint of wood 
alcohol. Apply from an oil can or 
with a brush. 

But remember that corrosive sub- 
limate is a deadly poison. 

Enemies of Bedbugs. — The common 
house cockroach is an enemy of bed- 
bugs, and the little red house ants 
also kill and eat them; but most per- 
sons would consider that to encourage 
sucli bedbug exterminators would prove 
a remedy as bad as the disease. 

THE HOUSE FLEA 

To Get Rid of Eleas. — The source 
of fleas is usually pet dogs or cats, 
but they may be brought into the 
house on clothing or otherwise. They 
do not breed freely in localities where 
their eggs are likely to be disturbed. 
Hence, contrary to the common sup- 
position, they do not usually breed 
on cats and dogs. But the eggs are 
laid in floor cracks and other crev- 
ices, or they fall from the fur of cats 
or dogs, usually where they have their 
sleeping places. Hence carpe'"^. and 
mattings favor the spread of fleas by 
leaving their eggs undisturbed in the 
breeding places. Fleas breed very rap- 
idly, especially in unoccupied houses. 
They are only to be kept down, 
when they get a foothold, by vigorous 
measures to insure cleanliness. 

Methods recommended for prevent- 
ing and eradicating fleas are the use 
of Persian insect powder, petroleum 
products, eucalyptus oil, oil of pen- 
nyroyal or sassafra; the leaves of 
pennyroyal or camomile flowers, and 
hot soapsuds; also washing animals 
with creolin, or, if necessary, fumiga- 
ting the premises with hydrocyanic- 
acid gas or sulphurous-acid gas. 

Dust Persian insect powder freely 
into the fur of domestic animals and 
into all cracks and crevices in the 
floor and walls about their sleeping 
places. 

Or, if this is not suificient, spray the 
entire carpet or matting and lower 
part of the vv'alls and baseboards with 



benzine from a watering pot having a 
very fine nozzle or a spray-nozzle 
syringe. This must, of course, be done 
by daylight, and the room thoroughly 
aired before introducing any light. 

Or, if necessary, remove all floor 
coverings, take them out of doors, and 
scrub them with gasoline or benzine. 
Wash the floors with hot soapsuds 
containing 1 or 2 pounds of alum 
dissolved in hot water to the pailful. 
If pets arc kept, do this as a pre- 
ventive measure when house cleaning, 
or before leaving the house when it is 
to be shut up for a long time. 

Or wash down the floors with hot 
water containing 1 pint of creolin to 
the pailful. This method is sure. 
About once a week saturate in this 
mixture the bedding used by domestic 
animals, and let it drip dry in the 
open air. 

If necessary, fumigate the premises 
with sulphurous-acid gas or hydro- 
cyanic-acid gas. 

Eucalyptus oil or the oil of penny- 
royal rubbed on one's wrists and 
ankles will keep off fleas in localities 
or dwellings badly infested with them. 

Or sprinkle either oil about sleep- 
ing places of domestic animals and on 
their fur. Mix with an equal quantity 
of alcohol and apply by means of an 
atomizer. 

If beds and bedding become infest- 
ed, spray them with this mixture. 

Or place twigs and leaves of penny- 
royal or camomile flowers in beds or 
kennels of cats and dogs or other in- 
fested localities. Substitute rugs for 
carpets in rooms frequented by do- 
mestic animals, also prevent the accu- 
mulation on the floor of litter of any 
kind, such as books, papers, and the 
like. No such accumulation should 
remain imdisturbed more than a few 
days at a time. A good rule is, on 
cleaning day move everything. 

Professor Gates, of Cornell Univer- 
sity, has won international celebrity by 
a method of catching fleas in a badly 
infested building. He got the janitor 
to tie sheets of fly paper about his 
legs with the stickv side out, and to 
walk up and down the floor in the in- 



456 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



fested rooms. A large number of the 
fleas jumped for his ankles, as they 
were accustomed to do, and were 
caught by the fly paper. 

Fleas on Domestic Animals. — To 
free domestic animals of fleas, sprin- 
kle their fur liberally with insect 
powder, or wash them in a decoction 
of pennyroyal, sassafras, mint, or 
other strong vegetable perfume, or 
in a creolin wash composed for dogs, 
4 teaspoonfuls of creolin, and for 
cats, 2 teaspoonfuls to 1 quart of wa- 
ter. Apply the wash with the hands 
or with a brush, or submerge the 
animals in it for about 5 minutes. 
If cats object to this process, place 
themi in a bag composed of some 
strong washable material with a draw 
string, not too tight, about the neck, 
and immerse them for 5 minutes or 



HATS AND MICE 

To Destroy Rats and Mice. — Meth- 
ods recommended for destroying rats 
and mice may be summed up as 
the use of poisons, traps, ferrets, 
fumigation, and the rat-proof con- 
struction of buildings. In addition, a 
bacteriological product has been dis- 
covered by the Pasteur Institute which 
communicates to rats and mice an 
infectious disease, not dangerous to 
man or other animals, by which they 
are completely exterminated. The 
loss to the United States from the 
brown or Norway rat alone is said 
to amount to several million dollars 
a year. These animals also spread 
the germs of infectious disease from 
house to house, and the bubonic 
plague or " black death " from city 
to city. An exhaustive list of the 
destructive agencies employed against 
rats and mice in historic times would 
more than fill this volume; but most 
of them are worthless, and only a 
limited number are necessary. 

To Poison Bats. — Mix to a stiff 
dough 1 part of barium (carbonate 
of barytes) with 4 parts of corn 
meal, or 1 part of the barytes with 
7 parts of water, 



Or spread barytes on moistened 
bread and butter or toast. Scatter 
these preparations in small quantities 
in the rat runs. This poison is with- 
out taste or smell, and in the small 
quantities that suflBce to poison rats 
or mice is harmless to domestic ani- 
mals. It acts slowly, and the ani- 
mals before dying will, if possible, 
leave the premises in search of wa- 
ter. Hence this is the safest poisan 
to employ in dwellings. All recepta- 
cles containing water must be cov- 
ered while this or any other poison is 
in use, and care must be taken that 
there are no leaky pipes or pools of 
water on or near the premises. 

Or insert dry crystals of strych- 
nine in small pieces of raw meat, 
sausage, or toasted cheese. Place 
these in the rat runs. 

Or dissolve ^ ounce of strychnine 
'sulphate in 1 pint of boiling water, 
add 1 pint of thick sugar sirup, and 
stir vigorously. Soak wheat or oat- 
meal in this strychnine sirup over 
night and spread it about the runs, 
but do not use strychnine in occu- 
pied dwellings, as it is an active poi- 
son, and the rats die in their holes 
before they can escape in search of 
water. 

Or make a dough of phosphorous 
paste with corn meal, oatmeal, or 
flour and a little sugar, and add a 
few drops of oil of rhodium or ani- 
seed. To make phosphorous paste, 
melt 1 pound of lard in a glass fruit 
jar, set it in boiling water, and when 
melted add | ounce of phosphorus 
and 1 pint of alcohol. Screw on the 
top and shake the jar vigorously to 
form a complete emulsion. Allow 
this to settle and pour off the spir- 
its, which may be used again for the 
same purpose. 

Or dissolve in a glass fruit jar i 
ounce of phosphorus in 10 ounces of 
warm water, and mix to form a stiff 
dough with 10 or 13 ounces of rye 
meal, 10 ounces of butter, and 8 
ounces of sugar. Place small quan- 
tities of the dough in the rat run- 
waj^s. 

But remember that phosphorus 



HOUSEHOLD AND GARDEN PESTS 



457 



readily ignites by friction, and the 
rats may carry it into their holes and 
set the place on fire; hence it is not 
as safe to use as barytes or strych- 
nine. 

To Stop Hat Holes. — Where the 
rat holes are visible, pour a little 
water into them at night, and after 
the ground about them becomes 
damp, sprinkle a thin layer of caus- 
tic potash or chloride of lime in and 
about the holes. The damp potash 
sticks to the rats' feet and produces 
sores. In attempting to lick these 
tliey communicate the sores to their 
mouths. 

Rats caught in traps after the use 
of caustic potash are often found to 
have a mass of sores about the feet, 
tail, and mouth. They will usually 
leave the buildings before death. 
Hence where the holes can be found, 
this method is preferable to poison. 

Or the holes may be coated with 
soft tar, or stuffed with burdock or 
cockle burs. 

To Stop Mouse Holes. — Protect the 
bottoms of sideboards, cupboards, 
and the like with a layer of sheet 
tin; or cover mouse holes in plaster 
side walls with a piece of window 
glass set into the plaster and held 
in place by plaster of Paris. Filling 
the hole with plaster does no good, 
as the mice will gnaw through again. 

Or place a little bag full of Cay- 
enne pepper in the hole. 

Or mix red pepper freely with the 
paste used to patch wall paper, and 
with it paste paper over mouse holes 
in the walls. 

Or line cupboards with newspa- 
pers or wall paper, using a paste 
that contains red pepper. 

Or plug mouse holes with newspa- 
pers soaked in a solution of red peji- 
per. 

Or hang a bag containing pepper- 
mint in infested cupboards, ward- 
robes, and the like. 

Or scatter mint leaves about 
shelves and drawers infested by 
themi. 

Or mingle tartar emetic or nux 
vomica with suitable bait. This 



sickens mice without killing them, 
and discourages their visits. 

Camphor placed in trunks or 
drawers will repel mice as well as 
moths. This is especially useful to 
preserve flower and garden seeds from 
mice. Mix gum camphor with the 
seeds freely. It will not harm them. 

To Trap Eats. — Use preferably 
the thin flat rat trap of iron or steel 
having a coiled spring and wire fall 
released by a baited trigger. When 
rats are numerous, procure several 
of these and scatter them about the 
premises. The trap should be large 
enough and the bait adjusted the 
right distance from the mouth, so 
that the fall will strike the rat at 
about the back of the neck and kill 
it. 

The French wire-cage traps are 
also useful, and many homemade de- 
vices are recommended. A common 
cask partly filled with water may be 
converted into a rat trap by taking 
out one end, cleating it, and replac- 
ing it, after rasping off enough of 
the wood around the edge of the 
head so that it will slip easily in 
and out of the barrel. Drive a cou- 
ple of large wire nails at opposite 
sides of the head, and balance the 
head on them across the top of the 
barrel. Cut a notch on either side 
as sockets for the nails to prevent 
the head from slipping. Before using 
this trap, tack one or two shingle 
nails into the rim of the barrel so 
as to temporarily prevent the head 
from tipping, and place any suitable 
bait on the head of the barrel for a 
few days or a week, so that the rats 
will become accustomed to feeding 
there. Fasten pieces of raw meat to the 
head of the barrel by means of glue 
or tacks, taking care that it balances 
evenly, and remove the shingle nails. 
When the rats renew their visits, the 
first one to step on the edge will 
cause the head of the barrel to re- 
volve on itself and drop him into the 
water beneath, when, if properly ad- 
justed, the head will resume its place 
and be ready for the next comer. 

Or the head of the cask may be 



458 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



covered with stout wrapping paper 
and baited for a few nights. Then 
a couple of slits may be made cross- 
wise in the middle of the wrapping 
paper and reenforced by means of 
pieces of whalebone glued to the pa- 
per and running along the cut edge 




"A Cask Covered with Paper." 



and on to the uncut margin. The 
rat walking to the middle of the 
sheet causes the paper to give way 
and drop him inside. The whale- 
bones spring the paper back to place, 
in readiness for the next. 

To Bait Traps. — Bait rat traps 
with pieces of bologna sausage, oat- 
meal, toasted cheese, buttered toast, 
sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds, 
or all of these used in succession. 
The bait must be changed frequently, 
as rats are very suspicious, and the 
location of the traps must be fre- 
quently changed. If wood or steel 
traps are used, insert a stick through 
the trap after baiting, light a bun- 
dle of paper, and smoke it thorough- 
ly. This covers the scent of the 
hands. 

Or place a few drops of oil of 
rhodium or aniseed on or about the 
trap. This covers the scent of the 
hands, and also seems to attract rats 
and mice. 

Or, if wire rat traps are used, af- 
ter catching one or two rats, do not 
release, but feed them. They thus 
act as decoys for others. When a 
number have been caught, place the 
trap in a tub of water to drown 
them. 

A correspondent suggests releas- 



ing live rats after coating them 
with a mixture containing phosphor- 
us. Mix with water to the consist- 
ency of milk i ounces of glue, 4 
ounces of asafoetida, and 2 ounces of 
potash, and add i ounce of phos- 
phorus dissolved in a little alcohol. 
Shake the whole to form a complete 
emulsion. 

Catch one or more rats in a wire 
cage. Take a pronged stick having 
prongs about as long as the rat's 
neck is thick, wedge the fork just 
behind the animal's ears, and pin 
him firmly to the floor. He can be 
held in this position without risk or 
difficulty. Roll a bit of newspaper 
into a tight cylinder, set fire to one 
end, and with the lighted end singe 
the hair from his back. This can be 
done without burning the flesh. Fix 
a small paint brush on a long stick 
and after dark apply a coating of the 
phosphoric mixture, slightly warm, to 
the animal's back, and release him 
near his hole. Just what impression 
is produced by what seems to be the 
ghost of a departed rat reappearing 
in his old haunts would be hard to 
say, but those who have tried the 
experiment report that no rats remain 
in the vicinity to give an account of 
their sentiments. 

Rats in Poultry Houses. — Traps 
or poison used to exterminate rats 
in poultry houses must be protected 
from fowl invasion. This can be 
done by inverting over the trap a 
wooden box or cheese box, with 
holes cut in the sides through which 
the rats can enter. As an additional 
precaution the poison may be placed 
under a smaller box having holes 
through which the rats can merely 
insert their noses without entering, 
and inverting the large box over the 
small one. This will prevent the poi- 
son from being scattered within the 
large box near enough to the open- 
ings to be reached by fowls. Tack 
these boxes to the floor on to stakes 
firmly driven into the ground so that 
they cannot be shoved about. 

Dogs and Ferrets for Hats. — Fer- 
rets in charge of an experienced per- 



HOUSEHOLD AND GARDEN PESTS 



459 



son will drive rats out of their bur- 
rows so that dogs can capture them. 
The ferret is the rat's most deadly 
enemy, but ferrets in the hands of 
amateurs are not always a success. 
When rats attack a stack of grain, 
hay, or straw, or take refuge beneath 
it, they may be exterminated by 
building around the stack a tempo- 
rary inclosure of fine mesh wire net- 
ting several feet high, and pitching 
the stack over the netting, to be re- 
laid outside. One or more dogs or 
ferrets may be placed inside the in- 
closure to take care of the rats which 
endeavor to escape while the straw 
is being removed. 

.\ similar method is employed to 
entrap the rats by natives in the rice 
fields of the far East. Temporary 
piles of brush and rice straw are 
built in which the rats accumulate. 
The straw is then removed and the 
rodents are destroyed. 

Fumigation for Rats. — Rats which 
burrow in fields, levees, or rice-field 
dikes may be destroyed by satura- 
ting a wad of cotton in carbon bi- 
sulphide, pushing it into the opening 
of the burrow, and packing down 
the soil. Farm buildings are usually 
not tight enough to admit of fumi- 
gation with this or any gas. 

Rat-proof Construction. — The use 
of concrete and cement in construc- 
tion is the best means of abating the 
rat nuisance. All sorts of farm 
buildings and other structures are 
now being constructed of concrete. 
Edison predicts that dwelling houses 
will shortly be made of this material 
from cellar floor to chimney top. 
The foundations of all buildings and 
even whole cellars may be made rat 
proof by this means at very slight 
expense. 

Fill rat holes with a mixture of 
cement, sand, and broken glass or 
sharp bits of stone. Line galleries, 
corn cribs, and poultry houses inside 
or outside with fine mesh wire net- 
ting. Or lay the floors and founda- 
tions in concrete, extending it up on 
the sills. Invert pans over the posts 
of corn cribs, but be sure to make 



these high enough so that the rats 
cannot jump from the ground on to 
the posts or sills. The posts should 
be at least 3J feet high. 

Ratite for Rats. — We make no 
apology for quoting in full the follow- 
ing extract from a circular of the Pas- 
teur Vaccine Company, whose prod- 
ucts are for sale by leading drug- 
gists or can be obtained of the mak- 
ers. This preparation is so unique 
and effective that we unhesitatingly 
recommend it, believing that all who 
try it will regard the suggestion as 
perhaps the best that could be given 
on the subject: 

" Until to-day, the usual means 
employed for ridding private houses, 
stables, corn and hay lofts, etc., of 
the rats, mice, and other small gnaw- 
ing animals which do so much dam- 
age there, were varioiis chemical 
products, of which the principal ele- 
ments were arsenic, strychnine, nux 
vomica, etc., which destroyed them 
by poisoning. 

" However, the desired result could 
only be thus obtained by each indi- 
vidual rat or mouse swallowing the 
bait, and this necessarily entailed a 
long time when the pests were nu- 
merous, and was even impracticable 
when large spaces required treating. 

" Moreover, the use of these chem- 
ical products was not without dan- 
ger for domestic animals, and hence 
could not be used in poultry yards, 
stables, kennels, pheasantries, farms, 
etc. Children have even been poi- 
soned in this way when the necessary 
precautions were not taken to pre- 
vent them from touching the bait. 

" Now, however, thanks to bacteri- 
ological science, which has made so 
much progress in the last few years, 
it has been established that certain 
microbes become pathogenic for small 
gnawing animals by giving them a 
disease peculiar to their species. 

" This first fact thus made clear, 
we have undertaken to perfect the 
work already done in this direction, 
and have at last succeeded in prepar- 
ing a product which we call ' Ratite ' 
and which, when swallowed by rats 



460 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



and mice, gives them a disease not 
only fatal but contagious, wiiile, being 
peculiar to their species, it is quite 
harmless to all other animals. 

" ' Ratite ' thus possesses two big 
advantages over the means of de- 
struction employed up to the pres- 
ent, viz.: 

(1) "It is absolutely harmless to 
man, domestic animals, and game of 
all kind (feathered or otherwise). It 
can thus be utilized everywhere, in 
private houses, farms, stables, fowl 
runs, kennels, pheasantries, etc., 
without danger of any accident. 

(2) " Not only does it act as sim- 
ple poison by killing the rat or 
mouse which swallows it, but it con- 
tinues its work by contagion, inas- 
much as one of these rodents, hav- 
ing swallowed the ' Ratite,' not only 
catches the fatal disease but becomes 
an infecting agent among its com- 
panions, communicating it by simple 
contact. 

" Lastly. The application of ' Rat- 
ite' being at once simple and with- 
out danger (see directions for use) 
in addition to its real efficacy, will in- 
sure its being preferred to all other 
systems of destruction employed up 
to the present. 

" Directions for Use. — Pour out 
the virusf. in a clean basin, and cut 
up small cubes of bread (pref- 
erably crust) of about 1 c.c. Well 
soak the bread until it has thor- 
oughly absorbed the liquid, taking care 
that the bread does not become too 
pulpy. 

" Coarse oatmeal or ' Quaker Oats,' 
which readily absorb liquid, may be 
used instead of bread, and this vehi- 
cle is recommended for large areas. 

" Both the preparation and distri- 
bution of bait should be carried out 
in the evening and spread about in 
places frequented by rodents — as far 
as possible in their holes. Six to 
eight days after distribution of the 
bait its effects will be apparent, but 
should any rodents remain after fif- 
teen days, a second application should 
be made at once. The best results. 
are obtained by one application of 



a given quantity of virus rather than 
by extending it gradually over a lon- 
ger period. 

" The virus should be used within 
twenty days of its preparation, which 
is marked on the bottle, and if not 
employed immediately should be kept 
in a dry, dark, and cool place (a 
cellar, for instance). 

" It will be noticed that the bot- 
tles are not full, the empty space 
being necessary for its preparation. 

" The odor of this virus is no sign 
of deterioration. 

" The operator should have his 
hands free from cuts or sores, and 
wash them well after preparing and 
distributing the bait." 

We would recommend that if other 
means prove ineffective " Ratite " be 
given a trial. 

BLACK AND RED ANTS 

Ants. — The means employed to 
keep the house free from ants are of 
three sorts: preventives, poisons, and 
mechanical methods. 

To Get Rid of Ants. — Place lumps 
of gum camphor in their runways 
and near sweets infested by them. 

Or scatter snuff in their runways, 
or branches of sweet fern or fresh 
green sage leaves or the leaves of 
green wormwood, or lumps of brim- 
stone or flowers of sulphur or red 
pepper or powdered borax. 

Or scrub shelves and drawers with 
strong carbolic soap. 

Or inject diluted carbolic acid into 
crevices whence they issue. 

Or inject gasoline. 

Place any of these substances in 
their runways, and scatter it about 
shelves, pantries, and floors near 
where sweets are kept. 

Or place preserves, cake, and other 
sweets attractive to ants in refrig- 
erators, or small closets, boxes, or 
tables raised on legs set in pans of 
water. Add a tablespoonful of kero- 
sene oil to the water to form a scum 
of oil over the top. 

To Trap Ants. — Place near their 
runs a bit of raw meat or a bone 



HOUSEHOLD AND GARDEN PESTS 



461 



mth scraps of meat or a piece of 
bread moistened in molasses on a bit 
of board or wrapping paper. The 
ants will swarm on this, and may be 
lifted and dropped into the fire or 
a kettle of boiling water. 

Or dip a good-sized sponge in a 
sirup made by dissolving borax and 
sugar in boiling water. Wring out 
the sponge nearly dry, attach a string 
to it, and lay it in their runways. 
IIa\-e ready a second sponge prepared 
in the same way. As soon as the 
first is infested with ants, lift it by 
the string and drop it into a vessel 
of boiling water and substitute the 
second. Meantime rinse the first, 
moisten it with sirup, and so con- 
tinue until all are destroyed. Either 
of these plans will exhaust an ordi- 
nary colony of ants in a very few days. 
The sirup containing borax will also 
kill those which get away from the 
sponge and escape the boiling water. 

To Destroy Ant Nests. — First lo- 
cate the nest by placing coarse sugar 
where the ants can find it. Each 
ant will take up a load of this and 
go directly to the nest. The red ant 
often nests in the walls or floors of 
houses; hence is difficult to eradi- 
cate. Trace the ants to the crevice 
whence they emerged, and inject 
kerosene, gasoline, or, better, bisul- 
phide of carbon into the opening. If 
this fails, the nest is probably some 
distance oif, and it may be necessary 
to take up a few boards to locate it. 
When found, apply kerosene, gaso- 
line, or carbon bisulphide. 

The small black ant ordinarily 
makes its nest under stones in the 
yard. The large black or pavement 
ant also builds out of doors under 
pavements or flagstones in yards. 
To destroy these ants, locate their 
nests and drench them with boiling 
water or kerosene. 

Or introduce carbon bisulphide into 
the ground near the nest. To do this, 
drive a hole into the ground with 
an iron bar, introduce an oimce or 
two of this substance, and cover it by 
immediately filling the hole solidly 
with earth. 



Or dissolve 2 pounds of alum in 
3 or 4 quarts of boiling water and 
pour this into the nests. 

Or dissolve ^ ounce of cyanide of 
potassium in 1 pint of water. Pour 
this into the hole and saturate the 
ground about it. Plug the hole with 
cotton and saturate it with this mix- 
ture. But remember that it is a 
deadly poison. 

Or pour into the hole a strong so- 
lution of carbolic acid in water. 

To destroy the large mounds or 
ant-hills, make a number of holes in 
the mound with a bar or large stick, 
and pour an ounce or two of carbon 
bisulphide into each hole. This sub- 
stance is not expensive and can be 
used freely. Close the hole immedi- 
ately with the foot. The bisulphide 
will penetrate to all parts of the ant- 
hill and kill the whole colony„ 

THE WHITE ANT 

This name is a misnomer, as the 
insect is not a member of the ant 
family, although its appearance and 
habits are similar. It is common 
throughout the United States, but 
most numerous and active in the 
Southern States, ar^d in moist lo- 
calities. The insects feed upon mois- 
tened or decayed vegetable matter, 
as the timber of buildings, books, 
papers, and the like. They burrow 
into the interior of these objects and 
sometimes riddle them through and 
through, so that they crumble into 
a mass of dust before any outward 
indication of their presence is ob- 
served. 

Preventive Measures. — To prevent 
the ravages of the white ant, founda- 
tions of buildings, especially in warm 
climates and moist localities, should 
be of stone or cement, and shoifld 
raise the walls well above contact 
with moisture from the soil. A clear 
space of gravel or asphalt next to the 
foundation, and the removal of de- 
cayed wood or vegetable substances, 
is helpful. 

Or impregnate wood that comes in 
contact with the ground, or that is 



462 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



likely to be damp for any reason, 
with creosote. 

Or use for such purposes Califor- 
nia redwood, which is not eaten by 
these insects. 

Destruction of White Ants. — The 
only certain remedy is the fumigation 
of the premises bj^ hydrocyanic-acid 
gas. Frequent inspection of any ac- 
cumulation of books and papers is 
advisable. 

THE COMMON HOUSE FLY 

To Banish Flies. — The preferred 
breeding place of the house fly is the 
manure pit of horse stables. The 
female lays about 130 eggs, which 
hatch in six or eight hours. Tho mag- 
gots or larvae reach full growth in 
four or five days, and become adult 
flies in about five days more. Hence 
in the United States a single genera- 
tion is bred in about ten days, and 
twelve to fifteen generations on an 
average every summer. Thus enor- 
mous numbers of flies may be hatched 
in a single manure pile. 

The only effective means to prevent 
or reduce this nuisance is to board up 
a portion of the barn cellar, or build 
a lean-to against the horse stable hav- 
ing a tight trapdoor or screened win- 
dow admitting to the stable, and a 
tight door to permit of removing the 
manure. Such precautions to prevent 
the entrance of flies, and thus to de- 
prive them of their natural breeding 
place, have been proved by experience 
in Washington and other cities to 
greatly abate this nuisance. 

In France the Matin, a Paris news- 
paper, offered a prize of 10,000 francs 
during the winter of 1905-6 for the 
best means of lessening this nuisance. 
The prize was awarded by scientific 
men for a proposal to use residuimi 
oil in all cesspools and similar places. 

For each square yard of the pit 
mix 2 quarts of the oil with water, 
and throw into the receptacle. This 
covers the surface with a scum which 
kills all larv^, prevents flies from en- 
tering and laying their eggs, covers 
the contents, and also assists in pre- 



venting the development of the bac- 
teria of germ diseases. The same sub- 
stances may be mixed with earth, lime, 
or phosphates, and spread upon the 
manure in barnyards, stables, etc. 

Or scatter about horse stables saw- 
dust saturated with dilute carbolic 
acid, 1 part of the acid to 100 parts 
of water. 

Disease from Flies. — The fact that 
flies carry the germs of typhoid and 
other filth diseases is now so well es- 
tablished that no one can have a clear 
conscience who is responsible for an 
open vault or drain or an exposed 
manure pile, if there is sickness in his 
household or neighborhood. In the 
country, farmhouses are usually far 
enough apart, so that the responsibil- 
ity for the abatement of this nuisance 
rests upon the head of the family. 
But in towns and villages the re- 
sijonsibility rests upon the local board 
of health, who, upon complaint being 
made, have in most cases ample power 
to enforce sanitary measures. 

To Destroy Flies. — The various 
household measures against flies are 
the use of screens, poisons, adhesive 
fly papers, traps, and various preven- 
tives. 

Have screens for every window and 
door in the house. Removable wire 
screens on adjustable or other wood 
frames are, perhaps, most conveni- 
ent. These may be inserted in the 
windows at will and removed when 
not wanted. 

Or a wooden frame may be made 
the full size of the outer casing of the 
window and covered with wire or cloth 
netting. This may be inserted in the 
spring and removed in the fall, or, if 
desired, and wire net is used, may be 
left during the winter, especially in 
the upper rooms, to prevent children 
from falling out when the windows 
are open. 

Or a cheap, handy way to screen 
against flies is to tack mosquito net- 
ting to the outer window casing so 
as to cover the whole window. This 
is always out of the way, will last 
one season, can be torn down in the 
fall, and replaced cheaply and easily 



HOUSEHOLD AND GARDEN PESTS 



463 



in the spring. If there are children, 
have the screen door made in two sec- 
tions, an upper and a lower, so that 
only the lower section opens when the 
children go in and out. The flies set- 
tle mostly on the upper part of the 
door. Hence this arrangement keeps 
out many flies. Adjust the two sec- 
tions so that the whole door opens 
when pulled from above. Flies will 
come down the chimney even when 
there is a fire in the grate. Hence 
screen the chimney by means of wire 
netting across the top. 

Have screens either half or full size 
made for each window on the same 
principle as a screen door, to fit into 
the outer frame and open outward. 
Hinge on the right side top and bot- 
tom, same as a door, and place hooks 
or bolts on the left side top and bot- 
tom to fasten in place. Use double 
hinges, and in the fall the screen can 
be lifted, leaving half of the hinge on 
the window frame. Protect this with 
suitable oil or paint, and the screen 
can be adjusted in the spring with 
little trouble. 

Or tack wire or cloth screen to the 
outer frame of the window, to cover 
either the lower sash or the entire 
frame. 

Or this may be done from the in- 
side by tacking at the side first, then 
all around, and facing below. 

Or, if the outside shutters are no 
longer in good repair, they may be 
converted into frames for screens. Cut 
out the shutters from the frames and 
replace with wire screen cloth. These 
are very convenient, as they cover the 
whole window, and when it is being 
washed, or it is otherwise desirable, 
the screens can be opened out of the 
way. In winter time they can be 
taken from the hinges and by varnish- 
ing the wire to prevent rust they can 
be preserved from year to year. 

To Mend Screens. — To mend a wire 
window or door screen that has not 
become too rusty to work with, take 
a square piece large enough to reach 
firm wire on all sides of the damaged 
part. Ravel the edges of the jnitcli, 
taking off two or more wires on each 



side to leave a fringe a quarter of an 
inch or more in width all around. 
Then, with the flat side of a pair of 
pincers, bend this fringe down at 
right angles. Place the patch in posi- 
tion and push the bent fringe through. 
Bend the fringe in toward the center, 
and place it in firmly by putting a small 
board against it and hammering it 
gently on the other side. The patch 
will hold, and flies cannot crawl un- 
der its edges. 

Preventives Against Flies. — Flies 
are said to abhor sweet clover. Place 
in bags made of mosquito netting and 
hang them about the room. 

Or sprinkle about the room oil of 
sassafras or oil of laurel. The latter 
has been used by the butchers of 
Geneva from time immemorial. 

Or use oil of lavender or lavender 
buds. 

Or soak houseleeks for five or six 
days in water, and wash pictures, fur- 
niture, and woodwork with the de- 
coction. 

Or boil onions in a quantity of 
water and wash picture frames, mold- 
ings, and delicate woodwork, using a 
soft cloth or a brush. 

To prevent flies from settling on 
windows, wash them in water contain- 
ing kerosene and wipe with a rag 
moistened in kerosene. 

To Make Poisonous Fly Paper. — To 
make poisonous fly paper, dissolve 6 
drams of chloride of cobalt and 2 
ounces of brown sugar in 1 pint of 
boiling water. Saturate blotting paper 
with this solution and put a small 
square of the pajjer in a saucer of 
water, or use the solution itself, but 
remember that it is a deadly poison. 

Or mix 1 teaspoonful of laudanum 
and ^ teaspoonful of brown sugar 
witJi a tablespoonfuls of water. Ex- 
pose in saucers. Keep away from 
children and pets. 

Or boil i ounce of quassia tips in 
I quart of water, and add 8 ounces of 
molasses or brown sugar. 

Or dissolve 2 drams of mastic of 
quassia in i pint of water, and add 2 
tablespoonfuls of molasses or brown 
sugar. 



464 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Or make strong green tea and 
sweeten with sugar. 

Or mix ^ teaspoonfxil of black pep- 
per and 1 teaspoonful of sugar with 
2 tablespoonfuls of cream. 

Or mix 1 tablespoonful of black 
pepper, 1 tablespoonful of molasses 
or brown sugar, and the yolk of 1 
egg. Beat to a paste. Flies will eat 
freely any of the above if exposed 
where they congregate, and will be 
killed by them. 

To Make Sticky Fly Paper. — Melt 
4 pound of rosin, and dilute to the 
consistency of molasses with 4 ounces 
or more of sweet oil or lard oil. 
Spread this with a brush on two or 
more sheets of manila wrapping paper, 
leaving an inch or more margin all 
around. Place the sticky surfaces of 
each pair of sheets together, and when 
wanted pull them apart. This is also 
a useful preventive against ants and 
other insects. 



THE MOSQUITO 

Dangers from Mosquitoes. — A 
world-wide campaign is being carried 
on to exterminate the mosquito pest. 
The reason of this is found in the re- 
cent discovery that mosquitoes are the 
sole means whereby malaria and yel- 
low fever are communicated to man, 
and the suspicion that they com- 
municate other diseases. The fact that 
mosquitoes and malaria seem to go 
together has long been noted, and like- 
wise the fact that malaria seems to 
be contracted after nightfall, but un- 
til recently the part played by mosqui- 
toes in communicating malaria was not 
understood. The notion that the mists 
arising from swamps and stagnant 
water at nightfall convey the germs 
of malaria to man is now quite ex- 
ploded. In 1880 Lavaren, a surgeon 
in the French army at Algiers, first 
identified the parasites of malaria in 
human blood. In 1898 two English- 
men, Manson and Ross, showed posi- 
tively that malaria is transmitted by 
mosquitoes. In 1900 two English 
physicians, Sambon and Lowe, occu- 
pied a house in one of the most mala- 



rial districts in the world, the well- 
known Campagna in Rome. The house 
was screened against mosquitoes. The 
two men were quite free from malaria 
and chills, while people living near by 
in houses not screened were fever-rid- 
den. Mosquitoes which had bitteai 
malarial patients were sent to Eng- 
land and allowed to bite persons who 
had never had malaria or been ex- 
posed to it, but who thereupon devel- 
oped typical cases of the disease. 

Similar experiments made by a med- 
ical commission of the United States 
Army near Quamados, Cuba, prove 
that the mosquito also transmits yel- 
low fever. The commission erected a 
small wooden building tightly sealed 
and screened against mosquitoes. For 
G3 days seven noncommune men occu- 
pied this building. They used un- 
washed bedding from the beds of 
genuine yellov/-fever patients without 
contracting yellow fever. 

In another experiment a house was 
built having two rooms separated by 
wire screens. The house was tightly 
screened against mosquitoes. Its en- 
tire contents were disinfected, and 
both rooms were occupied by persons 
not immune to yellow fever. Mosqui- 
toes which had bitten yellow-fever pa- 
tients were placed in one room, but 
not in the other. In the room con- 
taining no mosquitoes none had yel- 
low fever, but in the other room six 
out of the seven that were bitten 
by mosquitoes developed genuine cases 
of the disease. These experiments led 
to scientific observations which have 
proved that a certain species of mos- 
quito — the Anopheles — is present in 
all malarial and yellow-fever districts, 
but apparently not elsewhere; and also 
that the germs of malaria required 
for their development during a part 
of their life history ocour as parasites 
in the bodies of the Anopheles mos- 
quito. 

These facts are stated at length to 
remove all doubts about the connec- 
tion between malaria and yellow fever 
and the mosquito, and to impress the 
fact that such diseases are prevent- 
able. If they occur in any locality, 



HOUSEHOLD AND GARDEN PESTS 



465 



the responsible heads of families can- 
not have a clear conscience until they 
have sought and removed the cause- 
namely, all near-by ponds or puddles 
of stagnant water in which mosquitoes 
breed. 

life History of Mosquitoes. — The 
mosquito passes through four distinct 
stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. 
The female deposits her eggs, from 
75 to 300 in number, toward the lat- 
ter part of the night or early morning 
on the surface of stagnant pools. She 
rarely deposits them on running water 
or pure water that is frequently 
stirred. The egg hatches in about 
twenty-four hours or more, according 
to temperature. It produces the larva 
or well-known wiggier or wiggletail 
which everyone may see in rain barrels 
or pools of stagnant water. The young 
larva rests just beneath the surface 
of the water, but breathes the outer 
air through a respiratory tube located 
at the tip of the abdomen. The larvae 
cannot live more than a minute or 
two if unable to reach the surface to 
breathe, and to this fact is due the 
common method of destroying them 
by means of a film of petroleum on 
the surface of the water. 

In five or six days the larvae change 
into pupae. In about two days more 
these assume the form of the ordinary 
adult mosquito. Hence in hot weather 
a generation of mosquitoes develops 
in from eight to ten days. Consider- 
ing the number of eggs laid by a sin- 
gle female it will be readily seen that 
countless millions of these pests may 
breed in a single pool, pond, or swamp 
during one summer season. 

To Destroy Mosquitoes. — Happily, 
the experiments of scientific observers 
seem to indicate that mosquitoes do 
not usually fly very far from the pools 
in which they were hatched. They re- 
quire as breeding places pools of stag- 
nant water that remain undisturbed 
for from ten days to two weeks, and 
they may be completely destroyed by 
covering the surface of these pools 
with a thin film of petroleum or kero- 
sene oil. Hence the problem of ex- 
terminating mosquitoes is strictly a 



local one, and the means are quite 
within the reach of every responsible 
person. Farmhouses are often far 
apart, so that all the mosquitoes about 
the house and farm buildings are bred 
on the place. Consequently, the re- 
sponsibility for exterminating them is 
purely an individual one. 

Or a group of neighboring farmers 
can often be persuaded to act in har- 
mony, or at least to permit an enter- 
prising neighbor to take measures to 
prevent the breeding of mosquitoes in 
their vicinity. 

School children may be encouraged 
to undertake the extermination of 
mosquitoes in an entire school dis- 
trict, or boards of health may be per- 
suaded to take up the problem and 
appoint voluntary or paid representa- 
tives to wage a war of extermination 
through the entire community. 

Kerosene for Mosquitoes. — To de- 
stroy mosquitoes, apply petroleum or 
kerosene oil to the surface of the 
pools, puddles, or marshes in which 
they breed. One ounce of kerosene 
is sufficient for 15 square feet of stag- 
nant water. Thus a tank or pool 10 
feet across would require about IJ 
pints of the oil. 

To apply the oil on small puddles, 
tanks, or pools, it is only necessary to 
pour it on the surface or scatter it to 
windward with a wide sweep of the 
arm. The oil will spread itself over 
the surface in a uniform film. But 
for larger ponds, marshes, and pools 
overgrown about the edges with grass 
or weeds which may pre%'ent the oil 
from penetrating to every part, it is 
better to use an ordinary sprayer hav- 
ing a fine nozzle, such as is used for 
spraying fruit trees viath Bordeaux 
mixture. This may be applied in pools 
by wading or from a raft or boat. 

A single application of oil kills all 
eggs laid upon the surface and all 
wigglers previously hatched. The film 
of oil prevents their coming to the 
surface to breathe, hence they are suf- 
focated or " drowned." The oil does 
not prevent the female mosquito from 
attempting to deposit her eggs on the 
surface, but destroys her in the act 



466 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



of doing so; consequently, until the 
oil evaporates, the breeding of mos- 
quitoes is totally prevented. The film 
of oil, if undisturbed, wiU not evapo- 
rate for a week or more, and at least 
ten days will be required after it has 
evaporated for a generation of mos- 
quitoes to mature. Hence in absolute- 
ly still water where there is no current 
to carry off the oil, two applications 
a month will be quite sufficient. In 
covered tanks, drains, and cesspools 
not exposed to the sun, one application 
a month should be enough. But those 
who are fighting mosquitoes must re- 
member that after a rain an old tin 
can, the print of a cow's foot in the 
mud, or a puddle left in a wagon rut 
or hollow may breed enormous num- 
bers of mosquitoes if it remains un- 
disturbed for a period of ten days or 
more. Hence a few days after a rain 
the ubiquitous small boy should be 
sent abroad with a small waterpot 
having a fine nozzle and containing 
a gallon or more of kerosene, and he 
should be instructed to cover the sur- 
face of these pools with a layer of the 
oil. Tin cans before being thrown 
on the dump should have the bottoms 
knocked out or a few holes punched 
in them with a can opener. An ounce 
of prevention is better than a pound 
of cure. 

To Destroy Mosquitoes by Drain- 
age. — This needs little comment. Ob- 
viously, if swamps, pools, and the like 
have tile or other drains laid beneath 
their surface so that the water is en- 
tirely drawn off, mosquitoes cannot 
breed in them. But open drains are 
themselves favorite breeding places of 
mosquitoes. Hence these should be 
spread with oil, especially along the 
edges where grass and weeds make 
the current sluggish. If there is much 
current, they should be sprayed two 
or three times a month. 

Rain barrels, buckets, and all other 
receptacles about the premises in which 
water collects should be emptied at 
least once a week or, if possible, per- 
manently. Draining is the most satis- 
factory way to fight mosquitoes, as it 
is much easier to get people's interest 



in the subject thoroughly aroused by 
one concerted efi'ort than it is to try 
keeping it up by spasmodic efforts 
from month to month and from year 
to year. 

Screens for Mosquitoes. — Cover 
with fine wire screens rain barrels, 
cisterns, and all receptacles for drink- 
ing water that cannot be treated with 
kerosene or emptied frequently, and 
go over them occasionally with a cloth 
moistened in kerosene, taking care not 
to let any oil drip into the water. 
This will effectually prevent mosqui- 
toes from squeezing thi'ough the screen 
to lay their eggs. 

To Destroy Mosquitoes with Fish. 
— The small pools, marshes, swamps, 
and streams having shallow pools with 
stagnant edges which are used as 
watering places for stock, and hence 
cannot be covered with kerosene, 
should be stocked with small fish, as 
the top minnow and the sunfish (or 
"pumpkin seed"). Both these species 
feed on the wigglers and will quickly 
rid any infested waters of them. The 
pumpkin seed is preferable, as it is 
equipped with spine rays which pro- 
tect it from the larger fish. But the 
top minnow is suitable for small pools 
and ponds where there are no pike or 
pickerel. 

When depending upon fish to keep 
the watering places of stock clear 
from mosquitoes, be on the lookout 
against prints left by the hoofs of 
animals in the mud on margins of 
ponds, where, of course, the fish can- 
not approach. These must be treated 
occasionally with kerosene. 

Household Remedies. — To screen 
all 9oors, windows, and other open- 
ings, including the entrance to the top 
of the chimney and to the cellar win- 
dows, against mosquitoes may be, in 
malarial and yellow-fever districts or 
during epidemics of contagious dis- 
eases, a matter of life and death, and 
is the best preventive at all times 
against the annoyance of the pests. 
An open porch or piazza fitted with 
movable screens or hinged screens that 
can be opened during the daytime if 
desired, is a great convenience and 



HOUSEHOLD AND GARDEN PESTS 



467 



luxury in mosquito-ridden districts. 
If mosquitoes crawl through the 
screens, rub the latter just at twilight 
with a cloth moistened in kerosene, or, 
if preferred, one of the essential oils, 
as pennyroyal or other preventives. 

Or burn Persian insect powder or 
pyrethrum in sitting or sleeping-rooms 
during the evening, moistening the 
powder with a little water and shap- 
ing it by hand to a rough cone about 
the size and shape of a chocolate 
drop. Place these cones ir a pan 
and thoroughly dry them in the 
oven. When wanted, set fire to the 
top of one, which will smolder slowly 
and send up a thin column of pun- 
gent smoke, not harmful to man but 
stupefying to mosquitoes. Two or 
three of these cones burned during the 
evening will give much relief from 
mosquitoes in sitting rooms. The 
smoke does not, however, kill the in- 
sects, and is merely a palliative. 

Or, to kill mosquitoes found in the 
evening on ceilings of sitting rooms 
or bedrooms, nail to the end of a 
broom handle or other suitable stick 
a shallov^ tin cup, such as the top of 
a blacking box, and wet the inside 
with kerosene. When this cup is placed 
under the mosquito, he drops or flies 
against the oily surface and is killed. 
The last two methods are recommend- 
ed by the United States Department 
of Agriculture. 

Or place a bit of camphor gum the 
size of a butternut on iron or tin and 
hold it over the flame of a lamp until 
it evaporates. Do not let it take fire. 
The smoke which fills the room will 
stupefy the mosquitoes. 

Or scatter oil of pennyroyal about 
the room. 

To Prevent Mosquito Bites. — Di- 
lute oil of pennyroyal with water, or 
make an infusion of pennyroyal leaves 
and apply to the hands and face, or 
rub the bruised leaves on the skin. 

Or apply camphorated spirits, or a 
mixture of 1 part of carbolic acid 
with 3 parts of sweet oil. Take care 
that this does not enter the eyes or 
mouth or any cuts or burns on the 
skin. 



Or use a mixture of 3 ounces of 
sweet oil, | ounce of creosote, and J 
ounce of pennyroyal. 

To Cure Mosquito Bites. — Apply 
aqua ammonia or salt and water or a 
decoction of tobacco or dUute carbolic 
acid. 

Or crushed smartweed leaves put 
on with a bandage. 

Or a mixture of 2 ounces of sper- 
maceti, i ounce of white wax, 1 ounce 
of camphor, and 3 ounces of olive 
oil. Melt with gentle heat and stir 
vigorously. Preserve in covered jars 
for use. 

Plant castor beans about the house. 
These are said to repel mosquitoes. 

ORCHARD, FARM, AND GARDEN 
PESTS 

Every farmer or family living in 
suburban or rural locations should 
invest in a good, practical spraying 




' The Compressed-air Sprayer. 



outfit and have in readiness the nec- 
essary ingredients for the difPerent 
kinds of solutions used for spraying 
quickly and conveniently. Such an 
outfit will save its cost many times 
over in the course of a year on any 
farm, or even in a vegetable garden. 



468 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



flower garden, or ordinary lawn with 
shade trees and shrubbery. We 
quote from Dr. Wilhelm Miller, edi- 
tor of the Garden Magazine, as fol- 
lows: 

" The ideal way for you to insure 
yourself against all these troubles is 
to get a spraying outfit, costing 
about $7.50. 

" I like best the compressed-air 
sprayers, because I am lazy, and 
pumping is hard work. With a doz- 
en strokes of the plunger I can 
charge the machine in half a minute, 
and it will work automatically from 
six to fifteen minutes, according to 
the nozzle opening. It will spray 
three gallons with only two charg- 
ings. This is enough to cover a quar- 
ter of an acre of potatoes or straw- 
berries. 

" Seven dollars and a half may 
seem a lot of money, but a com- 
pressed-air sprayer saves its value 
the first year in the larger and bet- 
ter crops that you get. The outfits 
that cost less are generally more ex- 
pensive of time or material, or both. 
Moreover, a good spraying outfit is 
invaluable if you keep chickens, be- 
cause the best way to keep down lice 
is to spray the henhouse with kero- 
sene. Also you can spray whitewash 
(an excellent vermin killer and dis- 
infectant) in poultry houses and 
barns and on fences and walls much 
quicker than you can apply it with a 
brush. Also it is useful for water- 
ing plants, washing carriages, and 
applying shading material to hotbed 
sash or greenhouse glass. 

" However, no one should plead 
poverty as an excuse for not con- 
trolling the San Jose scale on his 
premises, because anyone can spray 
a few bushes with the aid of a pail 
and an old whisk broom. Just get 
a quart of the prepared lime-sul- 
phur-salt compound at any seed 
store for forty cents, and dilute it 
with forty quarts of water if you 
use it in November. From Decem- 
ber to February you can use it twice 
as strong with safety. 

"Many people buy these dollar 



squirt guns, which hold about a 
quart, but they are so slow and tire 
one so quickly that it is better econ- 
omy to buy something that works 
faster and sprays farther, 

" A bucket pump costs about $3.75 
without the bucket, and thin is the 
cheapest outfit I would recommend. 
But if you have any small trees to 
spray, you will want a pole with an 
extra seven feet of hose, which costs 
a dollar more. Then you will find 
that the liquid slops over unless you 
get a bucket with a cover that fas- 
tens down tight, and that may mean 
another dollar, or $5.75. By this 
time you will discover that it is very 
awkward to pump with one hand 
and hold up a seven-foot pole while 
spraying your fruit trees, and you 
will be willing to pay twenty-five 
cents more and get a compressed-air 
sprayer. 

" Now, if you are willing to spend 
$6 for a sprayer, you might as well 
pay $7.50 and get the best there is, 
for that includes an anti-clogging 
device, like the ' auto-pop,' which will 
save you the most exasperating fea- 
ture of spraying. 

" Then you will have a brass tank, 
which cannot be corroded by chemi- 
cals or rusted like the tin and iron 
sprayers. It costs less than a knap- 
sack sprayer, and you can carry it 
over your shoulder with the aid of a 
strap, for it weighs, when loaded, 
less than forty pounds. You can 
throw any kind of a spray, from a 
solid stream to a mist that will en- 
velop a tree like a fog. And you 
have only one thing to think of — no 
pumping except once in ten or fif- 
teen minutes." 

Recipes for Spraying. — The stand- 
ard preparations or solutions for 
rpraying are as follows: 

Bordeaux Mixture. — This consists 
of copper sulphate, quicklime, and 
water. The " Standard " formula 
is: copper sulphate, 6 pounds; quick- 
lime, 4 pounds; water, 33 gallons. 

The "Normal" formula is: cop- 
per . sulphate, 6 pounds ; quicklime, 4 
pounds; water, 45 gallons. More re- 



HOUSEHOLD AND GARDEN PESTS 



469 



cent experiments appear to favor a 
still more dilute solution. 

We recommend for a strong solu- 
tion: copper sulphate, 4 pounds; 
quicklime, 4 pounds; water, 50 gal- 
lons. 

For a weaker solution we recom- 
mend: copper sulphate, 3 pounds; 
quicklime, 2 pounds; water, 50 gal- 
lons. 

In compounding this mixture, first 
put the copper sulphate on a piece 
of cheese cloth, tying the ends to- 
gether so it will not spill, and sus- 
pend it from a stick in a bucket of 
water. Fill the barrel or tank to 
contain the solution half full of wa- 
ter, carefully measuring the amount 
used. When the copper sulphate is 
fully dissolved, pour it into the re- 
ceptacle. Thoroughly slake the lime 
and strain the milk of lime into the 
barrel. Then add sufficient water to 
make 50 gallons. 

Stock Solution. — Weighing the 
copper and lime at the time of mak- 
ing the mixture is sometimes incon- 
venient, but as the mixture deterio- 
rates if allowed to stand, it is not 
feasible to make it up in advance. 
It is, however, a good idea to make 
up stock preparations of sulphate of 
copper and of lime, and have them 
ready for mixing when required. The 
lime should be fresh quicklime and 
when slaked must be covered with 
water to keep out the air. Thus a 
stock mixture can be kept all sum- 
mer without harm. 

To prepare a stock solution of 
sulphate of copper, suspend some 
evening 50 pounds of copper sul- 
phate in 25 gallons of water. The 
next morning, if the water is well 
stirred, each gallon of water will 
contain 3 poimds of sulphate. This 
will form the stock solution of cop- 
per sulphate. The undissolved sul- 
phate must, of course, be removed. 

Put in the spray barrel 2 gallons 
of this solution, which is equivalent 
to 4 pounds of copper sulphate. Fill 
the spray barrel half full of water 
before adding the lime. This is nec- 
essary, because if lime is added to a 



strong solution of sulphate of cop- 
per, the mixture will curdle. Now 
stir up the water in the lime barrel 
so as to make a dilute milk of lime, 
but do not let it get as thick as 
cream, otherwise lumps will form 
and clog the spray nozzle. To de- 
termine the amount of milk of lime 
necessary (which will depend upon 
the strength you desire), get from a 
drug store a vial of ferrocyanide of 
potassium (yellow prussiate of pot- 
ash). Continue to add lime to the 
mixture as long as drops of the 
cyanide continue to change from a 
yellow to a brown color. When the 
change of color ceases, add another 
pail of milk of lime to make the nec- 
essary amount a sure thing. A little 
too miich lime does not do any harm. 
The barrel can now be filled with 
water, and the Bordeaux mixture is 
ready for use. 

This is the most generally useful 
treatment for fungous diseases. 

The strong solution (third recipe) 
may be used on most plants, but for 
cherry trees, peach trees, and water- 
melon vines, the weaker solution 
(fourth recipe) is to be preferred. 

Kerosene Emulsion. — Experiments 
seem to indicate that all soft-bodied 
sucking insects are destroyed by con- 
tact with kerosene. Pure kerosene 
may be applied to the hardier trees 
in winter when they are not grow- 
ing. For application to growing 
trees and foliage in summer, a mix- 
ture called kerosene emulsion is rec- 
ommended, as follows: hard, soft, 
or whale-oil soap, 1 pound; boiling 
soft water, 1 gallon; kerosene, 2 gal- 
lons. 

The soap is first dissolved in the 
boiling water, then the kerosene is 
added and churned by the pump 
from five to ten minutes. Before 
using, this must be reduced with wa- 
ter from one fourth to one tenth its 
strength. A strong emulsion must 
be used for scale insects, as the San 
Jose scale. 

For plant lice, thrips, red spiders, 
and mealy bugs, veaker solutions 
may be used. Sott-bodied insects 



470 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



I 



and cabbage worms, currant w^orms, 
etc., can be destroyed by these. The 
emulsion should be made shortly be- 
fore using. 

Formula for San Jos6 Scale. — A 
special formula for San Jose scale 
is as follows : whale-oil soap, 1 pound ; 
boiling soft water, 1 gallon ; kerosene, 
3 gallons. Mix, churn, and reduce 
with 6 times as much water as emul- 
sion. Use this in summer to kill the 
young and tender scales. 

Kerosene without Soap. — Kerosene 
and water, reduced as above, may be 
used instead of the emulsion with 
soap. This requires a pump with a 
kerosene attachment. Select for 
spraying a clear, windy day, so that 
the surplus mixture will evaporate 
rapidly. 

Ammoniacal Copper Carbonate. — 
This mixture is cheap, but is not 
quite as good as the Bordeaux mix- 
ture. It is not much used except on 
fruit that is nearly ripe and on flow- 
ering plants, when it is preferred, be- 
cause the Bordeaux mixture would 
stain them. Tliis is a clear solution 
and leaves no stains. The formula 
is as follows: copper carbonate, 5 
ounces; ammonia (36 per cent 
Beaum^), 3 pints; water, 45 gallons. 

Mix the copper carbonate with a 
little water into a paste. Mix the 
ammonia with 7 or 8 times its 
amount of water. Put the paste 
into the diluted ammonia and stir 
until dissolved. Add enough water 
to make 45 gallons. When it has set- 
tled, use only the clear blue liquid. 

Copper Sulphate Solution. — The 
same chemicals are used here as in 
the Bordeaux mixture. The formula 
is: copper sulphate, 1 pound; water, 
15 to 25 gallons. 

Dissolve the copper sulphate in the 
water and it is ready for use. For 
peaches and nectarines, use the weak- 
er solution. This must never be ap- 
plied to foliage, but must be used in 
winter and spring before the buds 
open. A very much weaker solution 
— 1 pound to 250 gallons of water — 
can be used for trees in leaf in place 
of the ammoniacal copper carbone^te. 



This solution may be combined with 
arsenical insecticides. 

Potassium Sulphide. — This is ex- 
pensive and is chiefly used for treat- 
ing seed grain for smut. The for- ■ 
mula is: potassium sulphide, li I: 
pounds; water, 35 gallons. For 
spraying, use ^ ounce to 1 gallon of 
water. This is a very powerful germ 
killer. 

Corrosive Sublimate. — This is used 
on seed potatoes to prevent scab. 
The proper formula is: corrosive 
sublimate, 1 ounce; water, 7 gallons. 
This is also a disinfectant. It is very 
poisonous and corrodes metals. 

Formalin or Formaldehyde. — This 
is naturally a gas, but is sold com- 
mercially in the form of a 40 per 
cent solution in water. It is not a 
poison, but the fumes are irritating 
to breathe. It is the best fungicide 
for prevention of smut in grain and 
scab in potatoes. For seed potatoes 
the formula is: formalin, | pint; 
water, 15 gallons. Immerse the po- 
tatoes for 3 liours in this solution. 

The formula for seed wheat or 
oats is: formalin, 1 pound; water, 
50 gallons. Immerse the seed for the 
same length of time. 

Sulphur. — This is useful in pre- 
venting mildew on plants. Sprinkle 
dry powdered sulphur over the 
plants, or spray with the following 
solution: suJphur, 1 pound; water, 5 
gallons. 

The fumes of burning sulphur are 
powerful as a disinfectant, fungicide, 
and insecticide, but they kill the 
plants as well. Hence sulphur must 
not be burned in hotbeds or green- 
houses. 

Paris Green. — The active principle 
of this well-known insecticide is ar- 
senic. It should be of a bright-green 
color, and should be bought of a re- 
liable dealer, because it is often 
adulterated. The formula varies in 
strength according to the use intend- 
ed. A general formula would he: 
Paris green, 1 pound; water, 100 to 
250 gallons. 

For fruit trees, add 1 pound of 
quicklime to prevent injury to the 



HOUSEHOLD AND GARDEN PESTS 



471 



foliage. Paris green and Bordeaux 
mixture can be applied together with 
perfect safety, so as to spray for in- 
sects and fungous diseases at the 
same time. Add 4 to 13 ounces of 
Paris green to 50 gallons of Bor- 
deaux mixture. This will kill all 
cheM'ing insects. 

Paris green may be dusted on 
foliage in a dry condition. The for- 
mula is: Paris green, 1 part; flour, 
dust, or ashes, 10 to 20 parts. 

The proper solution for potato 
bugs is Paris green, 1 j^ound; water, 
100 gallons. 

For peaches and other tender- 
leaved plants, use Paris green, 1 
j^ound; water, 200 gallons. 

London Purple. — This contains ar- 
senite of lime and may be dusted on 
plants dry, the same as Paris green. 
When used in solution, the proper 
formula is: London purple, 1 pound; 
water, 200 gallons. 

This is more liable to cause in- 
jury than Paris green, and the latter 
is to be preferred. 

Paragrene and Green Arsenoid. — 
These are patented preparations, 
and when of good quality are per- 
haps as effective as Paris green. 
They are said to require less mix- 
ing. 

Paris green, London purple, and 
other arsenites above mentioned de- 
stroy injurious insects without dan- 
ger to the foliage, and there is no 
good reason for buying these or oth- 
er patented preparations that cost 
more and do not do the work any 
better. 

Whale-oil Soap. — For San Jose 
scale on dormant trees in winter use: 
whale-oil soap, 2 pounds; water, 1 
gallon. 

For scale or aphis in summer use: 
whale-oil soap, 1 pound; water, 5 
to 7 gallons. This may be quickly 
dissolved by the use of hot water. 

Kerosene Emulsion — Milk For- 
mula. — Kerosene, 2 gallons; sour 
milk, 1 gallon. Agitate from 3 to 
5 minutes with a pump. Add 15 
or 20 times its amount of water, ac- 
cording to the plants to be sprayed. 



Crude Petroleum. — This may be used 
in place of kerosene when it can be 
readily obtained. A crude petroleum 
emulsion is used on the Pacific Coast 
as follows: whale-oil soap, IJ pounds; 
distillate petroleum, 5 gallons. Pre- 
l^are as for kerosene emulsion, and 
add 12 to 15 times as much water. 

Kerosene and crude petroleum in a 
mechanical mixture of about 25 per 
cent of the oil is about as effective 
as pure oil and much less injurious 
to foliage. Sometimes, however, in- 
jury results, and it is advisable to use 
the plain oil and water in winter, and 
tlie dilute kerosene emulsion in sum- 
mer. 

White Arsenic. — This is cheaper 
and of more uniform strength than 
Paris green. It may be used safely 
with Bordeaux mixture, or in connec- 
tion with soda or lime, but it cannot 
be safely used alone. 

Ar senile of Soda for Bordeaux Mix- 
ture. — Sal-soda crystals, 4 pounds; 
water, 1 gallon. Mix and dissolve. Add 
1 pound of white arsenic and boil until 
dissolved. Add water to replace what 
has boiled away so as to leave 1 gallon 
of arsenite of soda. This is stock solu- 
tion. Use 1 pint of this stock solution 
with 50 gallons of Bordeaux mixture. 

Arsenite of Lime. — ^White arsenite 
if used alone may be prepared as fol- 
dows; sal-soda crystals, 1 pound; 
water, 1 gallon. Mix and dissolve. 
White arsenic, 1 pound. Add this and 
boil until dissolved. Fresh slaked 
lime, 2 pounds. Add this and boil 
20 minutes. Add 2 gallons of water 
to make stock solution. Use 1 quart 
of this stock solution to 50 gallons 
of water. 

Arsenite of Lead or Disperene. — 
This preiiaration is very useful against 
beetles and similar insects, which are 
hard to poison. It can be applied in 
large quantities without harm to foli- 
age, and adheres to the foliage a long 
time. This has been used almost ex- 
clusively by the Gypsy Moth Commis- 
sion of Massachusetts, and is strongly 
recommended by them. It forms a 
whitish coating on foliage, so it is 
easy to see whether or not the ar- 



472 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



senile has been sprayed and when it 
has been washed off by rain. For the 
potato bug it has been found a more 
effective insecticide than Paris green. 
It costs more than Paris green, but 
remains suspended longer in the wa- 
ter, and hence can be applied more 
evenly and goes farther. The for- 
mula is: arsenite of lead, 1 to 3 
pounds; Avater, 50 gallons. It is ready 
for use as soon as the paste is mixed 
with the water. 

Hellebore. — This poison is not so 
strong as Paris green and other ar- 
senites, and loses its strength after 
being exposed to the air, hence it can 
be used to spray fruit a short time 
before ripening. It is in common use 
on currants, gooseberries, and other 
small fruits. It may be applied either 
dry or mixed with water. For a solu- 
tion use fresh white hellebore, 1 
ounce; water, 3 gallons. Apply when 
thoroughly mixed. This is for insects 
which chew, as turnip worms, goose- 



berry worms, currant worms, and saw- 
flies. 

Lime, Sulphur, and Salt Wash. — 
This mixture is commonly used on the 
Pacific Coast against the San Jose 
scale. The formula is: lime, 15 
pounds; sulphur, 25 pounds; salt, 15 
pounds. Water, sufficient to make 50 
gallons after boiling. 

This wash may be boiled in an iron 
kettle. Heat the water before adding 
the lime and sulphur. The sulphur 
must be thoroughly dissolved. 

Pour the mixture through a strainer 
into the sprayer. The best results are 
obtained by applying this wash while 
warm. It must be applied only in 
the winter while the tree is dormant. 
This is used against the San Jose 
scale, apple and pear scab, and leaf 
curl. 

Oregon Wash. — Same as lime, sul- 
phur, and salt wash, but substitute 
blue vitriol for salt. Use in the same 
manner for the same purposes. 



CHAPTER XVI 

ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES 



ADHESIVES — PASTES — MUCILAGE — GLUE — CEMENT— SPECIAL AD- 
HESIVES— SPECIAL PURPOSE CEMENTS— PAINTS AND PAINTING 
—USES OF PAINT— SPECIFICATIONS FOR PAINTING— CARE OF 
PAINTS AND BRUSHES — SPECIAL KINDS OF PAINT— VARNISH- 
ING — FIXED-OIL VARNISHES — SPIRIT OR LAC VARNISHES — 
VOLATILE-OIL VARNISHES— SPECIAL VARNISHES— SEALING WAX 
—OILS, LUBRICATORS, ETC —FURNITURE POLISH— SOLDER AND 
SOLDERING 



ADHESIVES 

Adhesives. — Adhesives are a class 
of substances capable of attaching 
themselves to the surface of solid 
bodies, and thus, when interposed be- 
tween them, of uniting such bodies. 
Various substances and compounds 
have adhesive or sticky properties. 
Among these are the gums arabic, 
tragacanth, and Senegal; dextrin, gel- 
atin or glue, isinglass or fish glue; 
various resins, as shellac, rosin, etc.; 
casein, from the curd of milk and 
cheese; India rubber, gutta percha, 
litharge, and other substances too 
numerous to mention. 

Various preparations of these sub- 
stances may be loosely classed ac- 
cording to their composition in the 
order of their •adhesive power, as 
paste, mucilage, glue (either solid or 
liquid), and cement. But these 
terms hardly have a definite meaning. 

Dextrin. — A substance formed 
from starch, rice flour, or cornstarch, 
also known as British gum or starch 
gum. It is used as a substitute for 
gum arabic, as a size for mucilage, 
and especially for the backs of pos- 
tage stamps and sealing envelopes. 

Gluten. — A substance believed to 
be produced by the action of a fer- 
ment. It is formed in flour by unit- 
ing or mixing it with cold water. 
Gluten is the substance which re- 
tains the carbonic-acid gas in bread 



making, and thus assists in the proc- 
ess of raising bread. 

Gelatin. — Gelatin is produced from 
certain animal membranes by the ac- 
tion of hot water. Isinglass, calf's- 
foot jelly, and glue are chiefly com- 
posed of gelatin. It absorbs water, 
which causes it to swell, and may be 
dissolved in hot water or acetic and 
other acids. The addition of alcohol, 
corrosive sublimate, or tannic acid to 
a solution of gelatin in water causes 
the gelatin to be thrown down. 

Glue. — The glue of commerce is 
dry gelatin having a more or less 
brownish color according to its puri- 
ty. White or pale glue is the best. 
It is a hard, brittle, glossy substance 
which usually comes in thin sheets. 
Glue is obtained by cleansing scraps 
of hides, hoofs, and horns with lime, 
and boiling them until changed into 
gelatin. 

Isinglass. — Dry gelatin is pre- 
pared from the air bladder of stur- 
geon and other fish, such as cod, 
weakfish, hake, etc. It is used in 
preparing jellies, blancmange, gum 
drops, etc.; in making court-plaster, 
as a size for delicate fabrics, and as 
an adhesive. 

Fish Glue is an inferior isinglass 
made from the oifal of fisheries. 

To melt isinglass, beat up ^ tea- 
spoonful of white of egg in 1 pint of 
water. Add 4 ounces of isinglass, 
and melt over a slow fire. 



473 



474 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



To detect adulteration by gelatin, 
drop a sample of the suspected isin- 
glass into vinegar. Pure isinglass will 
swell like jelly, while gelatin will be- 
come hard. 

Or put a sample in cold water. 
Pure isinglass becomes cloudy and 
white, and the adulteration becomes 
jellylike and clear. 

Resins. — For the various resins hav- 
ing adhesive qualities including rosin, 
shellac, and the like, see under " Var- 
nish." 

Gutta Percha. — The hardened milky 
juice of a large tree growing in the 
East Indies. It is insoluble in water, 
slightly soluble in alcohol and ether, 
and readily dissolved in bisulphide of 
carbon, benzol, chloroform, and oil of 
turpentine. It deteriorates rapidly 
when exposed to the air, and becomes 
brittle and useless. It is chiefly used 
for coating submarine telegraph wires 
and other metallic articles under 
water. 

Caoutchouc, gum elastic, or India 
rubber is the juice or sap of several 
tropical plants growing in the East 
Indies and South America. It is ob- 
tained by cutting the bark and drying 
the juice over smoky fires, which im- 
part its black color. It is elastic and 
waterproof. When combined with 
about 95 per cent of sulphur and 
raised to a temperature of about 370° 
F., it is converted into soft vulcanized 
rubber; by the addition of 50 per cent 
of sulphur and heating to 300° F., it 
becomes hard vulcanized rubber or 
ebonite. 

To Choose Adhesives. — An adhesive 
should be selected according to the 
nature of the substances to be united 
and the use to which they are to be 
put. If the right cement is employed, 
the hardest and smoothest surfaces, 
as glass and polished metals, may be 
united so firmly that they will break 
anywhere rather than where the parts 
are cemented. 

To Use Adhesives. — The object of 
using adhesives is to bring two sur- 
faces into such intimate contact as to 
make them practically one, and not to 
interpose between them any perishable 



layer or thickness of the adhesive it- 
self. Most adhesives are more brit- 
tle than the substances which they 
imite; hence the best work is done 
when the adhesive penetrates into the 
pores of the materials on both sides 
and brings the particles of both sur- 
faces closely together, so that the 
strength of the materials themselves 
is added to that of the adhesive in a 
union which may be stronger than the 
adjacent parts. 

The presence of any foreign sub- 
stance, as dirt, grease, or bubbles of 
air, hinders adhesion. Heating the 
surfaces to be joined promotes it by 
expanding the pores and thus enabling 
them to absorb more of the adhesive. 
Heating the adhesive itself also as- 
sists. 

Moreover, heat tends to drive away 
the air. Hence the hotter one can 
handle the parts and the adhesive the 
closer they can be brought into con- 
tact and the less adhesive will be re- 
quired. 

To Use Glue. — To get the best re- 
sults from glue, it should be thin and 
hot, and the parts should be at least 
warm enough to prevent the glue from 
being chilled by them. As glue is 
gummy and elastic, the parts, when 
possible, should be squeezed together 
by means of a vise or under clamps 
tightened by a screw, so as to squeeze 
out the excess of glue and bring the 
parts into intimate contact. The arti- 
cles should be left in the vige until the 
glue is set. 

To Use Cement. — Resinous cements 
which are used in a melted state will 
not do good work unless the adjacent 
parts are heated above the point at 
which the resins melt. 

PASTES 

Flour Paste. — Ordinary paste is 
made by mixing wheat flour or rice 
flour with water, with or without boil- 
ing. It may be improved by the ad- 
dition of various other adhesives, as 
rosin, gum arabic, and glue, and also 
by the addition of alum. 

To make simple cold flour pastp- 



Adhesives, paints, and varnishes 



475 



mix 1 tablespoonful of flour with i 
teacupful of cold water. Add a few 
drops of carbolic acid or other pre- 
servative. 

Or, for library paste, dissolve ^ 
ounce of alum in 1 pint of warm 
water. Stir in flour to the consistency 
of cream, carefully breaking all lumps. 
Add 1 teaspoonful of powdered resin 
and 5 or 6 cloves, or a few drops of 
oil of cloves, and boil until it thick- 
ens. Thin, if necessary, with a little 
hot water. Put in an earthen or glass 
vessel, as a glass fruit jar tightly cov- 
ered, and keep in a cool place. Soften 
when needed with warm water. This 
paste is suitable for scrapbooks and 
similar articles, and is better for such 
uses than a paste or mucilage contain- 
ing gum arable. 

To soften library paste, add a few 
drops of water and melt the paste 
with gentle heat. 

Or to 1 heaping teaspoonful of 
flour add i teaspoonful of pulverized 
alum. Rub smooth with a little cold 
water. Mix with boiling water to the 
consistency of cream and boil until it 
thickens. 

To Preserve Flour Paste. — Add to 
each half pint of flour paste not con- 
taining alum 15 grains of corrosive 
sublimate. This prevents the forma- 
tion of mold and preserves the paste 
from the attacks of insects and ver- 
min. Add also a few drops of oil of 
lavender, rosemary, or cloves, or any 
of the essential oils, and a few drops 
of carbolic acid. 

Paper Hanger's Paste. — Mix 4 
pounds of flour, ;] pound of powdered 
alum, and i pound of pulverized rosin. 
Rub up this mixture with a small 
quantity of warm water until smooth 
and free from lumps. Mix with boil- 
ing water to the consistency of cream 
and boil until it thickens. 

Or use cornstarch or wheat starch 
or rice flour instead of wheat flour. 

To use this paste, spread it freely 
on the paper, then lay or fold the 
pasted sides lightly together. This 
assists in distributing the paste evenly 
and also in handling the paper. Af- 
ter the upper end has been attached, 



the lower part may be unfolded as it 
goes on the wall. The wall should 
first be coated with a thin glue size 
made of about 4 ounces of glue to 1 
gallon of water. 

Or make a glue size by dissolving 10 
ounces of glue in 2i gallons of water. 
Mix 9 pounds of bole, an earthy sub- 
stance resembling clay, with water 
to the consistency of cream, and strain 
off the water through cheese cloth. 
Add the moistened bole to the glue 
size and stir in 2 pounds of gypsum. 
Strain through cheese cloth and dilute 
with boiling water. This is an ex- 
cellent paste for old walls covered 
with one or more coatings of white- 
wash. 

Eice Paste or Japanese Cement. — 
Mix powdered rice with a little cold 
water, rubbing it until smooth and 
free from lumps. Add boiling water 
and boil, stirring constantly, until it 
thickens. This is an excellent library 
paste, suitable for scrapbooks and all 
kinds of fancy paper work. 

Or it may be used to paste strips 
of transparent paper used to mend 
tears in valuable books, as it is nearly 
transparent when dry. For all fine 
paper work, it is much superior to 
paste made of wheat flour. 

Flour Cement. — A paste of wheat 
flour and cold water worked with the 
fingers into a stiff dough is a useful 
cement for attaching the metal tops 
to glass articles and other similar pur- 
poses. It requires two or three days 
to harden. 

Flour Paste with Sugar. — The ad- 
dition of 1 tablespoonful of sugar to' 
1 quart of flour paste increases its 
adhesiveness and tenacious quality. 

MUCILAGE 

Gum arable and similar substances, 
as gum tragacanth, Senegal, and the 
like, are readily soluble in water, and 
hence form the base of the liquid ad- 
hesives known as mucilage. 

Gum-arabic Paste. — Dissolve 2^ 
ounces of gum acacia in 2 quarts of 
warm water. Stir in 1 pound of wheat 
flour to form a paste. Add IJ oimces 



476 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



of sugar of lead and 1^ ounces of 
alum dissolved in water. Stir and 
bring to a boil with gentle heat. Re- 
move the mixture from the fire, but 
before it boils, and cool for use. Thin, 
if necessary, with a solution of gum 
arable in water. 

Or dissolve 2 ounces of gum arable 
in 1 pint of water. Add ^ ounce of 
laundry starch and | ounce of white 
sugar mixed with a little cold water 
to a thick paste free from lumps, and 
boil in a double boiler until the starch 
becomes clear. Add a few cloves or 
a few drops of any essential oil as a 
preservative. 

Or mix 4 ounces of gum arable, 3 
ounces of starch, and 1 ounce of sugar 
in a dry mortar. Add cold water to 
make a paste as thick as melted glue. 
Bottle for use. 

Or dissolve 1 ounce of gum arable 
in 2 ounces of water and thicken to a 
paste with starch. 

Gum-arabic Cement. — Dissolve ^ 
ounce of gum arable in 2 tablespoon- 
fuls of boiling water. Add plaster 
of Paris to make a thick paste. Ap- 
ply with a brush to the broken edges 
of glass, china, and earthenware. 
Press or tie together, and let stand 
two or three days. The article can- 
not be broken again at the same place. 
The whiteness of this cement adds to 
its value. 

Or dissolve 8 ounces of gum arable 
to a thick mucilage with water, add 
12 ounces of plaster of Paris and 2^ 
ounces of sifted lime. Mix well. Use 
to cement broken marble. Heat the 
cement and also the edges of the mar- 
ble, and apply with a brush. 

Gum arable is also mixed with plas- 
ter of Paris and other substances to 
form pastes and cements. 

Mucilage. — To make mucilage, put 
3 ounces of gum arable in a glass bot- 
tle with i pint of cold water. Let 
stand 24 hours and stir occasionally. 
Add a few whole cloves or a few 
drops of any of the essential oils to 
prevent molding. 

Or mix IJ ounces of gum ara- 
ble and 1^ ounces of gum tragacanth. 
Add i pint of water and dissolve. 



The solution may be made much more 
quickly by the use of gentle heat by 
means of a double boiler or other- 
wise. 

Or mix 3 ounces of gum arable or 
gum tragacanth, 3 ounces of distilled 
vinegar, and 1 ounce of white sugar. 

Or 6 ounces of gum arable, 1 
ounce of acetic acid, 1 ounce of white 
sugar, and 5 ounces of water. 

Botanical Mucilage. — Mix 5 ounces 
of gum arable, 3 ounces of sugar, 2 
ounces of starch, and 5 ounces of 
water. Boil and stir until very thick 
and white. Thin with hot water if 
necessary. Use for mounting pressed 
flowers and other botanical specimens. 

Ivory Mucilage. — Mix 2 ounces of 
pulverized gum arable and 1 ounce 
of calomel. Add water to make a 
thin paste. Use for gluing on ivory 
veneers, piano keys, and the like. 
' Label Mucilage. — Mix ^ ounce of 
gum arable, 10 grains of sulphate of 
aluminum, and 5 ounces of water. 
This will attach labels to wood, tin, 
or metal, and will not become moldy. 
Before attaching the label, free tin 
or metal surfaces from grease by 
washing them with a dUute solution 
of caustic soda or potash by means 
of a rag or brush. 

Or dissolve 2| ounces of glue in 
10 ounces of water. Add 5 ounces 
of rock candy and 1^ ounces of gum 
arable. Brush this upon paper while 
lukewarm and allow it to dry. It 
keeps well without sticking, and when 
moistened will adhere firmly to clean 
glass or tin. 

Dextrin Mucilage. — Dextrin and 
gelatin or glue treated with glycerin 
are also used to make mucilage. 

Dissolve dextrin in hot water to 
the consistency of cream or honey. 
Add a few drops of any of the es- 
sential oils or alcohol as a preven- 
tive. 

Dextrin mucilage is used on the 
backs of labels, envelopes, postage 
stamps, etc. To make the kind of 
mucilage used on the United States 
postage stamps, dissolve 2 ounces of 
dextrin in 5 ounces of water. Add 
1 oimce of acetic acid, and when the 



ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES 



477 



dextrin is dissolved, add 1 ounce of 
alcohol as a preservative. 

Or use gelatin in place of dextrin 
in the above. 

To Preserve Mucilage. — Mucilage 
composed of gum arable and dextrin 
is liable to become moldy and to de- 
cay. It may be preserved by the ad- 
dition of alcohol or a few drops of 
any of the essential oils, as oil of 
cloves, lavender, etc.; or a few whole 
cloves, or a few drops of sulphuric 
acid, or carbolic acid or creosote in 
such quantity that the odor is just 
apparent; or corrosive sublimate, 
salicylic acid, or boracic acid. 

If the use of these is objection- 
able, the addition of 10 or 12 grains 
of sulphate of quinine to A pint of 
mucilage is a good and safe preserv- 
ative. Ordinary quinine pills dis- 
solved in hot water may be used for 
this purpose. 

GLUE 

Liquid Glue. — Prepared or liquid 
glue is a solution of glue with water 
kept liquid by the addition of 1 fluid 
ounce of strong nitric acid to 1 
pound of dry glue. 

Or add 3 ounces of commercial 
acetic acid to 1 ounce of glue. 

Or mix 2 ounces of glue, 2 ounces 
of vinegar, and 3 ounces of water; 
dissolve in a double boiler and add 
1 ounce of alcohol. 

Or dissolve ^ pound of the best 
pale glue in 1^ pints of water and 
add i pint of vinegar. 

Or put any quantity of the best 
glue broken in small pieces in a glass 
fruit jar and cover with 1 part of 
vinegar or dilute acetic acid and 5 
parts of water. Set the jar in a ves- 
sel of hot water, and let stand until 
the glue is melted. In all these cases 
the glue will dissolve more rapidly 
if allowed to stand a few days in 
cold water, which may be poured off 
when the glue is wanted. 

Or dissolve in a double boiler 8 
ounces of the best pale glue in i pint 
of water. Add slowly, stirring con- 
stantly, i ounce of pure nitric acid. 



Bottle and cork for use. This can 
be used cold for all ordinary pur- 
poses, and does not thicken, decay, 
or become moldy, but is not water- 
proof. This recipe has often been 
sold as a trade secret. 

Other proportions recommended 
are equal parts by weight of glue 
and water and ^^ their combined 
weight of nitric acid; e. g., melt 10 
ounces of glue in 10 ounces of water 
and add 2 ounces of nitric acid. 

Or dissolve 10 ounces of glue in 20 
ounces of water and add 1 ounce of 
nitric acid. Any of these is a pow- 
erful adhesive which is always ready 
for use. 

Or dissolve 6 ounces of glue in 16 
ounces of water and add 1 ounce of 
hydrochloric acid and IJ ounces of 
sulphate of zinc. This is a perma- 
nent liquid glue which will not spoil 
under ordinary household conditions. 

Or mix 1 ounce of clear gelatin, 1 
ounce of glue, -| ounce of alcohol, and 
1 tablespoonful of powdered alum. 
Add 2 ounces of commercial acetic 
acid. Melt in a double boiler. Bot- 
tle and cork for use. 

riexible Glue. — The addition to 
any of the above liquid glues of one 
fourth by weight of glycerin in pro- 
portion to the amount of glue em- 
ployed, imparts a flexible quality 
which prevents the glue from crack- 
ing and is useful for all flexible sur- 
faces, as leather, paper, bookbinding, 
and the like. 

Photograph Glue. — Mix 3 ounces 
of chloral hydrate and 4J ounces of 
gelatin and dissolve in 13 ounces of 
water. Let stand 2 or 3 days. Use 
for mounting photographs. 

Waterproof Glue. — Dissolve in a 
double boiler ^ pound of best white 
glue in 1 quart of skimmed milk. 
Stir occasionally until the mixture 
has the consistency of glue. Apply 
with a brush. This hardens to a 
durable waterproof cement. The ad- 
dition of a few drops of nitric acid 
converts this mixture into liquid glue 
or mucilage. 

Portable Glue. — Melt in a double 
boiler 5 ounces of glue and 2 oimces 



478 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



of sugar with 8 ounces of water. 
Pour into small molds to dry. Dis- 
solve when required in warm water. 

Or dissolve J pound of best white 
glue in hot water, and strain through 
cheese cloth. Dissolve 2 ounces of 
best isinglass in water to the consist- 
ency of cream. Mix the two solu- 
tions in a glass vessel. Add 1 pound 
of pure brown sugar, put the ves- 
sel in boiling water, boil, and stir 
until it thickens. Pour off into small 
molds to harden. When cold this 
cement is solid and portable. Wlion 
required for use it may be softened 
by holding it over steam for a 
moment, or wetting it with the tongue 
and rubbing it on the surfaces to be 
cemented. It is used for cementing 
paper, leather, and many other ma- 
terials, and is doubly valuable on ac- 
count of its convenience, being alwaj-s 
ready for use. 

Or mix 1 ounce of isinglass, 1 
ounce of parchment, 2 drams of su- 
gar candj'-, and 2 drams of gum 
tragacanth. Add 1 ounce of water 
and boil until dissolved. Pour into 
molds for use. This may be wet with 
the tongue or otherwise and rubbed 
on the edges of paper, silk, or leath- 
er to cement them. It is recom- 
mended for sealing letters. 

Isiu^lass Adhesives. — Pure isin- 
glass, which may be dissolved read- 
ily in water, is a very strong adhe- 
sive. 

Isinglass is an animal tissue ob- 
tained chiefly from the air bladders 
of certain fish. The substance used 
in place of glass in stove windows, 
sometimes improperly called isin- 
glass, is a stone or mineral, the cor- 
rect name of which is mica. 

Dissolve isinglass in hot water, 
using a double boiler, and apply with 
a brush to glass, china, or marble. 

Or dissolve i ounce of isinglass in 
1 or 2 ounces of alcohol and add a 
tablespoonful of water. Apply to the 
edges of broken glass or similar ar- 
ticles with gentle pressure, and the 
fracture will hardly be noticeable. 

Or isinglass may be dissolved in 
about its OAjfn weight of brandy, gin, 



alcohol, or other spirits. This solu- 
tion makes the best cement for glass 
and porcelain. 

Or mix 2 ounces of isinglass and 
1 ounce of gum arable, cover with 
95 per cent alcohol, cork loosely, and 
put the bottle in boiling water until 
dissolved. This is the best and most 
delicate cement. Used by opticians, 
jewelers, and others whose trades re- 
quire the finest workmanship. 

Spalding's Liquid Glue. — Dissolve 
in a double boiler 1 pound of pure 
isinglass in 1 pint of soft water. 
Add slowly, stirring constantly, 2 
oimces of nitric acid. This is a per- 
manent liquid glue, which is always 
ready for use and will not mold or 
putrefy. Bottle and cork to prevent 
evaporation. Used for wood, leath- 
er, paper, and, in the absence of 
special adhesives, for many other 
purposes. 

CEMENT 

Armenian or Diamond Cement. — 
Dissolve to the consistency of thin 
cream 6 lumps of gum mastic, each 
about the size of a large pea or about 
A dram each, in 3 drams of 95 per 
cent alcohol. Fill a 2-ounce vial 
loosely with isinglass broken in small 
pieces and cover with water. When 
the isinglass is slightly softened, 
pour off the water, cover with French 
brandy, and add two small lumps 
(10 grains) of gum ammoniacum 
powdered and dissolved ■ in as little 
alcohol as possible. Mix the two 
solutions and dissolve with gentle 
heat in a double boiler. Keep in a 
glass bottle closely stoppered, and 
when required for use set the bottle 
in boiling water. 

This celebrated adhesive has been 
used from time immemorial by the 
jewelers of Tm-key, who are mostly 
Armenians. The formula was brotight 
to England by a former British con- 
sul, and this preparation has been 
widely used with uniformly good re- 
sults. It is employed in the Orient 
to ornament watch cases and other 
jewelry with diamonds and other 



ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES 



479 



precious stones by simply gluing or 
cementing them on. The stone is set 
in silver or gold, the lower part of 
the setting being shaped to corre- 
spond with the part to which it is to 
be fixed. The parts arc then warmed 
slightly, the glue is applied, and the 
parts thus cemented never separate. 
This cement will unite polished steel 
with other metals or with glass. It 
is suitable for the finest work, and 
may be regarded as absolutely relia- 
ble. So-called Armenian cement as 
commonly found on the market is an 
inferior preparation and is usually 
sold at an exorbitant price. 

Other proportions recommended for 
Armenian cement are as follows: 
isinglass, 1 ounce; acetic acid, 1 
ounce; water, 5 ounces; alcohol, 2 
ounces; gum ammoniacum, i oimce; 
gum mastic, ^ ounce. Mix and dis- 
solve with gentle heat. 

Or dissolve 1 ounce of isinglass in 
6 ounces of water, and boll down to 
3 ounces. Add 1} ounces of 95 per 
cent alcohol, boil two minutes, strain 
through silk, and add while hot ^ 
ounce of milky emulsion of ammoni- 
acum and 5 drams of tincture of 
gum mastic. Where instructions are 
carefully followed, this is a perfect 
cement. 

Resin. Cement. — A class of cements 
having valuable waterproof qualities 
is made of the gums amber, mastic, 
rosin, shellac, etc., dissolved in spir- 
its or other solvents, and often com- 
bined for various purposes with oth- 
er adhesives or solids, as plaster of 
Paris, clay, iron filings, etc. Bees- 
wax is often combined with these 
resins to soften them and prevent 
excessive brittleness. 

Shellac Cement for China and 
Glass. — Sealing wax, the principal 
ingredient of. which is shellac, or 
powdered shellac itself, may be used 
as a cement by dusting the edges of 
chinaware or other articles with it, 
heating them until the shellac runs, 
and pressing them firmly together. 
Failure to get good results by this 
method is due to lack of sufficient 
heat or the use of too much of the 



material. Or dissolve white shellac 
in alcohol to the consistency of mo- 
lasses, and apply to the edges of 
broken glassware or other glass sur- 
faces to be joined. This sets quickly 
without heat and will stand all ordi- 
nary wear except heat equal to boil- 
ing water. 

Or dissolve 2 ounces of white shel- 
lac and i ounce of gum mastic in 1 
ounce of pure suljihuric ether. Let 
the mixture stand for an hour and 
add 1 pint of 95 per cent alcohol. 
Bottle and cork tightly for use. 
Shake well before using. Heat the 
articles to be mended, apply the ce- 
ment evenly with a soft brush, and 
hold the surface together until it 
sets. 

Or, for so-called Chinese cement, 
put 4 ounces of pale-orange shellac 
in a glass bottle and pour over it 
3 ounces of 95 per cent alcohol, and 
let stand in a warm place until dis- 
solved. This will have the consist- 
ency of molasses. It is suitable for 
wood, glass, jewelry, ivory, and all 
fancy work. It is very strong. 

Shellac Cement for Labeling on 
Metal. — Dissolve 1 ounce of pulver- 
ized borax and 5 ounces of gum shel- 
lac in 1 quart of boiling water. Boil 
until dissolved. Before applying, 
wash the metal with a dilute solu- 
tion of caustic potash or soda and 
wipe dry with a clean cloth. Apply 
the cement warm. For inscriptions, 
size the metallic surface with this 
cement, and write the inscription 
with bronze powder by means of a 
brush. When dry, varnish over the 
bronze. 

Shellac Cement for Rubber. — Soak 
in a glass fruit jar 1 ounce of 
gum shellac in 10 ounces of strong 
aqua ammonia. Let stand 3 or 4 
weeks, or until the shellac is dis- 
solved. Used to cement rubber to 
wood or metal. This cement softens 
the rubber, and after the ammonia 
evaporates, the union will be found 
to be both air - tight and water- 
tight. 

Rosin Cement. — Melt together with 
gentle heat 8 ounces of rosin and 4 



480 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVER IJES 



ounces of sulphur, and pour into 
molds for future use. When wanted, 
grind to powder 3 ounces of this 
mixture, and add ^ ounce of iron 
filings, fine sand, or brick dust. Fill 
the opening in the handle of a knife, 
fork, or other implement with this 
mixture, heat the stock, and force it 
into the handle while hot. 

Or mix 4 ounces of rosin, 1 ounce 
of beeswax, and 1 ounce of fine 
brick dust. This cement is used by 
cutlers. Fill the openings in knife 
handles with this mixture, heat the 
stock of the knife, and force it into 
the handle. When cold it will be 
firmly set. 

Or mix ^ pound of rosin and 1 
pound of brick dust. Melt with gen- 
tle heat. Used by plumbers. Apply 
while hot to joints in lead pipe. 

Or melt together 5 ounces of black 
rosin and 1 ounce of yellow wax, and 
stir in gradually 1 ounce of red ocher 
or Venetian red in fine, dry powder. 
Melt and apply warm. Used by in- 
strument makers for cementing glass 
to metal. 

Or melt 15 ounces of rosin and 1 
ounce of wax, and add 4 ounces of 
whiting previously heated red hot 
and mixed while warm. Used by 
glass grinders to hold glass, stones, 
etc., AVhile being polished or cut. 

Rosin and Wax Cement or Bottle 
Wax. — Mix 4 oimces of • rosin, 4 
ounces of sealing wax, and 3 ounces 
of beeswax; melt together with gen- 
tle heat. When the mixture boils, 
stir it with a candle. 

Or melt equal quantities of bees- 
wax and rosin. Used to seal bottles. 
First insert a cork into the bottle, 
and then dip the cork anr". neck of 
the bottle in the melted wax. 

Grafting Wax. — Melt together with 
gentle heat 1 pound of rosin, 3 
ounces of tallow, and 5 ounces of 
beeswax. Stir continually while melt- 
ing. Pour the mixture into cold wa- 
ter and let stand until cool. Then 
remove from the water and knead 
thoroughly to a homogeneous mass. 
This wax will last for years. It is 
not soft enough to run in hot 



weather not hard enough to crack in 
winter. 

Amber or Varnish Cement. — Dis- 
solve 2 ounces of amber in 3 ounces 
of sulphide of carbon. Apply with 
a brush and hold the surfaces firmly 
together until dry. This cement sets 
almost immediately. 

White-of-egg Cement. — For crock- 
ery, white of egg mixed with pre- 
jiared lime, or mixed with the same 
material (ground to powder) as the 
article to be mended, makes a firm 
and durable cement. Apply quickly 
to the edges and hold firmly to- 
gether until the mixture sets. Do 
not mix more than is required, as 
it hardens very quickly and cannot 
be melted. 

Or use for this purpose the white 
of an egg with plaster of Paris or 
prepared chalk or finely powdered 
oyster shells. 

Or pound the lime or other solid 
to a fine powder and sift it through 
cheese cloth. Apply white of egg 
freely to the broken surfaces. Dust 
on the powder and hold the edges 
together firmly until united. 

For glassware, grind a piece of 
flint glass to the finest powder, mix 
with white of egg, and apply. 

To Mend Ironware. — Make a thin 
paste of finely sifted lime with the 
white of an egg and thicken with 
iron filings. Apply to the broken 
edges and hold them firmly together 
until the cement sets. 

Casein Cement. — Grate '4 ounces of 
old cheese in A pint of milk. Let 
stand all day, stirring frequentlj''. 
Stir in 4 ounces of unslaked lime 
reduced to fine powder ahd sifted 
through cheese cloth. Add the whites 
of 6 eggs and mix all thoroughly 
with an egg beater. This was long 
regarded as a trade secret in Eng- 
land for mending earthenware. 

Or add ^ pint of vinegar to i pint 
of milk. Separate the curd from 
the whey and mix the whey with the 
whites of 4 or 5 eggs by means of 
an egg beater. Stir in powdered 
and sifted quicklime to the consist- 
ency of a thick paste. This cement 



ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES 



481 



is said to be fireproof and water- 
proof. 

Or dissolve casein in a cold satu- 
rated solution of borax. This is a 
substitute for gum arable and dex- 
trin for envelopes, labels, and the 
like. 

Or, to mend earthenware, place 
the pieces together and tie them 
firmly as possible by means of a 
string. If one piece of a set is 
broken, two other pieces of the same 
set may be placed one on each side 
of the broken article to assist in 
keeping the pieces together, but care 
must be taken to first wind string 
thickly around the broken plate or 
dish so as to separate it slightly 
from the others and permit liquid 
to flow around it. Then put it in a 
boiler or kettle, cover with cold 
Bweet skimmed milk, and let stand 
for an hour or more to get an even 
temperature. Bring to a boil with 
gentle heat and let boil ten or fif- 
teen minutes. Remove from the fire 
and let stand over night. Wash in 
warm water and let stand two or 
three days without using. The dish 
will be found to be as strong as 
new. 

Eubber Cement. — The ordinary 
rubber mending tissue is a conven- 
ient article for repairing cloth, and 
also for flexible rubber surfaces, as 
hot-water bottles and the like. Use 
this mending tissue for umbrellas, 
raincoats, and similar articles requir- 
ing a tight waterproof joint. Lay 
the mending tissue over the break or 
tear. Place on the other side a piece 
of the same fabric and press lightly 
with a hot iron. 

To mend a hot-water bottle, heat 
an artificial rubber band or a piece 
of pure rubber with hot iron, as a 
poker, until it becomes sticky, and 
lay it quickly over the hole or crack. 
Let dry before using. Rubber over- 
shoes can be mended in the same 
way. But hot-water bottles will keep 
longer and not require mending if 
emptied, dried, blown up, and corked 
tightly before they are put away. 

Or apply a patch of oiled silk by 



means of mending tissue and a hot 
iron, but do not use the iron hot 
enough to melt or injure the rubber. 

Or dissolve 1 ounce of gutta percha 
in ^ pound of chloroform. Wash the 
parts to be cemented with a dilute 
solution of caustic potash or soda. 
Cover each freely with this gutta- 
percha solution and let dry for half 
an hour. Then warm each surface 
in the flame of a candle and let dry 
under pressure. 

Or shave India rubber with a wet 
knife or shears to thin strings or 
shreds like yarn. Fill a glass fruit 
jar about one fourth full of these 
shreds and fill it up with high-grade 
benzine. Let stand, shaking occa- 
sionally, for four or five days or until 
completely dissolved. Thin with ben- 
zine, or add more rubber if neces- 
sary to make the mixture of the con- 
sistency of molasses. 

Or dissolve India rubber in highly 
rectified spirits of turpentine. 

Or dissolve 7 grains of India rub- 
ber in 1 ounce of chloroform, and 
add 2 drams of shellac varnish. 

The above are suitable for patch- 
ing boots and shoes, for cementing 
rubber and leather, and either of 
them to wood. Clean the parts to be 
cemented by washing with a dilute 
solution of caustic potash or soda, 
and apply two or three coats to each 
surface. Let dry under pressure. 

Or melt together equal parts of 
gutta percha and pitch. Apply hot. 

Or melt together i pound of gutta 
percha, 2 ounces of India rubber, 1 
ounce of pitch, ^ ounce of shellac, 
and 2 ounces of boiled linseed oil. 

Or heat 5 pounds of Venice tur- 
pentine, stir in 8 ounces of shellac 
and 2 ounces of India rubber cut to 
shreds, and stir over gentle heat un- 
til dissolved. When dissolved, add 
10 ounces of liquid storax. Do not 
allow the mixture to boil or burn. 
Apply hot. 

The above are suitable for cement- 
ing metals, leather, rubber, or cloth, 
especially flexible surfaces. 

Or cut up 2 ounces of pure India 
rubber in 1 pound of bisulphate of 



482 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



carbon. Shake until dissolved. Add 
benzoin until the mixture is of the 
consistency of thick cream. Apply 
to both surfaces, warm the parts, 
and let dry under pressure. 

This cement is used by shoemakers 
to put invisible patches on shoes, and 
is also suitable for mending har- 
nesses, splicing leather straps, and 
the like. 

To apply, shave the edges of the 
leather on a Ion;? bevel, lay over them 
a wet cloili, and press with a hot 
iron to take up any grease that may 
be present, but take care not to use 
an iron hot enough to burn or take 
the life out of the leather. Pour the 
cement on both surfaces quite thick- 
ly, and spread with a brush so as to 
fill the pores of the leather. Warm 
the parts over a flame for a few sec- 
onds until the cement becomes sticky, 
or " tackjr," apply quickly, and ham- 
mer until firmly set. Keep the ce- 
ment tightly corked in a cool place. 

To fasten leather to iron or steel, 
spread over the metal a thin, hot 
solution of good glue, and soak the 
leather in a warm solution of gall- 
nuts before placing it on the metal. 
If fastened in this way the leather 
will tear before separating. 

SPECIAL ADHESIVES 

Marine Glue. — Dissolve 1 ounce of 
finely divided India rubber in 2i 
pounds of crude naphtha. Let stand 
2 or 3 weeks and shake frequently. 
Add 5 pounds of shellac, melt with 
gentle heat, and stir until evenly dis- 
solved. Pour on a marble or stone 
slab to cool and break in pieces 
like glue for use. When required, 
melt with gentle heat, apply a thin 
coating to the edges to be joined, 
and press firmly together. This ce- 
ment is used in foundries, for calk- 
ing ships, joining blocks of marble 
and granite, joining wood to iron, etc. 
It is suitable for all heavy rough 
M'ork exposed to the air. 

Or dissolve in separate vessels by 
means of gentle heat 3 ounces of 
India rubber in rectified sulphuric 



ether free from alcohol. Mix the 
two solutions. When cool, bottle and 
cork tightly for use. This is suitable 
for fine work. Both of the above re- 
sist the action of hot and cold water, 
and of most acids and alkalies. 
Wood, leather, and other materials 
cemented by them will part almost 
anywhere except at the place mended. 
Thin this glue with ether and apply 
with a brush along the seams where 
leather is sewed, as the soles of shoes. 
This renders the seam air-tight and 
practically unbreakable. The last two 
cements are probably the strongest 
known. 

To prepare the above in large 
quantities dissolve 1 pound of India 
rubber in 5 gallons of cold naphtha, 
and add to this solution an equal 
weight of shellac. Melt with gentle 
heat and stir while melting until 
- thoroughly dissolved. This is ex- 
tremely tenaciouc and is insoluble. 

Lead and Oil Adhesives. — Linseed 
oil boiled to a varnish with litharge, 
and white lead ground in linseed oil, 
with or without various preparations 
of glue or other ingredients, make a 
class of adhesives which have valu- 
able fireproof and waterproof quali- 
ties. 

Mix 4 ounces of linseed oil with 4 
ounces of slaked lime, and boil until 
stringj^ Pour into tin molds and let 
dry indoors or in the shade. This 
will dissolve when wanted like glue. 
It will withstand fire and water. 

Or boil 4 ounces of linseed oil with 
4 ounces of litharge until the mix- 
ture is stringy, and add 8 ounces of 
r^elted glue of the consistency of mo- 
lasses. Use this cement for leaders, 
the joints of wooden cisterns or 
caslis, and similar places. It requires 
3 or 4 days to harden, but renders 
wooden vessels air-tight and water- 
tight. 

Or mix equal quantities by weight 
of linseed oil and litharge. Stir in 
porcelain clay or well-dried pipe clay 
to the consistency of stiif mortar. 
Thin, if desired, with oil or turpen- 
tine. Apply this substance to the 
outside of buildings. 



ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES 



483 



litharge Cements. — Mix 3 ounces 
of litharge, 1 ounce of unslaked lime, 
and 1 ounce of flint glass. Pulverize 
into fine powder, mix, and when re- 
quired make into a stiff paste with 
boiled linseed oil. 

Or pulverize brick or well-burnt 
clay to a fine powder. Mix 1 pound 
of litharge with 13 pounds of pul- 
verized brick or clay, and add boiled 
linseed oil to make a stiff' mortar. 
Dampen the surface to which this 
is to be applied and use as mor- 
tar. 

The above are suitable for cement- 
ing stone, wood, or iron, filling leaks, 
mending cracks, and other similar 
purposes. 

Or mix powdered litharge with 
glycerin to the consistency of putty. 
Used for fastening metal tops to 
glassware, mending holes in tinware, 
ironware, and the like. 

Or mix 3 ounces of red lead, 3 
ounces of white lead, 3 ounces of man- 
ganese, 3 ounces of silicate of soda, 
and 1 ounce of litharge. Use this 
cement for holes or cracks in steam 
or water pipes. 

Or mix white lead ground in oil 
with powdered red lead to the con- 
sistency of putty. 

Or mix equal weights of red lead 
and white lead with boiled linseed 
oil to the consistency of putty. Ap- 
ply the cement to a washer of cloth 
or canvas and tighten up the joint. 
It dries like stone. This and the last 
are employed by engineers to make 
metallic joints. 

Or use white lead mixed with oil to 
mend broken china and glassware, and 
to fill cracks in roofs, cisterns, and 
the like. 

Plaster-of-Paris Cements. — There 
is a class of cements of which plaster 
of Paris or gypsum is the basis, in 
which the hardening is due to the 
union of the plaster with water, but 
they require the addition of various 
other ingredients to give them ad- 
hesive properties. For the use of gum 
arable with plaster of Paris, see above 
under " Gum Arabic." 

Or mix into a paste plaster of Paris 



and white of egg. Used for mending 
broken glass or china. 

Or substitute oyster shells burnt in 
a stove or open fire and pulverized 
to powder. 

Or melt 2 ounces of rosin and stir 
in 1 ounce of plaster of Paris. 

Or melt 1 ounce each of rosin and 
beeswax, and stir in 1 ounce of plas- 
ter of Paris. 

Or melt 8 ounces of rosin and 1 
ounce of beeswax, and stir in 4 ounces 
of plaster of Paris. Apply these 
cements to alabaster, broken plaster 
casts, marble, porphyry, and similar 
materials. 

Or mix equal quantities of pulver- 
ized alum and plaster of Paris, and 
add sufficient water to make a thin 
paste. 

Or mix plaster of Paris with a 
saturated solution of alum, and bake 
in an iron vessel in an oven until dry. 
Pulverize this mixture to a fine pow- 
der, and when wanted mix to the con- 
sistency of paste with a solution of 1 
ounce of alum in 13 ounces of water. 
This cement is suitable for attaching 
^lass to metal. 

Or boil 3 ounces of rosin, 1 ounce 
of caustic soda, and 5 ounces of water. 
Stir in 4i ounces of plaster of Paris. 
This cement is especially recommend- 
ed for fitting the brass work to kero- 
sene-oil lamps, as it is not affected by 
petroleum products. It is a poor con- 
ductor of heat. 

Or melt alum and use for the same 
purpose while melted. Kerosene does 
not penetrate this. 

Or mix 1 pint each (dry measure) 
of litharge, plaster of Paris, and fine, 
dry white sand, and J pint of finely 
powdered rosin. Make into a stiff 
paste with boiled linseed oil and ap- 
ply within 13 hours after mixing. 
This cement hardens under water and 
may be used for tanks, aquaria, water 
tanks for animals, and all similar pur- 
poses, as it contains nothing which 
is injurious to animals. Allow this 
cement to set 3 or 4 hours before 
wetting it. 

Ironware Cements. — Mix 5 parts of 
powdered fire clay and 1 part of fine 



484 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



iron filings with enough boiled lin- 
seed oil to make a paste. This is not 
suitable for iron exposed to red heat, 
as a stove. 

Or mix equal quantities of sifted 
wood ashes, powdered fire clay, and 
common salt. Moisten to a paste 
with water and fill cracks in stoves 
and other ironware. 

Or use equal quantities of sifted 
wood ashes and common salt mixed 
to a paste with water, but without 
the clay. Let the mixture set before 
heating. 

Or melt 3 ounces of sulphur in an 
iron pan, and stir in 1 ounce of fine 
black lead. Pour on a stone or an 
iron plate to cool. When cold, break 
in small pieces. An iron pot can be 
mended bj'' soldering with this sub- 
stance, using a hot soldering iron. 

Or, to mend a small hole, insert a 
copper rivet or one of the brass 
brads used to fasten documents to- 
gether, hammer smoothly on both 
sides, and cover with this cement. 

Or melt 5 ounces of brimstone, and 
stir in 3 ounces of black lead and 3 
ounces of cast-iron filings. Apply to 
leaks in cast-iron tanks, cisterns, etc., 
by drying the leak, heating it by 
means of red-hot iron, and pouring 
the melted cement from a ladle over 
the leals. 

Or mix 4 ounces of barytes and 4 
ounces of fine fire clay to a paste 
with soluble glass or a saturated 
solution of borax. 

Or mix equal quantities of clay and 
powdered glass with soluble glass or 
a saturated solution of borax, and 
apply with a brush to cracks in iron 
stoves or furnaces. 

Or mix 2 pounds of cast-iron fil- 
ings with 1 ounce of sal ammoniac 
and i ounce of flowers of sulphur. 
Stir in enough water to form a paste. 
Mix this preparation in an iron ves- 
sel, as it becomes very hot from 
chemical action. Prepare when want- 
ed and apply immediately, as it soon 
sets very hard. 

Or mix 8 ounces of steel filings, 
1% ounces , of sal ammoniac, and 1 
ounce of flowers of sulphur. Pre- 



serve this mixture in dry form until 
wanted. When required, add 1 ounce 
of it to 15 ounces of iron filings, and 
mix with water acidulated with sul- 
phuric acid to form a paste. Apply 
this cement to the joints of iron 
pipe and for similar pui-poses. Clean 
surfaces to be cemented with nitric 
or strong sulphuric acid. Use this 
cement for all iron and steel work. 
Or mix 10 ounces of powdered fire 
clay, 4 ounces of fresh iron filings 
free from rust, 3 ounces of peroxide 
of manganese, 1 ounce of sea salt, 
and 1 ounce of borax. Powder finely, 
mix to a paste with water, and apply 
immediately. Gradually bring the 
parts to a white heat. This cement 
is both fireproof and waterproof. 

Or mix equal quantities of sifted 
peroxide of manganese and powdered 
zinc white, and make into a thin 
paste with soluble glass. Apply im- 
mediately. 

Or mix 5 ounces of fire clay, 3 
ounces of manganese, and 3 ounces 
of silicate of soda with water to the 
consistency of putty. Used to mend 
holes in castings and for similar pur- 
poses. 

Or mix 10 ounces of clay, 3 ounces 
of manganese, 3 ounces of silicate of 
soda, and -i ounce of asbestos. Grind 
to powder in a mortar, mix with 
water to make a paste, and use as 
mortar for lining stoves. 

Compound Glues. — The number of 
pastes, glues, and cements that can 
be compounded by mijiing various 
proportions of the above substances 
is, of course, numberless, but the 
following preparations are especially 
recommended as having given satis- 
faction : 

For liquid glue, dissolve in a 
double boiler 8 ounces of white glue 
and 3 ounces of dry white lead in 
1 pint of soft water. When dis- 
solved, add 3 ounces of alcohol and 
stir briskly. Remove from the fire 
and bottle Avhile hot. 

SPECIAL PURPOSE CEMENTS 

Wood Cement. — Mix 1 ounce of 
lime and 2 ounces of rye meal 



ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES 



485 



with boiled linseed oil to a stiff 
paste. 

Or dissolve 1 ounce of glue in 16 
ounces of water, and stir in sawdust 
or prepared chalk or both to make 
a paste. 

Or thicken oil varnish with equal 
parts of white lead, red lead, lith- 
arge, and powdered chalk. Use these 
cements to fill cracks and defects in 
woodwork before painting. 

Or mix 2 ounces of beeswax, 2 
ounces of shellac, and 1 ounce of In- 
dian red, and color with yellow ocher 
to the shade required. Use this ce- 
ment to fill cracks, cover nail heads, 
and the like in mahogany furniture. 

Cement for Glass. — Dissolve best 
white glue in as little water as possi- 
ble, and add by bulk one half as 
much linseed oil varnish and one 
fourth as much pure turpentine. Boil 
together in a double boiler closely 
covered to keep in the steam. Apply 
to glass and metal joints, holding 
the two surfaces together with a vise 
if convenient or under weights for 
forty-eight hours until the cement 
sets. 

Or, for the same purpose, melt to- 
gether 5 ounces of rosin, 1 ounce of 
beeswax, 1 ounce of red ocher, and 
-J tablespoonful of gypsum. 

leather Cement. — Dissolve in a 
double boiler 1 ounce of pure isin- 
glass in ^ pint of ale. Add 2 ounces 
of common glue and dissolve with 
gentle heat. Stir in 1 ounce of boiled 
linseed oil until well mixed. This 
mixture will have the texture of In- 
dia rubber. Bottle and cork tightly 
for future use. Dilute when re- 
quired with fresh ale, and after 
shaving the surfaces of the leather 
apply hot with a brush to harness 
and other belts, bands, etc. Let 
stand in a vise or under pressure un- 
til it sets. This is waterproof and 
a very powerful adhesive. 

Or dissolve in a double boiler equal 
quantities of glue and isinglass in 
pure tannin until the mixture as- 
sumes the appearance of white of 
egg. Shave the leather, rub the edges 
with sandpaper to roughen them, and 



apply the cement while hot. It will 
make a stronger joint if the surface 
is first moistened with a solution of 
gallnuts. A joint made of this ce- 
ment will be as strong as any other 
l^art of the leather. 

Or, to fasten leather and other 
fibrous material to metals, dissolve 
glue in hot vinegar and add one 
third by volume of hot white pine 
pitch. 

Collodion Cement. — Collodion is a 
mixture of 1 ounce of gun cotton 
and 1 ounce of alcohol in about 1 
pound of ether. When used as a 
cement or varnish to prevent rust or 
for other purposes, it easily cracks 
and peels. To prevent this, add to 
each 18 ounces of collodion 4 ounces 
of Venice turpentine and 2 ounces 
of castor oil. 

Or, when using collodion for sur- 
gical purposes to dress cuts, etc., 
add to the ordinary collodion one 
eighth its volume of glycerin. This 
makes a varnish which adheres to 
the skin, but is elastic, and hence 
does not crack or crease. 

Coppersmith's Cement. — Thicken 
fresh beef blood with powdered 
quicklime. Mix only as required 
and apply at once, as it sets rajiidly. 
This is suitable for mending copper 
boilers, rivets, leaks in copper pipes, 
faucets, and the like. It is both 
cheap and durable. 

Acid-proof Cement. — Mix in a 
double boiler 1^ pounds of rosin, 4 
ounces of dry red ocher, 3 ounces 
of plaster of Paris, and 1 ounce of 
linseed oil. Dissolve with gentle 
heat. Mix and apply while warm. 
Use this for cementing troughs to 
hold acid. It will stand boiling sul- 
phuric acid. 

Parchment Glue. — Boil in a double 
boiler 1 pound of parchment in 6 
quarts of water down to 1 quart. 
Strain through cheese cloth to remove 
the sediment, and with gentle heat 
evaporate the liquid slowly to the 
consistency of glue. Bottle and cork 
tightly for use. Use this for fine 
work with delicate white paper. 

Peach-tree Gum. — The gum which 



486 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



exudes from peach trees, when dis- 
solved in alcohol and thinned with 
water, is a suitable cement for mend- 
ing broken glassware, and is a good 
substitute for gum arable, Senegal, 
and the like. 

To Mend Glass and China. — To 
take off grease or varnish, wash the 
pieces in ammonia and water, or ap- 
ply alcohol or ether to the edges to 
be joined, but take care not to 
smooth off irregularities, as the 
rougher the surface the better the 
cement will hold. When the pieces 
are numerous it is best to unite them 
one at a time and let that harden 
before another is added. Select a 
quick-drying cement, heat the pieces, 
apply a thin coating of the cement 
to both surfaces, no more than will 
be partially absorbed, and bring the 
edges together before the cement 
sets. Hold them firmly until it har- 
dens. After all the pieces have been 
thus united, let the article stand for 
several days or weeks before using. 

Glue for Gilding. — Cut up rabbit 
skins as fine as possible, and boil 
them in water until the liquor on 
cooling is a firm gelatinous mass. 
Dilute with water, bring to a boil, 
and strain through a wire sieve. 

Dissolve 1 part of alum and 3 
parts «)^f sulphate of zinc in boiling 
water, pour into the clear mixture, 
stir the whole while hot, and strain 
into a mold until it cools and jells. 
The mass v/ill now be thick enough 
to remove from the mold and dry 
in the open air or with gentle heat. 

PAINTS AND PAINTING 

Paint, including painting and the 
care of paints, is an important sub- 
ject. Both the inner and outer walls 
and the floors of houses and most 
articles of furniture are painted. 
Hence a knowledge of the nature 
and properties of paint, both before 
and after its application, enables it 
to be put to a thousand practical 
uses in the household. The uses of 
paint are twofold, i. e., to protect 
the wood and other materials to 



which it is applied, and also to dec- 
orate them. The ingredients of paint 
are of two sorts: the pigments or 
coloring matter, chosen mostly for 
decoration; and the vehicle chosen to 
hold the coloring matter in suspen- 
sion, and also, when desired, to fur- 
nish the requisite protection. 

Linseed Oil for Paints. — The best 
vehicle for paints used to protect 
woodwork and other surfaces from 
moisture and decay is linseed oil. 
This is one of the so-called drying 
oils which, on exposure to the air, 
absorb oxygen and form a resinous 
varnish that closes the pores and ex- 
cludes the agents of destruction from 
all surfaces to which it is applied. 
Thus it holds the pigments in a firm 
waterproof varnish. 

Linseed oil is of two sorts: raw 
and boiled. The raw oil is of two 
-grades: the cold-drawn and the hot- 
pressed or ordinary quality. Raw 
linseed oil dries slowly, passing 
through a gummy or sticky stage be- 
fore acquiring a hard, resinous sur- 
face. The object of boiling this oil 
with oxide of lead, peroxide of man- 
ganese, and borate or acetate of 
manganese is to cause it to dry more 
quickly. Boiling gives the oil a dark 
or high color. The raw oil is ob- 
tained from flaxseed by crushing the 
seed under great hydraulic pressure. 
When the seed is not heated, the oil 
is said to be cold-pressed or cold- 
drawn, and is of a light or pale 
color, but when the crushed seed is 
heated and pressed hot, the oil is 
darker. Much more oil can be ex- 
tracted from the same quantity of 
seed by hot pressure. The cold- 
drawn oil is therefore more expen- 
sive, but it is of a better quality. 

Pigments for Paint. — The pig- 
ments or coloring matter used in 
paints are prepared by grinding them 
in a mill and mixing them with a 
small quantity of raw linseed oil. 
They come in small packages and 
are prepared for use by mixing 
them with an additional quantity 
of raw or boiled linseed oil and 
one or more colored pigments. 



ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES 



487 



which are mixed together to produce 
any desired shade. 

Thinners for Paints. — The various 
pigments mixed with oil alone would 
make too thick a coating; hence other 
ingredients known as thinners are em- 
ployed to dilute them. These are oil 
of turpentine and benzine, which mix 
freely with linseed oil and various 
pigments, and reduce them to any de- 
sired consistency. 

Bryers for Paints. — Even boiled 
linseed oil does not dry quickly enough ; 
hence to hasten the union of oxygen 
with the paint, which transforms it 
into a dry, hard, resinous substance, 
it is usual to mix paints with certain 
substances known as dryers. Among 
these are sugar (acetate) of lead, red 
lead, verdigris, binoxide of manganese, 
sulphate of zinc, etc. The most pow- 
erful dryer is boric manganese, even 
the T"u\)o part being enough to greatly 
hasten the drying of linseed oil. These 
and other dryers come ground in oil 
ready to mix with paint. 

Ready-made Paints. — The materials 
used for paints for home use must be 
kept separate and not mixed until the 
paint is about to be used. Or, if 
mixed in advance, the paint must be 
covered with water and kept from the 
air. Otherwise the thinner will evapo- 
rate, the pigment will settle to the 
bottom, and the oil will become thick 
and ropy, forming a hard skin over 
the top which cannot be dissolved. 
Hence paints are now mixed in fac- 
tories on a large scale by a process 
which forms an emulsion or perma- 
nent mixture of the pigment and the 
oil, and these can be had in any size 
cans, the contents of which are al- 
ways ready for use. However, any- 
one can obtain the necessary ingredi- 
ents, pigment, oils, thinner, and dryer, 
and mix paints for home use at less 
cost usually than he would have to 
pay for the ready-made article, and 
with the further advantage of know- 
ing precisely the nature and purity of 
all the ingredients employed. 

Water-color Paints. — Paints for in- 
terior work, walls, ceilings, pictures, 
5aaps, and the like, are sometimes pre- 



pared without oil by using as a vehi- 
cle glue or gum dissolved in water. 
After the water evaporates, the glue 
or gum is left, and this causes the 
pigments to adhere to the surface. 
The ingredients must not be mixed 
until ready for use, as glue or gum 
will not keep in solution for any length 
of time. 

Calcimine is a paint of this char- 
acter, being a mixture of prepared 
chalk with a solution of glue and 
various colored pigments. 

Water colors can also be obtained 
in the form of cakes consisting of 
pigments and gum in solid form, 
which may be liquefied by dissolving 
in water or by rubbing them with a 
wet brush. 

Paints — Other Ingredients. — Be- 
sides linseed oil, for finer kinds of 
work, as the preparation of artist's 
colors, other oils, as nut and poppy 
oils, are sometimes used. 

Miscellaneous Ingredients. — Solu- 
ole glass, naphthas, tars, lime, and 
various other materials are sometimes 
employed for cheap paints or for 
special purposes. Poisonous sub- 
stances are sometimes mixed with the 
paint used about salt water to pre- 
vent marine plants and animals rrom 
fastening to painted surfaces, and 
phosphorus is sometimes added when 
a luminous paint is desired. 

USES OF PAINT 

Quantity of Paint to TTse. — To esti- 
mate the quantity of paint required, 
divide the number of square feet of 
surface by 200. The quotient is the 
number of gallons of paint required 
to give two coats. 

Or divide the number of square feet 
of surface by 18. The quotient is the 
number of pounds of pure ground 
white lead required to give three 
coats. 

Another rule is that new woodwork 
requires about 1 pound of paint to 
the square yard for three coats. 

But the rules vary according to the 
nature of the surface and its condi- 
tion, the temperature, and the lik?i 



48B 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Old woodwork, especially if unpaint- 
ed or if the paint has been allowed 
to wear off, will absorb more paint 
than new wood. Some kinds of .wood 
take more paint than others, and sur- 
faces of stone, brick, or metal may 
take less than wood. 

Rules for House Painting. — The 
best time to paint houses, barns, and 
other surfaces exposed to the sun is 
in winter when the ground is frozen. 
In summer the heat of the sun opens 
the pores of wood and other materials, 
which causes the oil to soak in, leav- 
ing the pigments exposed on the sur- 
face. This may be prevented by first 
going over the surface with raw oU; 
but paint applied when the surface 
is contracted by cold in winter dries 
slowly, forms a hard, tough coat like 
glass, and will last twice as long as 
if applied at any other time of the 
year. 

Another advantage of painting in 
cold M'eather is the absence of flies 
and other insects, and also the fact 
that there is much less dust. Paint- 
ing may, of course, be done indoors 
at any time of the year, but it must 
be understood that a hot surface will 
absorb more paint than a cold one 
and should be first primed with a 
coat of raw linseed oil. 

Buy, ^f possible, the best white lead 
and other pigments and the best oil, 
and mix the paint yourself. 

To paint new wood for the first 
time requires four or five operations 
— ^linotting, priming, and two or three 
coats of paint. Old woodwork pre- 
viously painted requires washing to 
remove the grease, and may require 
burning or other process to remove 
the paint, as well as refinishing the 
surface before the priming and frech 
coats of paint are laid on. 

Or it may be sufficient to wash the 
surface to remove all grease spots, 
and to lay a fresh coat over the old 
paint. 

Keep up the paint on all surfaces 
that require painting. It is much 
cheaper after the original foundation 
has been laid to go over the wood- 
work with a thin coat of paint quite 



frequently, than to wait imtil the paint 
is all worn off in spots and the wood- 
work underneath is affected with dry 
rot. 

Recoat standing woodwork at least 
once in two years, and go over win- 
dow sills and sashes as often as they 
require it. 

Prepare paint to suit the purpose 
for which it is intended. Do not at- 
tempt to make one kind of paint serve 
every purpose. One kind of paint is 
required for the outside of a house 
and another for the inside; and there 
are special paints for iron, stone, 
brick, and other surfaces. 

Knotting. — The knots in pine 
boards and other resinous woods con- 
tain turpentine, and unless they are 
" killed " the turpentine will ooz? 
out and destroy the paint. Hence to 
kill knots apply with a brush a mix- 
lure of red and white lead ground 
with water and mixed with a strong 
glue size consisting of 2 to 4 ounces 
of glue to 1 gallon of water. Apply 
while warm to the knots with a 
brush. Follow with a second coat 
composed of 3 parts of white lead 
ground in oil and 1 part of red 
lead or litharge. When bone-dry, 
rub down with pumice stone. 

Priming. — After knotting, go over 
the surface with a very thin coat of 
priming, which consists of white lead 
with a very small quantity of dryer, 
as red lead or litharge, mixed with 
raw linseed oil. Use 1 pound of this 
priming for 18 or 20 square yards. 
Have no more oil than is necessary 
to make the lead work readily, but 
apply repeatedly and work the coat- 
ing out thin with a brush. 

Do not use a lot of thin priming. 

First Coat. — When the priming is 
dry, put on a second coat. The worli 
is now said to be " primed and one 
coat," and is ready for painting, 
which requires one or two coats 
more. 

Second Coat. — Fill up all nail holes 
and the like, and lay on a regular 
coat of the desired color. Let dry 
for two or three days. 

Third Coa<.— Finally add the third 



ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES 



489 



coat, if desired, of the same charac- 
ter as the second coat. 

Or the third coat may be thin, 
with a larger proportion of turpen- 
tine than the second coat, giving the 
paint a dull surface and a delicate 
bloom. This is called flatting. 

Painting Woodwork Indoors. — 
Careful landlords go over the inside 
woodwork of a house frequently with 
paint and varnish. This preserves 
the woodwork and saves labor, 
strength, and time. It is not econ- 
omy to wait until the paint or var- 
nish cracks or wears off. The more 
frequently it is painted the longer 
the woodwork lasts, and the easier 
it is to keep in good order. 

If there is grease or soap on the 
woodwork the paint will not adhere. 
Hence, before painting, the surface 
should be cleaned by scrubbing with 
ammonia water or water containing 
kerosene or sal soda, and rinsed off 
thoroughly. 

Apply a second coat, if necessary, 
to get a smooth, hard surface. 

Window Sills and Sashes. — These 
should be " drawn " or painted fre- 
quently, as the rain outside and the 
steam inside collect on the glass and 
settle about the casings, causing 
them to rot unless kept in good order 
by fresh paint and varnish. If putty 
cracks or shows signs of decaying, it 
should be removed and new putty 
ajiplied before painting. 

To Apply Paint. — The proper 
stroke in jiainting is short, say 8 or 
10 inches. The brusli should strike 
the surface nearly at right angles 
and in the middle of the stroke; that 
is to say, the painter deposits the 
added load 4 or 5 inches in advance 
of the unpainted surface, and not at 
the end of the last stroke, and works 
the color back and forth with the 
brush. 

The brush should be deep, so as to 
take up the paint through the hairs, 
and not merely on their ends, and 
the surface should be wiped so that 
it will not drip before using. But 
a brush should not be wiped on a 
cutting edge, or the bristles will be 



split and tend to curl backward. 
Hence paint should be taken from a 
pail or can having a wire fastened 
across the top or a smooth edge 
turned over to wipe the brush on. 

SPECinCATIONS FOB PAINTING 

White Lead — Specifications for 
New Work Outside. — The following 
specifications were very carefully pre- 
pared by an architect of great experi- 
ence for a leading manufacturer of 
pure white lead, and may be regarded 
as absolutely reliable: 

Before Painting. — All woodwork 
must be thoroughly dry before any 
paint is applied. No painting is to 
be done when rain or snow is falling, 
or until after the dew or moisture 
which may be on the surface has 
completely disappeared. 

Knot Killing. — Immediately after 
the woodwork is in place, all knots 
and sappy streaks shall be varnished 
with pure grain alcohol orange shel- 
lac varnish (knot killer). 

It is very important that only the 
best grain alcohol shellac should be 
used, as preparations of wood alco- 
hol (deadly poisonous), cheap shel- 
lacs, rosin, etc., are dangerous to 
health and apt to cause the knots to 
turn j^ellow after the work is com- 
pleted, thus spoiling the appearance 
of the work. 

Priming Coat.^ — One hundred 
pounds of pure white lead ; 6 to 7 gal- 
lons of pure raw linseed oil; 1 gallon 
of pure turpentine; IJ pints of pure 
turpentine japan. 

On white pine, poplar, and bass- 
wood (which more readily absorb oil) 
use 7 gallons of linseed oil. 

On yelljw pine, spruce, and hem- 
lock use 6 gallons of linseed oil. 

In winter and damp weather from 
i pint to -^ pint additional turpen- 
tine japan should be used. 

A range of from 6 to 7 gallons of 
linseed oil has been specified to allow 
room for the painter's judgment; 
there may be circumstances where as 
much as 8 gallons of linseed oil to 
100 pounds of white lead may be used 



490 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



to advantage, but they are rare, and 
as a rule 7 gallons may be taken as 
a safe maximum. 

The painter may in some special 
cases find it advisable in the priming 
coat to increase the quantity of tur- 
pentine from ^ gallon to 1 gallon, 
but where this is done a correspond- 
ing decrease should be made in the 
specified amount of linseed oil. 

Priming coats should be thin, and 
well brushed out, but it is a mistake 
to have them too thin. 

Putty. — After the priming coat is 
thoroughly dry, putty up all nail 
holes, dents, cracks, and other defects 
in the surface with a pure linseed 
oil putty composed of equal parts af 
white lead and whiting. 

Nearly all the putty sold at pres- 
ent is made of other oils than lin- 
seed (chiefly products of petroleum) 
and ground cliffstone sand. The use 
of such putty is the explanation of 
the yellow nail holes and cracks so 
often marring the appearance of 
what is otherwise good work. 

The addition of 1 part of powdered 
litharge to 5 parts each of white 
lead and whiting in the composition 
of the white lead putty above speci- 
fied is permissible and, where conven- 
ient, advised. 

The addition of the litharge assists 
the drying and hardening of the 
putty. 

Second Coat. — One hundred pounds 
of pure white lead; 4 to 5 gallons of 
pure raw linseed oil; ^ gallon of pure 
turpentine; 1 pint of pure turpentine 
japan. 

In winter and damp weather from 
I pint to i pint additional turpen- 
tine japan should be used. 

Third Coat. — One hundred pounds 
of pure white lead; 4 to 4| gallons of 
pure raAv linseed oil; i gallon of pure 
turpentine; 1 pint of pure turpentine 
j apan. 

In winter and damp wecther from 
i pint to A pint additional turpen- 
tine japan should be used. 

Specifications for New Work In- 
side. — Before Painting. — As above. 

Knot Killing.-^As above. 



Priming Coat. — One hundred 
pounds of pure white lead; 5 to 6 gal- 
lons of pure raw linseed oil; 3 gallons 
of pure turpentine; IJ pints of pure 
white turpentine japan. 

On white pine, poplar, and bass- 
wood (which more readily absorb 
oil) use 6 gallons of linseed oil. 

On yellow pine, spruce, and hem- 
lock use 5 gallons of linseed oil. 

In winter and dam,p weather from 
^ pint to i pint additional turpen- 
tine japan should be used. 

A range of from 5 to 6 gallons of 
linseed oil has been specified to allow 
room for the painter's judgment; 
there may be circumstances where as 
much as 7 gallons of linseed oil to 
100 pounds of white lead may be used 
to advantage, but they are rare, and 
as a rule 6 gallons may be taken as 
a safe maximum. 

, The painter may in some special 
cases find it advisable in the priming 
coat to increase the quantity of tur- 
pentine from i gallon to 1 gallon, 
but where this is done a correspond- 
ing decrease should be made in the 
specified amount of linseed oil. 

Priming coats should be thin, and 
well brushed out, but it is a mistake 
to have them too thin. 

Putty. — As above. 

Second Coat — Gloss Finish. — One 
hundred pounds of piu'e white lead ; i 
to 5 gallons of pure raw linseed oil; % 
gallon of pure turpentine; 1 pint of 
pure turpentine white dryer. 

Third Coat — Gloss Finish. — One 
hundred pounds of pure white lead; 
4 to 44 gallons of pure raw linseed 
oil; I gallon of pure turpentine; 1 
pint of pure turpentine white dryer. 

Finishing Coat — Flat. — One hun- 
dred pounds of pure white lead; ^ 
gallon of pure raw linseed oil; 2 to 
2i gallons of pure turpentine; 1 pint 
of pure turpentine white dryer. 

Finishing Coat — Eggshell Gloss. 
— One hundred pounds of pure white 
lead; 1 gallon of pure raw linseed oil; 
2 gallons of pure turpentine; 1 pint 
of pure turpentine white dryer. 

Specifications for Old Work Out- 
side. — Before Painting. — As above. 



ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES 



491 



Preparation of Surface. — All loose 
paint, scales, dirt, and dust must 
be entirely" removed. If there are 
scales, a wire brush should be used. 
Where window frames, sashes, doors, 
piazzas, etc., show cracks or scales, a 
paint burner or patent paint remov- 
er must be used to make the surface 
ready for painting. 

If new paint is applied over a sur- 
face that has cracked or scaled, a 
good job is impossible, as the rough 
surface will show through. 

// the old coat is pure white lead, 
then there will be no scales or cracks, 
and gently sandpapering with No. i 
to No. 1 sandpaper, followed by a 
good dusting, will put the surface in 
good condition for repainting. 

First or Priming Coat. — One hun- 
dred pounds of pure white lead; 4 to 
5 gallons of pure raw linseed oil; 1 
gallon of pure turpentine; IJ pints 
of pure turpentine japan. 

In winter and damp weather from 
I pint to ^ pint additional turpentine 
japan should be used. 

Putty. — As above. 

Second or Finishing Coat. — One 
hundred pounds of pure white lead; 4 
to 4i gallons of pure raw linseed oil; 
I gallon of pure turpentine; li pints 
of pure turpentine japan. 

In winter and damp weather from 
J pint to i pint additional turpen- 
tine japan should be used. 

Specifications for Old Work In- 
side. — Preparation of Surface. — As 
above. 

Priming. — One hundred pounds of 
pure white lead; 1 gallon of pure raw 
linseed oil; 2 gallons of pure turpen- 
tine; 1| pints of pure white turpen- 
tine japan. 

The painter may in some special 
cases find it advisable in the prim- 
ing coat to increase the quantity of 
turpentine from i gallon to 1 gallon, 
but where this is done a correspond- 
ing decrease shoiild be made in the 
specified amount of linseed oil. 

Priming coats should be thin, and 
well brushed out, but it is a mistake 
to have them too thin. 

Putty. — As above. 



Finishing Coat — Gloss. — One hun- 
dred pounds of pure white lead; 4 to 
5 gallons of pure raw linseed oil; i 
gallon of pure turpentine; 1 pint of 
pure turpentine white dryer. 

Finishing Coat — Flat. — One hun- 
dred pounds of pure white lead; i 
gallon of pure raw linseed oil; 2 to 
2i gallons of pure turpentine; 1 pint 
of pure turpentine white dryer. 

Finishing Coat — Eggshell Gloss. — 
One hundred pounds of pure white 
lead ; 1 gallon of pure raw linseed oil ; 
2 gallons of pure turpentine; 1 pint 
of pure turpentine white dryer. 

If painting is done white or light 
over a previous dark finish, three 
coats may be necessary. In such 
case put on a second coat mixed 
similar to first coat and finish as 
specified. 

Specifications for Painting Brick, 
Stucco, and Concrete. — Brickwork. — 
If any mortar has become loose and 
washed out between the bricks, all 
such damaged places shall be repoint- 
ed with mortar or Portland cement, 
before any paint is applied. After 
priming, correct small defects in sur- 
face with putty. 

New brickwork shall not be primed 
except when thoroughly dry. At least 
two or three days of dry, clear weath- 
er shall precede painting. No paint- 
ing shall be done in cold weather. 

Stucco or Concrete Work. — Stucco 
or concrete work shall be allowed to 
dry and set at least two months be- 
fore paint is applied. 

The longer concrete work is allowed 
to dry out before painting, the better, 
even up to one year. If a longer time 
is available, specify it instead of the 
time given above. 

Formulas. — The paint for all brick, 
stucco, or concrete shall be mixed ac- 
cording to the following formulas: 

Priming Coat. — One hundred pounds 

of white lead; 9 gallons of pure 

boiled linseed oil (or 9 gallons of pure 

raw linseed oil and lA pints of tur- 

.pentine dryer) ; 1 gallon of turpentine. 

Body Coat. — One hundred pounds 
of pure white lead; 4 gallons of pure 
linseed oil, one third boiled, two thirds 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



raw (or 4 gallons of pure raw linseed 
oil and 1 pint of turpentine dryer). 

FimsMng Coat. — One hundred 
pounds of pure white lead; SJ gallons 
of pure linseed oil, one third boiled, 
two thirds raw (or S^t gallons of pure 
raw linseed oil and 1 pint of turpen- 
tine dryer) ; 1 pint of turpentine. 

Strictly kettle-boiled linseed oil 
should be used as specified whenever 
possible, especially on stucco and con- 
crete, because it is less liable than raw 
oil to degenerate under the peculiar 
influence of lime, cement, etc. If 
strictly kettle-boiled oil is not avail- 
able, use the alternative specifications 
for raw oil and a dryer. 

Specifications for Painting Steel 
and Ironwork. — Before erection. — 
Before it leaves the shops, all steel 
and irouM'ork shall be thoroughly 
cleaned of all mill scale, dirt, rust, 
and oil, and receive one coat of red 
lead paint mixed according to the for- 
mula given below. Surfaces which will 
be inaccessible after structure is erect- 
ed shall receive two coats of this paint 
before erection. 

Formula. — Pure dry red lead, 30 to 
33 pounds ; pure raw linseed oil, 1 gal- 
lon. 

These ingredients shall be thor- 
oughly mixed no longer than twenty- 
four ho^rs before being used. 

After Erection. — All structural 
ironwork shall be cleaned after erec- 
tion and all abrasions in first coat of 
paint brushed clean with a stiff wire 
brush and repainted. All surfaces 
shall then receive one additional coat 
of red lead paint prepared according 
to above formula. 

All pipes, including automatic 
sprinklers, steam and hot-water radi- 
ators, conducting pipes, and interiorly 
exposed structural metal work shall 
receive two coats as above. Fire es- 
capes, smokestacks, gutters, down 
spouts, and all other interior metal 
work shall receive three coats as above 
with 1 pound of pure lampblack, 
ground in oil, added to every 28 
pounds of red lead used in the third 
coat. 

Subsequent coats on exposed metal 



work shall be of strictly pure white 
lead and linseed oil, tinted according 
to the color scheme employed in the 
building. 

Paint shall not be applied until pre- 
viously applied paint is tlioroughly dry. 

No painting shall be done in wet or 
freezing M'eather. 

Specifications for Painting Metal 
Roofs, Cornices, etc. — Neiv Work. — 
All new metal, tin, galvanized iron, 
iron, or steel, used for roofing, cor- 
nices, valleys, gutters, down spouts, 
iron railings, gratings, etc., shall be 
painted according to the following 
specifications : 

Before Painting. — All surfaces shall 
be carefully cleaned by scrubbing with 
sand soap and water, and thoroughly 
dried, before paint is applied. Only 
when this is done will the paint ad- 
here properly to the metal. This is 
'very important. 

Formula. — Pure dry red lead, 30 
pounds; pure boiled linseed oil, J gal- 
lon; pure raw linseed oil, | gallon; 
pure lampblack ground in oil, 4 
ounces. 

Mixing. — The materials must be 
thoroughly mixed before application. 
The mixture shall be of unifoi-m con- 
sistency and stirred frequently while 
in use. 

Application. — All surfaces shall re- 
ceive two uniform coats, as above. 
When necessary to follow color 
scheme, finishing coats of pure white 
lead and linseed oil, tinted to suit, 
shall be applied over these cOats. Each 
coat shall dry thoroughly before the 
next is applied. Paint on imder side 
of roofing shall dry hard before roof- 
ing is laid. 

Old Work. — Metal surfaces not new 
shall be thoroughly cleaned with wire 
brush, removing all loose paint and 
particles, and then painted as above. 

Specifications for Painting with 
Zinc White. — Outside. — Any of the 
following combinations may be used 
at discretion: 

Combination " A.^^ — Primer, pure 
lead; second coat, pure lead; third 
coat, purfe zinc. 

The primer may be tinted with not 



ADHESIVES, PAINTS, Ax\D VARNISHES 



493 



more thaii 1 p&r cent of pure lamp- 
black, ocher, or umber in oil. This 
applies to all combinations, except 
where the final finish is to be white. 

Combination " S." — Primer, pure 
lead; second coat, J zinc, § lead; third 
coat, pure zinc. 

Combination " C." — Primer, pure 
lead ; second coat, J zinc, ^ lead ; third 
coat, § zinc, ^ lead. 

Combination " D." — Primer, J zinc, 
i lead; second coat, i zinc, J lead; 
third coat, | zinc, | lead. 

Combination "E" — Straight Zinc, 
Four-coat WorJc {Whitey. — Primer, 
pure zinc with 1 pint of turpentine 
to the gallon of paint; second coat, 
pure zinc with ^ pint of turpentine to 
the gallon of paint; third coat, pure 
zinc with 1 giU of turpentine to the 
gallon of paint ; fourth coat, pure zinc 
ground in pure linseed oil (without 
turpentine). 

Combination "F" — Straight Zinc, 
Three-coat Work {White). — Primer, 
pure zinc, with J pint of turpentine 
to the gallon of paint; second coat, 
pure zinc with 1 gill of turpentine to 
the gallon of paint; third coat, pure 
zinc with all oil. 

In all the foregoing, only a sufficient 
quantity of dryer to be used to insure 
work drying in five days. 

Where tints are desired, add to the 
foregoing tints as desired, mixed with 
pure oil colors. 

Inside Painting, Woodwork. — • 
Where dark tones are required, the 
same combinations may be used as 
are specified on outside work. 

Where light tones are required, 
combinations " B," " E," or " F " may 
be used ; if white or very light, " E " 
or " F " should be used. 

Where a flat surface is required, the 
proportion of turpentine should be 
increased and that of oil decreased to 
the point where a desired flatness is 
obtained. 

Plaster Painting, Inside. — Make all 
plaster work perfectly smooth and 
clean by brushing and sandpapering 
and washing if necessary, to remove 
any discoloration which will show 
through or injure paint. 



The specifications should be the 
same as the foregoing, except that an- 
other coat should be added. This coat 
should be the same as the primer if 
tone is dark and the same as final 
coat if tone is light. 

If an extraordinarily good job is 
required, both the above primer and 
final coats should be repeated, making 
five coats in all. 

Enamel Painting on Walls or on 
Woodwork. — First coat, primer of 
pure lead and linseed oil; second coat, 
^ lead and i zinc; third coat, J lead 
and § zinc, with the addition of suflB- 
cient varnish to form a proper sur- 
face for final coat. 

Or any of the foregoing formulas 
may be used with the addition of var- 
nish to the third coat. 

The above coats to be applied care- 
fully and evenly, with brush marks 
showing as little as possible, and each 
coat to be lightly sandpapered so that 
final coat may be flowed on without 
showing any brush marks. Final coat 
to be a first grade of interior varnish 
with the addition of only sufficient 
zinc and color to produce the approved 
tint and to be carefully flowed on. 

Good workmen can make a first- 
class job of the above, and a bad 
workman can, if so inclined, so stint 
the materials and workmanship that 
it may not be satisfactory, and an- 
other final coat may be necessary. 

Should the bidding be public and the 
architects be unable to select painters 
of known reputation, a clause like tlic 
following may be added: 

If, after the fourth coat, the work 
is not satisfactory, then the painter 
shall without extra charge do what- 
ever is necessary to make the work 
perfectlj^ satisfactory. 

Stipple Wall Painting. — First coat, 
pure lead; second coat, h zinc and i 
lead (half turpentine and half oil) ; 
third coat shall be of stippling putty 
mixed with zinc and hard oil, and to 
be stippled evenly and lightly; fourth 
coat shall be of pure zinc in oil and 
turpentine (with such tint as re- 
quired), to be applied perfectly even 
and to be onlj'^ of sufficient thickness 



494 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



to give proper tint and show stip- 
pling. 

CABE OF FAINTS AND BRUSHES 

To Xeep Paint Fresh. — Any paint 
left over after using must be sealed. 
Or it may be kept fresh in an open 
can or pail by merely filling up the 
vessel with water. When the paint 
is again needed the water may be 
poured off. But take care that the 
water does not evaporate, as in that 
case the paint will be ruined. 

Care of Brushes. — Paint brushes 
should not be left in paint or allowed 
to rest on the bristles in such a way 
as to curve the bristles to one side. 
After using, they should be thoroughly 
cleaned with turpentine and dried. Or 
the bristles should be immersed in a 
slow-drying varnish, the handles be- 
ing suspended so that the bristles wi'l 
not touch the bottom of the can, 
and the whole covered to keep out 
the air. 

Or clean brushes first in linseed oil, 
then in warm soapsuds, and hang up 
to dry. 

Or, if likely to be used again short- 
ly, they may be suspended in water, 
oil, or varnish. But take care that 
these materials do not evaporate and 
allow the brush to get dry, as it may 
be ruindd. 

To preserve brushes for future use 
without cleaning, bore a hole through 
the handle, string them on a wire, and 
suspend in a covered can containing 
linseed oil or varnish sufficient to cov- 
er the bristles. Close the can tightly 
to prevent evaporation. 

To Clean Paint Brushes. — When 
brushes become hard or gummed with 
oil and paint, soak the bristles in soft 
soap for two or three days, but do 
not immerse the head of the brush. 
Then soak out the paint in hot water. 

To Paint Furniture. — Furniture, 
cabinetwork, carriages, and the like, 
which require a highly finished sur- 
face, should first have all old paints 
and varnish removed by means of 
burning or otherwise, and the surface 
refinished. 



Or, if the old paint is not badly 
checked or cracked, it may be suffi- 
cient to wash the work quite clean 
and rub it down to a dead finish 
with a wet cloth and ground pum- 
ice powder, and again wash and dry 
before painting. This takes off all 
grease and oil, and provides a sur- 
face on which paint and varnish wiU 
lie smoothly and adhere. 

Dryer for Paint. — Bring 6 J pounds 
of water to a boil, and slowly stir in 
I pound of shellac and | pound of 
borax. Stir constantly until a com- 
plete emulsion is formed. This solu- 
tion is a resinous varnish which, like 
paint, is waterproof and resists the 
action of the elements. To use this 
as a dryer, mix equal quantities of 
this solution with oil paints and thin 
slightly with turpentine, stirring to 
make a complete emulsion. Prepare 
this mixture only as wanted, since it 
Sries in 10 to 30 minutes. 

To Thin Oil Paint with Water. — 
Dissolve 1 pound of gum shellac in 3 
pints of water, adding J pound of 
sal soda or a little more if necessary, 
and stir until all is dissolved. When 
cold, bottle for use. Instead oi tur- 
pentine or benzine thinners, add to 
oil paints of any kind 1 pint of the 
gum shellac mixture to 2 quarts of 
oil paint. Afterwards thin with wa- 
ter to any desired consistency, 

SPECIAL KINDS OF PAINT 

Lime Paint. — A mixture combining 
the qualities of paint with those of 
whitewash may be made with slaked 
lime as a basis by the addition of 
various materials, as milk, whiting, 
salt, alum, copperas, potash, ashes, 
sand, and pitch, with or without a 
small proportion of white lead and 
linseed oil. These mixtures are more 
durable than whitewash, but have 
less finish than v/hite lead and oil. 
The cost is intermediate between the 
two. 

To prepare a lime paint, slake 
lime with water and let dry to the 
consistency of paste. Thin with 
skimmed milk to the proper thick- 



ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES 



495 



ness to lay on with a brush. Add 
coloring matter as desired. 

Or slake 4 ounces of lime with 
water to the consistency of cream 
and stir into it 4 quarts of skimmed 
milk. Sprinkle on the surface through 
a sieve 5 pounds of whiting. Let this 
gradually sink, then stir and rub to- 
gether thoroughly and add coloring 
matter as desired. The casein or 
curd of milk, by the action of caus- 
tic lime becomes insoluble and pro- 
duces a paint of great tenacity suit- 
able for farm buildings, cellars, walls, 
and all rough outdoor purposes Ap- 
ply with a paint brush. Two or three 
coats will be necessary. The above 
quantity is sufficient for 100 square 
yards. 

Or slake stone lime in a cask or 
barrel with boiling water. Cover it 
to keep in the steam. Sift 6 quarts 
through cheese cloth or a fine sieve, 
add 1 quart of coarse salt and 1 
gallon of water. Boil and skim the 
mixture clear. "While boiling, stir in 
for each 5 gallons of this mixture 1 
pound of alum, ^ pound of copperas, 
I pound of potash, and 4 quarts of 
finely sifted ashes or fine sand. Add 
these ingredients slowly and stir vig- 
orously imtil all are incorporated. 
Remove from the fire and add any 
coloring matter desired. 

Or slake 8 ounces of lime and let 
stand exposed to the air 24 hours. 
Mix with this 1 pint of milk. Stir 
in slowly 2 ounces of white pitch 
dissolved in 6 ounces of boiled lin- 
seed oil. Add 3 pints of skimmed 
milk and sift on top of this mixture 
3 pounds of whiting, allowing this to 
sink of its own weight. Then stir 
and rub the whole together until 
thoroughly incorporated. Add col- 
oring matter as desired. This quan- 
tity is sufficient to give two coats for 
27 square yards. 

Or mix 2 parts by bulk of fine 
ground water lime and 1 part of 
white lead ground in oil. Mix with 
boiled linseed oil and grind through 
a paint mill. Then mix with linseed 
oil to the proper consistency. Add 
coloring matter as desired. This is 



said to be more durable than ordi- 
nary paints based on lead alone. 

Paint with Zinc. — Dissolve 4 
pounds of crude sulphate of zinc in 
1 gallon of hot soft water. Let the 
mixture settle, and turn o£P the clear 
solution from the sediment. Mix this 
solution with an equal amount of 
paint composed of lead and oil, and 
stir slowly imtil a perfect emulsion 
is formed, which will require 10 or 15 
minutes. Thin, if necessary, with 
turpentine. This is a cheap paint, 
costing about 1 cent a pound, and is 
very durable. This recipe is said to 
have been sold for as much as $100 
for painter's use. 

Fireproof Paint. — Mix equal 
amounts of powdered iron filings, 
brick dust, and sifted ashes. Grind 
the whole to a fine powder. Prepare 
a warm glue size by dissolving 4 
ounces of glue in 1 gallon of water. 
Stir into this the powdered mixture, 
to the proper consistency, and ap- 
ply with a paint brush. Two or 
three coats will render woodwork fire- 
proof. 

Or slake stone lime in boiling wa- 
ter, covering it to keep in the steam. 
Reduce with water to the consistency 
of cream, and to each 5 gallons add 
1 pound of powdered alum, 12 
ounces of carbonate of potassium, 
and i pound of common salt. Stir 
in these ingredients in the order men- 
tioned. Add coloring matter as de- 
sired. Mix well, bring to the boiling 
point, and apply while hot. This is 
a suitable paint for the roofs of farm 
buildings and the like. 

Paint for Blackboards. — Dissolve 
4 ounces of glue in IJ pints of warm 
water; add 3 ounces of flour of em- 
ery and sufficient lampblack to make 
a mixture of the color and consist- 
ency of jet-black ink. Stir until free 
from lumps, and apply with the end 
of a roll of woolen cloth. Three 
coats will be necessary. 

Or take 2 quarts of alcohol, and 
mix 3 ounces of rotten stone, 5 
ounces of pumice stone, and 6 ounces 
of lampblack with enough of the al- 
cohol to form a stiff paste. Grind 



496 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



this mixture in a paint mill. Dissolve 
7 ounces of shellac in the remainder 
of the alcohol and mix the whole. 
Shake or stir before using. This 
quantity will give two coats on about 
30 sauare yards of blackboard. Let 
the first coat dry thoroughly before 
applying the second. 

To Imitate Stonework. — An imita- 
tion of a stone surface may be made 
either by mixing fine road dust or 
sand with paint, or by sprinkling a 
freshly painted surface with sand 
from, a shaker having holes in the top 
similar to a pepper box. Mix 100 
pounds of road dust, 35 pounds of 
white lead ground in oil, 50 pounds 
of whiting, 7 pounds of umber, and 
3 gallons of lime water. Grind with 
linseed oil. This gives a solid stone 
color. 

Or prepare an ordinary oil paint 
with white lead and suitable coloring 
matter, and while the surface is wet 
dust fine sand over it from a shaker. 
This imitates a stone surface. 

Soluble ' Glass Paints. — Silicate of 
sodium or soluble glass may be used 
as a vehicle for coloring matter, es- 
pecially for walls and ceilings, as it 
produces a very hard and durable 
surface. The coating of soluble glass 
containing coloring matter may be 
followed with a coating of clear solu- 
ble glass. This substance is much 
cheaper than the oil and lead paint, 
and has the advantage of being par- 
tially fireproof. It may be mixed 
with glycerin for flexible surfaces, as 
cloth, paper, etc. 

Pigments suitable to use with solu- 
ble glass are terra di Sienna, green 
earth, ocher, red and yellow earth, 
Nuremberg green, chrome green, and 
ultramarine. 

Acid-proof Paint. — Mix pulverized 
asbestos with a sirup solution of wa- 
ter glass to the consistency of paste 
until free from lumps. Thin with a 
solution of water glass as free from 
alkali as possible, and apply with a 
paint brush. This dries as hard as 
glass and resists the action of acid. 

Barrel Paint. — Dissolve 8 pounds 
of rosin in 1 gallon of boiling linseed 



oil by boiling in a kettle and stir- 
ring until dissolved. This mixture is 
known as gloss oil. Use equal parts 
of gloss oil and benzine as a vehicle 
with lead, zinc, or anything you de- 
sire to use as a pigment. Stir well 
before using. 

Glue Paint for Kitchen Floors.— 
Mix 3 pounds of spruce yellow with 
2 pounds of dry white lead. Dis- 
solve 2 ounces of glue in 1 quart of 
water with gentle heat. When near- 
ly boiling, stir in the mixture and 
continue stirring until it thickens to 
the consistency of paste. Apply hot 
with a common paste brush. 

To Mix Colored Paints. — The col- 
ored pigments used in mixing colored 
paints come ground in oil in the fol- 
lowing colors: white, yellow, red, 
blue, green, brown, black. They also 
come in the form of powders. To 
prepare these for painting, it is only 
necessary to mix them with the prop- 
er amount of boiled linseed oil, with 
the addition of a thinner or dryer if 
desired. They are then ready to use. 

Other tints and shades are pre- 
pared by mixing and blending the 
above colors. The following are among 
the principal pigments used in mixing 
colored paints: 

"White Paint. — ^White lead is usual- 
ly the basis of white paint, but it is 
often adulterated with barytes, oxide 
of zinc, prepared chalk, whiting, lime, 
or road dust. All paint intended to 
show a pure white should have about 
^ ounce of Prussian blue mixed with 
every 2 pounds of white lead, other- 
wise the lead appears as a stone color 
and not white. 

To mix white paint, use pure boiled 
linseed oil, and thin as desired ac- 
cording to conditions with oil of tur- 
pentine. 

Yellow Paint. — The yellows are usu- 
ally ochers, chromate of lead, and 
various adulterants. "» 

To prepare chrome yellow pigment, 
dissolve in hot water 5 pounds of 
sugar of lead and 5 pounds of Paris 
white. Dissolve separately in hot 
water 6J ounces of bichromate of pot- 
ash. Add the bichromate solution to 



ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES 



497 



the former, mix, and let stand 34 
hours. Strain through muslin and 
expose to the air to dry. Mix with 
boiled linseed oil. 

To make a cheap yellow paint, take 
GO pounds of whiting, 40 pounds of 
ocher, and 5 pounds of white lead 
ground in oil. Grind with raw lin- 
seed oil and mix with boiled linseed 
oil. 

Red Paint. — The reds are usually 
red oxide of lead, ochers, oxides of 
iron, red oxide of copper, vermilion, 
bichromate of lead, carmine, and mad- 
der and other lakes. Mix any of the 
above with boiled linseed oil and ap- 

Or, to make cheap red paint, mix 
Venetian red with skimmed milk and 
apply with a paint brush. This is 
suitable for gates, stone walls, and 
outbuildings. 

Or use oxide of iron mixed with a 
little boiled linseed oil. This is cheap 
and gives a very durable stain. 

Blue Paint. — The blues are usually 
Prussian blue, ultramarine, smalt. 
Thenard blue, verditer, etc. 

To make Prussian blue pigment 
take 1 pint of nitric acid, and add 
slowly as much iron shavings from 
the lathe or iron filings heated, but 
not red hot, as the acid will dissolve. 
After the acid has dissolved all it can, 
add to it 1 quart of soft water, and 
continue to add iron shavings or fil- 
ings as long as the acid dissolves 
them. Make a strong solution of 
prussiate of potash in hot water, and 
slowly add this to the iron and acid 
until the right tint is obtained. Strain 
through muslin, dry the sediment to 
powder, and grind or mix with boiled 
linseed oil. 

Or dissolve separately equal quan- 
tities of sulphate of iron (copperas) 
and prussiate of potash. Mix the two 
solutions, strain through muslin, dry 
the sediment to powder, and mix or 
grind with oil. 

Green Paint. — The greens are usu- 
ally verdigris, Paris green, verditer, 
borate of copper, chromate of copper, 
oxide of chromium, cobalt green, and 
green lakes. The most common green 



paint is a mixture of chrome yellow 
and Prussian blue. 

To make chrome green pigment, mix 
in the form of powder 6^ pounds of 
Paris white, 3J pounds of sugar of 
lead, 3J pounds of blue vitriol, lOi 
ounces of alum, 3^ pounds of Prus- 
sian blue, and 3J pounds of chrome 
yellow. Stir these powders slowly 
into 1 gallon of water. Let stand 4 
hours, filter or strain through muslin, 
dry the sediment to powder, and mix 
or grind with boiled linseed oil. 

Or dissolve separately chrome yel- 
low and Prussian blue. Mix the two 
solutions to get the desired shade, and 
add spruce yellow to the proper con- 
sistency. 

Or slake the best quality of stone 
lime with hot water, covering to keep 
in the steam. Strain through a fine 
sieve, let dry, and reduce the sediment 
to powder. Make this powder into a 
thick paste with a saturated solution 
of alum, and add, until the desired 
shade is produced, enough solution of 
bichromate of potash to produce a 
yellowish green, and solution of sul- 
phate of copper to produce a bluish 
green. 

Or mix thoroughly in powdered 
form 5 pounds of blue vitriol, 6^ 
pounds of sugar of lead, 3J pounds of 
arsenic, and 1^ ounces of bichromate 
of potash. Add 3 pints of water, mix, 
and let stand 4 hours. Strain or 
filter, dry the sediment to powder, and 
grind or mix with boiled linseed oil. 

To make cheap green paint, dissolve 
4 pounds of Roman vitriol in hot 
water. Add 2 pounds of pearlash and 
stir until dissolved. Add ^ pound of 
powdered yellow arsenic. Mix and 
apply with a paint brush. Two or 
three coats will be necessary. A dark- 
er or a lighter shade may be pro- 
duced by adding more or less of the 
yellow arsenic. This paint contains 
no oil. Hence, while it looks well, it 
does not protect wood as does an oil 
paint, but is suitable for stone walls 
and similar places. 

Or mix powdered charcoal with lin- 
seed oil, and add litharge as a dryer, 
using 1 gill to 1 gallon of oil. Add 



498 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



ocher to produce the required shade 
of green. 

Brown Paint. — The browns are usu- 
ally umber, bole, terra di Sienna, bis- 
tre, sepia, etc. 

To produce a brown pigment, make 
a solution of suliAate of copper in 
hot water, and separately a strong 
solution of prussiate of potash. Mix 
the two solutions to the desired shade. 
Filter or strain through muslin. Dry 
the sediment to a powder. Grind or 
mix with boiled linseed oil. 

Black Paint. — The blacks are usu- 
ally lampblack, bone black, anthra- 
cite, graphite, powdered charcoal, 
etc. 

Lampblack is very commonly used 
both for black paint and also to mod- 
ify the brightness of tone in other 
colors in producing various tints and 
shades. 

To make a cheap black paint, mix 
powdered charcoal with linseed oil, 
and add as a dryer 1 gill of litharge 
to 1 gallon of oil. 

Or take ivory or lampblack, 10 
pounds; sifted road dust, 20 pounds; 
lime water, 3 gallons. Grind in raw 
linseed oil. Mix with boiled linseed 
oil. 

Tints and Shades. — The various 
combinations of colors to produce 
tints and shades are innumerable, and 
can only be determined by experi- 
ment; but the following are the prin- 
cipal effects commonly desired, and 
indicate the lines along which the ex- 
periment should proceed. 

Pigments should be thinned with 
boiled linseed oil before mixing, the 
most predominant color being taken 
as a base, the other colors being slow- 
ly added in a thin stream and stirre s 
vigorously. The proportions must be 
determined by experiment and the 
taste of the painter. The predom- 
inant color stands first in the follow- 
ing list: 

Ash color or gray, white lead and 
lampblack. Vary the quantity of 
lampblack to give the shade desired. 

Lead color, white lead and indigo. 

Drab, white lead, raw and burnt 
umber. 



White oak, white lead and umber. 

Flesh color, white lead, lake, or yel- 
low ocher, or vermilion. 

Pearl, white lead, black, and 
blue. 

Buff, white lead and yellow ocher. 

Straw color, white lead and a small 
amount of yellow ocher. 

Fawn, white lead, yellow ocher, ^nd 
red. 

Chestnut, red, black, and yellow. 

Walnut, white lead and burnt um- 
ber. Vein with the same, and touch 
the deepest spots with black. 

Light willow green, white lead and 
verdigris. 

Pea green, white lead and chrome 
green. 

Grass green, yellow ocher and ver- 
digris. 

Olive, yellow ocher, blue, black, and 
white. Vein with burnt umber. 

,Bronze green, chrome green, black, 
and yellow. 

Orange, yellow and red. 

Brick color, red lead, yellow ocher, 
and white lead. 

Brown, vermilion, black, and a lit- 
tle yellow. 

Chocolate, raw umber, red, and 
black. 

Violet, red lead, Prussian blue, and 
white lead. 

Purple, same as violet, with more 
red and white. 

Gold, white lead, stone ocher, and 
red lead. 

Carnation, lake and pink. 

Timber color, spruce ocher, white 
lead, and a little umber. 

Chestnut color, red ocher, yellow 
ocher, and black. 

Limestone, white lead, yellow ocher, 
lampblack, and red lead. 

Freestone, red lead, lampblack, yel- 
low ocher, and white lead. 

Paint for Canvas. — Mix with boiled 
oil 24 pounds of ocher and 4 pounds 
of lampblack. Add 1 pound of soap 
dissolved in 2 pounds of water. Mix 
and apply with a paint brush two 
coats at intervals of 2 or 3 days. 
Allow to dry, and add a finishing 
coat of varnish formed of lampblack 
ground and thinned with boiled oil. 



ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES 



499 



VABNISHINO 

Before varnishing, the surface 
should first be " flatted " either by 
mixing the last coat of paint with 
turpentine or by rubbing it down 
with a piece of felt moistened and 
dipped in pumice stone. For a level 
surface, tack the felt on a block of 
wood, or use thick woolen cloth or 
chamois tacked to a block of wood, 
or a smooth piece of pumice stone 
with water. Let dry and brush off 
the surface to remove the dust. Take 
care that the air is not full of dust 
when the varnish is applied. 

For a fine quality of work, two to 
six coats may be spread on, one after 
the other. Do not lift too much var- 
nish on the brush, but rather take up 
a small quantity, spread it on finely, 
and rub out well. Rub down the 
next to the last coat until the gloss is 
" flatted," and let the last be a flow- 
ing coat, heavy enough to flow out 
evenly of itself. For a cheaper grade 
of work, two or three coats are suffi- 
cient, the last coat being flowed on. 

To finish varnish, rub down with 
very finely pulverized pumice stone, 
and wash off with clear water. Af- 
terwards rub down with rotten stone 
and sweet oil, applied by means of 
the bare hands. Finally wipe and 
polish with chamois. 

Killing Knots. — Use for this pur- 
pose only the best quality of pure 
grain alcohol orange shellac varnish 
or " knot killer." Apply over this 
with a brush equal parts of red and 
white lead ground with water, and 
mixed with hot glue size at the rate 
of 4 ounces of glue to a gallon of 
water. Apply before it cools. And 
for fine work, follow with a second 
coat of 3 parts of white lead ground 
in oil, and 1 part of red lead or 
litharge. 

Or, for cabinetwork, cover the knot 
with an oil size and lay over it silver 
or gold leaf. 

Or hold a hot iron against it until 
the pitch stews out so that it can be 
scraped off. Afterwards cover with 
gold or silver leaf. 



Ingredients of Varnish. — Varnish 
is a solution of various gums, as the 
resins amber, copal, dragon's blood, 
mastic, lac, rosin, and sandarac, in 
various solvents, as alcohol, wood spir- 
it, oil of turpentine, linseed, and other 
drying oils. It is used as a decora- 
tion to produce a hard, transparent, 
or glossy surface, and also as a pro- 
tection against moisture and air. 

Resins. — Resins in general are sub- 
stances that occur in various plants, 
and which flow from trees of different 
species when the bark is cut. They 
are usually yellow and do not crystal- 
lize, but form in drops like gum. 
They are not, however, the same as 
gum, although the two words are often 
used interchangeably. 

Amber. — A resin produced from 
certain extinct coniferous trees. It 
occurs as a fossil, usually of a pale 
yellow color, opaque, or transparent. 
It is mined the same as coal in vari- 
ous parts of the world, especially in 
the vicinity of the Baltic Sea. Small 
quantities are found in the United 
States. Amber was much prized by 
the ancients and was an object of 
commerce in prehistoric times. It is 
extensively used for ornaments, es- 
pecially for the mouthpiece of pipes. 

Anime. — A resin which exudes from 
a certain tree in Brazil. Used as a 
medicine and as incense. The name 
is also applied to a resin known in 
India as copal. 

Copal. — This name is applied to 
several resins used in varnishes. It is 
a nearly colorless, translucent sub- 
stance imported from tropical Amer- 
ica, India, and eastern and western 
Africa. Zanzibar copal is said to be 
the best. 

Lac. — A resinous substance caused 
to exude from certain trees in Asia 
by the bites of an insect about the 
size of a louse. The twig punctured 
by these insects becomes incrusted 
with lac, sometimes to the thickness 
of a quarter of an inch. It protects 
the eggs and supplies food for the 
young maggots. The mothers are of- 
ten imprisoned and covered by the 
sticky fluid, imparting to it a lac 



500 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



dye similar to cochineal. The twigs 
are broken off before the maggots es- 
cape and are dried in the sun. 

Stick-lac is the crude product or 
dry twigs. It is not soluble in water 
except the lac dye or red coloring 
matter, which washes out. It is par- 
tially soluble in alcohol, but not in 
linseed oil or turpentine. 

Seed-lac is the resin removed from 
the twigs, and washed with water to 
remove the lac dye or coloring mat- 
ter. It is coarsely pounded. 

lump-lac is seed-lac melted into 
lumps. 

Shell-lac (or shellac) is prepared 
from seed-lac by melting and strain- 
ing through cotton. 

Lac Resin. — The essential principle 
of shellac may be obtained pure by 
refining shellac, which for this pur- 
pose is treated with cold alcohol, fil- 
tered, and distilled. It is a brown, 
translucent, hard, and brittle resin, 
and is very valuable. Shellac may be 
dissolved in alcohol, dilute hydrochlor- 
ic and acetic acids, sal ammoniac, and 
alkalies. One part of borax dissolved 
in boiling water will dissolve five times 
its weight of shellac, making a solu- 
tion which is as useful for many pur- 
poses as spirit varnish. 

Shellac is much favored as a var- 
nish, being harder than rosin and eas- 
ily soluble in alcohol. It is also the 
principal ingredient of the best seal- 
ing wax. It is used as a size and 
has valuable waterproofing qualities. 

Mastic. — A valuable gum resin pro- 
duced from certain trees and shrubs 
in Barbary, the Levant, and China. 
It is used as an ingredient in many 
varnishes. Used by itself it is trans- 
parent, brilliant, tough, and delicate. 
It is also often employed in finishing 
maps and paintings, also in medicine, 
dentistry, and in mounting articles for 
the microscope. Mastic is used with 
other ingredients in varnish to impart 
a gloss. 

Kosin or Colophony. — This sub- 
stance is the residue obtained by dis- 
tilling crude turpentine from pine 
trees, of which it comprises about 70 
per cent to 90 per cent. It is largely 



manufactured together with oil of 
turpentine in North Carolina. In col- 
or it ranges, according to its purity, 
from transparent or straw color to a 
brownish yellow. It can be dissolved 
in alcohol, ether, wood spirit, linseed 
oil, or turpentine, partly in petroleum 
but not in water. It can also be dis- 
solved by nitric acid and alkalies. It 
is largely used in varnishes and 
cements, in calking ships, in the 
preparation of plaster and ointments, 
in soldering metals, in making yellow 
soaps, and otherwise. A common use 
is for covering the bows of violins. 

Sandarac is produced from a small 
coniferous tree in Barbary. It oc- 
curs in pale-yellow oblong grains or 
tears covered with a fine dust. It is 
transparent and brittle. It is used 
in pharmacy as an incense, and in 
varnishes, and also in powdered form 
it is rubbed on writing paper where 
erasures have been made in order to 
prevent the spread of ink. It is part- 
ly soluble in cold alcohol, and wholly 
in alcohol brought to the boiling 
point. 

Glims. — Gums are substances which 
occur in plants and some animals, but 
which are neither oily nor resinous. 
They exude for the most part from 
various trees when the bark is cut. 
The principal gums are arabic, Sene- 
gal, mesquite, tragacanth, Bassora. 
They are principally employed in the 
manufacture of mucilage, also in med- 
icine, pharmacy, confectionery, calico 
printing in the preparation_ of the 
inks, and also for sizes. 

Gums Arabic and Senegal. — These 
gums exude from various trees in 
Africa and Asia, and are sold under 
various trade terms denoting the 
localities from which they come. 

Gum Mesquite. — A substance sim- 
ilar to gum arabic, but produced in 
plants growing in the dry regions of 
Mexico and adjacent parts of the 
United States. It difPers from the 
other gums in tlie fact that its prin- 
ciple is not precipitated by borax. 

Gums arabic, Senegal, and mesquite 
are easily soluble in hot or cold water, 
forming mucilage. They can be sepa- 



ADHESIVES, PAXILS, AND VARNISHES 

/ 



SOI 



rated from water by the addition of 
alcohol or siibacetate of lead. They 
are coagulated by borax, except gum 
mesquite. 

Gums tragacanth and Bassora swell, 
but do not perfectly dissolve^ in water. 
They can, however, be rubbed with 
water into a very adhesive paste, which 
is not, strictly sjieaking, a solution. 

Asphalt. — Asplmlt occurs in nature 
in veins, beds, and lakes, usually be- 
neath the surface of the ground. In 
the island of Trinidad, Venezuela, 
occur lakes of asphalts about three 
miles in circumference. It is a dry 
solid with a glossy black surface eas- 
ily melted and very inflammable. It 
can be dissolved in alcohol, linseed 
oil, turpentine, or ether, also in ben- 
zol and bisulphide of carbon. With 
benzol it forms an intensely black 
solution called black varnish. It is 
used for varnish, insulation, water- 
proofing cement, roofing, and paint- 
ing. 

Kinds of Varnish. — The character 
of varnish is largely affected by the 
substance in which it is dissolved. 
Thus we have fixed-oil varnishes in 
which the principal solvent is turpen- 
tine ; spirit varnishes or " lac varnish- 
es," true solutions of resins in alco- 
hol, wood spirit, acetone, benzine, etc. ; 
volatile-oil varnishes, the principal 
solvents being oil of turpentine, and 
ether varnishes, being solutions of res- 
in in ether. In addition to the above 
are various special varnishes of gutta 
percha, wax, and other substances. 

FIXED-OIL VABNISHES 

Solutions of resins in boiled lin- 
seed oil have the same durable qual- 
ity as oil paint, with the addition of 
a high luster. As in paint, the linseed 
oil absorbs oxygen from the air, and 
is converted into a tough, elastic 
waterproof substance. 

To prepare fixed-oil varnishes, melt 
the resins anime, amber, copal, etc., 
heat the boiled linseed oil to a high 
temperature, and pour it into the 
melted resin in a thin stream, stir- 
ring constantly. To test the proper 



amount of linseed oil to be added to 
the resin, take out a drop of the fluid 
now and then and let it cool on a 
glass plate. When the proportionc of 
oil and resins are correct, the drop 
will be limpid like wax. If the drop 
becomes hard and brittle, more oil is 
required. When mixed, remove from 
the fire and allow the mixture to cool. 
Then dilute to the proper consistency 
by pouring in turpentine in a thin 
stream and stirring constantly. 

But first boil the mixture of lin- 
seed oil and resin before adding the 
turpentine. 

The best quality of linseed oil 
should be employed for a varnish. 

The proper proportions for an or- 
dinary oil varnish are about 10 parts 
by weight of resin, 5 to 25 parts of 
boiled linseed oil, and 15 to 25 parts 
of oil of turpentine. Varnishes of 
this character usually improve with 
age. The following are formulas for 
fixed-oil varnishes: 

Amber Varnish. — Eight ounces of 
amber, 5 ounces of boiled linseed oil, 
and i pint of oil of turpentine. This 
varnish is very durable, but a slow 
dryer. 

Or, for larger quantities, 6 pounds 
of amber, 2 gaJlons of hot linseed oil, 
and 4 gallons of oil of turpentine. 
Melt the amber, add the linseed oil 
hot, and boil until stringy. Cool and 
add the turpentine. 

Or amber, 16 ounces; boiled linseed 
0% 10 ounces; Venetian turpentine or 
gum lac, 2 ounces; oil of turpentine, 
15 or 16 ounces. 

Or melt 4 pounds of resin and J 
poind of beeswax. Add 1 gaUon of 
boiled oil at a high temperature. Mix 
and boil untU stringy. Cool and add 
2 quarts of turpentine. 

Or melt 1^ pounds of rosin, add 1 
pound of Venetian turpentine, then 
stir in 1 gallon of boiled linseed oil 
at high temperature. Boil until 
stringy; cool and thin with 1 quart 
of turpentine. The above are ordinary 
oil varnishes suitable for common 
work. 

Copal Varnish. — Fuse 2 ounces of 
African copal and add 4 ounces of 



502 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



best boiled linseed oil at a high tem- 
perature. Boil until stringy, cool, and 
add 8 ounces of oil of turpentine. 
This is a transparent body varnish, 
hard, clear, and durable. 

Or melt 4 ounces of copal, and add 
at a high temperature 2 ounces of 
boiled linseed oil. Stir and thin with 
3| ounces of turpentine. To make a 
white copal varnish, color the above 
with the iinest white lead. 

Anlme Varnishes. — Melt 4 pounds 
of gum anime and add at a high tem- 
perature IJ gallons of boiled linseed 
oil. Boil imtil stringy. Stir in 3 
ounces of camphor and 3 ounces of 
litharge, cool, and thin with 2| gal- 
lons of oil of turpentine. This is a 
good carriage or furniture varnish. 

Or, for a finer grade of work, melt 
4 pounds of gum anime; add at a 
high temperature 1^ gallons of clari- 
fied linseed oil, 3 ounces of litharge, 
3 ounces of dry acetate of lead, and 
S| gallons of turpentine. 

Xac Varnishes. — Dissolve 1 pound 
of shellac, and add at a high temper- 
ature 3 quarts of boiled linseed oil. 
Stir in J poimd of red lead, ^ pound 
of litharge, and 2 ounces of umber. 
Boil until stringy. This dries rapid- 
ly, and has a high gloss. 

Waterproof Varnish.— Dissolve 1 
pound oft-flowers of sulphur in 1 gal- 
lon of boiled linseed oil. Boil and 
stir until they form a perfect emul- 
sion. This is a good waterproof var- 
nish for woven goods. 

Or cut India rubber in small 
pieces, put them in a glass bottle 
with benzine, and let stand four or 
five days, shaking frequently. Strain 
through cotton to remove tlie ben- 
zine, and thin with boiled linseed oil 
or turpentine. 

Flexible or Balloon Varnish. — Cut 
1 pound of India rubber into fine 
pieces and boil in 1 pound of linseed 
oil until dissolved. Cool, and add 1 
pound of turpentine. Simmer with 
gentle heat and strain through cheese 
cloth. 

Dissolve 8 ounces of birdlime in 8 
ounces of boiled linseed oil. Boil un- 
til the birdlime ceases to crackle? Add 



12 ounces of boiled oil and 2 ounces 
of litharge, and boil until it becomes 
stringy. Cool, and add 12 ounces of 
turpentine. Apply while warm. 

Or dissolve i ounce of India rub- 
ber cut fine in 1 pound of mineral 
naphtha. Cover the vessel and melt 
with gentle heat until it dissolves. 
Strain through cheese cloth. 

Or cut fine i ounce of India rub- 
ber, pour over this 1 pint of boiled 
linseed oil, and dissolve with gen- 
tle heat, stirring constantly. Strain 
through cheese cloth. 

Or raise to a boil 2 quarts of boiled 
linseed oil, stirring in li ounces of 
white copperas, lA ounces of sugar of 
lead, and 4 ounces of litharge. Boil 
until stringy. Allow to cool slowly 
and pour oil the clear liquid. 

Or take 1 gallon of boiled linseed 
oil, and dissolve 4 ounces of pure 
asphaltum with gentle heat in a small 
amount of the oil. Grind 3 ounces of 
burnt umber in a little of the oil. 
Add the remainder of the oil, boil 
until stringy, cool, and thin with oil 
of turpentine. 

Black Asphalt Varnish, for Iron- 
work. — Dissolve 3 pounds of asphalt 
in 4 pounds of boiled linseed oil. Re- 
move from the fire and thin with 15 
to 18 pounds of oil of turpentine. 

Or boil 23^ pounds of foreign 
asphalt in 3 gallons of linseed oil. 
Add 3 pounds of litharge. Boil un- 
til stringy, then add 4 pounds of 
melted gum amber and 1 gallon of 
linseed oil. Bring to a boil; remove 
from the fire, and thin with 22 gal- 
lons of turpentine. 

India rubber or gutta percha may 
be added to any common oil varnish 
if desired to impart additional flexi- 
bility. 

Or melt 13 pounds of asphaltum, 
add 2J gallons of boiled linseed oil, 
2J pounds of red lead, 2J pounds of 
litharge, and 1 pound of dry and pow- 
dered white copperas. Boil 2 hours, 
add 2§ pounds of dark gum amber 
melted and § gallon of hot linseed oil. 
Boil 2 hours. To test, take out a 
few drops and allow to cool on a 
glass plate. When boiled sufficiently. 



ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES 



503 



it may be rolled into pills. Remove 
from the fire and thin with 10 gal- 
lons of oil of turpentine. This is 
suitable for varnishing the best grades 
of ironwork. 

Or to i pint of boiled linseed oil 
add 6 ounces of powdered asphaltum. 
Bring to a boil and stir in 1 pound 
of melted amber. Ck)ol, and add 1 
pint of oil of turpentine. 

Or dissolve 8 ounces of asphaltum 
and 4 ounces of rosin in 1 pint of oil 
of turpentine. Rub up 2 ounces of 
lampblack to a paste with boiled lin- 
seed oil and stir into the mixture. 
The above are suitable for iron fences 
or hinges exposed to the weather, or 
for iron shovels, tools, coal scuttles, 
and other sheet-iron or cast-iron sur- 
faces to protect them from rust and 
to give them a good appearance. 

Or melt 4 pounds of asphalt and 
add 1 quart of boiled linseed oil and 
1 gallon of oil of turpentine. This is 
suitable for grates and other rough 
cast-iron surfaces. 

Or melt 2^ pounds of asphaltum 
and add 1 gallon of turpentine. When 
cool, add 1 pint of copal varnish and 
1 pint of boiled linseed oil. This is 
black varnish for wood or canvas. 

SPIRIT OR LAC VARNISHES 

These differ from fixed-oil varnish- 
es in being true solutions of various 
resins, chiefly anime, mastic, shellac, 
and sandarac, in spirituous solvents, 
usually alcohol and wood spirit, or 
acetone, benzine, etc. 

Sandarac is used to impart hard- 
ness, mastic to give a gloss. Venetian 
turpentine is frequently added to san- 
darac, or a little concentrate'' am- 
monia is often added to overcome the 
tendency of varnish to chill or crack 
and give a rough surface. Venetian 
turpentine is used with sandarac to 
prevent excessive brittleness. 

To make spirit varnishes, first pul- 
verize the resins and mix them with 
sand or broken glass to prevent their 
forming into lumps. Put them in a 
double boiler, cover with the spirit, 
which should be not less than 95 per 



cent pure, and dissolve with gentle 
heat. Afterwards filter, first through 
sUk, then through filter paper. 

Shellac Varnishes. — Shellac wUl be 
more soluble if powdered and ex- 
posed to the air as long as possible 
before using. To make cheap shel- 
lac, dissolve 1 ounce of borax in 8 
ounces of boiling water. Add 5 ounces 
of pulverized shellac, stir, and boil 
until dissolved. If too thin, continue 
to boil until sufficient water has evap- 
orated, or if too thick, thin with boil- 
ing water. This solution is equal to 
spirit varnishes for many purposes, 
and is much cheaper. When dry, 
weather has no eifect upon it. Hence 
it is useful to dissolve water colors 
for calcimining and for other pur- 
poses. 

Or India ink rubbed up in this 
solution may be used where an acid- 
proof labeling ink is required. It is 
not affected by the fumes of acids. 

Or put in a glass fruit jar 8 ounces 
of water, 3 ounces of white shellac, 
and 1 ounce of sal ammoniac, and let 
stand over night. Place the fruit jar 
in a saucepan containing hot water, 
and boil, stirring constantly until the 
shellac is dissolved. 

Or boil in an earthen vessel. 

This solution imj be used as a sub- 
stitute for spirit varnish, is much 
cheaper, and has the ad^'antage of be- 
ing waterproof. Diluted with 10 or 
13 parts of water and applied by 
means of a brush, it may be used for 
waterproofing cloth or making oil- 
cloth. It may also be used for stain- 
ing and waterproofing wood, as a 
stain paint or a varnish, according to 
consistency, and may be mixed with 
any water-color or oil pigments to 
produce any color that may be de- 
sired. 

The above are not true spirit var- 
nishes, but may be treated most con- 
veniently in this place. 

Or dissolve 10 ounces of white shel- 
lac in 1 quart of 95 per cent alcohol. 
This may be done without heat by 
pouring the alcohol over the shellac 
and letting if" stand in a warm place 
until dissolved. Keep in a covered 



504 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



fruit jar or corked bottle to prevent 
evaporation. Ttiis is a good trans- 
parent varnish for furniture, wood- 
work, tools, and most other purposes. 
It dries rapidly. It is especially use- 
ful to coat woodwork that is exposed 
to the weather, as farming tools and 
other utensils that are frequently used 
or left out of doors. It is a very con- 
venient and serviceable all-round var- 
nish. 

Or color the above by the addition 
of lampblack or asphaltum. This 
gives a glossy black varnish. 

Or, to give a thicker coat of var- 
nish, take 1 quart of 95 per cent al- 
cohol, and add all the gum shellac it 
will cut. Strain out the excess through 
silk and filter paper. Add 3 ounces 
of Venetian turpentine. This gives a 
transparent gloss. 

Or color with aniline dyes as de- 
sired. 

Or, to make a hard shellac varnish 
for special purposes, as gunstocks and 
the like, dissolve 10 ounces of shellac, 
1 ounce of sandarac, and 1 dram of 
Venetian turpentine in 1 gallon of 95 
per cent alcohol. Put in a glass fruit 
jar or earthenware vessel, cover tight- 
ly, and let stand in a warm place 
until dissolved. Apply two or three 
coats, and finish, if desired, with one 
or two doats of still harder varnish, 
prepared as follows: 

Dissolve 1 ounce of shellac, i ounce 
of sandarac, and ^ ounce of Venetian 
turpentine in 3 quarts of alcohol. This 
gives a high polish and requires less 
rubbing. 

To Color Shellac. — Add 1 ounce of 
aniline dye to 1 pint of shellac var- 
nish. 

For mahogany, use aniline cardinal 
dye. 

Other colors and coloring matters 
may be added freely to produce any 
colors desired. 

Or mix equal weights of gum shel- 
lac and alcohol, and heat until the 
mixture becomes quite thick. Add 
any desired amount of aniline dyes 
dissolved in alcohol, and thin with 
about one fifth by weight of castor 
oil. 



Lacquers. — Colored spirit varnishes 
are used to give a tinge of gold to 
articles made of brass or other base 
metals. The bases of these lacquers 
is a varnish consisting of 2 parts of 
seed-lac and 4 parts of sandarac or 
elemi dissolved in 40 parts of alcohol. 
To this, tinctures of annotto, coralline, 
dragon's blood, gamboge, gummigutta, 
Martius yellow, picric acid, or tur- 
meric are added separately to give 
the required color. 

To make a good gold lacquer for 
brass work, dissolve 3 ounces of seed- 
lac, 1 ounce of turmeric, and ^ ounce 
of dragon's blood in 1 pint of alco- 
hol. Put the solution in a glass fruit 
jar and let stand in a warm place, 
shaking frequently until dissolved. 
Filter through silk and filter paper. 

Or, if deep gold is desired, dis- 
solve J pound of ground turmeric, | 
Olmce of gamboge, If pounds of san- 
darac, and 6 ounces of shellac in 1 
gallon of 95 per cent alcohol. Strain 
through silk and filter paper and add 
^ pint of turpentine varnish. 

Or, for deep red, dissolve 1^ pounds 
of annotto, | pound of dragon's blood, 
and If pounds of gum sandarac in 1 
gallon of alcohol. Strain, filter, and add 
1 pint of turpentine varnish. 

Or, for pale gold, dissolve | ounce 
of gamboge, IJ oimces of cape aloes, 
and i pound of white shellac in 1 gal- 
lon of alcohol. 

Copal Varnishes. — Copal dissolved 
in alcohol forms a hard, durable var- 
nish for fine cabinetwork arid similar 
purposes, but it is more expensive than 
shellac and no better for ordinary 
purposes. To prepare ordinary cojjal 
varnish, first melt the resin with gen- 
tle heat in a double boiler. Then 
pulverize and mix it with sand. Final- 
ly dissolve it in strong alcohol and 
strain and filter. The addition of 
elemi resin or solution of turpentine 
softens it. 

To make a transparent copal var- 
nish, put 6 oiuices of melted and pul- 
verized copal and 6 ounces of 95 per 
cent alcohol in a glass bottle or fruit 
jar, cork it tightly, and set in a warm 
place until dissolved. Then add 4 



ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES 



505 



ounces of turpentine and 1 ounce of 
ether. 

• Or dissolve 1 ounce of camphor in 
1 quart of alcohol. Put this in a 
glass bottle or fruit jar with 4 ounces 
of melted and pulverized copal, and 
set in a warm place until dissolved. 
Strain, filter, and dry the sediment, if 
any, for future use. 

Or dissolve 7 ounces of copal, 1 
ounce of mastic, and i ounce of Vene- 
tian turpentine in 11 ounces of alco- 
hol. First dissolve the copal in a small 
amount of alcohol with ^ ounce of 
camphor. Add the mastic and tur- 
pentine and thin with the remainder 
of the alcohol. This is a good varnish 
for articles frequently handled. 

Colored Copal Varnish. — On ac- 
count of its superior hardness, copal 
varnish is frequently used as a vehicle 
for various coloring matters for toys, 
picture frames, bric-a-brac, articles of 
furniture, and the like. Experiments 
may be made with any desired colors, 
but the following suggestions may be 
helpful: 

For flaxen gray, mix ceruse with an 
equal quantity of English red or car- 
minated lake. Add a little Prussian 
blue. 

For yeEow, use yellow oxide of lead 
or Naples or Montpellier. Mix in a 
glass vessel, and do not let it come 
in contact with iron or steel. Or use 
gummigutta, yellow ocher, or Dutch 
pi:ik. 

For violet, vermilion, blue, and 
white. 

For purple, cochineal, carmine, and 
carminated lakes with ceruse. Or 
Prussian blue and vermilion. 

For green, a mixture of verdigris 
with ceruse, white lead, or Spanish 
white. Or a mixture of yellow and 
blue. 

For red, red oxide of lead, cinna- 
bar, vermilion, red ocher, or Prussian 
red. These coloring matters may be 
used ground with boiled oil or in the 
form of powders, water colors, or an- 
iline dyes. 

Sandarac Varnishes. — Sandarac or 
lac varnishes containing a considerable 
eimount of sandarac are very hard and 



brittle; hence they are liable to crack 
and their use is limited. They may 
be softened by the addition of gum 
elemi or Venetian turpentine. To 
make a hard white sandarac varnish, 
dissolve 1| pounds of sandarac in 1 
quart of 95 per cent alcohol. Add I 
pint of pale turpentine varnish. Mix 
and let stand 34 hours. 

Or dissolve 3 ounces of sandarac, 1 
ounce of shellac, and 2 ounces of resin 
in 16 ounces of 95 per cent alcohol. 
Add 3 ounces of oil of turpentine. 

VOLATILE-OIL VASNISHES 

These are solutions of various res- 
ins, principally gum copal, Canada 
balsam, resin, and others in oil of 
turpentine; are more durable and less 
brittle than spirit varnishes, but re- 
quire more time in drying. 

Like fixed-oil varnishes, they im- 
prove -with age, whereas spirit var- 
nishes deteriorate in quality. The res- 
ins may usually be dissolved in oil of 
turpentine without being previously 
melted. Seven pounds of oil of tur- 
pentine will usually dissolve about 5 
pounds of resin. 

To make ordinary turpentine var- 
nish, dissolve with gentle heat ^ pound 
of powdered white resin in 1 pint of 
turpentine. Or other proportions rec- 
ommended range from 3 to 5 pounds 
of resin in 1 gallon of turpentine. 

Canada Balsam Varnish with Tur- 
pentine. — Mix equal parts of pure 
Canada balsam and pale oil of turpen- 
tine. Dissolve with gentle heat and 
shake occasionally. Let stand two or 
three days, strain, and filter. This 
varnish improves with age. 

Copal Varnish with Turpentine. — 
Dissolve 3 ounces of copal in 1 pound 
of oil of turpentine. 

Ether Varnishes. — These are a solu- 
tion of various resins in ether. They 
are very little used. 

To make an ethereal copal varnish, 
dissolve 5 ounces of copal and 3 ounces 
of ether. This is suitable for repair- 
ing jewelry, as, for example, broken 
enamel, for the setting of gems, and 
the like. It may be applied to wood 



506 



• HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



by first rubbing the wood with a cloth 
moistened in oil of turpentine, wiping 
with a linen cloth, and then applying 
the varnish. This prevents the ether 
from evaporating too rapidly. 

To make ethereal amber varnish, 
dissolve 4 grains of amber in 1 ounce 
of chloroform. Use this for varnish- 
ing photographs, maps, etc. 

SPECIAL VARNISHES 

Miscellaneous Varnishes. — In addi- 
tion to the above, various miscellane- 
ous varnishes are in use for different 
purposes, among which may be men- 
tioned the following: 

Map Varnish. — Dissolve 1 ounce of 
gutta percha in 5 ounces of oil of tur- 
pentine. Add 8 ounces of hot linseed 
oil. 

Varnish for Oil Paintings. — Melt 
with gentle heat 1 pound of white 
wax. Add 1 pint of warm 95 per 
cent alcohol. Mix and pour on a cold 
porphyry slab. Grind to a smooth 
paste with a muUer. Add sufficient 
water and beat up to the consistency 
of milk with an egg beater. Strain 
through cheese cloth. Spread this over 
the paint and allow it to dry. After- 
wards go over it with a warm (not 
hot) iron to melt and diffuse it 
equally. 

Zinc Varnish. — Dissolve equal parts 
of potassium chloride and copper sul- 
phate in hot water. Immerse the zinc 
ten seconds. Dry, wash, and polish. 
This forms a solution of copper oxide 
having an indigo-blue color. 

Varnish, to Prevent Rust. — Melt 4 
oimces of tallow and 3 ounces of ros- 
in, strain through cheese cloth while 
hot, and stir in 1 ounce of finely pul- 
verized black lead. Apply to tools and 
other metals with a brush. 

Or melt paraffin and apply with a 
brush. 

Or dissolve 4 oimces of mastic, 2 
ounces of camphor, 6 ounces of sanda- 
rac, and 2 ounces of elemi in alcohol, 
and apply to fine tools and other 
metallic surfaces. This improves the 
appearance of the articles, and may 
be used on hardware exposed for sale. 



Or dissolve 3 ounces of rosin, 3 
ounces of sandarac, and 3 ounces of 
shellac in 3 oimces of alcohol. When 
cool add 2 ounces of turpentine. 
Strain, filter, and bottle for use. 

Varnish from Sealing- Wax. — Dis- 
solve 1 ounce of any color of sealing 
wax in 4 ounces of alcohol, and apply 
while warm with a soft bristle brush. 
The principal ingredient of sealing 
wax is shellac. 

Varnish for Window Glass. — Mix i 
ounce of gum tragacanth finely pow- 
dered with the Avhites of 3 eggs, and 
beat thoroughly with an egg beater. 
Let stand 34 hours and apply to 
window panes with a soft brush. 
When dry, this effectually prevents 
the sun's rays from passing through 
the glass. 

Varnish for Leather. — Dissolve in 
water 3 ounces of gum arable. Dis- 
solve separately in brandy 3 ounces of 
isinglass. Mix and apply. 

Tar Varnish. — Melt together 2 gal- 
lons of tar and 1 pound of tallow. 
Add 7 pounds of ocher ground in lin- 
seed oil. Thin with 6 pounds of oil 
of turpentine. Mix well. This is 
suitable for all rough outdoor work, 
protecting bulkheads, drains, water 
troughs, leaders, and woodwork in 
all localities exposed to much damp- 
ness. 

Stone Varnish. — Melt 10 pounds of 
rosin, add 1 pound of linseed oil, and 
stir in 10 pounds of prepared chalk. 
Mix thoroughly. Add 4 ounces of 
native oxide of copper and. 4 ounces 
of sulphuric acid. Mix well and ap- 
ply hot with a brush. When dry, this 
is practically fireproof and is hard as 
stone. 

Asphaltum Varnish. — Dissolve with 
gentle heat 3J pounds of pulverized 
asphaltum in 1 gallon of spirits of 
turpentine. This is a suitable varnish 
for all iron work, stoves, stovepipes, 
grates, coal scuttles, fly screens, wire 
netting, exposed hinges, and other 
hardware, and all iron or steel ex- 
posed to the weather or likely to suf- 
fer from rust. 

Or to the above add 1 pint copnl 
spirit varnish, and ^ pint boiled lirr 



ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES 



507 



seed oil. This is suitable for wood, 
iron, or leather. 

Varnish for Paintings, Drawings, 
and Prints. — A number of special 
varnishes, including spirit or lac var- 
nishes containing gum sandarac, mas- 
tic, and the like, turpentine varnishes 
with Canada balsam, and various 
special mixtures, are recommended 
for coating oil paintings, drawings, 
prints, and the like, to prot'^ct them 
from the effects of exposure. 

Mastic Varnish. — To make the fin- 
est quality of pure varnish for oil 
paints and similar fine work, crush 
the mastic on a stone or marble with 
a knife blade or ivory paper cutter, 
and eject the soft part or tears. Put 
the hard grains into a glass bottle 
with rectified spirits of turpentine, 
and shake the bottle until the mastic 
dissolves without heat. Strain through 
a piece of muslin, cork the bottle, and 
stand it in direct sunlight for several 
weeks. A gummy sediment like muci- 
lage will form in the bottom of the 
bottle. Reject this, pouring off only 
the clear liquor for use. To each 
ounce of this liquor add 2 ounces of 
alcohol, and thin, if desired, with rec- 
tified turpentine. 

Or, for larger quantities, mix 2| 
pounds of mastic with 1 pound of 
clean crushed glass and 1 gallon of 
rectified spirits of turpentine. Put 
the whole in a large jug or glass bot- 
tle, cork tightly, and shake or agi- 
tate the bottle until the gum is dis- 
solved. Let the whole stand several 
months, the longer the better. Pour 
off the clear liquor from the top for 
use. 

Mastic and Sandarac Varnish. — 
Mix equal quantities of gum sandarac 
and gum mastic dissolved in alcohol. 
Let stand forty-eight hours to settle, 
and strain through linen. Apply by 
means of a camel's-hair brush. 

Or dissolve I ounce of gum cam- 
phor in 3 pints of 95 per cent alco- 
hol, and add 5 ounces of sandarac and 
2 ounces of mastic. Cork tightly in 
a glass bottle, shake until dissolved, 
and let stand 48 hours or more in a 
warm place to settle. Pour off the 



clear liquor. This is suitable for 
drawings, prints, dry plants or flow- 
ers, and similar fine work. 

Balsam Varnish. — Size colored de- 
signs, as water colors, maps, litho- 
graphs, and colored prints, with one 
or more coats of a solution of gum 
arable or isinglass in water, or of 
boiled rice or wheat starch, and then 
apply a varnish composed of 2 parts 
of spirits of turpentine and 1 part of 
Canada balsam, or equal parts of , 
each. Apply by means of a flat cam- 
el's-hair brush. 

Or dissolve 3 ounces of Canada bal- 
sam, 3 ounces of white rosin, and 1 
part of oil of turpentine. 

Or, for a cheaper article, 6 ounces 
of pale-white rosin dissolved in 1 pint 
of turpentine. 

Or dissolve 3 ounces of Canada bal- 
sam in ^ pint of turpentine, and add 
3 ounces of pale copal varnish. 

Shellac"" Varnish. — Heat in a suit- 
able saucepan 5 ounces of clean ani- 
mal charcoal, pour over this while 
warm 1 pint of 95 per cent alcohol, 
add 2^- ounces of pale shellac, and 
boil carefully over a slow fire, cover- 
ing loosely to prevent too much evap- 
oration. 

Test the solution by filtering a sam- 
ple, and if not colorless add a little 
more charcoal. When the liquor is 
colorless, strain through a piece of 
white silk and filter with filter paper. 
This gives a perfectly colorless liquor 
which dries quickly and does not chill 
or bloom. Apply by means of a cam- 
el's-hair brush at a temperature of at 
least 60° F. in an atmosphere free 
from dust. This is one of the best 
and purest of all varnishes, is com- 
monly used by bookbinders, and may 
be applied to the finest oil paintings 
after the oil is thoroughly dried and 
hard, to drawings, prints, gilding, and 
all ornaments likely to be injured by 
damp, as it resists damp and pre- 
vents mildew. 

Bookbinder's Varnish. — Dissolve in 
1 quart of alcohol 2 ounces of shellac, 
I ounce of benzoin, and A ounce of 
mastic. Shake until dissolved and add 
J ounce of oil of lavender. 



508 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Isinglass Size. — Put 4 ounces of 
isinglass shavings in a glass bottle 
with an equal quantity of water, and 
let stand 24 hours or more to soften. 
Add 1 pint of 95 per cent alcohol, 
and in this dissolve the isinglass in a 
double boiler with gentle heat. Cork 
the bottle to prevent evaporation, but 
not tightly enough to cause explosion. 
Apply two or three coats, letting each 
coat dry before the next is applied, 
and following with any of the above 
print varnishes. 

Parchment Varnish. — Put white 
parchment cuttings with water in a glass 
or earthenware vessel, and boil in a 
double boiler imtil a clear jell or size 
is produced. Strain through cheese 
cloth. Apply one or more coats by 
means of a camel's-hair brush. 

Varnish for Musical Instruments. 
— Dissolve together with gentle heat 
3 ounces of gum sandaric, 1 oimce 
of seed-lac, i ounce of mastic, A oimce 
of benjamin in tears, and 1 ounce of 
Venetian turpentine in 16 ounces of 
pure alcohol. Stir in 2 ounces of 
pounded glass. 

Or dissolve in 1 quart of 95 per 
cent alcohol 3 ounces of sandarac, IJ 
ounces of mastic, and 1 gill of tur- 
pentine varnish. Mix together in a 
glass bottle and shake until dissolved. 
This may be thinned with additional 
turpentine varnish if desired. 

SEALING WAX 

Sealing wax is made of shellac, with 
the addition of turpentine to prevent 
brittleness and to make it melt even- 
ly, and of earthy matters to increase 
the weight and to prevent its melting 
too quickly. Pale or bleached shellac 
is used for light-colored sealing wax, 
but common shellac is equally suit- 
able for darker colors. Sealing wax 
is frequently adulterated with com- 
mon rosin, beesv^^ax, stearin, and simi- 
lar materials. The addition of too 
much rosin or turpentine causes the 
wax to run in thin drops when melt- 
ed. The addition of camphor or al- 
cohol causes sealing wax to melt eas- 
ily. The sealing wax of the I^Iiddle 



Ages consisted of beeswax mixed with 
turpentine and various coloring mat- 
ters. The finest qualities of sealing 
wax are frequently perfumed with 
balsam of Peru, storax, or various es- 
sential oils and essences. 

Colored Sealing Wax. — Various 
colors as desired may be imparted to 
sealing wax by the addition of cobalt 
blue, chrome yellow, bone black, ver- 
milion, and other pigments such as 
are used in paints. These are added 
in powdered form to the melted wax. 

To Make Best Red Sealing Wax. — 
Melt together with gentle heat 5 
ounces of shellac, 1| ounces of tur- 
pentine, and 3| ounces of vermilion. 

Or 3 ounces of shellac, 4 ounces of 
turpentine, li ounces of chalk or mag- 
nesia, 1 ounce of gypsum or zinc 
white, and f ounce of vermilion. 

Or 3J ounces of shellac, 3^ ounces 
of turpentine, 1 ounce of chalk or 
magnesia, J ounce of sulphate of bary- 
ta, and 1-^ ounces of vermilion. Use 
^'enetian turpentine preferably in 
these three.' Melt together, stirring 
constantly, and when all the ingredi- 
ents are fully incorporated let the 
mass cool, and while still soft roll it 
on a marble or other smooth slab and 
shape it into sticks, or pour it while 
fluid into suitable brass molds. 

An inferior sealing wax may be 
made by substituting red oxide of 
iron in the place of vermilion, and 
common rosin or New Zealand rosin in 
place of shellac. 

Or dissolve with gentle heat A ounce 
of gum camphor in 2 ounces of alco- 
hol, taking care that the alcohol does 
not take fire. Add 8 ounces of gum 
shellac and stir until fully dissolved. 
Add 4 ounces of Venetian turpen- 
tine and sift in through a hair or oth- 
er sieve 2i ounces of vermilion, stir- 
ring constantly to avoid lumps. When 
the whole mass is mixed smoothly to- 
gether, pour it into suitable molds, or 
let cool luitil of the consistency of 
soft wax. Roll to proper thickness 
and cut out with a suitable die like a 
biscuit cutter. Or weigh into soft 
balls of equal size, roll to the desired 
length, and flatten by pressure. 



ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES 



509 



For commercial use, the sticks of 
sealing wax are polished by being 
held over a charcoal fire in an iron 
dish, and while hot rubbed with mut- 
ton suet or tallow and polished with 
chamois. 

Or, for a larger quantity, melt to- 
gether with gentle heat 3 pounds of 
shellac, 13 ounces of Venetian tur- 
pentine, li pounds of fine cinnabar, 
and 2 ounces of Venetian red. 

Other proportions recommended for 
fine sealing wax are: 

Shellac, G parts; Venetian turpen- 
tine, 2 parts ; coloring matter, 3 parts. 

Shellac, 3 parts; Venetian turpen- 
tine, 1^ parts; vermilion, 3| parts. 

For a cheaper grade of red sealing 
wax, melt together with gentle heat 2 
ounces of rosin and 2 ounces of shel- 
lac; stir in 1^ ounces of Venetian tur- 
pentine; sift and stir in 1^ ounces of 
red lead. 

Or melt together with gentle heat 
shellac, 2 ounces; yellow rosin, 1 
ounce; Venetian turpentine, 1 ounce; 
vermilion, 3 ounces. 

Or, for a still cheaper grade, sub- 
stitute red oxide of iron in place of 
vermilion. 

Yellow Sealing Wax. — Melt to- 
gether with gentle heat 2 ounces of 
shellac, 2 ounces of yellow rosin, and 
1 ounce of chrome yellow. 

Or 4 ounces of pale shellac, 1^ 
ounces of yellow rosin, f ounce of 
Venetian turpentine, and 1 ounce of 
sulphuret of arsenic. 

Gold Sealing Wax. — Melt together 
bleached shellac, 1 ounce; Venetian 
turpentine, I ounce. Stir in gold-col- 
ored talc to color. 

Or bleached shellac, 3 ounces ; Vene- 
tian twrpentine, 1 ounce; Dutch leaf 
ground to powder or enough gold- 
colored mica spangles to color. 

Blue Sealing Wax. — Melt together 
shellac, 2 ounces; yellow rosin, 2 
ounces; smalts, 1 ounce. 

Or, for a light blue, verditer in 
place of smalts. 

Or a mixture of equal parts of 
smalts and verditer. 

Or employ any of the above recipes 
for fine red seizing wax, including ver- 



milion, but substitute in place of ver- 
milion the same quantity of fine Prus- 
sian blue. 

Green Sealing Wax. — Melt togeth- 
er shellac, 2 ounces; yellow rosin, 1 
ounce; verdigris, 1 ounce. 

Black Sealing Wax. — Follow any 
of the above recipes, but substitute 
finely powdered ivory black instead 
of other coloring matter, using only 
enough to give the required color. 

Or, for a cheaper grade, use lamp- 
black. 

Or melt together 3 ounces of black 
rosin, ^ ounce of beeswax, and 1 ounce 
of ivory black. 

Or 3 ounces of shellac, 1^ ounces of 
Venetian turpentine, and 2 ounces of 
cinnabar. 

White Sealing Wax. — Melt togeth- 
er 3 ounces of white wax, 2 ounces of 
stearin, and 1 ounce of mucilage. 

Or 3 ounces of resin, 1 ounce of 
caustic soda, and 5 ounces of water. 
Add 4^ ounces of plaster of Paris. 
This mixture requires upward of an 
hour to set, but adheres very strongly 
and takes a good impression. 

Soft Sealing Wax. — Melt together 
1 ounce of yellow rosin, 4 ounces of 
beeswax, 1 ounce of lard, and 1 ounce 
of Venetian turpentine. 

Or 8 ounces of beeswax, 5 ounces 
of olive oil, and 15 ounces of Venetian 
turpentine. 

Or 11 ounces of beeswax, 3 ounces 
of turpentine, 1 ounce of olive oil, and 
5 ounces of shellac. Any color may 
be given to the above by the use of 
suitable colored pigments, as ver- 
milion, red lead, or red oxide of iron 
for red, verdigris for green, chrome 
for yellow, smalts or verditer for blue, 
and so on. 

Marble Sealing Wax. — Melt in two 
or more different vessels equal quan- 
tities of uncolored sealing wax, and 
add to each the coloring matter de- 
sired. Allow these to slightly cool, 
and stir them all together to make 
any desired effect. 

To Color Sealing Wax. — Add the 
coloring matter to sealing wax while 
in a fluid state on the fire by sifting 
in the pigments, in the form of a dry 



510 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



powder, through a hair or other fine 
sieve. To avoid lumps or spots, stir 
constantly until they are fully incor- 
porated. Let the mass cool slightly 
before pouring into the molds, and 
continue stirring while it is being 
poured, otherwise the coloring matter 
will tend to settle as a sediment in 
the lower part of the mold or of the 
vessel in which it is melted. 

To Perfume Sealing Wax. — Add to 
any of the above, when the mass has 
become slightly cooled, but before it 
sets, gum benzoin, storax, balsam of 
Peru, or any of the fragrant essential 
oils or essences. If added too soon, 
the heat will cause the perfumes to 
evaporate; if not added soon enough, 
it will be difficult to incorporate them 
perfectly with the mass. 

OILS, LUBRICATORS, ETC. 

Oils. — Oils exist ready made in 
nature, and may be divided into fixed 
oils, which are either of animal or 
vegetable origin, and essential or vola- 
tile oils, which are principally vege- 
table products. 

Fixed oils are mostly liquid at or- 
dinary temperatures, Mnooth to the 
touch, and on paper make a perma- 
nent greasy stain. Many of them have 
neither taste nor odor. They are not, 
as a rule, soluble in water, and are 
only slightly soluble in alcohol, but 
may be readily dissolved in ether. The 
chief characteristic of the fixed oils 
is their ability to unite with alkalies 
to form soap, setting free glycerin. 

The volatile oils are not capable of 
saponification. 

Fixed Vegetable Oils. — The fixed 
vegetable oils, including certain but- 
tei-like fats, as palm oil, cocoa oil, and 
the like, are usually found in plants: 
in the seeds, as linseed oil ; in the pulp 
about the seeds, as olive oil, and more 
rarely in roots, as in the earth al- 
mond. They are procured by grind- 
ing and pressing the oil-producing 
parts, and are usually found associ- 
ated with more or less gum and other 
impurities. 

The fixed vegetable oils are of two 



sorts: the drying oils, as linseed oil, 
which oxidize when exposed to the 
air, and are transformed into a hard, 
resinous varnish; and tlie fatty or 
nondrying oils, as olive oil, which be- 
come rancid and thicken when exposed 
to the air, but do not dry up. 

To Purify Vegetable Oils.— To pu- 
rify crude vegetable oils, pour the oil 
in a lead-lined vat and add 2 or 3 
per cent of concentrated sulphuric 
acid. Stir until the mixture takes on 
a greenish tint. Let stand 24< hours, 
add about 3 per cent its volume of 
water, hot but not boiling, and stir 
vigorously until the mixture takes on 
a milky color. Then let stand in a 
warm place for a few days to settle, 
and pour off the clear liquor through 
cheese cloth or filter paper. 

To Prepare Drying Oils. — To im- 
prove the quality of drying oils, boil 
them with oxide of lead, binoxide of 
manganese, and borate or acetate of 
manganese. But this process gives 
the oil a high color. Hence, to make 
drying oils for colorless varnishes, 
prepare oleate of lead by adding oleic 
acid to oxide of lead or litharge, and 
add this to the oil when cold. 

Or prepare a solution of sulphate 
of manganese, and add borax dis- 
solved in water as long as a precipi- 
tate forms. Let this settle, turn ofl' 
the liquor, wash the precipitate, and 
let it dry. This is manganese borate. 
Add 2 per cent of this substance to 
the oldest linseed oil obtainable, and 
mix with gentle heat in a double boil- 
er. Stir constantly, lifting the oil 
and letting it run back into the boiler, 
to expose it as much as possible to 
the air. This gives a quick-drying oil 
of very high color. 

A class of substances called dryers 
are added in painting to hasten the 
oxidation of the drying oils, but the 
rapidity of this process depends great- 
ly upon atmospheric conditions, tem- 
perature, and the like. 

7i?ixed Animal Oils. — These are 
compounds of glycerin with various 
fatty acids. They are very similar to 
the nondrying vegetable oils. Many 
of the animal oils have a peculiar 



ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES 



511 



odor, which in some of the fish oils 
is verj'^ offensive. Sjierm oil is found 
in the head of the si^erm whale mixed 
v/ilh spermaceti. This is the most 
valuable of the animal oils and also 
the highest in price. 

Whale or train 5JJ is found in the 
blubber of the right whale, the black- 
fish, and other species of whale. Vari- 
ous other marine animals produce oils 
liaving the same general characteris- 
tics, as the seal, shark, and sea calf. 
The menhadens are also used in large 
quantities for their oil. 

To Purify Fish Oil. — Make for this 
purpose a bag of any coarse cloth, as 
burlap or canvas, line it with flannel, 
and put in between the bag and the 
lining a layer of charcoal ^ inch thick. 
The bag should be quilted to keep the 
charcoal in place. Pour the oil into 
this filter and let it run into a lead- 
lined vat containing water to the 
depth of 5 or 6 inches, slightly acidu- 
lated with blue vitriol. Let stand 
3 or 4 days, and draw off the oil by 
means of a spigot fixed slightly above 
the level of the water. Repeat if nec- 
essary. Finally filter through cloth 
bags without charcoal into tanks or 
barrels for storage. 

To Deodorize Putrid Fish Oil. — For 
each 100 pounds of oil, pulverize 1 
pound of chloride of lime; rub to a 
stiff paste with a little cold water, and 
thin to the consistency of cream. Pour 
the oil into a lead-lined vat, stir in 
the chloride of lime, and let stand 
3 or 4 hours, stirring frequently. 
7\dd 1 pound of sulphuric acid di- 
luted in 25 times its volume of water, 
and boil in an iron kettle on a slow 
fire, stirring constantly. When the 
mixture is perfectly liquid and falls 
in drops from the stirrer, return to 
the vat, and when the oil has separat- 
ed, draw off the water by means of a 
spigot. 

To Preserve Animal Oils. — Add 1 
dram of jiowdered slippery-elm bark 
to each pound of oil, and heat gently 
over a slow fire. When the bark set- 
tles, strain off the fat. This gives an 
agreeable odor to the oil and pre- 
vents it from becoming rancid. 



To Restore Rancid Animal Oils. — 
Put the oil in a suitable kettle over 
a slow fire, and stir in clean lumps 
or grains of charcoal from which the 
dust has been removed by winnowing 
with fans. 

Or prepare double bags of flannel 
containing a layer of charcoal be- 
tween, and filter the oil through these. 

Neat's-f cot Oil. — This is a coarse 
animal oil obtained by boiling neat's 
feet, tripe, etc., in water. It is very 
emollient and is much used to soften 
leather. In the commercial process 
the feet are heated with steam until 
the hair, wool, and dirt can be re- 
moved, and afterwards boiled until 
the oil is extracted. The crude oil is 
of a grajash color, but when clarified 
by filtration is of a pale-lemon yellow. 
It is often adulterated. 

To Purify Neat's-foot Oil. — Mix 
with gentle heat, stirring vigorously, 
equal parts of neat's-foot oil and rose 
water. When cool, the oil will rise to 
the surface and may be ladled off. 
Repeat if necessarj\ The refined oil 
is the basis of the best grades of cold 
cream. 

Lubricants. — Lubricants are materi- 
als used to lessen the friction of work- 
ing parts of machinery. All of thfr 
animal and vegetable nondrying oils 
are suitable; also the mineral oils, as 
petroleum products; and plumbago, 
graphite, or black lead, which is the 
only solid lubricant in common use. 
These substances are often mixed for 
lubricating purposes. Sperm oil is 
the best of lubricants, but is too ex- 
pensive for ordinary use. Lard oil is 
cheap and good. Neat's-foot oil is also 
used. Olive oil, colza, and rape-seed 
oils are suitable. 

Lubricants for Heavy Pressure. — 
Grind black lead with 4 times its 
weight of lard or tallow. Add, if de- 
sired, 7 per cent of gum camphor. 
This was formerly a trade secret. 

Or mix puie black lead with tal- 
low. 

Or mix tallow with red or white 
lead, or substitute lard for tallow. 

Or add a portion of heavy mineral 
oil to any of the above. 



512 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Axle Grease.— For axle grease, mix 
3 pounds of tallow, 3 pounds of palm 
oil, i pound of caustic soda, and 1 
gallon or more of water. Melt to- 
gether and e^'aporate the water with 
gentle heat, but do not let the mixture 
boil. 

Or boil up together 20 ounces of 
palm oil with 28 ounces of tallow. 
Remove from the fire and stir con- 
stantly until it cools to a blood heat. 
Strain through cheese cloth into a 
solution of 8 ounces of soda in 1 gill 
of water, mixing thoroughly. This 
mixture is suitable for summer heat. 
For cold weather, use 20 ounces of tal- 
low to 28 ounces of palm oil. Or, for 
average temperatures, 20 ounces of 
each. 

Lubricator for Drills. — For iron 
drills, use 4 ounces of soft soap to 1 
quart of boiling water. This is cheap 
and effective. 

Wood lubricator. — Lubricate wood- 
en bearings, as pulleys and the like, 
with common hard yellow soap or 
soft soap, taking care to evaporate 
with gentle heat any excess of water 
the latter may contain. Rub window 
casings, bureau drawers, and the like 
freely with hard yellow soap slightly 
moistened with water. This lubricates 
them permanently and prevents their 
sticking. 

To PuS^fy lubricants. — The animal 
and vegetable oils of commerce, as 
neat's-foot oil, rape oil, and the like, 
often show traces of the acids used in 
purifying them, and these are likely 
to inj ure the works of clocks, watches, 
sewing machines, and other delicate 
macliinery. Hence, to purify com- 
mercial oils for such uses, put them 
in a vessel containing a quantity of 
rusty iron and let stand for a few 
days, then strain through silk or cot- 
ton wool. 

Or pour the best olive oil into a 
glass bottle, and add equal parts of 
zinc and lead shavings. Let stand in 
a cool place until the oil becomes 
transparent. 

Or use lead shavings only and ex- 
pose the oil to the sun for several 
weeks. A white precipitate will be 



formed, and the oil will become per- 
fectly transparent. Strain through 
silk the pure liquor from the sedi- 
ment and bottle for use. This oil will 
not injure the most delicate machin- 
ery. 

Oil for Whetstones. — Use kerosene 
oil on whetstones, oilstones, or for 
mixing other abrasives. It keeps the 
stone in good condition, and also as- 
sists in the process of sharpening. 

To Straighten Oilstones. — An oil- 
stone, after having been used for some 
time, becomes concave and does not 
give a good edge. To face a worn 
oilstone, take a flat piece of iron or 
steel having a perfectly smooth face, 
back it with a wooden grip or handle, 
and rub down the face of the oilstone 
with a mixture of emery and powdered 
pumice stone in water. Finish with 
the finest emery or pumice and kero- 
sene oil. This gives with very little 
effort a smooth, flat face. 

FURNITURE POIISH 

Holes in Furniture. — To fill up 
cracks or holes in furniture, make a 
thick glue size by boiling pure white 
glue with water to the consistency of 
milk or thin cream. Mix with fine 
sawdust from the same or similar 
Avood to make a stiff paste. With this 
fill the holes and cover deep cuts and 
rough surfaces. When dry, thorough- 
ly scrape down with an edge of bro- 
ken glass and polish. 

To Color Mahogany Furniture. — 
Use cold-drawn linseed oil colored 
with alkanet root or rose pink, or a 
mixture of equal parts of both. Put 
the coloring matter in an earthen ves- 
sel, cover with the oil, and let stand 
a day or two, stirring frequently. Rub 
on with a soft cloth, and let stand 
several hours before polishing. 

French Polish. — This consists in 
rubbing shellac or other varnish on 
the surface of the wood with a cloth, 
instead of laying on a coating with a 
brush. The object is to get a very 
thin coating of varnish with a high 
polish and hard surface, not so liable 
to scratch as a thicker coat would be. 



ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES 



513 



French polish is most suitable for 
liard woods. To prepare a porous or 
coarse-grained wood for French pol- 
ish, give it a coat of clear glue size. 
Let dry, and smooth with very fine 
sandpaper, followed by a cloth mois- 
tened in water and dipped in fine dry 
pumice or rotten stone. This fills up 
the pores, and thus prevents a waste 
of time, polish, and labor. 

To finish with a French polish any 
jirevious coating, all varnish should 
be removed and the surface given a 
smooth, dead finish with sandpaper, 
followed by a cloth moistened and 
dipped in fine ptunice or rtvtten stone. 

To apply the varnisti, moisten a 
small square pad made of several 
thicknesses of flannel sewed or quilted 
together, and apply the middle of the 
cloth to the mouth of the bottle. Thus 
the pad will take up a small quantity 
of varnish, but sufficient to cover a 
considerable surface. Then lay the 
pad on a piece of soft linen cloth, 
double the whole back over the edges, 
and close it up at the back of the pad 
to form a handle. Apply a little raw 
linseed oil with the tip of the finger 
to the middle, place the work in a 
good light, and rub quickly and light- 
ly over the surface with quick, light, 
circular strokes. Always work from 
the center outward. Continue imtil 
the varnish becomes nearly dry. Mois- 
ten the pad again, but without the 
oil, and give two additional coats. 
Moisten the pad slightly with oil, and 
finish with two additional coats of 
varnish. Lastly, wet the inside of the 
linen cloth with alcohol before taking 
up the varnish pad, and rub over the 
whole surface. Polish with oil and 
alcohol, without varnish, using a clean 
linen cloth. To give a fine French 
polish, soft clean linen must be used 
and the atmosphere must be entirely 
free from dust. Use no more varnish 
each time than can be rubbed to a 
high polish, and continue rubbing un- 
til the rag seems dry. 

To Prepare French Polish. — Mix 4 
ounces of shellac, 1 ounce of gum 
arable, and ^ oimce of gum copal. 
Bruise and mix the gums with 3 



ounces of powdered glass. Cover them 
with 1 pint of alcohol and cork tight- 
ly. Let stand in a warm place, shak- 
ing frequently until dissolved. Strain 
through silk or muslin. 

Or dissolve 1 ounce of gum shellac 
and i ounce of gum sandarac in 1 
pint of alcohol. 

Or dissolve 5J ounces of shellac in 

1 pint of naphtha. 

Or mix 1 ounce of pale shellac with 

2 drams of gum benzoin, and cover 
with 4 ounces of wood naphtha. Cork 
tightly and let stand in a warm place, 
shaking frequently until dissolved. 

Or mix 1 pound of shellac with 1 
quart of wood naphtha. 

Or shellac, 8 ounces; mastic, J 
ounce; sandarac, 1 ounce; copal var- 
nish, J gill; alcohol, 1 quart. Mix, 
cork tightly, and let stand until dis- 
solved. Pour off the clear liquor. 

To apply any of the above, moisten 
a pad of cotton wool with the polish 
by laying it on the mouth of the bot- 
tle and inverting the be' tie. Cover 
with a linen rag, apply a drop of cold 
linseed oil with the finger to the cen- 
ter of the rag to keep it from stick- 
ing, and rub with light, firm strokes 
and uniform pressure in circles, work- 
ing from the center. Finish with a 
few drops of alcohol or turpentine on 
a clean linen rag. 

To Color French Polish. — Mix the 
coloring matter with the polish and 
let stand two or three days, stirring 
frequently, until all is fully incor- 
porated. For red, use dragon's blood, 
alkanet root, or red sanderswood. 
For yellow, turmeric root or gum 
gamboge. For brown, seed-lac or 
brown shellac. 

Or dip the pad of cotton, wool used 
as a rubber in the color each time it 
is moistened with the polish. Then 
cover the rubber v>!th a linen cloth, 
apply a drop of cold-drawn linseed 
oil, and polish. Use the ordinary col- 
oring matters, as dragon's blood for 
red, chrome for yellow, ultramarine 
or indigo for blue, and ivory black or 
lampblack for black. 

To Grain French Polish. — To grain 
any color with French ^Dolish, move 



514 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



the rubber when applying the color 
in irregvilar patterns. Streak, line, or 
mark the wood, according to taste. 
When dry, apply a coating of clear 
polish and finish as usual. 

To Finish Trench. Polish. — Dissolve 
4 drams of shellac and 4 drams of 
gum benzoin in 1 pint of 95 per cent 
alcohol by corking tightly in a glass 
bottle and shaking occasionally until 
dissolved. Let cool and add 4 tea- 
spoonfuls of white poppy oil. Shake 
well before using. Use for final coats 
to give an extra high finish. 

To Polish Varnished Furniture. — 
First apply finely powdered pumice 
stone with a piece of flannel mois- 
tened with water. Rub the varnished 
surface with light, uniform strokes, 
working from the center with a cir- 
cular motion. Follow with finely pow- 
dered tripoli, using a woolen cloth 
or chamois moistened with olive oil. 
Care must be taken not to use more 
strength than is necessary to give a 
smooth surface. Wipe off the tripoli 
with a soft cloth, let dry, and apply 
whiting with the palm of the hand. 

To Wax Furniture. — Melt with gen- 
tle heat 2 ounces each of white wax 
and yellow wax, and add 4 ounces 
of best rectified turpentine. Remove 
from the fire and stir until cold. This 
gives a thin coat, as the oil penetrates 
the pores of the wood, brings out the 
grain and color, and causes the wax 
to adhere. When polished, it gives a 
luster equal to varnish. 

Polishing. — To polish furniture or 
cabinetwork in general, work down 
the surface with sandpaper, smooth 
with glass paper, and polish with rot- 
ten stone, putty powder, and tripoli 
in the order mentioned. Apply pumice 
stone with a cloth moistened with 
water, and tripoli with a cloth mois- 
tened with olive oil or boiled linseed 
oil. 

Wood Filler. — To fill the pores and 
other rough places as a foundation for 
varnish or French polish, apply, for 
cheap work, a thin glue size. Or, for 
a better grade, apply a thin coat of 
boiled linseed oil, sprinkle the surface 
with dry whiting, and rub it in with 



the palm of the hand, or a short, stiff 
paint brush. After filling the wood, 
let dry, give a coating of French pol- 
ish or varnish, and rub down with 
very fine glass paper. This gives a 
foundation on which to lay the var- 
nish or final coats of polish. Thus 
the whiting is absorbed by the oil, and 
the pores of the wood are filled with 
putty, which will last indefinitely and 
not be affected by damp air or water. 

Or, for the best grades, mix plaster 
of Paris with whiting, and apply with 
a brush. Follow with a coating of 
tallow, and color with any desired 
coloring matter. 

Or mix the whiting, tallow, and col- 
oring matter together, and rub them 
into the work. 

Or mix 1 gallon of plaster of Paris 
with I pint of flour, i ounce of jjow- 
dered pumice stone, ^ ounce of pre- 
pared chalk, 1 quart of boiled lin- 
seed oil, and | gill of japan dryer. 

One coat of varnish on such a foun- 
dation will give a better and more 
durable finish than three coats laid 
directly on the surface of the wood, 
as in the latter case the varnish en- 
ters the pores of the wood and does 
not dry smoothly. 

To Color Wood Filler. — For black 
walnut, mix burnt umber with whit- 
ing; for cherry, Venetian red; for 
beech or maple, just a suspicion of 
Venetian red. Stir in just enough 
coloring matter to imitate the natural 
colors of the wood. 

Or, if tallow is used, it may be col- 
ored with dragon's blood, gum gam- 
boge, or otherwise if desired. 

Fix circular articles in a lathe, and 
apply the filler with the hands or with 
a piece of velveteen or other stiff 
cloth. 

To Polish Furniture. — Substances 
recommended for polishing furniture 
are kerosene, turpentine, olive oil, lin- 
seed oil, and paraffin oil, beeswax, 
white wax, castile soap, gum copal, 
gum arable, shellac, and various com- 
binations of these and similar sub- 
stances. 

To keep furniture at a high polish, 
go over it once a week on cleaning 



ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES 



515 



day with a clean cloth moistened in 
clear turpentine. This keeps the paint 
soft so that it will not crack, and it 
is not sticky after it has been pol- 
ished. 

Or use equal quantities of turpen- 
tine and linseed oil, or equal quanti- 
ties of turpentine, linseed oil, and vin- 
egar. 

To improve the appearance of lin- 
seed oil, add 1 or 2 ounces of alkanet 
root to 1 pint of oil, boil gently, and 
strain through cheese cloth. 

Or mix equal quantities of linseed 
oil and turpentine, and to each pint 
of the mixture add 1 teaspoonful of 
ammonia. 

Or dissolve 1 ounce of hard white 
soap in i pint of water, and add 6 
ounces of white wax dissolved in i 
pint of turpentine. Dissolve all with 
gentle heat, mix, and bottle for use. 

Or melt ^ oimce of alkanet root 
with 8 ounces of beeswax, and simmer 
with gentle heat. Strain through cheese 
cloth and add 4 ounces each of linseed 
oil and spirits of turpentine. 

Or melt 4 ounces of beeswax with 
gentle heat, and add while warm 8 
ounces of spirits of turpentine. Stir 
until the mixture cools. 

Or dissolve 1 ounce of beeswax and 
i ounce of castile soap in 1 pint of 
turpentine. Put in a quart bottle and 
let stand for a day or two, shaking 
occasionally. Fill the bottle with 
water, shake, and let stand for an- 
other day, when it should be of the 
consistency of cream. Apply with a 
flannel cloth or damp chamois. 

Or dissolve | ounce each of pulver- 
ized rosin and gum shellac in 1 pint 
of pure alcohol. Add 1 pint of lin- 
seed oil, mix, and apply with a soft 
brush, a sponge, or a piece Of flannel. 
Polish with moistened chamois or a 
bunch of tissue paper or soft news- 
paper. 

Or add 1 pint of spirits of turpen- 
tine to the above. 

Or dissolve 2 ounces of gum shellac 
in 1 pint of alcohol. Add 1 pint of 
linseed oil and ^ pint of spirits of 
turpentine. Mix and add 2 ounces of 
ammonia water and 2 ounces of sul- 



phuric ether. Shake before usmg. 
Apply with a brush, sponge, or soft 
cloth. 

Or mix equal quantities of gum 
sheUac, kerosene, linseed oil, and tur- 
pentine. Shake before using, and ap- 
ply with a sponge or brush. After- 
wards polish. 

Or dissolve in 1 pint of alcohol i 
ounce each of gum copal, gum arabic, 
and shellac. Apply with a sponge or 
brush. This is known as French polish. 

Or paint the surface with a liberal 
application of olive oil, and let stand 
to soften the varnish. Then follow 
with a solution of 2 ounces of gum 
arabic dissolved in 1 pint of alcohol. 
Apply while warm. This is known as 
Italian polish. 

Or mix 1 pound of linseed oil, 2 
ounces of wax, 4 ounces of shellac 
varnish, and 1 ounce of alkanet root 
to color. Dissolve with gentle heat 
and stir while dissolving. Take off 
the fire after 15 or 20 minutes, 
strain through cheese cloth, and add 
2 ounces of turpentine, mix, and let 
stand a few days, stirring occasion- 
ally. Shake well before using. 

Or dissolve with gentle heat in 1 
poimd of boiled linseed oil 4 ounces 
of beeswax and 1 ounce of alkanet 
root. Strain through cheese cloth, 
and add 4 ounces of turpentine. 

Or mix 4 ounces each of linseed oil 
and vinegar, add | oimce of alcohol, 
I ounce of butter of antimony, and ^ 
ounce of muriatic acid. Apply with 
a sponge, rag, or brush, wipe dry, and 
polish. Shake well before using. Ap- 
ply this mixture to clean stained, 
greasy, or waxed substances. 

Or mix 8 ounces of linseed oil, 4 
ounces of vinegar, 2 ounces of black 
rosin, 2 ounces of spirits of niter, 1 
oimce of spirits of salts, and 2 ounces 
of butter of antimony. First sponge 
the furniture with clear water or 
cold tea. Apply this mixture with a 
sponge or cloth. Oil, polish, and let 
dry. Then follow with a cloth slight- 
ly moistened in cold vinegar. 

To Prepare Furniture Polish. — 
White wax, beeswax, gum copal, shel- 
lac, and other solid resinous sub- 



516 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



stances may be cut or dissolved in 
turpentine, alcohol, or other spirits. 
This process may require several days 
if the ingredients are cold, but is 
much hastened by the use of heat, 
and also by pulverizing or shaving 
the solids as finely as possible. Hence, 
to prepare furniture polish contain- 
ing these ingredients, shave or polish 
them as fine as possible, and pour 
over them turpentine, alcohol, or 
other spirits as required. Use for 
this purpose a glass fruit jar or a 
wide-mouthed glass bottle. Cork 
tightly and set the bottle in a warm 
spot until the solids are dissolved. 

Or rest the bottle on straw or a 
folded cloth and put them in a sauce- 
pan. Fill the saucepan partly full of 
cold water, and bring to a boil with 
gentle heat. This is the best and 
quickest way to cut wax, gum, and 
other resinous substances with spir- 
its, and also to melt glue and the like. 
The best results may be obtained by 
applying while warm furniture polish 
containing such substances; hence, be- 
fore applying, the bottle may be 
heated by the method just given. 

Gum arable, on the contrary, can- 
not be dissolved in alcohol. Hence 
pulverize gum arable as fine as possi- 
ble, and dissolve with a little boiling- 
water before mixing with other in- 
gredients.'" Furniture polish contain- 
ing gum arable gives the best results 
when applied warm. 

To Clean Furniture. — Dissolve 4 
ounces of common salt in 1 quart of 
cold beer or vinegar. Add i table- 
spoonful of muriatic acid. Boil 15 
minutes, bottle, and cork tightly. 
Warm and shake well before using. 
First sponge the furniture with clear 
water. Apply this mixture with a 
brush or sponge and polish with any 
of the above kinds of polish, using a 
flannel cloth or damp chamois. 

Or dissolve in 1 quart of strong 
beer or vinegar 2 ounces of beeswax 
and 1 teaspoonful of sugar. First 
wash the furniture with clear water 
or cold tea. Apply this mixture 
with a sponge or brush. Oil, wipe 
dry, and polish. 



To Polish Wood Carving. — The 
carvings of furniture may be filled, 
cleaned, and polished by means of 
brushes, using a stiff brush to clean 
out the dust, then a soft brush 
dipped in suitable polish, and finally 
a clean dry brush with medium hard 
bristles to give a polish. 

Paste for Furniture. — For light 
wood, cover 8 ounces of beeswax 
scraped fine with 1 pint of turpen- 
tine, cork tightly, and let stand, shak- 
ing occasionally until dissolved. 

Or cover 3 ounces of pearlash with 
1 pint of water, and bring to a boil. 
Stir in 3 ounces of white wax scraped 
fine, and simmer with gentle heat 25 
minutes. Let cool, and make into 
a soft paste with a little hot water. 

Or mix 2 ounces of beeswax, 2 
ounces of rectified turpentine, and 2 
ounces of cold-drawn linseed oil. 

Or dissolve in J pint of turiDentine 
6 ounces of white wax. Cork tightly 
and let stand in a warm place until 
dissolved, shaking frequently. Cover 
I ounce of castile soap with 3 gills of 
water, bring to a boil, and mix with 
the wax and turpentine. This is a 
standard commercial article. 

Paste for Mahogany Furniture. — 
Moisten 3 ounces of beeswax shav- 
ings with turpentine, add ^ ounce of 
rosin, melt to a paste with gentle 
heat, and color with Venetian red. 

Or pour over J ounce of allianet 
root 1 pint of turpentine. Let stand 
48 hours. Strain through muslin. 
Add 4 ounces of beeswax shavings, 
cork tightly, and let stand, 'shaking 
occasionally until dissolved. 

Or mix and dissolve 4 ounces of 
beeswax shavings, 1 ounce of rosin, 
and 3 ounces of turpentine. Color 
with Venetian red. 

SOLDER AND SOLDERING 

To Mend Tinware. — Tin plate may 
be mended by covering small open- 
ings with melted solder (an alloy of 
tin with lead), or by soldering a suit- 
able patch of sheet tin, tin plate, or 
zinc over larger openings. Before 
soldering, it is necessary to apply a 



ADHESIVES, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES 



517 



solution of zinc in acid to the adja- 
cent parts. This is known as solder- 
ing liquid. 

To Make Soldering Liquid. — Put 
in a strong glass bottle or other ves- 
sel 3 ounces of muriatic acid. Cut 
scraps of sheet zinc into narrow 
strips and feed them into the liquor 
as fast as they will dissolve. The 
acid at first will unite with the zinc 
and generate considerable heat, which 
may burst the bottle. Hence do this 
preferably out of doors, and take 
care that the acid does not get on 
anything of value. 

Or dissolve the zinc in an open 
vessel, and afterwards bottle for 
use. 

When the acid ceases to dissolve 
the zinc, add 1 ounce of sal ammo- 
niac and boil 10 minutes in an eai-th- 
enware or copper vessel, but do not 
use any other metal for this purpose. 
Cork tightly. Apply this liquid with 
a feather to the parts to be soldered, 
or by wetting the cork of the bottle. 
A few drops are sufficient. Do not 
let it fall on the hands or clothing. 
This liquid causes the solder to flow 
freely and makes it adhere. 

Soft Solder. — A solder suitable for 
the more fusible metals, as tin, pew- 
ter, Britannia ware, and zinc, is 
known generally as soft solder be- 
cause it has the property of melting 
at very low temperature. The fol- 
lowing proportions are recommend- 
ed: 

Fo7' tin — common solder, 1 lead; 1 
tin. Or 1 lead; 1 tin; 3 bismuth. 
This solder is soft eiiough to melt in 
boiling water. 

Coarse solder, 2 lead; 1 tin. 

Fine solder, 1 lead; 2 tin. 

For Britannia ware, 1 lead; 1 tin; 
J bismuth. 

For zinc or lead, 1 or 3 lead; 1 
tin. 

For pewter, 1 tin; 1 lead; 1 or 2 
bismuth. 



To Make and Use Solder. — Melt 
the metals together in any of the 
above proportions with gentle heat. 
Apply soldering liquid to the parts 
with a pencil or with a feather; 
sprinkle the parts with powdered ros- 
in. Apply the solder and smooth 
with a soldering iron. This is the 
usual method, but in the absence of 
a soldering iron a suitable solder 
may be made of shavings of solder 
melted in a large iron spoon, poured 
on the parts, and rubbed smooth 
before cooling with the bowl of the 
spoon. 

Or, if necessary, a patch of zinc or 
sheet tin may be applied by covering 
the patch and the surface of the tin 
with soldering liquid and solder, and 
laying on the patch before the solder 
cools. 

Or, in place of solder, tin foil may 
be used to ajjply patches or to solder 
two pieces of soft metal together. 
Cut a piece of tin foil the size of the 
surface to be soldered. Apply sol- 
dering liquid with a feather to both 
metal surfaces and place them in 
position with the tin foil between. 
Apply to the outer surface an iron 
hot enough to strike through and 
melt the foil. 

Or, to apply a zinc or lead patch 
to soft metals, simply moisten both 
surfaces with soldering liquid, put 
the patch in place, and hold a kero- 
sene or an alcohol lamp flame be- 
neath it. This will cause the surfaces 
of the zinc or lead to run and fuse 
together. 

To Mend Tin Pans Without Sol- 
der. — Use soft putty. Push it through 
the hole from the outside. Smooth 
on both sides with a knife after the 
manner of a rivet, and let stand until 
hard. This is not only a quick and 
easy way to make temporary repairs, 
but one that will withstand all ordi- 
nary treatment and may never need 
to be repeated. 



CHAPTER XVII 

LEATHER, INK, AND MISCELLANEOUS 

TANNING LEATHER — TANNING AND CARE OF LEATHER — BOOTS 
AND SHOES — OVERSHOES — WATERPROOFING LEATHER — 
BLACKING LEATHER— WRITING INK— MARKING INKS— COL- 
ORED INKS— SPECIAL INKS— CARE OF INK— CARE OP JEWELRY 
—GLASS AND IVORY— GYPSUM, ALABASTER, ETC. 



TANNING LEATHER 

To Tan Sheepskins and Goatskins 
with the Hair on. — Clean the flesh 
side of fat and meat, mix | pound 
of alum and ^- pound of salt in 2 
quarts of water, and soak the skins 
in this mixture 34 hours. Remove 
and nail to the sunny side of a build- 
ing, flesh side out, until bone dry. 
Mix 2 pounds of pulverized alum, 1 
pound of salt, and 1 quart of wheat 
bran with water to a thick paste, and 
apply evenly to the flesh side of the 
skin. Fold the skins in the midSle 
with the flesh sides together, roll up, 
and put away for 6 or 8 days, pro- 
tected from water and vermin. Then 
brush away the mixture, apply neat's- 
foot oil warm with a brush, and rub 
the skin between the hands until it 
is pliable. 

Or wash the skins with strong suds 
and water to remove dirt from the 
wool, soak them over night in soap 
and water, and tack them, flesh side 
down, over a barrel to dry. When 
nearly dry, remove them, clean off 
any pieces of flesh or fat that re- 
main, and rub prepared chalk over 
the skin until no more can be rubbed 
in. Then rub with powdered alum, 
and sprinkle alum thickly over the 
flesh side. 

Or, instead of chalk and alum, rub 
the skins with a mixture of saltpeter 
and alum, afterwards fold the skins 
with the flesh sides together, roll 



them up tightly and lay them away 
for a week where they will be per- 
fectly dry. Finally rub down the 
flesh side with a damp cloth dipped 
in pumice or rotten stone to smooth 
and polish. This is a suitable treat- 
ment for coon, squirrel, and other 
skins used for caps, for sheepskins 
and goatskins used for rugs, for 
lambskins used for coats and vests, 
and for all similar purposes. 

TANNING AND CARE OE LEATHER 

Grain Side Black for Leather. — 
Throw into a tight tub or cask a 
quantity of old iron; fill it nearly 
full of salt water, and add 1 pint of 
sulphuric acid. Stir occasionally with 
a stick, and in a month or two it will 
be first-rate blacking for the grain 
side of leather. This is also suitable 
for boot, shoe, and harness edges. 

Or dissolve 2 ounces of ground log- 
wood and 12 ounces of bablah in 12^ 
pounds of water. Boil down to 6J 
pounds, and filter through cheese 
cloth, and add 1 ounce of powdered 
gum arabic, 1 ounce of sugar, and 3 
ounces of copperas. Add also 1 or 2 
drams of corrosive sublimate to pre- 
vent mold. 

Or boil I ounce of extract of log- 
wood in 2 quarts of water 2 or 3 min- 
utes. Remove from the fire, and add 
96 grains of gum arabic, 48 grains of 
bichromate of potash, and 8 grains of 
prussiate of potash. 



518 



LEATHER, INK, AND MISCELLANEOUS 



519 



Or, to blacken tan leather, make a 
saturated solution of copperas in 
water and apply with a swab. 

Care of Harness. — Wash harness 
frequently with a sponge or cham- 
ois and warm water, but without 
soap, and apply oil before the leather 
is fully dry. The use of varnishes 
should as a rule be omitted, but the 
harness should be frequently wiped 
over with a cloth moistened in a good 
harness oil, as neat's-foot or castor 
oil, or a combination of 1 part castor 
oil with 3 parts neat's-foot oil; or a 
mixture of 1 pint of neat's-foot oil, 
9 ounces of beef tallow, and 1^ 
tablespoonfuls of lampblack. To this 
add 3 ounces of beeswax for summer 
use. 

Care of leather Furniture. — To 
restore leather furniture, first wash 
the leather with a sponge and warm 
water to remove the dirt. Or wash 
the leather with a cloth wrung out of 
hot milk, and varnish with the white 
of an egg. 

Or apply a thin coating of cream, 
and rub off with a soft cloth. 

Or rub with a small piece of pre- 
pared wax. 

Or take 6 ounces of eggs, yolks 
and whites beaten together, 1 ounce 
of molasses, 1 ounce of isinglass, and 
5 ounces of water. Dissolve the isin- 
glass in the water with gentle heat, 
mix with the other ingredients, and 
color with lampblack. 

Or beat together the yolks of 2 
eggs and the white of 1, add 1 table- 
spoonful of alcohol and 1 tea- 
spoonful of sugar, and thicken with 
ivory black. The two last, of course, 
apply only to black leather. They 
are suitable for leather belts, leather 
bags, and all black leather objects 
or articles. 

To Remove Grease from Leather. 
— To remove grease and oil stains 
from leather, apply pipe clay pow- 
dered, and mixed with water to a 
thick cream. Let stand two or three 
hours, and repeat if necessary. 

Or apply the white of an egg to 
the stain, and dry in the sun. 

Or make a paste of boiled mealy 



potatoes, vinegar, and turpentine. Ap- 
ply to the stain, let dry, and rub off. 

Or sponge with a flannel cloth 
dipped in alcohol. 

To remove mildew, apply vaseline 
with a flannel cloth. 

To remove ink from leather, touch 
the spot with water to see if the ink 
runs. If it does, it is probably nigro- 
sine or eosin or some other coal-tar 
ink. In that case apply a paste of 
baking soda in water; keep it mois- 
tened till the ink is absorbed. If it 
does not run, apply oxalic acid mois- 
tened with water. When the ink is 
absorbed, rinse with aqua ammonia 
and water to neutralize the acid. 

BOOTS AND SHOES 

Care of Boots and Shoes. — The 
great enemy of leather, especially 
patent leather, is heat. Extreme heat 
tends to rob the leather of its vital- 
ity and causes it to break and crack. 
Damp shoes should never be placed 
near a stove to dry, since if heated 
enough to give off the characteristic 
odor of leather they may be singed 
and ruined. Rubber overshoes also 
tend to destroy the strength of leath- 
er by retaining the animal heat. 
Hence they should not be worn more 
than is necessary. 

To Dry Shoes. — Place damp shoes 
on their sides in a warm room, in a 
draught of dry air if possible, but 
not near a fire. 

Or heat bran or sand and with this 
fill two old stockings, tying the tops 
tightly. Put the shoes on these as 
on shoe trees. 

Or stuff the wet shoes full of dry 
crumpled newspaper. 

To Restore Softness to Leather. — 
Rub boots or shoes, that have become 
hard from being wet, with 'neat's-foot 
oil or castor oil as warm as the hands 
will bear. Apply with a sponge and 
rub it in with the fingers. 

To Preserve Boots and Shoes. — 
Pour a little boiled linseed oil in a 
tin pan or plate, and let the shoes 
stand in this until the soles are sat- 
urated. This oil dries rapidly and 



520 



JHOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



renders fhe soles tough and hard. But 
do not apply linseed oil to the ujjper 
leathers. Use neat's-foot oil or castor 
oil for this purpose, to render them 
soft and pliable. Apply to the seams 
a good waterproof varnish by means 
of a feather or pencil brush. Keep 
the upper leathers clean and oil oc- 
casionally before polishing. Go over 
the bottom and edges of the soles 
occasionally with one or two coats of 
hard white copal or otlier varnish. 
Boots and shoes treated in this way 
will last much longer than usual and 
be practically impervious to moisture. 

To Clean Boots and Shoes. — Pro- 
vide three good brushes, one hard to 
brush off the mud, another soft to 
apply blacking, and a third of medi- 
um hardness for polishing. If cov- 
ered with mud, wash off the dirt with 
a damp sponge, dry, and rub with 
neat's-foot oil before polishing. Do 
not scrape off the mud with a knife. 
Use a stiff brush rather than a knife 
to clean mud from the seams. 

Once a week rub leather shoes at 
night with milk. Polish next morning 
as usual. Milk freshens the leather. 
To clean upper leathers, mix 1 ounce 
of oxalic acid with 1 ounce of whits 
vitriol, and dilute with IJ pints of 
water. Wash the leather, apply this 
mixture with a sponge, and rinse with 
a sponge wet in a little clear water 
containing a teaspoonful of ammonia 
to neutralize the acid. 

Or wash with clear water. When 
nearly dry, rub with kerosene or a 
mixture of equal parts of kerosene 
and glycerin. 

Care of Boots and Shoes. — Have 
two or more pairs, and wear them al- 
ternately to let the leatha.r dry and 
rest. When not in use, keep them on 
wooden shoe trees. 

Or make homemade shoe trees by 
filling a pair of thick socks or stock- 
ings that fit the feet with fine, clean 
sawdust or bran, and tie the tops 
tightly. These shoe trees will absorb 
the perspiration and keep the shoes 
in perfect shape. The socks can be 
emptied, washed, and refilled when 
necessary. These shoe trees can be 



easily made and are a great aid in 
preserving shoes. On taking the shoes 
off, stretch out the wrinkles and bend 
the soles straight. Keep buttons sewed 
on and set back as far as is comfort- 
able for the foot. If the heels be- 
come worn, have them straightened at 
once. 

Shoe Cleaner. — A large, coarse 
scrubbing brush hanging near the 
kitchen door is a good and cheap 
shoe cleaner in muddy weather, es- 
pecially when children are running in 
and out. 

Or nail or screw a coarse-fibered 
scrubbing brush, bristle side up, to 
the edge of the doorstep. 

Tight Shoes. — If the soles of shoes 
are of the right size, but the uppers 
do not quite fit the foot, put on the 
shoes and sponge the uppers with hot 
water, letting the shoes dry on the 
feet. 

Or lay a folded cloth wet in hot 
water over the spot that pinches. Re- 
peat several times if necessary. 

Or press against the lining with the 
curve of a button hook so as to 
stretch the leather outward. Work 
thus over a circular spot outwardly 
from the point that seems to be tight- 
est. This is often done by salesmen 
in large shoe stores. 

Or, to ease a swollen joint, have a 
shoe repairer cut a slit in the leather 
an inch or two long close to and 
parallel with the sole on the inside 
of the shoe where the swollen joint 
comes. Stretch the shoe, and over the 
opening between the leather and the 
sole fit in a patch of soft leather to 
match the material of the shoe. Stitch 
the patch to the sole, but paste its 
upper edge over the upper leather of 
the shoe to avoid a ridge of stitches. 
Such a patch properly cemented is 
hardly discernible. 

To draw on tight shoes, if a, ohoe 
horn is not convenient, use two or 
three thicknesses of newspaper or the 
inside of a towel. Warm a tight shoe 
slightly before trying it en. 

To Stop Creaking in Boots and 
Shoes. — The creaking or squeaking 
of boots and shoes is caused by the 



LEATHER, INK, AND MISCELLANEOUS 



521 



rubbing against each other, while 
walking, of the two or more pieces of 
leather that make the sole. This is 
prevented in the finer grades of shoes 
by careful adjustment of the pieces, 
smoothing their surfaces, and the use 
of lubricants, prepared chalk, and 
the like. 

If shoes squeak, saturate the soles 
with linseed oil, sweet oil, or melted 
lard. Let the shoes stand in one of 
these lubricants over night. 

Or drive a few small pegs across 
the middle of the sole. 

Or, if necessary, have a shoemaker 
take oflf the soles, and dust some 
powdered soapstone or French chalk 
between them. 

Shoe Strings. — Pound the tin fiats 
on the ends of new shoe strings be- 
fore using them. They will not pull 
off so readily. If they come off, wax 
the end of the lace, and with a nee- 
dleful of well-waxed thread begin an 
inch back from the end, take a back 
stitch, wind the thread around the 
lace twice, and stitch through the 
lace to the end and back. Beeswax 
stiffens the end, and the stitches keep 
the winding thread from unwinding. 
Wax the laces, especially for chil- 
dren, to prevent them from con- 
stantly getting untied. 

Or wet the finger and place it on 
the knot part of the tie just before 
drawing it up tight. 

Or tie a bow like an ordinary bow- 
knot, but whip one loop in under- 
neath the bow and the first knot. 
Pull it tightly together. 

When a shoe string breaKS and a 
new one is not available, sew the 
ends together instead of tying them 
in a knot. 

For Nails in Shoes. — Cut an insole 
of thin pasteboard, as the side of a 
cracker box. The nails will not hurt 
the feet, and the pasteboard lasts a 
long time. 

To Keep on Pumps. — Fasten a 
small piece of elastic two inches long 
across the heel inside. Attach the 
ends only. When the pump is drawn 
on, the elastic stretches tight over the 
ball of the heel and prevents its slip- 



ping off. Fasten other pieces of elas- 
tic on either side of the instep so as 
to be stretched when tne pump is on. 
This prevents its gaping at the sides. 

Or sew a piece of chamois to the 
lining inside the heel. 

To Mend House Shoes.— When the 
soles of house shoes and slippers be- 
gin to wear, cut a piece of kid from 
the top of an old shoe and glue it 
over the worn sole. Go over the bot- 
tom and edges with hard white copal 
or other varnish applied warm. 

Care of Kid Boots. — Kid tends to 
harden and crack. Hence it should 
be kept clean and rubbed once a 
week with castor oil. 

Or, to soften kid, melt equal quan- 
tities of tallow and olive oil. First 
wash the kid with warm water, dry, 
and apply the mixture with a flannel 
cloth. 

To restore the color to black kid, 
mix ink with the white of an egg 
and apply with a soft sponge. 

White Kid. — Dip a clean white 
flannel cloth in a little ammonia and 
rub lightly over a cake of white 
soap. Rub the soiled spots gently, 
changing the cloth as soon as it be- 
came soiled. Or wet a clean v/hite 
flannel cloth in benzine. Rub lightly, 
taking care not to rub the dirt in. 
Hang in the open air to dry. Re- 
member benzine is inflammable. 

To Clean White Canvas Shoes. — 
Place them on boot trees, or stuff 
the shoes full of newspapers rubbed 
between the hands until they are 
quite soft. Next scrub the shoes 
with good hard white soap and a 
little warm water. Then mix pipe 
clay with water to a stiff paste, ap- 
ply with a clean white flannel cloth, 
and let dry. When dry, rub slightly 
with clean white flannel. 

To Polish Tan Shoes. — Wash the 
shoes clean with a sponge and warm 
water. Wipe with a dry cloth and 
let dry. Then rub freely with the 
inside of a banana peel. Wipe care- 
fully with a soft cloth and polish 
with cotton flannel. There is consid- 
erable coloring matter and tannic 
acid in banana peel, and this polish 



522 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



is fully as satisfactory as any tan 
dressing on the market. 

Orange juice is also excellent for 
the same purpose. 

Or shave a tablespoonful of white 
soap in a little lukewarm water; add 
a pinch of powdered borax and two 
or three drops of ammonia. Apply 
this with a nailbrush, scrubbing vig- 
orously, rinse with lukewarm water, 
and let dry. 

To darken tan shoes, apply am- 
monia with a clean flannel cloth. 
Then polish as usual. 

OVEBSHOES 

Box for Overshoes. — Take up the 
boards from the back doorstep, cleat 
and hinge them, and make a box un- 
derneath for the family rubbers. 

Or make a shoe pocket to hang on 
the back of the outside door. Take 
a piece of any old waste material the 
v/'dth of the door, fold it upon itself 
about two thirds of the width, and 
stitch pockets on the sewing machine 
of a suitable width and number for 
the family overshoes. Turn a head- 
ing at the top, through which run a 
curtain stick, and attach brass rings 
to the top to hang it up by. Line 
the pockets, if desired, with oilcloth 
to facilitate washing. 

Care of Overshoes. — ^Wash the dirt 
from rubber overshoes with a wet 
sponge. It will tend to rot them if 
left to dry on. After the newness 
has worn off, apply an ordinary paste 
polish, the same as for leather. 

To Dry Rubber Boots. — If rubber 
boots become wet on the inside, heat 
oats or coarse sand or newspapers 
crumpled until they are quite soft. 
Fill the boots with any of these. 
Repeat if necessary. 

To Mend Rubbers. — If shoes are 
allowed to run down at the heel, 
overshoes will quickly wear out in 
the heel. To prevent this, replace the 
heels of shoes promptly. 

Or glue a little crumpled paper in 
the heel of the overshoe. If the heel 
wears out when the rest of the over- 
shoe is good, it can be mended by a 



shoe repairer for about five cents a 
heeL Or anyone can mend it by 
means of rubber cement. Cut a 
patch from an old overshoe. Rub 
the patch and the shoe with sand- 
paper to get a clean surface. Apply 
rubber cement thickly to both patch 
and shoe and let the cement dry. Do 
this four or five times. Then apply 
a last coat and put on the patch 
while the cement is still tacky. Let 
dry under a weight. 

WATERPROOFING lEATHER 

To Oil Boots, — Sponge with warm 
water, and when nearly, but not 
quite, dry rub with kerosene oil or 
neat's-foot oil or castor oil. 

Or dissolve 1 ounce of pure par- 
affin in 1 pint of the best lard oil by 
means of gentle heat. 
_ Apply any of these with a sponge 
as warm as the hands will bear, and 
rub in with the palm and fingers. 
Let dry and repeat. Use plenty of 
elbow grease. 

To Waterproof Leather. — Sub- 
stances recommended for water- 
proofing leather are various animal 
fats and oils, as beef and mutton tal- 
low, suet, neat's-foot oil, castor oil, 
wax, rosin, pitch, solution of India 
rubber, and various preparations of 
varnish. The animal fats and oils, 
and wax or paraffin, are preferable 
to the vegetable oils, except castor 
oil, rosin, or any form of varnish. A 
solution of India rubber is perhaps 
the best material to apply to the 
seams. 

Linseed and other drying oils, es- 
pecially boiled oils, should not be 
used for upper leather, as they dry 
rapidly and have a tendency to make 
the leather stiff and hard. Most 
forms of varnish have also the same 
tendency. With these thoughts in 
mind, selection may be made from 
the following recipes: 

Melt together with gentle heat 
equal parts of beeswax and mutton tal- 
low. Mix to a soft paste with neat's- 
foot oil or castor oil, and color, if de- 
sired, with ivory black. Apply hot. 



LEATHER, INK, AND MISCELLANEOUS 



523 



Apply a mixture of equal parts of 
mutton suet and beeswax without 
other ingredients. 

Or mix with gentle heat 4 ounces 
of beef suet, 2 ounces of beeswax, 1 
ounce of rosin, 2 ounces of neat's- 
foot oil, and 1 ounce of lampblack, 
and apply hot. 

Or mix with gentle heat raw lin- 
seed oil, 8 ounces; suet, 4 ounces; 
wax, 3 ounces; rosin, ^ ounce; tur- 
pentine, 2| ounces, and apply hot. 

Or mix | pound of boiled linseed 
oil, 1 ounce of rosin, 3 ounces of wax, 
and 4 ounces of dryer (litharge, red 
lead, or sugar of lead), and boil im- 
til the mixture becomes stringy. 
Thin with 1^ pounds of oil of tur- 
pentine. Apply one or more coats 
with a brush while warm. 

Or melt 1 pound of tallow and ^ 
pound of rosin, and apply hot with 
a brush all the leather will absorb. 
To polish, dissolve 1 ounce of wax in 
spirits of turpentine and add 1 ounce 
of lampblack. Apply this after the 
tallow and rosin mixture has thor- 
oughly dried, thus producing a wax 
polish on the surface, but remember 
that this process tends to shrink the 
leather. 

Or mix 2 ounces of mutton suet, 
6 ounces of beeswax, 2 ounces of 
soft soap, 2J ounces of lampblack, 
and i ounce of powdered indigo. 
Dissolve with gentle heat, stir well, 
and add I pint of oil of turpentine. 

Melt together with gentle heat 4 
ounces of raw linseed oil, 5 ounces 
of boiled linseed oil, 4 ounces of 
suet, and 4 ounces of beeswax. Apply 
hot. 

Or melt together with gentle heat 
8 ounces of boiled linseed oil, 2 
ounces of beeswax, 2 ounces of tur- 
pentine, and i ounce of Burgundy 
pitch. Apply hot, while the leather 
is warm and dry, until thoroughly 
saturated. Let dry before wearing. 

Or melt together with gentle heat 
castor oil, 5 ounces; Burgundy pitch, 
2 drams. When cold, add | ounce of 
spirits of turpentine. 

India-rubber Mixtures. — Dissolve 
with gentle heat in J pint of neat's- 



foot oil as much India rubber from 
an old pair of rubber overshoes or 
rubber boots as the oil will contain. 
Tear out the cloth lining, cut the 
rubber up in shreds with a pair of 
shears, cover with the oil, and let 
stand two or three days on the stove 
until melted. It must not boil or 
burn. When melted, add 12 ounces 
of mutton tallow, 4 ounces of bees- 
wax, and color with lampblack or 
ivory black if desired. Apply this 
mixture when warm to warm leather 
previously washed clean and nearly 
dry. Apply with a sponge and rub 
in with the hands until fully satu- 
rated. This composition thoroughly 
waterproofs leather boots and shoes. 

Or melt together 4 ounces of 
neat's-foot oil, 4 ounces of beeswax, 
and 2 ounces of India rubber until 
thoroughly blended. Apply hot with 
a brush to warm, clean leather. 

Or dissolve in | pint of camphene 
as much India rubber as possible. 
Pour off the clear liquor, and to this 
add Currier's oil, i pint; tallow, 3 
pounds; lampblack, 1 ounce. Mix 
with gentle heat. 

Shellac Varnish. — Put in a glass 
bottle or fruit jar 4 ounces of gum 
shellac. Cover with alcohol and let 
stand until dissolved. Add 1 ounce 
of gum camphor and ^ ounce of 
lampblack. Shake, and mix thorough- 
ly until dissolved. Thin, if necessary, 
with alcohol, and apply with a brush. 
This covers the leather with a water- 
proof coating having a high polish, 
but is hard, brittle, and tends to 
crack. 

Or mix 1 pint of alcohol, 3 ounces 
of white turpentine, 3 ounces of gum 
shellac, and i ounce of Venetian tur- 
pentine in a glass fruit jar, and let 
stand in a warm place until dis- 
solved. Add i ounce of sweet oil 
and J ounce of lampblack. This is a 
flexible varnish which will not check 
or crack. 

Or mix 2 quarts of alcohol, * 
ounce of sulphuric acid, and 12 
ounces of gum shellac. Let stand 
until dissolved and add 2 ounces of 
ivory black. Mix and let stand 24 



524 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



hours. Pour off the top and apply 
with a brush. 

French Varnish. — Dissolve in 2^ 
pints of white wine or best vinegar 
3 ounces of loaf sugar and 4 ounces 
of powdered gum Senegal. Strain 
through cheese cloth and put over a 
slow fire, but do not let it come to 
a boil. Add 1 ounce of powdered 
galls, 2 ounces of green copperas, 
and J pint of alcohol. Stir for 5 
minutes. Remove from the fire, and 
when nearly cool strain through 
cheese cloth and bottle. Apply with 
a brush. 

Or melt with gentle heat in a 
double boiler J pint of alcohol, 1 
ounce of gum benzoin, and | ounce 
of gum sandarac or gum anime. 
Strain, and add ^ gill of poppy oil. 

Or dissolve in 8 ounces of turpen- 
tine 3 ounces of copal varnish and 
i ounce of India rubber. Dissolve 
separately i ounce of beeswax in 8 
ounces of boiled linseed oil. Mix and 
add 14 ounces of litharge. Bring to 
a boil and bottle for use. 

SLACKING LEATHEB 

Blacking for Leather. — The pig- 
ments chiefly used in making shoe 
and harness blackings are lampblack 
and ivory black. Logwood is some- 
times used in liquid blackings, and 
indigo and Prussian blue are some- 
times added in small quantities. 

Lampblack is finely powdered car- 
bon, resulting from the imperfect 
combustion of gases from substances 
containing carbon, as gas tar, wood 
tar, petroleum, and soft resinous 
woods. These substances are burned 
in a fireplace having a long flue, con- 
necting with a series of chambers in 
which lampblack is deposited accord- 
ing to its fineness. The last chamber 
receives on a cloth screen the finest 
black of all. Hence lampblack varies 
in quality according to its degree of 
fineness. Crude lampblack contains 
some oily, tarry, and resinous mat- 
ters which prevents its mixing freely 
with water. Hence, in preparing 
blacking for leather, it is customary 



to add a small amount of oil of 
vitriol or other acid, which chars and 
destroys these foreign substances, 
leaving the lampblack nearly pure 
carbon. 

Ivory Black, bone black, or animal 
charcoal is produced by burning 
bones in close vessels. Various gases 
are driven off, leaving about one half 
the weight of the original bones in 
solid form. This is crushed and 
sifted, producing bone black, which 
varies in quality according to the de- 
gree of fineness. 

Animal charcoal is a very power- 
ful absorbent of gases and of various 
substances from solutions. Under 
the name " ivory black " it is much 
used as a pigment in the preparation 
of shoe and harness blackings on ac- 
count of its property of absorbing 
other substances, and thus producing 
a_ smooth and uniform mixture. It is 
somewhat more expensive than lamp- 
black, to which it is usually pre- 
ferred. 

Paste Blacking consists of a mix- 
ture of these pigments with molasses 
or sugar and various animal oils and 
fats or vegetable oils, more or less 
diluted with water, spirits, or vine- 
gar, and with the addition of sul- 
phuric acid or hydrochloric acid, or a 
mixture of these. The ordinary liq- 
uid blackings known as French pol- 
ishes consist of the same pigments, 
with the addition of small quantities 
of gums or gelatin diluted with wa- 
ter, spirits, vinegar, or turpentine. 
Another class of liquid blackings, 
however, is formed of logwood, with 
the addition of small quantities of 
indigo or Prussian blue. 

Paste Blacking. — Mix with gentle 
heat 1 pound of ivory black, 8 ounces 
of molasses, and 2 ounces of sweet 
oil. Dissolve separately 2 ounces of 
hydrochloric acid in 4 ounces of wa- 
ter, and 4 ounces of sulphuric acid in 
8 ounces of water. Mix the solutions, 
and add the mixture in a thin stream 
to the other ingredients, stirring vig- 
orously. This is the ordinary Ger- 
man paste blacking of commerce. 

Mix 4 ounces of ivory black with 



LEATHER, INK, AND MISCELLANEOUS 



525 



1 tablespoonful of alcohol. Stir in 
1 fluid ounce of sweet oil and J pint 
of molasses. Add 1 ounce of hydro- 
chloric acid and 1 ounce of sulj^huric 
acid. 

Or, to make large quantities for 
sale, mix 50 pounds of ivory black, 
12 pounds of molasses, and 1 gallon 
of rape oil. Dilute lOJ pounds of 
oil of vitriol with 1 gallon of water, 
add this solution to the other sub- 
stances in a thin stream, mixing thor- 
oughly with a wooden shorel, and 
when stirred cover tightly, and let 
stand 24 hours. 

Or mix 4 ounces of ivory black, 3 
ounces of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon- 
ful of sweet oil, and 1 pint of beer. 

Or mix 3 ounces of ivory blr.ck, 2 
ounces of molasses, 1 ounce of sul- 
phuric acid, 1 ounce of gum arable 
dissolved in water, 1 tablespoonful of 
sweet oil, and ^ pint of vinegar. 

Or mix 2 ounces of sulphuric acid 
with 4 ounces of tannin oil. Let 
stand 48 hours. Add 5 ounces of 
molasses and 1 pound of ivory black. 
This is a celebrated commercial ar- 
ticle. 

Or mix 8 ounces 0,f ivory black 
and 8 ounces of molasses. Add ^ 
ounce of powdered alum, 1 dram of 
turpentine, 1 ounce of sulphuric acid, 
and 2 ounces of raw linseed oil. 

Liquid Blacking. — Mix 4 ounces 
of ivory black with 1 tablespoonful 
of alcohol. Add 1 fluid ounce of 
sweet oil and ^ pint ol nolasses; 
mix, and add 1 ounce of hydrochloric 
acid and 1 ounce of sulphuric acid. 
Stir in 3 pints of vinegar. 

Or mix 3 ounces of ivory black, 1 
quart of molasses, and 1 pint of 
sweet ofl. Add 12 ounces of sulphuric 
acid. Stir in 8 ounces of coarse brown 
sugar. Thin with stale beer. 

Or 4 ounces of molasses, i ounce 
of lampblack, 1 teaspoonful of yeast, 
and 1 teaspoonful of oil of turpen- 
tine. Apply with a sponge. 

Or 1 pound of ivory black, 4 
ounces of brown sugar, and the 
whites of 6 eggs. Mix, dilute with 
beer, and simmer with gentle heat, 
but without boiling, for 10 minutes. 



Dissolve in 2 quarts of water 1 
ounce of best logwood extract. Bring 
the solution with gentle heat nearly 
to the boiling point, but do not boil. 
Add 1 dram of bichloride of potash 
and 1 dram of yellow prussiate of 
potash. Stir until the mixture turns 
to a deep blue. Stir in 1^ ounces of 
powdered borax until dissolved. Add 
1 ounce of aqua ammonia and 8 
ounces of shellac, and stir until all 
are dissolved. Bottle for use. 

Or mix 1 pint of best vinegar with 
i pint of soft water. Add 2 ounces 
of pulverized blue, 4 ounces of log- 
wood chips, 2 ounces of powdered in- 
digo, 2 ounces of castile-soap jelly, 
and I ounce of isinglass. Boil 15 
minutes and strain through cheese 
cloth. Cork tightly. 

Or mix equal quantities of glycerin 
and black ink. Apply with a brush 
or swab. 

Or dissolve 4 ounces of shellac in 
3 pints of alcohol. Add 1 ounce of 
gum camphor, and when dissolved 
stir in 1 ounce of lampblack. Apply 
with a brush. 

Care of Patent Leather. — Clean 
patent-leather shoes with a sponge 
and warm water. Warm the leather 
with gentle heat, but take care not to 
get it too hot, and apply sweet oil or 
olive oil with or without an equal 
quantity of turpentine. Apply the 
oil with a sponge or cloth, and rub 
with the palm of the hands while the 
leather is warm. Apply ordinary 
blacking to the edges of the sole, or 
liquid varnish blacking with a sponge 
or brush, but do not apply paste or 
liquid blackings to patent leather. 

Or mix in 1 quart of water 4 
ounces of molasses, i ounce of lamp- 
black, J ounce of sweet oil, i ounce 
of gum arable, and ^ ounce of 
isinglass. Stir together with gentle 
heat. Cool and add 1 ounce of al- 
cohol and, if convenient, the gall of 
an ox. 

Or, to replace the enamel when it 
becomes cracked or chipped, mix 2 
ounces of Prussian blue, 1 ounce of 
ivory black, and 1 quart of linseed 
oil. Melt with gentle heat, grinding 



526 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



the pigments carefutly in the oil. 
Apply two coats with a brush. Then 
add to the mixture 2 ounces of amber 
or copal varnish, and apply this as 
a last resort. When dry polish with 
a moist cloth dipped in powdered 
pumice. 

To Clean Harness. — Never apply 
oil or blacking to leather which is 
dry or dirty. First wash the leather 
free from dirt or grease with soap 
and water. Then apply the oil, and 
finally blacken and polish. Prepare 
a tub full of soapsuds, hot but not 
boiling; take the harness to pieces, 
put these in the hot suds, and let 
them soak over night. Then remove 
the pieces, scrape them clean with a 
stiff brush, and rub dry with a 
coarse cloth. 

Apply with a brush a black dye 
made by dissolving with gentle heat 

1 ounce of extract of logwood and 
12 grains of bichromate of potash in 

2 quarts of water. Bottle and cork 
for use. 

Let the harness stand under shade 
in a draught for three or four hours, 
and apply warm neat's-foot oil with 
a brush. Follow with a second coat 
of one third castor oil and two 
thirds neat's-foot oil mixed, and wipe 
dry with a woolen cloth. 

Or mix neat's-foot oil with a small 
quantity of ivory black, but do not 
use lampblack, as it will rub off. A 
second oiling should usually be given. 
Treating a harness in this way three 
or four times a year will more than 
double its wear. 

Or add to each quart of neat's-foot 
oil ] ounce of beeswax. Simmer 
with gentle heat until dissolved, and 
add ^ pound of oil of tar. Stir un- 
til dissolved, and apply to clean, 
warm, slightly moist leather surfaces. 

To make this waterproof, add 1 
dram of India rubber dissolved in 1 
ounce of naphtha; or mix with gentle 
heat 2 ounces of beeswax and 1 pint 
of neat's-foot oil. Dissolve 1 ounce 
of gum arable in 1 gill of hot water. 
Shave fine 1 pound of castile soap, 
and dissolve in 1 gill of hot water. 
Mix all together and simmer with 



gentle heat to the right consistency. 
Apply to clean, warm, and slightly 
moist leather. 

Or dissolve with gentle heat 2 
ounces of white wax and 3 ounces of 
turpentine. Stir in 1 ounce of ivory 
black and 1 dram of indigo. Apply 
while warm a very thin coat with a 
brush, and polish with a soft brush 
or cloth. Apply to harness which 
has previously been washed and oiled. 

Or dissolve with gentle heat in a 
double boiler 1| pounds of stearin in 
2-i pounds of turpentine. Stir con- 
stantly while heating. When dis- 
solved, stir in 1 ounce of ivory black; 
remove from the fire, and stir con- 
stantly until cold, otherwise it will 
crystallize and the ingredients will 
separate. Apply warm with a cloth 
a very thin coat and partially dry. 
Polish with silk or chamois. This 
gives a very high gloss and does not 
injure the leather. 

Or cut fresh lard with kerosene oil, 
and add ivory black to color. Apply 
warm with a brush. This is cheap, 
handy, and generally useful. 

Or melt 2 ounces of black rosin, 
and add 3 ounces of beeswax. Re- 
move from the fire, and add ^ ounce 
of ivory black and ^ dram of Prus- 
sian blue. Rub up smoothly to- 
gether and thin to soft paste with 
turpentine. Apply with a cloth and 
polish with a brush. 

Or melt 2 ounces of mutton suet 
and 6 ounces of beeswax. . Add 6 
ounces of brown sugar, 2 ounces of 
castile-soap jelly, and 1 ounce of in- 
digo. Melt with gentle heat, mix, and 
stir in 1 gill of turpentine. Apply 
with a sponge or cloth and polish 
with a brush. 

Black Varnish Jet or Polish for 
Leather. — Dissolve with gentle heat 
3 sticks of any color of sealing wax 
desired in 1 pint of 95 per cent alco- 
hol, and apply warm with a sponge 
or brush. For carriage bodies, dash- 
boards, and the like, apply first, to 
save extra coats, a dye of copperas 
water or logwood, and afterwards lay 
on the varnish. 

Or to 1 gallon of alcohol add 1 



LEATHER, INK, AND MISCELLANEOUS 



527 



ounce of sulphuric acid. Stir in li 
pounds of gum shellac. Let stand 
2 or 3 days or until dissolved, and 
add 4 ounces of ivory black. Let 
stand 24 hours and pour off the thin 
liquid from the top. This recipe is 
waterproof and is a suitable polish 
for all leather. It is a commercial 
article which sells on the market at 
about 25 cents an ounce. 

Black Balls for Leather. — Melt to- 
gether 2 ounces of lard, 8 ounces of 
neat's-foot oil, 2 ounces of wax, and 
8 ounces of brown sugar in 8 ounces 
of water. Bring the whole to a boil, 
and stir in 10 ounces of ivory black. 
Remove from the fire and stir con- 
stantly until it cools, then roll into 
balls two inches in diameter. 

Or melt 4 ounces of tallow and 2 
pounds of beeswax, and add 4 ounces 
of lampblack mixed with 4 ounces 
of gum arable. Stir together and 
roll into balls. 

Melt together beeswax, 8 ounces; 
ivory black, 2 ounces; turpentine, 1 
ounce; Prussian blue ground in oil, 1 
ounce, and copal varnish, J ounce. 
Make into balls. 

WRITING INK 

Ink. — Inks are of several classes, as 
writing inks, marking or indelible 
inks, and printing inks. Writing inks 
may be black or colored. Black writ- 
ing inks are chiefly nutgall iron inks, 
made from a solution of Aleppo nut- 
galls vdth copperas; chrome logwood 
inks, made by the addition of 1 part of 
potassium chromate to 1,000 parts of 
saturated solution of logwood; aniline 
inks, made of coal-tar products, as 
nigrosine, eosin, etc., and carbon inks, 
made of a resinous alkaline solution 
mixed with lampblack. Marking inks 
are chiefly lampblack, or nitrate of 
silver. Colored inks are now made 
chiefly of aniline coal-tar products. 
It is important to understand the na- 
ture of these different materials in 
order to choose the various kinds of 
ink required; to make them properly, 
if desirable, either for home use or 
for sale; to keep them properly, and 



to erase them when they produce any 
accidental stains. These points are 
the more imjjortant for the reason 
that since the use of coal-tar colors 
or aniline dyes, especially nigrosine, 
dating from about 186T, old-fashioned 
recipes for taking out ink stains have 
become untrustworthy. Unfortunate- 
ly, a great many of these recipes 
taken from old books are still being 
published. Hence care must be 
taken not to be misled by instruc- 
tions which were correct when they 
were first given, but can no longer be 
relied on. 

To Make Black Ink. — Formerly 
black ink was usually made by ex- 
posing to the air a solution of green 
vitriol in an infusion of gallnuts in 
water containing dissolved gum, sug- 
ar, or mucilage. The result was a 
fine precipitate of tannate of iron 
held in suspension by the gum. Writ- 
ing done with these inks was of a pale- 
brown color, which, however, turned 
black on the paper. They are still in 
use, and recipes for making them will 
be given; but they are open lo the 
objections that they corrode steel 
pens, tend to settle on standing, and 
the writing fades to a yellow or brown 
tint with age. Many old letters dat- 
ing from war times are in existence 
the writing of which is almost faded 
from the paper. 

Modern inks of this sort are im- 
proved by the addition of a little 
free sulphuric acid, which prevents 
the tannate of iron from forming a 
precipitate or powder. Hence they 
are true solutions. The addition of 
a little indigo, carmine, or aniline blue 
is also an improvement. This is one 
of the reasons why modern inks can- 
not be removed by old-fashioned rec- 
ipes, the acids which take out the 
stain of tannate of iron having no ef- 
fect on the modern coal-tar colors. 

Inks of this class are made com- 
mercially from Aleppo nutgalls and 
copperas, or from green vitriol. The 
nutgalls contain 60 to 70 per cent 
tannic acid and 3 to 5 per cent gallic 
acid. The galls are crushed, steeped 
in hot, not boiling, water, and strained. 



528 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



The infusion is mixed with a solution 
of copperas containing free sulphuric 
acid. Indigo and aniline blues are 
added, and also a solution of gum 
arable, the last ingredient enabling 
the writer to make light strokes with 
the pen and to prevent the ink from 
spreading too quickly. An antiseptic, 
usually carbolic or salicylic acid, is 
added to prevent mold. 

Some experiments will be required 
to make a good ink of this class, as 
the amount of tannin contained in 
nutgalls varies, and the amount ex- 
tracted by inexperienced persons va- 
ries still more. Recipes will be given 
for the use of nutgalls, but for home- 
made inks it will be found more con- 
venient, when possible, to buy tannic 
and gallic acids ready made than to 
extract them from nutgalls. We rec- 
ommend for a good homemade ink 
the following: 

Five ounces of tannin, 4 ounces of 
copperas, J ounce of indigo, carmine, 
or aniline blue, and 10 drops of sul- 
phuric acid. 

Or 5 ounces of gallic acid, 7 J ounces 
of copperas, | ounce of indigo, car- 
mine, or aniline blue, and 13 drops of 
sulphuric acid. The latter formula 
gives a finer quality of ink than the 
former, but it does not turn black so 
quickly. JJence a still better formula 
is a mixture of the two. 

Or 5 ounces of tannin, 5 ounces of 
gallic acid, 11^ ounces of copperas, 
1 ounce of indigo, carmine, or aniline 
blue, and 20 drops of sulphuric acid; 
or, for smaller quantities, the same 
proportions by weight. This mixture 
will be found an excellent ink for 
schools, offices, and domestic pur- 
poses. 

The following recipes will suggest 
interesting experiments in ink mak- 
ing: pulverized Aleppo galls, 3 
pounds; gum arable, 1 pound. Put 
these in an earthen jar and add 1 
gallon of boiling water. Let stand 
in a warm place for 3 weeks, stir- 
ring frequently. Add 1 pound of 
green copperas dissolved in IJ pints 
of water. Mix and let stand 2 or 
3 weeks, stirring daily. The addition 



of 4 ounces of aniline blue and 3 
ounces of sulphuric acid will improve 
this mixture. 

Or mix 2 ounces of crushed gall- 
nuts, 1 ounce of gum arable, and 1 
ounce of copperas with 16 ounces of 
soft water. Add 5 grains of corro- 
sive sublimate to prevent mold. Let 
stand for 2 weeks, shaking frequently, 
before using. 

A solution of logwood is often add- 
ed to the nutgall inks to give a strong- 
er black. Cover | pound of Aleppo 
bruised galls with 1 gallon of soft 
Waaler; let stand 3 weeks, stirring 
daily. Add 4 ounces of green cop- 
peras dissolved in 1 pint of water, 4 
ounces of logwood chips, 6 ounces of 
gum arable, and 2 ounces of alcohol. 
Stir, and let stand a week or 10 days 
before using. 

Mix 4 ounces of bruised Aleppo 
ga-Us, 2 ounces of thin logwood chips, 
and 3 quarts of soft water; boil down 
to 3 pints. Add 2 ounces of green 
copperas, lA ounces of powdered gum 
arable, J ounce of blue vitriol, and 
i oimce of brown sugar. Stir until 
dissolved, let stand 34 hours, strain, 
and bottle for use. 

Or mix 1 ounce of powdered cop- 
peras, 1 ounce of fine logwood chips, 
3 ounces of crushed Aleppo galls, 1 
ounce of gum arable, and 6| pounds 
of white wine or best vinegar. 

Or boil 4 ounces of logwood chips 
in 6 quarts of water down to 3 quarts. 
Strain, and add 2 quarts of cold 
water. Add to this solution -1 pound 
of bruised Aleppo galls, 4 ounces of 
sulphate of iron, and A ounce of ace- 
tate of copper. Rub to a smooth 
paste with a little of the logwood 
liquor. Add also 3 ounces of coarse 
sugar and 6 ounces of gum arable. 

Chrome Logwood Inks. — These inks 
are prepared by the addition of 1 
part of potassium chromate to 1,000 
parts of saturated solution of log- 
wood. Or boil the solution of log- 
wood with chloride or acetate of 
chromium. Inks of this class have no 
sediment, do not corrode steel pens, 
and do not turn moldy. Writing 
done with them may be soaked in 



LEATHER, INK, AND MISCELLANEOUS 



529 



water without the ink running or 
washing otf. They also have the ad- 
vantage over iron-gall inks that they 
will not fade. 

To make chrome logwood ink on a 
large scale, boil 22 pounds of logwood 
in 28 gallons of water down to 14 
gallons; when cold, to 1,000 parts of 
this infusion add gradually 1 part of 
yellow chromate of potash, stirring 
constantly. 

Or, for a small quantity, boil IJ 
ounces of thin logwood chips in 3 
pints of water down to 1 pint, and 
M'hen cold add 17 grains of yellow 
chromate of potash, stirring thor- 
oughly. Do not add gum or acid. To 
prevent mold, add a few drops of bi- 
chloride of mercury. 

Copying Inks. — Copying inks are 
of the same composition as ordinary 
writing inks, but thicker. Gum, sugar, 
and other sticky ingredients are used 
in copying inks to keep them from 
soaking into the paper before it is 
brought in contact with the moist 
tissue paper of the copying press. The 
largest number of copies from one 
writing is obtained by means of a 
strong decoction of logwood extract 
with alum or chloride of aluminum, 
and by the use of sheets of tissue 
copying paper previously soaked in 
chromate of potash. A small amount 
of the logwood solution unites with 
the chromate salt in the tissue paper 
to form a black compound. 

Or put 1 pound of powdered Alep- 
po galls in an earthen jar and cover 
with 2 gallons of rain water. Let 
stand 10 days. Add 4 ounces of 
clean copperas, 4 ounces of brown 
sugar, and 4 ounces of gimi arable 
dissolved with gentle heat in a little 
water. Put the whole in an iron ket- 
tle and boil down to 1 gallon. 

Or put 3 ounces of logwood ex- 
tract, 4 ounces of sal soda, and 18 
ounces of soft water in an earthen 
vessel, and set it in the oven until the 
solution becomes a deep red and the 
ingredients are all dissolved. Remove 
from the oven, and stir in 2 ounces 
of glycerin, 30 grains of yellow 
chromate of potash dissolved in a lit- 



tle water, and i ounce of gum arabic 
dissolved in water. Strain through 
cheese cloth and boil down to one half 
with gentle heat. 

Or add 1 teaspoonful of brown 
sugar to 1 pint of ordinary writing 
ink. To take a single copy from any 
of the above without a copying press?, 
first let the ink dry, then moisten a 
sheet of tissue paper or unsized writ- 
ing paper with water, but do not have 
it too wet. Lay it over the writing, 
and go over it with a warm flatiron. 

MARKING INKS 

Marking Inks. — On account of the 
resistance it offers to acids and other 
chemicals, carbon, in the form of 
lampblack, is often used as the basis 
of marking inks. But carbon cannot 
be dissolved. Hence it must be held 
in suspension in some gummy or res- 
inous liquid, and is not suitable for 
use with ordinary steel pens. Carbon 
marking inks are usually applied by 
means of a brush or a marking pen 
having a special point for this pur- 
pose. To make a carbon marking ink, 
boil 3 ounces of shellac and 3 ounces 
of baking soda in 1 quart of soft 
water until the shellac is dissolved. 
Stir in fine lampblack to the proper 
consistency, and thin with water as 
desired. 

Or dissolve 1 ounce of borax and 3 
ounces of shellac in 1 quart of water 
with gentle heat. Add 1 ounce of 
mucilage, and stir in equal quantities 
of indigo and lampblack to the right 
color and consistency. 

Or dissolve with gentle heat 35 
grains of powdered copal in 31 ounces 
of oil of lavender. Add 2i grains of 
lampblack and i grain of indigo. 
Used for marking glass bottles and 
other vessels containing chemical sub- 
stances of a corrosive nature. 

India Ink. — India or China ink is 
finely divided carbon mixed with a 
solution of gum arabic or glue, dried 
in wooden molds, and coated with 
animal wax. It is applied with a wet 
brush or by diluting a small quantity 
in water. 



530 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



To test India ink, draw a number 
of lines of different thicknesses on a 
piece of drawing paper. When bone 
drjr, apply water with a sponge. If 
the ink runs, it is of poor qualitJ^ 

To make a substitute for India ink, 
boil an old kid glove in water until it 
forms a thick size, which when cool 
is of a jellylike consistency. Hold a 
cold plate in the flame of a candle, 
and while it is still warm mix the 
lampblack which adheres to the plate 
with tlie size thus obtained. This mix- 
ture has all the qualities of a first- 
class India ink. This is a good dj^e 
with which to renovate black gloves 
that have become defaced. 

Indelible Ink. — The old-fashioned 
nitrate-of-silver ink is still commonly 
used for marking linen and for simi- 
lar purposes. To make an indelible 
ink, dissolve 1 ounce of nitrate of il- 
ver in 2i ounces of liquid ammonia. 
Dissolve separately with gentle heat 
I J ounces of gum arable and li 
oimces of carbonate of soda crystals. 
Mix the two solutions and let stand 
in a warm place. Add a few drops 
of solution of magenta. 

Or dissolve 1 ounce of nitrate of 
silver in 4 ounces of distilled water. 
Add strong liquid ammonia to dis- 
solve the resulting sediment. Stir in 
i ounce o:^_ gum arable and ^ ounce 
of sap green or powdered indigo. 

The most convenient way to apply 
indelible inks to linen is to have a 
brass stencil cut with the family name 
or monogram. Lay this over the linen 
and with a soft brush apply the ink 
through the cut-out spaces. A little 
practice on a piece of old linen will 
enable anyone to do this work quickly 
and well. The above inks are ready 
to be applied. 

Or another way of using marking 
inks is to first dip the linen in a solu- 
tion called the mordant, and after- 
wards apply the ink, M'hich then forms 
a chemical compound Math the fibers 
of the fabric. To do this, first mois- 
ten the linen with a mordant com- 
posed of 3 ounces of baking soda and 
i ounce of gum arabic dissolved with 
gentle heat in 8 ounces of water. Dry 



with a warm flatiron, and apply an 
ink composed of 1 ounce of nitrate 
of silver, 14 ounces of distilled water, 
and 1 ounce of sap green. This must 
be applied with a quill pen, a gold 
pen, or a brush, as a steel pen will de- 
compose the ink. 

Black Stencil Ink. — Rub to a 
smooth paste 4 ounces of lampblack 
and 8 ounces of Prussian blue with a 
little glycerin. Add 6 ounces of gum 
arabic dissolved with gentle heat in a 
small amoimt of water, and thin with 
glycerin to the right consistency. 

Or dissolve 1 ounce of aniline blue 
in 1 pint of water, and apply with a 
sponge. 

Or dissolve 1 ounce of asphaltum 
in 4 ounces of turpentine, stir in 
lampblack to color, and thin with 
turpentine as required. 

COLORED INKS 

Colored Writing Inks. — Inks may 
be made of almost any color by the 
use of suitable dyestuffs. The vari- 
ety and beauty of colored inks have 
been greatly increased by the discov- 
ery of the coal-tar products, known 
as aniline dyes. These are now in 
common use under various trade 
names. 

r,ci Ink. — Red ink may be made 
out of cochineal or Brazil wood, or 
the coal-tar colors known as puchsin, 
magenta, or eosin. These are readily 
soluble in water, but should have a 
few drops of corrosive subliinate or 
other antiseptic added to prevent 
mold. Eosin inks copy freely, but 
fade if exposed to sunlight. 

To make red ink, bring 1 gallon of 
the best vinegar to a boil with gentle 
heat, add 1 pound of Brazil wood, 
and simmer for half an hour. Stir in 
f pound of powdered alum and strain 
through cheese cloth. Add i gill of 
fresh gall to each quart of the ink. 
Cork tightly in glass bottles. 

Or boil for 1 hour 4 ounces of 
groxmd Brazil wood in 1 pint of di- 
luted acetic acid (1 part pure acid to 
10 parts water). Add J ounce of 
alum, strain, and add 1 ounce of 



LEATHER, INK, AND MISCELLANEOUS 



531 



gum arable dissolved in a little hot 
water. Use copper or enamel ware for 
the above. 

Or dissolve 10 grains of the best 
carmine lake in the least possible 
quantity of ammonia. Let stand 
24 hours and dilute with 2J fluid 
ounces of distilled water. 

Or boil 2 ounces of powdered 
cochineal and 3 ounces of cream of 
tartar with 8 oimces of water until 
dissolved. Strain, and add 1 ounce 
or a little more of carbonate of potas- 
sium. Stir in 1 ounce of aliun and 1 
ounce of gum arable dissolved in a 
little boiling ^water. Additional car- 
bonate of potassium will darken the 
color of the ink. 

Blue Ink. — Take 2 ounces of Prus- 
sian blue crystals and cover with hy- 
drochloric acid. Stir or shake the 
mixture thoroughly, pour off the acid 
through a suitable strainer, and pour 
on water to rinse the blue completely 
free of the acid. Dry the crystals, 
mix with an equal quantity of oxalic 
acid in fine powder, and thin with dis- 
tilled water to the color desired. 

Or dissolve indigo carmine in 
water. 

Or mix 2 ounces of ferrocyanide of 
iron and 2 ounces of strong hydro- 
chloric acid. Dissolve and dilute with 
soft water. 

Or mix 1 ounce of powdered Prus- 
sian blue with IJ fluid ounces of 
muriatic acid. Dilute with water. 

Violet Ink. — Dissolve with gentle 
heat 1 ounce of methyl-violet aniline 
in 1 gill of alcohol. Stir until thor- 
oughly dissolved. Then add 1 gallon 
of boiling water. This is a vivid, 
beautiful violet, which flows smoothly 
and dries quickly, but will fade if ex- 
posed to sunlight. It is the common 
violet ink of commerce. 

Green Ink. — Dissolve 1 ounce of 
iodine-green aniline in 1 gill of hot 
alcohol, and dilute with 2 quarts of 
soft water. This is a vivid and beau- 
tiful color which will yield several 
copies, and is very little faded by sun- 
light. 

Or dissolve 2 ounces of verdigris 
and 1 oiince of cream of tartar in 8 



ounces of soft water, and boU imtil 
the right shade is reached. 

Or mix 1 ounce of crystallized ace- 
tate of copper with 1 pint of soft 
water. 

Or rub together 3i drams of solu- 
ble Prussian blue and 3 drams of 
gamboge with 2 ounces of mucilage, 
and dilute with ^ pint of soft water. 

Yellow Ink. — Dissolve yellow or 
orange aniline colors in boiling water. 

Or boil 1 pound of French berries 
with 2 ounces of alum in 1 gallon of 
water until the color is sufficiently 
strong. Strain, and add 4 ounces of 
gum arabic. 

Show-card Inks. — Any of the above 
colored inks may be used for show 
cards if desired, or dissolve IJ ounces 
of gum arabic in 8 ounces of water, 
and while hot strain through cheese 
cloth. Mix with this ordinary paint- 
ers' colors, either dry or ground in 
oils, and apply with a brush. To 
make a show card permanent, brush 
it over with a thin glue size, lay on 
the ink with a brush, and finish with 
a hard, white varnish. 

To mix various colors of ink for 
different tints, see under " Paints and 
Painting." 

Gold, Silver, and Bronze Inks are 
prepared by grinding thin sheets of 
the metal on a glass plate with a lit- 
tle honey to reduce them to a fine 
powder. This powder is then laid 
on filter paper, washed -with hot water 
to remove the honey, and dissolved in 
a solution of gum arabic for use. 

The writing may be done with a 
nearly colorless glue size, and the 
fine bronze, gold, or silver powder 
may be dusted over it while the size 
is still wet. 

SPECIAL INKS 

Sympathetic Inks. — These inks are 
invisible until brought out by the ef- 
fect of heat or some chemical. For 
an invisible ink, write with fresh milk, 
which will not show until the paper 
is gently heated. 

Or write with a solution of sugar 
in water. 



532 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Or write with a mixture of 1 part 
of sulphuric acid and 20 parts of 
water, using a quill or gold pen. The 
acid will corrode an iron or steel pen. 
This is invisible until the paper is 
made warm enough to evaporate the 
water, when the acid will char the 
paper in black characters. 

Or write with a solution of acetate 
of lead, and afterwards expose the 
writing to the fumes of a brimstone 
match. 

Or write with a weak solution of 
nutgalls, and apply a solution of iron 
to the paper. 

Or write with a solution of nitrate 
of silver, and apply a solution of com- 
mon salt. These methods have often 
been used to conceal subjects of cor- 
respondence by writing letters with 
ordinary inks, and between the lines 
writing with invisible ink another mes- 
sage. The secret of the combination 
must, of course, be known to the per- 
son for whom the writing is intended. 

luminous Ink. — Dissolve 1 dram 
of phosphorus in 1 ounce of oil of 
cinnamon. Cork tightly, and put the 
bottle in hot water until dissolved. 
Letters written with this solution will 
be visible in the dark. 

Hectograph Ink. — Mix 1 ounce of 
iodine-green or methyl-violet aniline 
colors with 1 ounce of glycerin, and 
dissolve the mixture in 10 ounces of 
distilled water. This is used in print- 
ing from a gelatin pad, usually called 
a hectograph. To make such a pad, 
cover 1 ounce of gelatin with cold 
water, and let stand over night. Put 
in a new tin dripping pan or other 
tin dish having low sides and square 
corners 12^ ounces of gelatin, and 
heat slowly, but do not let it boil. Stir 
in the soaked gelatin and let the mix- 
ture stand over a slow fire until the 
water is all evaporated. This will 
produce a solid pad of clear gelatin. 
Cover from dust and let stand over 
night. To use this pad, write with 
the above ink, let the ink dry, and 
moisten the pad slightly with water 
by means of a brush. When the pad 
is nearly dry, lay the writing, face 
down, on the pad, rubbing it down 



gently with a soft cloth. Let it stand 
a minute or more according to the 
number of copies required, remove 
the paper, and the pad is ready to 
print from. Use for this purpose soft 
unsized paper. Lay the paper on the 
pad, smoothing it with a cloth or 
roller, and remove immediately. Con- 
tinue to take copies until the ink is 
exhausted. Then wash the pad with 
cold water and a sponge to remove 
the surplus ink. When dry, it is ready 
to be used again as before. 

Rubber-stamp Ink. — Inking pads 
for rubber stamps may be re-inked 
by means of aniline dyes of suitable 
color mixed to the consistency of 
thin cream with glycerin. 

Metal-label Ink. — ^Dissolve 1 ounce 
of copper in 10 ounces of nitric 
acid, and thin with 10 ounces of 
water. 

Or mix 2 ounces of powdered sul- 
phate of copper, 1 ounce of powdered 
sal ammoniac^ and 4 ounces of acetic 
acid. Stir in lampblack or other 
pigment of any color desired. 

Or dissolve equal quantities of ver- 
digris and sal ammoniac in water, and 
add lampblack or other pigment to 
color. Mix the ingredients in earth- 
enware with wooden paddles, as they 
will corrode metals. They are suit- 
able for writing on steel, tin plate, or 
sheet zinc. 

Mix 1 ounce of muriatic acid and 
i ounce of nitric acid. Cover the 
metal surface with beeswax, and when 
cold, write on it with any sharp-point- 
ed instrument that will cut through 
to the wax. Apply the mixture with 
a small brush or feather, and let it lie 
for a few minutes according to the 
depth of etching desired. Then rinse 
off the wax and acid in hot water. 
Either of the acids alone will cut iron 
or steel, but the mixture is required 
for gold or silver. After rinsing off 
the acids, apply a little sweet oil or 
olive oil. The smoothness of the etch- 
ing will depend upon the cleanness 
with which the wax is cut and re- 
moved from the metal in each let- 
ter. Hence a sharp-edged tool is the 
best. 



LEATHER, INK, AND MISCELLANEOUS 



533 



CABE OF INK 

To Prevent Mold in Ink. — The ad- 
dition of a little alcohol or a few 
drops of any essential oil or a few 
cloves will prevent mold. 

Or add a few drops of salicylic acid 
or corrosive sublimate or carbolic 
acid, but do not add metallic acids to 
inks containing aniline dyes. 

To Prevent Ink from Thickening. 
— As inks thicken by the evaporation 
of the liquids with which they are 
diluted, the only way to protect them 
is to keep them covered from the air. 
Hence the use of inkstands with ta- 
pering funnels of glass or hard rub- 
ber is advisable. If the ink becomes 
too thick to write smoothly, or if, 
when a bottle has been exhausted, a 
residue of black sediment is left, it 
may be diluted with clear water or a 
small quantity of strong black coffee 
strained through silk or linen. 

To Keep Ink from Freezing. — The 
addition of a small quantity of alco- 
hol acts as a preventive. 

To Restore Faded Ink. — Writing 
which has become partially illegible 
on account of age may be restored by 
applying carefully to the paper an in- 
fusion of galls, or a solution of prus- 
siate of potash slightly acidulated 
with dilute sulphuric or muriatic acid. 
These substances have the property 
of turning iron-gall inks black. 

To Remove Oiliness from Ink. — If 
the action of the air causes ink to 
become oily, ropy, or stringy, add a 
little oxgall or vinegar. 

Printer's Ink is a carbon ink mixed 
with oils or resins. The carbon is 
usually lampblack or ivory black mixed 
with a little indigo or Prussian blue. 
The oil is usually boiled linseed oil or 
nut oil. Other ingredients are rosin, 
turpentine, balsam of copaiba, and 
yellow soap. Great care is required to 
produce the finest grades of ink, and 
printer's inks vary greatly in qual- 
ity and price. The methods of prep- 
aration are trade secrets, and printers 
rarely attempt to make the better 
grades of ink for themselves. 

Colored printing inks are made by 



using various colored pigments in 
place of carbon. 

Bronze and other metallic effects 
are produced by printing with a near- 
ly colorless glue size, and sprinkling 
the metallic powder on the surface 
Avhile it is sticky. 

Printing Ink. — Grind in a paint 
mill or with a marble mortar and 
pestle 9 ounces of balsam of copaiba, 
4 ounces of finest lampblack, 1 ounce 
of powdered indigo, and 3 ounces of 
hard, dry yellow soap. Heat a quan- 
tity of linseed oil in an iron kettle 
until it begins to boil. Remove from 
the fire and kindle the escaping vapor. 
Allow it to burn until the oil becomes 
stringy when lifted with a stirrer. 
Then add to each quart of oil 1 pound 
of pulverized black rosin. Dissolve 
with gentle heat and stir in 44 ounces 
of dry yellow-soap shavings to each 
quart. Melt these together with gen- 
tle heat. Measure for every pound 
of rosin employed 1 ounce of indigo, 
1 ounce of Prussian blue, and 18 
ounces of lampblack. Pour the melt- 
ed mixture over these pigments, mix, 
and grind in a paint mill. 

Dryers for Printer's Ink. — One 
ounce of beeswax, ^ ounce of gum 
arable dissolved to a thin mucilage 
with acetic acid, | ounce of japan, 
and J ounce of asphaltum varnish. 
Add the above to 1 pound of printer's 
ink. 

Lithographic Ink. — Melt together 
v/ith gentle heat 3 ounces of shellac, 
4 ounces of castile soap, 2 ounces of 
white wax, and 2 ounces of tallow. 
Add 3 tablespoonfuls of gum san- 
darac dissolved in 3 tablespoonfuls of 
alcohol, and stir in ivory black or the 
best lampblack to color. 

To Remove Ink Stains. — The arti- 
cle to use depends entirely on the 
nature of the ink. For a logwood 
ink stain, use dilute muriatic acid, 1 
part of acid to 10 parts of water. 
This removes the stain, first turning 
it red; but it converts the stain of 
red eosin ink to an insoluble brick-red 
substance, and a nigrosine ink stain 
to an indelible blue-black dye. 

For an iron-gall ink, use oxgall or 



534 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



mineral acids, as muriatic, sulphuric, 
and the like. These decompose the 
black tannate of iron, but have no ef- 
fect on the indigo and aniline blues 
which are added to most modern 
inks, especially the blue-black writing 
fluids. 

Hence the first step is to find out 
what the ink contains. If convenient, 
this may be done by plotting a few 
drops on a piece of cloth, and testing 
with that; meantime taking measures 
to prevent the stain from spreading. 
First dry the sample and attack it 
with water. If the ink contains 
nigrosine, it will dissolve in water and 
the stain will spread. In that case 
use an alkali, as baking soda, cover- 
ing the stain thickly and moistening it 
with water. If the ink does not run, 
it is probably iron-gal or logwood 
ink, hence an acid may be tried, but 
if the acid does not succeed, try soda 
or other alkali. 

On white fabrics, the best way to 
remove ink stains is to cover the spot 
with chloride of lime and moisten with 
dilute muriatic acid. This sets the 
chlorine free to attack the stain. Ni- 
trate of silver stains may be removed 
by cyanide of potassium, but this 
must be used with great care, as it is 
very poisonous. 

For colored fabrics pyrophosphate 
of soda may be tried. Fabrics should 
be immediately washed with clear 
water after the stain has been re- 
moved. 

CAEE OF JEWELRY 

To Keep Jewelry at its best it 
should be properly stored when not 
in use and occasionally cleaned and 
polished, or recolored, when necessary, 
to restore its original luster. Most 
jewelry contains more or less alloy 
which will tarnish, and articles of sil- 
ver are especially likely to tarnish by 
contact with substances containing 
silver, or by fumes of sulphur which 
are often present in the atmosphere. 
It should be remembered that 30 per 
cent to 50 per cent of rubber con- 
sists of sulphur; hence rubber bands 



and articles containing rubber should 
never be brought in close proximity 
to fine silver articles. 

To Store Jewelry. — When not in 
use, jewelry may be covered with a 
thin film of collodion dissolved in 
ether or alcohol. 

Or laid away in boxes covered with 
boxwood sawdust, which may be ob- 
tained from any jeweler. 

To Clean Jewelry. — To clean arti- 
cles of gold or silver, use castile soap 
and an old soft toothbrush or jewel- 
er's brush, and wash carefully. Rinse 
in clear cold water, lay in a box of 
boxwood or other sawdust, and shake 
gently until dry. Rings containing 
gems should be removed when the 
hands are being washed, or their lus- 
ter will be impaired. 

To clean a gold or silver chain, put 
it in a small glass bottle with warm 
suds of castile soap and a little whit- 
ing or prepared chalk. Shake well, 
rinse with cold water, and dry in saw- 
dust. 

To Polish Jewelry. — To polish gold 
j ewelry, make a paste of whiting with 
sal volatile, cover the article, and let 
dry. Then brush off with an old 
toothbrush or polish with chamois. 

Or put in a glass vessel 2 ounces of 
sulphate of iron (green vitriol), and 
gradually add water, stirring with a 
glass rod until all is dissolved. Use 
no more water than is necessary. Add 
carbonate of ammonia gradually un- 
til all the iron falls as a sediment. 
Let the mixture settle and strain off 
the liquor through filter paper. Dry 
the pulverized iron by means of blot- 
ting paper. Place it in an earthen- 
ware cup or bowl or crucible, and 
heat it in a dark room until it glows 
softly. When cool, this is the best 
polishing powder that can be made. 

Or take 2 ounces of hydrochloric 
acid and add iron filings, stirring with 
a glass rod until the acid has dis- 
solved all it can. Add aqua ammonia 
until the iron is all precipitated from 
this solution. Dilute this solution 
with water and collect the sediment 
on filter paper, drying slowly in sun- 
shine or with very gentle heat. To 



LEATHER, INK, AND MISCELLANEOUS 



535 



3| ounces of this substance add li 
ounces of sal ammoniac. This mix- 
ture has been for many years a trade 
secret of German gold workers, and 
commands a high price on the mar- 
ket. 

To Brighten Jewelry. — Heat to a 
boil J pint of soft water and pour it 
into a wide -mouthed glass bottle. 
Add 1 ounce of cyanide of potassium 
and shake until dissolved. When cold, 
add i fluid ounce of aqua ammonia 
and 1 fluid ounce of pure alcohol. 
This mixture is a deadly poison and 
must not touch any part of the skin. 
Even the fumes are most dangerous. 

To clean jewelry, miake a hoop of 
a bit of wire, and with this dip the 
articles in the solution for a few sec- 
onds, remove, and rinse in clear water. 
Then wash with soapsuds to thor- 
oughly free from the cyanide, rinse, 
and dip in alcohol or benzine. To 
cause them to dry quickly, cover with 
sawdust. Cork the solution tightly 
for future use. Of course great care 
must be taken to keep this liquid out 
of the hands of children and careless 
persons. But if proper precautions 
are observed, it will be found to be 
one of the quickest ways to remove 
the tarnish from metallic articles and 
to give them their brightest luster. 

To Color Gold. — Mix saltpeter, 3 
ounces; green copperas, 1 ounce; 
white vitriol, 1 ounce; alum, 1 ounce. 
This mixture gives yellow gold a dark 
or reddish color. The addition of a 
little blue vitriol gives a darker shade. 

To Clean Jet. — To clean jet arti- 
cles, brush them free from dust with 
a soft camel's-hair brush, apply a 
little olive oil by means of a brush 
or bit of cotton wool, and polish with 
chamois. Great care must be used, 
as the carving usually makes jet arti- 
cles very brittle. 

GLASS AND IVORY 

To Cut Glass. — To cut glass with 
a chisel, pover it with a solution of 
camphor gum dissolved in spirits of 
turpentine, and do the cutting while 
the glass is in the solution. 



To Anneal Glass. — To anneal or 
season glass, as lamp chimneys and 
the like, so that they will be less likely 
to break, immerse the glass in a ves- 
sel of cold water and heat it very 
gradually to the boiling point. Boil 
for any length of time — the longer 
the better — and do not remove from 
the water until it is cold. 

Or, if the glass is to be exposed to 
high temperatures, it may be more 
perfectly annealed by boiling in the 
same manner in oil. 

To Imitate Stained Glass. — Cut a 
suitable pattern from leaves of col- 
ored tissue pajjers, and apply to the 
glass by any suitable paste or muci- 
lage, as rice or wheat starch, with or 
without gum arable. Cover with a 
coat of copal varnish. 

To Soften Ivory. — Dissolve 2 ounces 
of spirits of niter in 10 ounces of soft 
water, and soak the ivory in this solu- 
tion for 3 or 4 days, when it will be 
soft and flexible. 

Or immerse the ivory in a solution 
of pure phosphoric acid until it be- 
comes practically transparent. Wash 
with clean cold water and dry. It is 
then flexible, but hardens as it dries. 
Its flexibility may be restored by 
soaking in hot water. This process, 
if continued, will render the ivory 
transparent. 

To Harden Ivory. — Wrap the ivory 
in tissue paper, cover with dry salt, 
and lay away a day or two. This will 
restore its natural hardness. 

To Polish Ivory. — Moisten a piece 
of felt or velveteen, diji in putty pow- 
der or pumice stone, and polish. 

Or fix the ivory on a nail or wheel 
and polish it by means of pumice 
stone and water, heat it by friction 
on a piece of coarse cloth, and while 
hot rub with whiting mixed with olive 
oil, followed by dry whiting and clean 
chamois. This gives a high luster. 

Or rub first with fine sandpaper, 
next with a wet cloth dipped in pum- 
ice stone, then with a cloth wet in 
soapsuds and dipped in whiting. 
When changing from a coarse to a 
finer material, use clean cloths and 
rinse the article free from grit. 



536 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



To Etch on Ivory. — Varnish the ar- 
ticle with a mixture of white wax and 
mastic or with a thin coating of bees- 
wax, and trace the required designs 
through the wax. Take care to pro- 
tect all parts of the article except the 
design, and immerse it in a strong 
solution of nitrate of silver. After a 
sufficient length of time, to be deter- 
mined by experiment, remove and 
wash in clear, hot water. The design 
will appear in black upon the ivory. 

Or protect the article by a suitable 
varnish as above, and apply a solu- 
tion of i ounce of sulphuric acid, ^ 
ounce of muriatic acid, and 10 ounces 
of water. The acids will eat away the 
exposed portions of the ivory, leaving 
the design engraved on its surface. 

GYPSTJM, ALABASTER, ETC. 

Gypsum. — Gypsum is a mineral 
which is found in nature in several 
forms. Chemically it consists of bi- 
hydrated calcium sulphate. It occurs 
in translucent crystals, as selenite; in 
massive forms and opaque crystals, 
as gypsum; in fine-grained partially 
translucent masses, as alabaster, and 
in a fibrous form, as satin spar. 
When heated, gypsum gives off the 
water it contains and pulverizes into 
an opaque powder which, if moistened, 
quickly solidifies. This powder is 
known commercially as plaster of 
Paris. It is made by heating gypsum 
and grinding it to a fine powder. 
Gypsum is also used as a fertilizer, 
and in the manufacture of glass and 
porcelain. Plaster of Paris is chiefly 
used for making models and casts, 
and as a cement for marble and ala- 
baster. 

Among the most celebrated gypsum 
beds in the world are those of Mont- 
martre near Paris, which have given 
plaster of Paris its name. 

Alabaster. — This is a variety of 
gypsum of great beauty and easily 
carved on account of its softness; 
hence it is extensively employed for 
ornamental purposes. 

To Use Plaster of Paris. — To use 
plaster of Paris, mix it with water to 



the consistency of thick cream and 
apply at once, as it sets quickly. No 
more should be mixed at a time than 
will be required for immediate use. 

Or, if additional strength is desired, 
mix with a thin glue size, or a solu- 
tion of 1 or 2 ounces of gum arable 
in 1 pint of water. These not only 
harden the plaster but give its sur- 
face a desirable smoothness. 

Or m.ix plaster of Paris with an 
equal weight of sulphate of potas- 
sium, and thin with 3 to .6 parts of 
water. This mixture sets very quick- 
ly and is harder than plaster of Paris 
alone. 

To Prevent Plaster of Paris from 
Setting. — Mix 3 per cent of alum, 
sulphate of potash, or borax, with 
plaster of Paris before adding water, 
and it will be prevented from solidi- 
fying for 3 or 4 hours. Thus it can 
be_^handled much more readily. When 
dry, it will also be much harder than 
plaster of Paris alone. 

Or mix with vinegar diluted with 
water. The more vinegar used the 
longer the plaster will require to set. 

Molds for Plaster of Paris. — To 
make molds for casting plaster or- 
naments, mix 13 ounces of rosin, 8 
ounces of tallow, and 6 ounces of 
beeswax. 

Or use plaster of Paris itself. 

Or mix equal quantities of clean 
white sand and pulverized limestone 
or marble dust, and to 14 pounds of 
this mixture add 1 pound of litharge 
and 4 pounds of linseed oil.. Grind 
or rub up the litharge with the oil, 
heat the mixture of sand and lime- 
stone to dryness, stir into a stiff mor- 
tar, and pour in an oiled mold. 

To Cast Plaster of Paris. — Oil the 
object to be copied and cover it to a 
sufficient depth with one of the above 
mixtures, so that when removed the 
mold will be strong enough to han- 
dle. If plaster of Paris is used to 
make the mold, the object to be cop- 
ied must be moistened, but no drops 
must be allowed to stand on the 
surface. 

The mold should be made in two 
parts, which may be done by molding 



LEATHER, INK, AND MISCELLANEOUS 



537' 



first one side up to a given line, and 
then the other. Leave an opening 
through which to pour the plaster. 

To make castings, it is only neces- 
sary to oil or moisten the inside of a 
mold. Lock the two parts of the 
mold together, oil the edges so that 
they can be readily separated, and 
pour the mold full of plaster from 
a funnel through the opening left for 
that purpose. After the plaster has 
set, the mold may be removed and 
used repeatedly. 

To Harden Plaster-of-Paris Ob- 
jects. — Put in an iron kettle 2 pounds 
of a solution of caustic potash. Add 
in shavings 2 ounces of stearin and 
2 ounces of castile soap, and boil for 
half an hour, stirring constantly. Add 
1 ounce of pearlash dissolved in a lit- 
tle soft water. Let the whole boil 
up, remove from the fire, and stir un- 
til cold. Now stir in cold potash lye 
until the mass becomes perfectly 
liquid and falls in drops from the 
stirrer. Let stand for several days 
tightly covered before using. This 
preparation will keep, for years. 

Clean the plaster-of-Paris casts and 
other objects free from dust and 
stains, and apply this mixture with a 
paint brush as long as the plaster of 
Paris will absorb it. Let dry and 
dust with a brush or chamois leather. 
Repeat, if necessary, until the casts 
take on a satisfactory polish. 

To Make Artificial Marble. — Mix 
plaster of Paris with a solution of 
alum, put it in an oven, and bake un- 
til the water is completely evaporated. 
Afterwards grind to powder. Mix 
with water and stir in any desired 
coloring matter in powdered form to 
make clouds and veins. When dry, 
this mixture sets very hard and takes 
a high polish. 

To Imitate Alabaster. — To imitate 
alabaster with objects made of plaster 
of Paris, warm the articles and sus- 
pend them by means of horsehair or 
fine wire in melted white wax of the 
best quality. Continue until the plas- 
ter of Paris has absorbed all it can. 
Hang up the articles to dry, and pol- 
ish with a clean brush. Any pure 



white wax will answer this purpose. 
To harden these objects, suspend 
them in a clear solution of alum un- 
til crystals form upon the surface. 
Remove, and polish with a damp 
cloth. 

To Clean Alabaster. — Wash with 
castile soap and water. 

Or, to remove stains, cover with 
white fuller's earth or pipe clay. Let 
stand for a few hours and wash off. 

Or, if much stained, wash with very 
dilute sulphuric acid, using about 1 
ounce of sulphuric acid to 20 ounces 
of water. 

Or rub with a cloth moistened with 
lemon juice and dipped in pumice 
stone. Rinse with clear water and 
polish with a dry chamois. 

To Make Prepared Chalk. — Add a 
solution of carbonate of soda to a 
solution of muriate of lime as long 
as the chalk is precipitated. Strain 
through filter paper and then pour 
on clear water until the sediment is 
perfectly clean. Dry in direct sun- 
shine. 

Safety Matches. — To make safety 
matches, mix 6 ounces of chloride of 
potash, 2 ounces of bichromate of pot- 
ash, 2 ounces of ferric oxide with 3 
ounces of strong liquid glue. Mix 
thoroughly with gentle heat, taking 
care that it does not take fire, and 
dip the match heads in this. These 
matches will not kindle on sandpaper 
or by ordinary friction, but must be 
rubbed on a surface especially pre- 
pared for them as follows: 

Mix 10 oimces of sulphide of anti- 
mony, 2 oimces of bichromate of pot- 
ash, 2 ounces of oxide of iron, lead, 
or manganese, 1 ounce of glass pow- 
der, 2 ounces of strong glue or gum. 
This preparation is spread like paint 
while warm on suitable jsaper, which 
is fastened on the boxes containing 
the matches. 

Or dissolve 4 ounces of gum arable 
in just enough water to make thick 
mucilage or paste, and stir in 4 
ounces of powdered peroxide of man- 
ganese, 2J ounces of phosphorus, and 
place on the back of a closed stove, 
but do not heat above 130° F. or ex- 



538 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



pose to an open flame. Stir until the 
phosphorus is melted, then add 3J 
ounces of niter and stir the whole to 
a uniform paste. First dip the 
matches in melted brimstone, let dry, 
and afterwards dip the heads in this 
substance. This mixture may be per-' 
fumed by the addition of | ounce of 
gum benzoin. The lids of the boxes 
may be coated with the same mix- 
ture by means of a brush, or pieces 
of sandpaper may be coated in the 
same manner, and attached to match 
safes or boxes for convenience in 
lighting. 



Ordinary Matches. — Dip the 
matches first in hot melted sulphur, 
let dry and steep in turpentine. Af- 
terwards dip the heads in a mixture 
of 5 ounces of chloride of potash, 5 
ounces of flowers of sulphur, 1 ounce 
of vermilion mixed to a paste with 
oil of turpentine. 

Or dip the matches in hot melted 
sulphur, steep in turpentine, and dip 
the heads in a mixture of 4 ounces 
of melted glue, 1 ounce of phosphorus 
with the addition of whiting stirred 
in to make it of the right consistency, 
and vermilion or lampblack to color. 



CHAPTER XVIII 

THE TOILET AND BATH 

THE SKIN— BATHS AND BATHING— KINDS OF BATHS— THE TOILET- 
TOILET SOAPS— MEDICATED SOAP— THE HANDS— MANICURING 



THE SKIN 

The Human Skin has two principal 
functions: to protect the body, and 
to remove, by perspiration, the re- 
sults of certain bodily changes. The 
skin consists of two layers, as may 
be clearly seen when blisters form. 
The upper layer or outer skin shows 
a tendency to form cells of a horny 
substance, such appendages as the 
hair, nails, and corns being a con- 
tinuation of this process. These 
horny substances have the property 
of absorbing a certain amount of 
water. This softens them and causes 



Epiderfnis 




rAr CELL3 



"The Anatomy of the Skin." 

them to swell. It is well known that 
the skin becomes soft by immersion 
in a hot bath or by having the hands 
for a considerable time in suds or 
dishwater, and that this softening ex- 
tends to the nails, corns, and calluses. 
After a warm bath a considerable 
quantity of the horny scales of the 



skin can be removed by the use of 
a rough towel. Nails, corns, and the 
like when wet can be readily cut or 
scraped off. A considerable amount 
of water remains in the skin after 
bathing, and unless care is exercised 
it tends by rapid evaporation to re- 
move heat and to cause colds. But 
normally a certain amount of water 
should remain in the skin, and if too 
much of this evaporates, the skin 
chaps and cracks. 

The permanent color of the skin 
is due to certain pigment granules 
found in its inner layer. The tran- 
sient red color, as in blushing, de- 
pends upon the amount of blood in 
the blood vessels and the thickness 
of the epidermis or outer skin, most 
of the blood vessels themselves lying 
in the inner skin. 

The skin contains sweat glands 
which secrete perspiration, and seba- 
ceous glands, which secrete a fatty 
substance that tends to keep the skin 
smooth and to prevent it from drying 
by too great evaporation. This fatty 
substance also gives the hair its nat- 
ural gloss. Obstruction of the sweat 
glands gives rise to pimples, black- 
heads, and the like. These are the 
principal facts regarding the anat- 
omy of the skin, which should be un- 
derstood by those who seek to im- 
prove its appearance. 

There is a direct and reciprocal 
action between the condition of the 
skin and the general bodily health. 
The two watchwords in the campaign 
for the preservation or improvement 
of the complexion are, therefore, 
cleanliness and hygiene. Plenty of 



539 



540 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



outdoor exercise, good ventilation, a 
well-regulated appetite, and a cheer- 
ful habit of mind are essential. As 
to diet, an excess of butter, fat meat, 
and greasy food should be avoided. 
All stimulants, as coffee, tea, wine, 
and spirits, should be given up or 
used with great moderation. Fruit 
and vegetables should be the staples 
of diet; sweets, cake, and pastry, and 
also pickles and acid foods, should be 
dispensed with. If these instructions, 
with those given Under baths and 
bathing, are followed until they be- 
come the habits of a lifetime, the 
bloom of youth can be preserved far 
into old age. 

Hardening the Skin. — The power 
of the skin to adjust itself to 
changes in temperature varies great- 
ly. It can be increased by measures 
which improve the circulation of the 
blood, as nourishment and exercise; 
also by what is sometimes called the 
"hardening process." The skin may 
be hardened by living an out-of-door 
life, wearing light but sufficient cloth- 
ing with woolen next the body, sleep- 
ing with open windows but avoiding 
draughts, and taking daily baths, 
first with warm, afterwards with cold 
water. These steps should be taken 
gradually, and increased in severity 
as the b6"dy becomes accustomed to 
them. 

Nervous persons, especially chil- 
dren, may be overstimulated by these 
measures, which may thus lead to 
lifelong nervous difficulties. The dan- 
ger is minimized by giving the warm 
bath first. Cold baths alone should 
not be taken except by persons of 
strong constitution. The air bath in 
various temperatures and currents 
of air is also a valuable means of 
hardening the skin. This hardening 
process tends to prevent colds and 
their consequences. 

Diseases of the Skin. — No general 
treatment can be suggested that will 
apply to all diseases of the skin. 
Eruptions and rashes are often 
symptomatic of diseases of the blood 
and other grave conditions. When a 
strange eruption suddenly appears 



on the skin a physician should, as a 
rule, be promptly consulted. There 
are, however, a number of common 
disease conditions which yield to sim- 
ple remedies. Among these are tan, 
sunburn, freckles, moth jDatches, pim- 
ples, blackheads or flesh worms, 
moles, etc. 

Blackheads or " I'lesh Worms." — 
The fatty substance which exudes 
from the sebaceous glands of the 
skin, if not removed by washing, 
sometimes hardens and corks up the 
gland itself. As the gland continues 
to secrete this substance it accumu- 
lates and causes a hard lump or 
swelling. When these blackheads are 
numerous, they become very unsight- 
ly. The best treatment is to press 
out the contents between the fingers 
or press the hollow end of a watch 
key over each speck. The entrance 
to these glands is in spiral form 
like a corkscrew. Hence the contents 
when pressed out have a vermiform 
appearance, and are supposed by 
many to be small animal creatures, 
hence called " flesh worms," but this 
is not the case. 

A warm face bath twice a day, and 
gentle friction from a soft towel, as 
above directed, is the best preventive 
and remedy for this condition. Spe- 
cifics for blackheads are the sulphate 
of zinc or of copper, or common pot- 
ash properly diluted. 

To use, mix 20 grains of sulphate 
of zinc or copper in 1 j^int of dis- 
tilled water or rose water, or mix 1 
dram of fluid potash with 1 ounce of 
oil of sweet almonds. Then add 6 
ounces of pure soft water. First 
press out the contents of the black- 
head, rub with a rough towel, and 
apply this lotion with a camel's-hair 
brush or soft rag. 

A face wash containing fluid pot- 
ash, 1 ounce, cologne, 2 ounces, alco- 
hol, 4 ounces, is also beneficial. 

Freckles. — Freckles are discolora- 
tions formed in the deeper layers of 
the skin by the action of sunlight. 
Hence to affect thcni directly it is 
necessary to work through the outer 
layers of the skin with a remedy that 



THE TOILET AND BATH 



541 



will change the deposits of coloring 
matter. Freckles, accordingly, offer 
great resistance and are not amena- 
ble to ordinary treatment. Some au- 
thorities are of the opinion that in- 
digestion may result in a deposit of 
carbonaceous or fatty matter beneath 
the skin, which, when acted upon by 
sunlight, will produce freckles. 
Hence, as a preventive, attention 
should be paid to diet and exercise 
to promote the normal secretions. 
The skin should be kept scrupulously 
clean by daily bathing, and the ac- 
tivity of the pores should be pro- 
moted by friction with a coarse 
towel. These methods are safer than 
the use of astringents or mineral 
emulsions, and the latter should never 
be employed without the advice of a 
com.petent physician. The only cer- 
tain preventive is the wearing of a 
brown veil whenever the complexion 
is exposed to sunlight. 

Moth Patches. — Apply a solution 
of common baking soda to the 
patches with a soft rag or camel's- 
hair brush several times a day for 
two or three days. Allow this to dry 
on. This treatment is usually suffi- 
cient. Afterwards cleanse the face 
with a bran bath and the skin will 
usually be found clear and brilliant. 

Or keep alum at hand and rub oc- 
casionally on the moth patches. This 
will usually cause them to disappear. 

Moles. — Depilatories advertised for 
sale for the removal of moles are 
dangerous and their use is not rec- 
ommended. They frequently continue 
eating into the flesh until an ulcer is 
formed, and occasionally blood poi- 
son sets in. Some moles are of the 
nature of tumors, and too much care 
cannot be exercised in treating them. 
Concentrated acetic acid applied by 
means of a hair pencil will some- 
times do the work. If this succeeds 
once it can be used again, but it will 
not prevent the blemish from return- 
ing. Care must be taken that the 
acid does not extend to surrounding 
parts. 

Moles can sometimes be destroyed 
by the use of a burning glass. The 



patient mu: t take his place in the 
clear, strong sunlight, and focus the 
burning glass on the affected part 
for about five minutes at a time 
daily, until the mole has been de- 
stroyed. Needless to say, this is a 
painful process, but it cannot be re- 
garded as dangerous. 

The electric needle in the hands of 
a competent physician is a thor- 
oughly safe and reliable method of 
treatment. 

Pimples. — The immediate cause of 
pimples is usually an excess of fatty 
matter in the skin. They are very 
common in young persons from four- 
teen to twenty years of age. They 
are often caused by constitutional 
conditions, and when very numerous 
are often persistent until the general 
health is restored. Exercise, atten- 
tion to the diet, and general hygienic 
measures are recommended. A warm 
face bath with a heaping teaspoonful 
of borax in the water will be found 
helpful. 

Scars. — Little scars are often left 
on the face after eruptions. A 
course of electric massage treatment 
soon effaces them. For home treat- 
ment, every night apply to the face a 
cold compress, keeping it on until 
the flesh becomes pink, then anoint 
the little spots with ointment of zinc 
oxide. 

Ointment for Wrinkles or Eelaxed 
Skin. — To 10 grains of camphor add 
2 ounces of prepared lard and 1 
fluid dram of rectified spirits of 
wine. Apply a little of the ointment 
at night, previously washing the face, 
and strengthen the body by means of 
tonics and nourishing diet. 

Or bathe the parts where the wrin- 
kles appear with alum and water. 
This will tighten the skin. 

Or fresh butter, 2 drams; essence 
of turpentine, 2 drams; mastic, 1 
dram. 

BATHS AND SATHING 

Historians say that the civilization 
of a community can be estimated by 
the quantity of soap it consumes. 



542 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Similarly the refinement of a family 
is indicated by the amount of water 
it uses. 

Records of cities show that the 
amount used each day on an average 
by each person runs from seven or 
eight gallons among the poor, where 
there is only one faucet in the house, 
to about sixty gallons in the homes 
of wealthy persons. The average of 
an ordinary family in cities may be 
taken as about twenty gallons daily 
for each member. More water is 
used in the summer than in the win- 
ter — which is an argument in favor 
of a bathroom, even where there is 
no furnace in the house. About ten 
barrels of water would be required 
every day on this basis by a family 
of ten persons. 

A humorist has said that mankind 
may be divided into two classes — 
those who take a full bath every day, 
and those who do not. Many folks 
would think this writer a snob, but 
the daily bath is common in house- 
holds which enjoy all the modern 
conveniences. The daily " tub " of 
the English gentlemen is proverbial, 
and laughable stories are told of the 
efforts made by Englishmen to keep 
up this practice under difficulties. A 
great many English officers took fold- 
ing bath ,,±ubs with them on baggage 
trains during the recent war in South 
Africa, and tried to enjoy their daily 
morning tub even lender fire. This is 
extreme. But most families ought to 
approach nearer to this ideal than 
they ordinarily do. 

The weekly bath, however, is cus- 
tomary in homes where there is no 
bathroom, but this custom might be 
even more generally observed. The 
habit of bathing grows, in most cases, 
out of regard for appearances rather 
than regard for health. The grimly 
facetious remark of a certain wid- 
ower, who had been bereaved a num- 
ber of times, that he was going to 
take a bath, because he always made 
it a point of doing so before being 
married, whether he needed it or not, 
hints at a habit of mind which is 
quite common. 



Cleanliness is said to be next to 
godliness, and it is certain that the 
habit of church attendance is in 
many households a strong incentive 
to the custom of weekly bathing. 
The same remark applies to social 
gatherings, and such events as wed- 
dings, christenings, and funerals. 

The bath is the foundation of the 
toilet. Most persons naturally take a 
bath preparatory to putting on their 
Sunday clothes or other holiday at- 
tire. If this were not the case we 
fear that consideration of the health, 
based on modern hygienic science, 
would not of itself be sufficient in- 
ducement to bathe. But when a per- 
son is half persuaded by custom to 
take a weekly bath, any knowledge 
he may have of its advantages to 
health will help him to decide in its 
favor. 

_In "Trilby" the Jew Svengali 
laughed immoderately at the two 
English gentlemen for bathing daily, 
when they " were not dirt}\" He 
overlooked the point that the proper 
function of the bath is not to make 
us clean, but to keep us so. 

The human skin contains millions 
of pores. The business of these pores 
is to bring to the surface the waste 
materials of the body, which other- 
wise pass off principally through the 
kidneys. If the pores become clogged 
by the accumulation of effete matter 
they are unable to fulfill their proper 
functions, and the kidneys are 
obliged to do extra work, which may 
bring on chronic diseases of those or- 
gans. 

Colds are caused by lack of proper 
contraction of the pores of the skin 
when the body is exposed from 
draughts or otherwise. As a result 
the blood is cooled too rapidly and 
has a tendency to chill and congest 
the internal organs, as the mucous 
surfaces of the head and nose, and 
also of the alimentary canal, the kid- 
neys, etc. The resulting symptoms 
show in acute form the bad effects 
of neglect of bathing. In fact, fre- 
quent bathing is almost a sure pre- 
ventive of colds. If the pores are 



THE TOILET AND BATH 



543 



kept clean they are active, and resist 
the chills which tend to produce cold. 
If they are not kept clean they are 
sluggish and inactive, and in no con- 
dition to offer normal resistance to 
sudden changes in temperature. 

Certain portions of the body, as the 
armpits, the feet, and the groin, have 
many more pores to the square inch 
than the rest; hence these perspire 
more freely and should be cleansed 
often. The feet especially should be 
very frequently washed. There is no 
better practice from the health stand- 
point than a daily footbath. 

The Bathroom. — Bathrooms are no 
longer a novelty in small towns and 
farmhouses. But it must be under- 
stood that to enjoy these in winter. 




"No Longer a Novelty." 

requires almost of necessity a range 
or furnace. Pipes in kitchens may be 
kept warm by stoves, and bathrooms 
adjoining the kitchen maybe warmed 
by leaving the door open between 
or the bathroom may be over the 
kitchen, and a drum or smokepipe 
from the kitchen stove arranged so 
as to heat the pipes in the bathroom. 
But it is usually better not to have 
running water In the bathroom in 
winter until a furnace is put in. It 
pays, however, to partition off a 
bathroom near the kitchen and put 
in a bath tub, if there is running 



water or a hand pump in the bath- 
room, with drainpipes to carry away 
waste — even if it is necessary to car- 
ry cold water to the tub from the 
kitchen sink and hot water from the 
stove in pails. A good bath tub is 
not a luxury, but a necessity to com- 
fort, cleanliness, and health. 

If the bathroom is near the kitchen, 
the tub can be filled by bringing hot 
and cold water in pails; and if the 
tub is elevated slightly, the water can 
be drawn off in pails and carried to 
the drain after the bath; or, if a tub 
is used which does not have a faucet 
for drainage, the waste water can be 
easily removed by using a small piece 
of rubber tube as a siphon, or by a 
dipper and large bath sponge. Every 
household should be provided with a 
full-size tub, even if it is only of tin. 
Portable rubber tubs which can be 
folded and put away when not in use 
are also obtainable. But a cast-iron 
tub is preferable and not too expen- 
sive. 

The entire cost of plumbing for a 
bathroom, including supply pipe, hot- 
water pipe, and all necessary fixtures, 
provided you have a water supply in 
the house, will not exceed $150. This 
sum can be reduced by doing some 
of the work yourself. 

Even if there is no furnace, the 
bathroom can be used from early 
spring to late fall, and especially 
through the summer season, when it 
is above all essential to health and 
comfort. Every family should make 
the necessary sacrifices to put in and 
enjoy this great convenience. 

To Paint an Iron Bath Tub. — Mix 
the paint to a proper consistency 
with best coachmaker's japan var- 
nish. For white-lead paint, use half 
turpentine and half coachmaker's ja- 
pan. It will not darken much. Ve- 
netian red is best for a first coat for 
any color but white. 

Bathroom Conveniences. — Conven- 
ience has a great deal to do with 
the formation of habits; and parents, 
especially mothers, who desire to cul- 
tivate habits of personal cleanliness 
in the household, will find that a 



544 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



bathroom furnished with the neces- 
sary conveniences will largely solve 
this problem. 

A closet should be constructed in 
one corner of the bathroom and 
stocked with the accessories of the 
bath and toilet. 

A wire basket can be purchased for 
a few cents, or made by any ingeni- 
ous member of the family, to hang on 
the edge of the bath tub and hold 
sponge, soap, etc. This will be found 
to be a great convenience. 

A hamper or laundry hag makes a 
convenient receptacle for soiled body 
and household linen; or separate bags 
might be arranged — one for each kind. 

A set time for each member of the 
family to take the weekly bath will 
also tend to promote the convenience 
of the household. Saturday night 
and Sunday morning are probably 
the best times for most persons. The 
weekly bath thus becomes a prepa- 
ration for the Sunday morning toilet, 
which is ordinarily the most careful 
and elaborate of the week. 

The following suggestions and rec- 
ipes have been grouped about the 
idea of a thorough weekly personal 
" cleaning up " and toilet for " over 
Sunday." The reader will, of course, 
understand that these remarks and 
recipes , apply equally well to the 
daily morning baths and those for 
special occasions; and in many cases 
specific recommendations for these 
occasions have been made. 

Bent's for Bathers. — Don't take 
any kind of a bath within two hours 
after eating a hearty meal. 

Don't neglect a daily bath of some 
kind. Don't neglect the daily sun 
and air bath. 

Don't take a cold bath when fa- 
tigued; but take a bath in water as 
hot as can be borne. It will help to 
rest you. 

Don't strip for a bath when the 
body is cooling after perspiration, 
but step into a warm bath while the 
body is heated. 

Don't stay too long in the water. 
Get out before you begin to feel 
chilly. 



Don't stand around on the bank or 
in boats after bathing until you get 
a chill. 

Don't bathe early in the morning 
on an empty stomach unless you are 
vigorous and strong enough to stand 
it. The best time for you may be 
two or three hours after breakfast. 

Don't neglect the weekly hot-water 
bath, followed by a change of cloth- 
ing to keep the body clean and 
healthy. 

Don't believe that you can get rid 
of wrinkles by filling them in with 
powder. Just before going to bed 
bathe your face in warm, then in 
cold water. And quit worrying. It 
will save you many a wrinkle. 

Temperature of the Bath. — The 
temperature of the bath for cleanli- 
ness should be about 95° F. A cold 
shower bath or douche to follow the 
warm bath should be about 77° F. 
A cool bath should be about 77° F., 




"A Homemade Shower Bath." 



but the temperature at the start may 
be lowered for those who are accus- 
tomed to it. 

The water for a person in ordinary 
health should be drawn about as hot 
as is agreeable; but care should be 
taken not to remain too long in a 



THE TOILET AND BATH 



545 



hot bath. This applies especially to 
]>ersons who are thin-blooded, ner- 
vous, or neuralgic. After the body 
has been thoroughly cleansed, it is a 
good idea to gradually introduce cold 
water into the tub until a perceptible 
chill is felt. 

If there is running water in the 
bathroom, a shower bath may be had 
by obtaining the detachable rubber 
tubes and fixtures used for this pur- 
pose, which come very cheap. The 
shower bath is the best means of 
cooling the body after a hot bath. 
When this is done, or after a cold 
bath, a reaction should be brought 
about by a vigorous rubbing with a 
Turkish towel until the body is in a 
warm glow. This practice would al- 
most certainly prevent all colds and 
many fevers, with their fatal conse- 
quences. 

KINDS OF BATHS 

Outdoor Bathing. — This form of 
bathing, if moderately indulged in, is 
an excellent exercise for bodily devel- 
opment. In warm climates it may be 
practiced throughout the year; but in 
northern latitudes fresh-water bath- 
ing should not be indulged in except 
in summer. There are some fanatics 
who recommend outdoor bathing 
throughout the year, and now and 
then a person is strong enough to 
endure such exposure. But to rec- 
ommend it to everybody is foolish, if 
not criminal. Particular care should 
be taken in outdoor bathing that the 
body does not suffer a chill. A reac- 
tion should be produced by rubbing 
briskl}^ with a dry towel. 

Sea Bath. — -A trip to the seashore 
for the purpose of salt-water bath- 
ing is very beneficial to persons in a 
run-down condition, with the excep- 
tion of those suffering from nervous 
diseases, heart diseases, or consump- 
tion. Salt-water bathing is especially 
good for children who have scrofula, 
and for persons who have catarrh. 

Salt water and salt air are stimu- 
lating and invigorating. The shock 
caused by the surf tends to produce 



a healthful fatigue which strengthens 
the bodily functions and promotes 
hunger and appetite. Bathers in salt 
water, especially invalids, should 
leave the water before they are 
chilled or overtired, dry the body 
thoroughly, and follow the bath by 
some mild exercise, as walking. 

Air Bath. — After the bath all per- 
sons, especially children, should ex- 
pose the body to the air for a con- 
siderable length of time. Benjamin 
Franklin says that every morning at 
daybreak he was accustomed to get 
out of bed, and pass more or less 
than an hour, according to the sea- 
son, in writing or reading in his 
chamber without any clothes; and he 
adds that this custom was agreeable 
rather than otherwise. There is no 
doubt that light, especially direct 
sunlight, upon the skin is one of the 
most valuable agents for the preser- 
vation of health. 

A complete change of clothing 
should be made after the bath. The 
contact of clothing with the skin 
greatly promotes its secretions, and 
this is very necessary to health. 
Flannel generates heat — hence opens 
the pores of the skin and allows the 
secretions to flow. It is therefore the 
proper clothing next the body. 

If the effete matter thrown off by 
the skin in perspiration is retained 
by the clothing, the gravest conse- 
quences to health may result in addi- 
tion to the discomforts of uncleanli- 
ness. Colds, fevers, and vermin of 
all sorts are merely human ignorance, 
laziness, and uncleanliness out on ex- 
hibition. 

Cold Sponge Bath. — Many persons 
make a practice of taking a cold 
sponge bath every morning, followed 
by vigorous rubbing with a coarse 
towel or flesh brush. The best meth- 
od of doing this is to fill a washbowl 
or basin with water and let it stand 
in the room over night, so as to ac- 
quire the same temperature as the 
air in the room. Rub with the bare 
hands rather than with a cloth or 
sponge, wetting only a small portion 
of the body at a time and rubbing 



546 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



that portion until a reaction is expe- 
rienced. Washing the face and head, 
next the arms, the back, the lower 
portion of the chest, and the lower 
limbs, in the order mentioned, is a 
good rule for cold-water bathing. 
After the rub-down with a coarse 
towel, the skin should be pink, all in 
a tingle, and the whole surface of the 
body should be in a warm glow. 
Some persons cannot endure this 
regimen, although it is highly bene- 
ficial to others. A few days or weeks 
of experience will test its expediency. 
This is worth trying, because it often 
results in a life habit which is ex- 
ceedingly beneficial. Those who are 
less robust may obtain some of the 
benefits of the cold sponge bath by a 
vigorous rubbing with a towel or 
flesh brush each morning when the 
bath is not taken. WhcH bathing in 
winter, the shock from cold water is 
lessened by standing a minute in the 
cold air after removing the clothing 
and before applying the water. 

rootbath. — This bath may be 
taken for cleansing purposes or for 
the purpose of drawing the blood 
from other parts of the body. Con- 
gestion of blood in the head may be 
relieved by a footbath in cold water. 
If convenient, the patient may walk 
for a few minutes in a brook or 
stream "reaching about to the ankles. 
This may be followed by a brisk rub- 
bing and some exercise, as walking. 
Or the patient may first put his feet 
in hot water for from three to five 
minutes and then plunge them for 
half a minute into cold water. Af- 
terwards the feet should be rubbed 
dry and the person should take ex- 
ercise by walking. 

Salt-water Bath. — Add 4 or 5 
pounds of sea salt, which can be pur- 
chased of any druggist, to a full bath 
at the temperature of 65° F. The 
patient should remain in this bath 
from 10 to 20 minutes, and after- 
wards should rest for half an hour 
in a recumbent position. Such baths 
are useful in general debility pro- 
duced by wasting diseases, as scrof- 
ula and other diseases of the skin. 



anaemia, etc. Sea salt should not be 
used for children. It does not pene- 
trate the skin, but acts as a stimu- 
lant. 

Mustard Bath. — The addition of 3 
or 4) tablespoonfuls of powdered 
mustard to a hot footbath in cases of 
chill is a preventive against taking 
cold, and is also useful in the early 
stages of colds to induce perspira- 
tion. The feet should be taken out 
of this bath as soon as the skin red- 
dens and begins to smart. The parts 
bathed should be carefully cleansed, 
rinsed, and wiped dry. Great care 
should be exercised in giving mustard 
baths to children, else the skin may 
become badly blistered. 

The Bran Bath. — Make a decoction 
of wheat bran by boiling 4 or 5 
pounds of wheat bran in a Unen bag. 
The juice extracted, and also the 
bran itself, should be put into the 
water. This is for a full bath at a 
temperature of about 90° F. This 
bath is of service in all skin affec- 
tions accompanied by itching. 

Cabinet Baths. — A number of spe- 
cial cabinets are devised for giving 
different kinds of baths for medicinal 
purposes. Purchasing one of these 
is usually not necessary unless there 
are one or more invalids in the fam- 
ily. In such cases the selection of a 
suitable cabinet should be made only 
upon the advice of the family physi- 
cian. The following forms of bath- 
ing require the use of cabinets: 

Stool Bath. — This is likewise known 
as the Russian bath. It consists in 
filling a room with steam at a tem- 
perature under low pressure of about 
120° F. Stool baths are very little 
used, but the same effect is produced 
by a cabinet which has an opening 
for the head so that the patient is 
not obliged to breathe the steam. A 
steam bath for the face and head 
may be obtained by holding the face 
over a receptacle full of boiling wa- 
ter, and throwing a cloth or oilcloth 
over the head and shoulders so as to 
partly prevent the escape of the 
steam. 

The Hot-air Bath.— In the Turk- 



THE TOILET AND BATH 



547 



ish bath, several connecting rooms 
are heated to different degrees of 
temperature, and the patient passes 
slowly from the coolest to the warm- 
est room for the purpose of inducing 
perspiration. He is then given a 
cold shower or douche, rubbed dry, 
wrapped in blankets and permitted 
to rest. These baths are very ener- 
vating and should only be taken by 
persons of strong constitution. The 
hot-air bath, however, for the pur- 
pose of inducing perspiration, is su- 
perior to the steam bath. It should 
be so taken that the person's head 
will be outside of the cabinet and he 
will not be obliged to breathe the hot 
air. A temperature of 120° to 130° 
F. is sufficient. Great care should be 
taken that the air does not become 
superheated, as danger is likely to 
ensue from a temperature exceeding 
140° F. The patient should not re- 
main in the hot-air bath more than 
fifteen or twenty minutes, and should 
then be given a cool bath and rubbed 
down. If additional perspiration is 
desired, he should be wrapped in 
blankets. 

Steam baths and hot-air baths 
should ordinarily be taken only by 
and with the advice of the family 
physician. 

THE TOILET 

The Complexion. — The object of 
attention to the complexion should be 
to preserve the skin in its normal 
condition of health, and to remove all 
abnormal effects and conditions. 
Among these may be mentioned ex- 
cessive dryness or evaporation, by 
exposure to dry and biting winds, of 
the water normally contained in the 
skin; the opposite extreme of exces- 
sive perspiration; and the obstruction 
of the pores by dirt or grime or other 
causes, which is the parent of various 
eruptions and other skin diseases. 
These subjects are taken up in turn 
in the following pages, and the prin- 
cipal standard remedies are cited. 

Many persons regard attention to 
these matters as evidence of vanity 



and light-headedness, and others go 
to the opposite extreme and give 
much more time and thought to the 
niceties of the toilet than is either 
wise or necessary. Doubtless the wise 
and sane course lies between these 
two extremes. The normal condition 
of the skin resulting in a firm, 
smooth, and soft texture and a clear 
pink-and-white complexion, not only 
contributes to personal attractive- 
ness, but also to the sense of comfort, 
included in the general term " good 
health." 

Women (and men, too) have a 
natural right to a good complexion. 
The contrary is evidence of some im- 
proper or diseased condition, and it 
is perfectly natural and proper to 
seek and apply suitable remedies. 

Beauty Doctors. — On the other 
hand, we earnestly advise against the 
patronage of so-called " beauty doc- 
tors," many of whom are unquestion- 
ably quacks and charlatans, and we 
urge the use of homemade prepara- 
tions. Many of the standard prepa- 
rations widely advertised for sale 
contain the most injurious mineral 
drugs, such, for example, as mercury, 
arsenic, lead, bismuth, etc. These are 
freely used by many " beauty doc- 
tors," and we regret to say that rec- 
ipes containing them have been pub- 
lished without caution in many books 
of household recipes which have had 
a wide circulation. All such prepa- 
rations have been carefully excluded 
from this volume. Approved recipes 
have been given which will accom- 
plish every desirable object without 
the possibility of any injurious con- 
sequences. 

Homemade Toilet Preparations. — 
Many toilet preparations advertised 
for sale contain organic substances 
which deteriorate by decaying, and in 
this condition poison the skin. More- 
over, most proprietary articles are 
very expensive. We feel safe in as- 
suring the most careful and conserv- 
ative mothers that the compounding 
at home and use of any of the prep- 
arations herein recommended will be 
a perfectly safe and innocent em- 



)48 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



ployment for their daughters or 
themselves. Any disposition to do so 
ihould, we think, be encouraged. A 
few vials of essential oils as per- 
fumes, small quantities of almonds 
and other required ingredients, may 
be bought at the drug store for less 
than a single bottle of a proprietary 
article can be purchased, and all in- 
terested will have the satisfaction of 
knowing that the materials are fresh 
and of good quality, and that no 
harmful consequences from their use 
need be feared. 

Country girls should have the best 
complexions in the world, but this is 
not always the case. Those who have 
not been favored by nature in this 
respect very often envy their city 
cousins' supposed advantages of easy 
access to " beauty doctors " and the 
large department stores and drug 
stores where toilet preparations of 
all sorts are for sale. The country 
girl has, in fact, a pronounced advan- 
tage over her city cousin if she has 
the wit to utilize it. Many of the 
most effective agents and remedies 
for the toilet are to be had in every 
farmhouse, and it is safe to say that 
the country girl can stock her dress- 
ing table with a full line of toilet 
preparations if she so desires, of bet- 
ter quality than her city cousin can 
purchase. And she can do so much 
more cheaply and conveniently. 

To Preserve the Complexion. — To 
prevent the excessive evaporation of 
water normally present in the skin, 
it is well to rub a small quantity 
of cold cream over the face before 
going out in the hot sim or wind. 
Just enough should be used to cover 
the surface without its being notice- 
able. In hot climates the use of 
similar preparations to prevent the 
drying of the skin is practically uni- 
versal. 

A veil is also a desirable protection 
against bad weather. Chiffon or 
other material of the finest mesh 
should be preferred. Frenchwomen 
of the middle and upper classes never 
think of going out without a veil. 
Englishwomen and the inhabitants of 



warm climates generally carry para- 
sols. 

To Wash the Face. — When the 
face is red or dry from exposure to 
sun and air, or grimed with dirt or 
smoke, it is well to put on it a quan- 
tity of cold cream and rub thor- 
oughly with a soft cloth. After the 
irritation has been somewhat less- 
ened, the face should be thoroughly 
washed and cleansed. Fill a basin 
two thirds full of fresh soft %vater. 
If your source of water supply is 
hard water, put a teaspoonful of 
powdered borax into the basin. Dip 
the face in the water, and afterwards 
the hands. Soap the hands well, and 
rub with a gentle motion over the 
face. Dip the face a second time, 
rinse thoroughly, and wipe with a 
thick, soft towel. After the bath a 
slightly astringent lotion is very re- 
-freshing. 

The use of a good cleansing cream 
before the face bath and a suitable 
lotion afterwards has a really won- 
derful effect in improving the com- 
plexion. The effect of a clean face, 
howe%'er, is itself altogether delight- 
ful. Such a bath tends to rest and 
refresh the bather and put her in a 
good temper. Many a "bad complex- 
ion is due to neglect of a proper 
cleansing process. If more faces were 
kept really clean, a great improve- 
ment in the complexion would be no- 
ticed. 

Face Cloth. — The hands themselves, 
in the judgment of many persons, 
are the most effective means of wash- 
ing other portions of the body. To 
those who prefer face cloths we sug- 
gest scrim as the most sanitary ma- 
terial. Scrim is porous and free from 
lint, so that the air circulates through 
it freely. It is so thin that it can be 
quickly washed and dried. 

The Toilet Sponge. — The wash rag 
and the sponge, while convenient and 
regarded by many as indispensable, 
are often sources of injury to tlie 
skin. Children, especially, are prone 
to take a sponge from dirty water 
and squeeze it dry without rinsing. 
The decaying organic matter caught 



THE TOILET AND BATH 



549 



in the pores of the sponge gives rise 
to certain acids and ferments very 
injurious to the complexion. Both 
the sponge and the wash rag should 
be thoroughly cleansed and rinse" 
after use. To clean a sour sponge, 
put 1 teaspoonful each of ammonia 
and borax into a basin of warm wa- 
ter, wash the sponge, rinse in clean 
soft water and hang in the air, ex- 
posed to sunshine if possible, until 
dry. 

TOILET SOAPS 

Soaps. — Pure soaps do not irritate 
the skin. There are two principal 
kinds of soaps: those containing free 
alkali in the form of potash or soda 
lye, and the so-called neutral or fatty 
soaps. The former increase the swell- 
ing and softening of the horny parts 
of the skin. When these are removed, 
they of course take the dirt with 
them. The latter are better adapted 
to persons of sensitive skin, although 
their detergent effects are not so 
marked. Among these are castile, 
glycerin, curd soaps, and the like. 
Medicated and highly colored or 
scented soaps should rarely be used, 
and we recommend purchasing for 
household use only well-known soaps 
which have an established reputation 
for purity and general satisfaction. 
It must be borne in mind that toilet 
preparations which may give good 
efi'ects on one skin are sometimes in- 
jurious to another. Glj'cerin is said 
to burn some skins, and benzoin 
cannot be used by some persons. 
This shows how important it is for 
a woman to know what ingredients 
are used in making up her toilet 
preparations. It is not always safe 
to " try " some compound, the con- 
tents of which are unknown, be- 
cause it is highly recommended by 
others. 

On the other hand, the difference 
in results obtained by two women 
may often be attributed to the dif- 
ference in the method of use. One 
woman will cleanse her face thor- 
oughly as above indicated, while the 



other will merely apply a cream or 
lotion when the skin may be covered 
with grime and the pores filled with 
dirt. The result may be to still fur- 
ther clog the pores and produce an 
eruption cf pimples and blackheads. 
No preparation can give satisfactory 
results in the absence of absolute 
cleanliness. 

Toilet Soaps. — These soaps are dis- 
tinguished by the purity of their in- 
gredients, as almond oil, beef mar- 
row, refined lard, and the like. They 
are usually saponified without heat, 
and may be perfumed according to 
taste. Any neutral hard white soap 
may be used as a foundation for 
toilet soaps if prepared as follows: 

Shave the soap thin or run it 
through a meat cutter, and melt in 
a double boiler with rose water, 
orange-flower water, or other distilled 
water, and common salt, in the pro- 
portion of 6 pounds of soap to 1 pint 
each of rose water or orange-flower 
water and 2 ounces of salt. 

After boiling, allow the mixture to 
cool. Cut it into small squares with 
a cord or wire, and dry without ex- 
posing to the sun. When dry, melt it 
again down with the same proportion 
of rose water or orange-flower water. 
Strain, cool, and dry thoroughly in a 
warm oven. Now reduce it to pow- 
der and expose it to the air under a 
screen. Coloring matter and perfume 
may be added according to taste. 
Other methods of purifying common 
household soaps and recipes for 
standard popular toilet soaps are 
given below. 

Among the most popular toilet ar- 
ticles are honey, Windsor, borax, glyc- 
erin, and almond soaps, besides a 
multitude of soaps which derive their 
name from the various perfumes 
added, as cinnamon, orange flower, 
sandalwood, rose, musk, violet, citron, 
etc. 

Perfumed Soaps. — Soaps may be 
perfumed by adding a few drops of 
any essential oil, or a proportionately 
larger quantity of essences or per- 
fumed distilled waters to the saponi- 
fied mass while cooling, but before 



550 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



hard soap has become cool enough 
to set. If perfumes are added while 
the soap is too hot they tend to vola- 
tilize and escape with the steam; if 
the soap is too cold they cannot be 
readily incorporated. Ordinary soap 
may be perfumed by cutting it with 
alcohol or other spirits and adding 
the perfume before the mixture hard- 
ens; or by melting up the soap in a 
small quantity of water, adding the 
perfume, and evaporating the excess 
of water by very gentle heat in a 
double boiler. Or the soap may be 
reduced to shavings, moistened slight- 
ly with distilled water, and the per- 
fume incorporated by kneading or by 
the use of a mortar and pestle. 

Honey Soap. — This is common yel- 
low soap of good quality, to which 
has been added a certain proportion 
of pure strained honey and other in- 
gredients. Shave and melt in a dou- 
ble boiler 2 pounds of yellow soap. 
Add 4 ounces of palm oil, 4 ounces 
of honey, and 1 ounce of oil of cin- 
namon or other perfume according to 
taste. Boil for 10 minutes. While 
cooling stir vigorously with an egg 
beater to thoroughly emulsify the in- 
gredients. Cool. Ready for use as 
soon as hardened. 

Windsor Soap. — This is a trade 
term which denotes merely a pure 
white soap, the base of which is 10 
parts of any pure animal fat, as rec- 
tified suet or lard, and about 1 part 
of olive oil or bleached palm oil, to 
which are added any perfume, as the 
essential oil of bergamot. 

Almond Soap. — Almond oil may be 
saponified v/ith caustic soda by a 
process similar to that of making 
other hard soaps. About 1|- pounds 
of caustic soda will be required to 
saponify 7 pounds of almond oil. 
Mix the soda, lye, and almond oil 
gradually, boiling hot. Boil and stir 
until saponification is complete, add- 
ing more oil or lye as may be neces- 
sary. 

Or melt fine, pure, hard white soap, 
and add the essence of bitter almonds 
in the proportion of IJ per cent by 
weight. 



Borax Soap. — Dissolve 3 ounces of 
borax in 2 quarts of boiling water. 
Shave 3 pounds of pure white hard 
soap and add to the solution. Stir 
and simmer with gentle heat until 
the ingredients are thoroughly melted 
and mixed. When cold the soap is 
ready for use. 

Soap from Corn Meal or Oatmeal. 
— Both of these articles are useful 
for the toilet, having the property of 
making the skin smooth, soft, and 
white. In summer mix 3 teacupfuls 
of corn meal with 1 tablespoonful of 
powdered borax, and use as a cleans- 
ing agent. 

Or shave 12 ounces of neutral 
white hard soap, add enough water 
to keep it from burning, and melt 
with gentle heat. Stir in 4 ounces of 
cornstarch, and perfume according 
to taste. 

Or melt together 12 ounces of hard 
white soap, 5 ounces of palm soap, 
and 3 ounces of cocoanut oil or ma- 
rine soap; add 3 ounces of oatmeal 
or wheat bran. These ingredients 
should be incorporated with gentle 
heat in a double boiler. The soap 
will be improved if the mixture is 
thoroughly beaten with an egg beater 
to make a complete emulsion after it 
has been removed from the fire. 
Ready for use when cold and dry. 

Or cut fine 1 pound of castile or 
other hard white soap, add enough 
water to prevent it from burning, 
and melt with gentle heat. Stir 
while melting to form a thicTi, smooth 
paste of the consistency desired. Put 
this in a bowl to cool. Perfume with 
any essential oil or perfumed water, 
incorporating the perfume with an 
egg beater. Now stir in Indian meal 
until the paste thickens. This must 
be kept in a fruit jar or other cov- 
ered glass vessel, as it will spoil if 
exposed to the air. 

Soft Soap for the Toilet. — A liquid 
soap may be made for the toilet of 
sweet oil saponified with caustic pot- 
ash. Take of the sweet oil 7 parts | 
caustic potash, 1 part. Put these in- 
gredients in a double boiler with a 
small quantity of rose water or other 



THE TOILET AND BATH 



551 



perfumed water. Beat the mixture 
with a spoon or an egg beater until 
a complete emulsion forms, and sim- 
mer until saponification takes place. 
Now add sufficient rose water to re- 
duce the mixture to any desired con- 
sistency. 

Marine or Salt-water Soap. — Dis- 
solve 8 ounces of caustic soda in 3 
quarts of boiling water to form a 
lye. Now melt with gentle heat 30 
ounces of cocoanut oil or cocoanut 
lard. Gradually add the lye, stir- 
ring constantly until saponification 
takes place. One ounce of fused 
Glauber's salts will cause the soap to 
harden. 

Camphor Soap. — Dissolve in a dou- 
ble boiler 1 pound of neutral hard 
white soap in 8 fluid ounces of boil- 
ing water. Continue boiling until by 
evaporation the soap has the consist- 
ency of butter. Now add 6 fluid 
ounces of olive oil in which 1 dram 
of prepared camphor has been pre- 
viously mingled. Take the mixture 
from the stove and beat up with an 
egg beater until a complete emulsion 
forms. This is a valuable remedy for 
chaps and scratches. 

Citron Soap. — To 6 pounds of curd 
soap add | pound of attar citron, I 
ounce of verbena (lemon grass), 4 
ounces of attar bergamot, and 3 
ounces of attar lemon. 

Frangipani Soap. — To 7 pounds of 
light-brown curd soap add ^ ounce 
of civet, i ounce of attar neroli, 1^ 
ounces of attar santal, ^ ounce of at- 
tar rose, and J oimce of attar viti- 
vert. 

Cinnamon Soap. — Add 3 ounces of 
palm-oil soap to 3 ounces of tallow 
soap, I ounce of water, 7 ounces of 
essence cinnamon, 2 ounces of essence 
bergamot, and 1 ounce of essence sas- 
safras. Stir in enough yellow ocher 
to color as desired. 

Sandalwood Soap. — To 7 pounds 
of curd soap, add 2 ounces of attar 
bergamot and 7 ounces ol attar san- 
tal. 

Sand Soap. — To 7 pounds of curd 
soap, add 7 pounds of marine soap, 
25 pounds of silver sand, 2 ounces of 



attar thyme, 2 ounces of attar cassia, 

2 ounces of attar caraway, and 2 
ounces of attar French lavender. 

Soap a la Rose. — Take 30 pounds 
of Castile soap, and add 20 pounds of 
tallow soap, sufficient water to melt, 

3 ounces of attar rose, 1 ounce of es- 
sence cinnamon, 2^ ounces of essence 
bergamot, 11 ounces of vermilion, and 
1 ounce of essence cloves. 

Musk Soap. — Add 26 pounds of 
palm-oil soap to 30 pounds of tallow 
soap, 4 ounces of essence bergamot, 
5 ounces of powdered pale roses, 3| 
ounces of musk, and 4^ ounces of 
brown ocher. 

Tonquin Soap. — Take 5 pounds of 
light-brown curd soap and 1 ounce 
of attar bergamot, and add | ounce 
of grain musk and 8 ounces of es- 
sence cloves. 

Wash Balls. — Any good toilet soap 
may be made into balls of any de- 
sired size by a process similar to 
making butter balls, i. e., by using 
two wooden paddles. The addition 
of starch helps to give the soap the 
right consistency. 

Melt 7 pounds of neutral white bar 
soap in distilled water or rose water 
sufficient to prevent burning. Add 1 
ounce of powdered starch and more 
water, if necessary, to form a stiff 
paste. If too much water is added, 
continue the heat until the excess of 
water evaporates. Stir in 8 ounces 
of powdered wheat starch or corn- 
starch, and add essence of almonds 
according to taste. Remove from 
the fire, thoroughly incorporate the 
materials with an egg beater, mix or 
knead with the hands, and make into 
balls of any desired size. 

MEDICATED SOAP 

Soaps are frequently used as the 
vehicle for various remedial agents, 
as sulphur, iodine, tar, and the like, 
for diseases of the skin. Also for 
disinfectants, as carbolic acid, chlo- 
rine, and others. Any neutral white 
hard soap may be medicated by being 
dissolved in water. The following are 
especially recommended; 



55^ 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Sulphur Soap. — Shave 2 ounces of 
soft soap and add ] ounce of flowers 
of sulphur and 3 fluid drams of 
proof spirits, which may be per- 
fumed and colored according to taste. 
Mix the ingredients thorouglily in 
an earthenware bowl or marble mor- 
tar. Sulphur is a valuable remedy 
in itch and other diseases of the 
skin. 

Iodine Soap. — Dissolve 1 pound of 
white castile soap shaved fine in 3 
fluid ounces of distilled water or rose 
water. Add 1 ounce of iodide of 
potassium. Put in a double boiler, 
melt, and mix by stirring. Iodine is 
a valuable remedy in scrofula and 
other diseases of the skin. 

Juniper -tar Soap. — Dissolve 4 
ounces of tar of the juniper tree in 
1 pound of almond oil or olive oil. 
Put on the fire in a double boiler, 
and add gradually Aveak soda lye, 
stirring constantly until saponifica- 
tion takes place. Tar is a valuable 
remedy in all kinds of skin diseases. 
This soap is really an ointment. It 
should be applied at night and 
washed away next morning. 

Carbolic - acid Soap. — Take 5 
pounds of fresh cocoanut oil or ma- 
rine soap, melt, and add 5 ounces of 
alcohol, 3 ounces of carbolic acid, 1 
ounce of ,caustic potash, and l ounce 
of almond oil. Stir until the ingre- 
dients are thoroughly incorporated, 
and cool in molds. 

Soap with Chlorine. — Shave 11 
ounces of castile soap, dry in warm 
oven, and reduce to a powder. Add 
1 ounce of fresh dry chloride of lime. 
Add a sufficient quantity of proof 
spirits to cut this mixture and reduce 
it to the consistency of dough. This 
soap must be kept from the air, 
which may be done by packing it in 
glass fruit jars with tight metal caps. 
It is especially valuable in the sick 
room and for nurses in contagious 
diseases. It also has the property of 
removing stains from the skin and 
making it white. 

Soap with Arsenic. — This is a 
paste made by mixing 12 ounces of 
carbonate of potash with 4 ounces 



each of white arsenic, white soap, 
and air-slaked lime, with sufficient 
water to reduce to the required con- 
sistency. Powdered camphor, | ounce, 
may also be added with advan- 
tage. 

Or mix white soap, 8 ounces; pow- 
dered lime, 3 ounces; arsenious acid, 
8 ounces; carbonate of potassa, 3 
ounces, and gum camphor, IJ ounces. 
Reduce the ingredients separatel}^ to 
powder and mix. These two arseni- 
cal soaps are poisonous, and should 
be labeled accordingly and kept out 
of the way of children and household 
pets. They are used as preservati\ es 
in preparing the skins of birds and 
other animals, and to keep them free 
from the attacks of insects. 

Sayberry Soap, or Myrtle Soap. — 
Dissolve 3| ounces of white potash in 
1 pint of water, and add 1 pound of 
n^ijelted myrtle wax or bayberry tal- 
low. Boil slowly and stir until the 
mixture saponifies. Add 3 table- 
spoonfuls of cold water containing a 
pinch of salt, and boil 5 or 6 minutes 
longer. Remove from the fire and 
when it is cool, but before it sets, 
perfume by adding 5 or 6 drops of 
any essential oil or oils, according to 
taste. This soap is valuable for all 
toilet purposes, for shaving, chaps, 
and all diseased conditions of the 
skin. It should not be used until it 
is thoroughly seasoned. The longer 
it is allowed to dry and season the 
better it becomes. 

Transparent Soap. — Any good 
white neutral soap may be rendered 
transparent by ijeducing it to shav- 
ings, adding one half its volume of 
alcohol, and setting the mixture in a 
warm place until the soap is dis- 
solved. When allowed to cool it iias 
somewhat the appearance of rock 
candy. It may be perfumed and 
scented according to taste. 

Or shave 24 ounces of good hard 
yellow soap and add 1 pint of alco- 
hol. Simmer with gentle heat until 
dissolved. Remove from the fire, add 
1 ounce of almond or other essence, 
and stir vigorously with an egg 
beater to make a complete emulsion. 



THE TOILET AND BATH 



553 



Pour into molds to cool. This gives 
a very cheap, pure soap of good ap- 
pearance, as it is nearly transparent. 

THE HANDS 

Nothing^ betrays lack of daintiness 
in personal care more than neglect 
of the hands and nails. Of course 
it is more difficult for some women to 
keep their nails clean and their hands 
soft, white, and free from blemishes 
than for others. But in the care of 
the hands immaculate cleanliness is 
imperative. They should never be 
washed except when it can be done 
thoroughly. Constantly rinsing them 
in cold water grinds the dirt in and 
ruins the texture of the skin, making 
it rough, coarse, and red. When ex- 
posed to hard usage, as in the rou- 
tine of housework, instead of fre- 
quently washing the hands in water, 
a few drops of oil should be rubbed 
into them. They should then be 
dusted over with talcum powder and 
wiped with a coarse towel. This will 
cleanse them and protect the flesh 
from growing callous. Lemon juice 
will remove stains. 

The hands should always be washed 
in tepid water, and a good soap is 
an absolute necessity. It is also im- 
portant that the water be soft. 
Avoid washing the hands frequently 
with cheap laundry soap, washing 
powders, soft soap, or other powerful 
detergents. They tend to roughen, 
redden, and chap the skin. The best 
soap is none too good for the toilet. 
There are many brands on the mar- 
ket which are known to be good, and 
it is better not to experiment with 
those that are new and untried. Any 
hard, white, pure or neutral soap is 
suitable for the toilet. Hence it is 
not necessary to purchase special 
toilet soaps, which are usually expen- 
sive, however desirable they may 
seem to be. To test soap for toilet 
purposes, apply the tongue to it. If 
it contains free alkali, it will have a 
caustic or burning taste and should 
be avoided. Otherwise it is not likely 
to be injurious. 



In cold weather or when the hands 
are very dirty rub a little pure lard 
or cold cream over them, and after- 
wards wash them with soap and 
water in the usual way. This has a 
tendency to keep the skin from crack- 
ing or chapping. The use of gloves, 
especially when gardening, driving, or 
walking in sun or wind, helps to pre- 
serve the softness of the hands and 
keep them clean. Sprinkling the 
hands with orris root or talcum pow- 
der before drawing on the gloves 
will counteract excessive perspira- 
tion. 

Redness and Burning. — These 
troubles are caused by defective cir- 
culation. Attention should be given 
to the general health, and as a pre- 
ventive measure the hands should 
be jjrotected from exposure to the 
weather — especially in the winter — b_v 
the use of a mufi' or by fur-lined 
gloves. Or two pairs of gloves may 
be worn, which will be found warmer 
than one pair lined. After the hands 
have been exposed to the cold they 
may be prevented from tingling by 
washing them in very warm water, 
and drying them carefully on a soft 
towel. The after effect will be a feel- 
ing of coolness, whereas the use of 
cold water causes a glow. 

Moist Hands. — If the hands are 
constantly moist from too free per- 
spiration, bathe them frequently 
either in salt water, which acts as 
a stimulant or tonic, or in a solution 
of vinegar or lemon juice, which acts 
as an astringent. 

Or rub them with a mixture of 
powdered alum and tannic acid, both 
of which have astringent properties. 

Or a little of this mixture may be 
dusted inside the gloves. 

But care should be taken not to 
use acid or astringent cosmetics 
oftener than is necessary, as they 
tend to overwork the pores of the 
skin and to produce injurious after 
effects. 

To Remove Stains from the 
Hands. — Substances recommended 
for removing stains from the hands 
are lemon juice, the juice of ripe 



554 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



tomatoes, sulphuric acid (oil of 
vitriol), chloride of lime, oxalic acid, 
fumes of sulphur, and various com- 
pounds of these. The following spe- 
cial directions may be noted: 

To Use Sulphuric Acid. — Dilute a 
few drops in 20 times its volume of 
water, and apply to stains with a 
brush. Take care this does not touch 
a cut on the flesh or fall upon fab- 
rics of woolen or cotton, as it will 
take out their color and eat holes 
in them. 

To Use Oxalic Acid. — Make a weak 
solution of oxalic acid and water, 
and apply with a brush or rag. Take 
care this does not get into any sores 
and cuts, as it will inflame them. On 
healthy skin its action is as mild as 
lemon juice. 

Or dampen the stain and hold it 
over the fumes of an old-fashioned 
sulphur match, freshly lighted. Or 
burn a small piece of sulphur out of 
doors and hold the stain in the fumes. 
Care must, of course, be taken not 
to burn the flesh or inhale the fumes 
of burning sulphur. 

The above are specially useful for 
fruit stains. 

To Remove Stubborn Stains. — Mix 
oxalic acid and cream of tartar in 
equal proportions, and keep the mix- 
ture in an old paper box among 
toilet articles. This box should be 
marked " Poison," and kept out of 
the reach of children. Wet the stain 
with warm water and sprinkle with 
this preparation, rubbing until the 
stain disappears. Then wash the 
hands with soap and rinse well. This 
will remove the most stubborn ink 
and dye stains. 

To Soften the Hands. — Keep on 
the toilet stand near the soap a dish 
of oatmeal, and rub it freely on tlie 
hands after washing. This will 
cleanse and soften the skin. 

Or use corn meal in the same man- 
ner. 

Or keep at hand a quantity of 
clean white saad. The artificial sort, 
made by crushing quartz or flint 
stone and sold for filters, is pref- 
erable to sea sand or ordinary sand, 



since it has sharper edges. Mix a 
handful of sand with hot soapsuds, 
and wash and rub the hands with 
this mixture for several minutes. 
The sand may be cleansed by pour- 
ing fresh water over it and draining 
through a filter. It can be used 
again and again. This method sof- 
tens and removes the calluses caused 
by housework. The hands may after- 
wards be rubbed with oatmeal or 
corn meal, as above, and treated with 
cold cream or some other simple 
lotion. 

Or a pair of white kid gloves may 
be turned inside out and brushed 
over with cold cream or any melted 
mixture of wax, oil, lard, or other 
unguent. These gloves may then be 
drawn on the hands and worn at 
night. 

Or the hands may be rubbed at 
night with cold cream, mutton tallow, 
or honey, and a large pair of gloves 
drawn on. In the morning the hands 
should be thoroughly washed with 
some good toilet soap, and rubbed 
with oatmeal or corn meal and any 
simple lotion. The following mix- 
tures are recommended to use with 
gloves at night to soften and whiten 
the hands: 

Put in a quart glass fruit jar J 
pound of grated or shaved castile 
soap. Pour over this | pint of alco- 
hol, and let stand in a warm place, 
shaking frequently until the soap is 
dissolved. Add 1 ounce of glycerin 
and oil of almonds, perfume with a 
few drops of any essential oU, and 
seal tightly. 

Or put ^ pound of grated castile 
or other hard white soap in a dou- 
ble boiler; pour over it 1 gill of olive 
oil, and dissolve with gentle heat. 
Add 1^ ounces of mutton tallow, mix 
thoroughly, remove from the fire, 
and add 2 fluid ounces of alcohol and 
a few drops of any essential oil as 
perfume. 

Or shave together in a flat glass 
dish or on a marble slab 1 ounce of 
spermaceti, 1 ounce of white wax, 
and 1 ounce of gum camphor. Mix 
with olive oil to a stiff paste. 



THE TOILET AND BATH 



555 



Or mix 1 ounce of glycerin and A 
ounce of ammonia with i ounce of 
rose water. 

Chapped Hands. — Substances rec- 
ommended for chapped hands may- 
be distinguished as follows: solid un- 
guents, such as spermaceti and other 
forms of wax, lard, unsalted butter, 
mutton suet, tallow, and the like; 
liquid unguents, such as glycerin, 
yolk of egg, honey, almond oil, lin- 
seed oil, and olive oil; various sub- 
stances which have specific soothing 
properties, as borax, bitter almonds, 
bran (decoction of), balsam of fir, 
camphor, sal soda, carbolic acid, 
quince seed, raisins, oatmeal; various 
flavoring and coloring extracts and 
perfumes. 

The objects sought in using these 
substances are as follows: 

The solid and liquid unguents are 
employed to hold the specific reme- 
dial agent in suspension, and to give 
consistency to the mass so as to make 
it easier to apply them; also to pre- 
vent their speedy evaporation. The 
various remedial agents are selected 
according to their several properties 
and the results desired. These vary 
in their effects with different indi- 
viduals and also according to the 
condition of the skin. A little expe- 
rience will indicate which to employ 
under given conditions. Coloring ex- 
tracts and perfume may, of course, 
be used according to taste. With 
these thoughts in mind it is an easy 
matter to prepare a stock of emolli- 
ents suited to one's ideas and expe- 
rience, based upon a solid unguent 
if a paste or salve is desired, or apon 
a liquid unguent if a lotion is pre- 
ferred, and containing such remedial 
agents, coloring matter, etc., as are 
desired. 

Glycerin for the Hands. — Glycerin 
may be used pure or scented with 
any essential oil. Rub on the hands 
at night with the same motion as 
when washing them, either before or 
after the hands have been chapped, 
cr apply immediately after they have 
been chilled by exposure. Soft cham- 
pis-skin gloves worn at night will 



prevent this and other preparations 
from making grease spots on bed 
linen. 

To soften and whiten the hands, 
use a mixture of two thirds glycerin 
and one third rose water. 

Or, to prepare glycerin paste for 
toilet use, put 1 ounce of any good 
transparent toilet soap in 4 ounces of 
soft water or rose water, and add 5 
ounces of glycerin. Dissolve all with 
gentle heat, stir in 20 ounces of ad- 
ditional glycerin, pour into a glass 
fruit jar, and when nearly cold per- 
fume with a few drops of any essen- 
tial oil. 

Or simmer with gentle heat in a 
double boiler 1 ounce of glycerin, 2 
ounces of olive oil, and 2 drams of 
spermaceti. Apply to the hands 
night and morning. 

Or mix 3 ounces of glycerin, 1 yolk 
of egg, and 30 grains of carbolic 
acW, and beat up to an emulsion 
with an egg beater. Rub into the 
skin several times daily. 

Or simmer 1 dram of quince seed 
in i pint of boiling water for 10 
or 15 minutes; strain out the quince 
mucilage through a piece of cheese 
cloth, and to it add 1 ounce of glyc- 
erin, 1 ounce of borax, and 6 ounces 
of soft water or rose water. Apply 
to the hands two or three times a 
day. 

Bran for the Hands. — Boil a small 
quantity of bran in a linen bag. Put 
both the juice and the boiled bran in 
the washbowl, add warm or hot wa- 
ter, and wash the hands with or with- 
out soap. This is perhaps the best 
and simplest treatment for the red- 
ness, dryness, and roughness caused 
by housework and exposure. After 
washing, the hands may be rubbed 
with a few drops of honey or a lo- 
tion composed of i pound of honey, 
I pound of sal soda, and 1 pint of 
water. Mix well and heat without 
boiling. 

Linseed Oil for the Hands. — This 
is good for chapped hands, and also 
for burns and sprains. It has the 
advantage of being cheap and almost 
always available. 



556 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Honey for the Hands. — This may- 
be used when the skin is dry, hard, 
and rough. Moisten the hands and 
rub the honey in well. After a while 
wash them thoroughly in bran water 
or some other liquid preparation, and 
they will be perfectly clean and soft. 

Camphor for Chapped Hands. — 
Camphor cakes or balls, to prevent 
chapped hands, may be made as fol- 
lows: 

Melt 3 dram^ of spermaceti and 4 
drams of white wax. Add 1 ounce of 
almond oil. Moisten 3 drams of 
camphor with spirits of wine, and 
mix up all together. Run this into 
molds or make up into balls in the 
same manner as butter balls are 
made. 

Or, for an ointment, melt together 
gum camphor, 3 drams; beeswax, 3 
drams; olive oil, 2 ounces. Apply 
at night, and wear chamois - skin 
gloves. 

Other Remedies for Chapped 
Hands. — Mix white wax, 4 drams; 
olive oil, 3 drams; spermaceti, 18 
grains. 

Or unsalted butter, J pound; rose 
water, 1 wineglassf ul ; yolks of eggs, 
2; honey, 1 tablespoonful. Mix and 
stir in finely ground oatmeal to make 
a paste of the consistency of butter. 
Apply at' -night and wear gloves. 

Or use almond paste instead of 
oatmeal in the last. 

Or mix equal parts of white mut- 
ton tallow, unsalted butter, beeswax, 
and stoned raisins. Simmer until the 
raisins are dried up but not burned. 
Strain into molds to cool. This prep- 
aration smarts chapped hands, but 
quickly heals them. 

Camphor Ice. — Oil of sweet al- 
monds, 1 ounce; spermaceti, 2 
ounces; white wax, 1 ounce; cam- 
phor, i ounce. Melt these ingredi- 
ents in a double boiler, and pour in 
molds of proper size and form. 

Powder for the Hands. — Common 
starch reduced to powder by grind- 
ing with a knife or in a pestle is a 
good substitute for talcum powder 
for the hands. This is always at 
band. When taking the hands out of 



suds or dishwater, or after washing 
them when they have been chilled 
by exposure, rinse them thoroughly, 
wipe them, and apply the starch 
while they are still damp, covering 
the whole surface. This is cheap, 
convenient, and easy to try. 

MANICURING 

Finger Nails. — The condition of 
the finger nails is one of the best 
tests of the care given to the toilet. 
Well-groomed finger nails are, as far 
as they go, a mark of refinement. 
Needless to say, the toilet for any 
social occasion is not complete until 
the nails have been thoroughly cleaned, 
trimmed, and, if possible, manicured. 
Young men are usually the worst 
offenders in this respect, and they 
would often have cause to blush if 
they should hear the comments 
caused by their appearances in so- 
ciety with finger nails " decorated in 
mourning." 

Machinists and others whose work 
tends to cause the finger nails to be- 
come grimy will find it helpful to in- 
sert a little lard or cold cream under 
the nails each morning. Housewives 
will find this a good plan when 
blacking stoves. 

The most useful article for use on 
the nails is a small orange stick, 
which can be obtained for a trifle at 
any drug store. With this the nails 
can be cleaned each time the hands 
are washed and the skin which ad- 
heres to the nails carefully pushed 
back. This may also be done with 
a dry towel. It will prevent the skin 
from cracking about the roots of the 
nails and forming hangnails. This 
method practiced daily wiU greatly 
improve the general appearance of 
the hands. 

The nails should never be bitten. 
By this practice the appearance of 
the hands may be spoiled for life. 
To prevent children from biting their 
nails, rub a little bitter aloes on the 
tips of the fingers. If this does not 
effect a cure, tie glove tips upon 
them until the habit is given up. 



THE TOILET AND BATH 



557 



Ingrowing Nails. — The finger nails 
do not often grow in, but when this 
happens a notch cut in the middle of 
the nail wUl have a tendency to draw 
it up from the sides. 

Manicuring the Nails. — Special 
care and training must be bestowed 
upon the nails, as their condition in 
regard to shape, color, and texture 
of skin makes or mars the loveliest 
hand. 

It Is within the power of any wom- 
an possessed of average ability to be- 
come her own manicure. It takes 
only a few minutes each day to put 
the nails in perfect condition, and 
properly kept nails are indications of 
refinement. A manicure outfit will 
cost two or three dollars. Buy good 
instruments to begin with. You will 
need a flexible file, emery boards, 
buffer, orange sticks, cuticle knife, 
curved needle-pointed scissors, nail 
scissors, some red paste and white 
nail powder, and a good bleach of 
glycerin, rose water, and oxalic acid. 

Begin by shaping the nail with the 
file. When you have finished one 
hand, the fingers shoxild be dipped 
into a bowl of lukewarm water, into 
which has been poured a few drops 
of some pleasant antiseptic as lister- 
ine or peroxide of hydrogen. Let 
them remain in this some time to 
soften the cuticle, and then dry them 
with a soft towel. 

With the point of the orange stick 
clean the nail, dipping the stick in 
the bleach if this is necessary. 
Loosen the skin around the nail with 
the cuticle knife. This skin should 
be lifted up, and not pushed down 
and back, as the latter movement 
cracks and splits the cuticle. Keep 
dipping the knife in the water, as it 
helps to lift up the cuticle, which 
must be well raised before it is cut. 
Now use the cuticle scissors, and try 
to trim the cuticle in one piece, oth- 
erwise j'^ou are likely to have ragged 
edges and hangnails. 

Be extremely careful about this 
special part of the treatment, for the 
nail may be altogether spoiled Ijy a 
too zealous use of the cuticle knife 



and scissors. Use your red paste 
sparingly, and rub it well into the 
nails with the palm of your hand. It 
is better to dip the fingers in the wa- 
ter again and dry thoroughly, as you 
cannot polish a wet nail. Cut off a 
hangnail with the nail scissors, and 
smooth the edge of the nail with the 
emery boards. Dip the buffer or pol- 
isher in the nail powder. Place the 
center of the buffer on the naU, and 
rub slightly. 

In a short time you will find it 
very easy to manicure your own nails. 

To Whiten the Nails. — First 
cleanse and soften the nails by soak- 
ing in soft water in which a little 
pure toilet soap has been dissolved, 
and then dip the fingers into a mix- 
ture composed of 2 drams of diluted 
sulphuric acid, 1 dram of tincture of 
myrrh, and 4 ounces of soft water. 
Rinse with clear water and polish. 

Or, to remove stains and discolor- 
ations, moisten a chamois buffer or 
a piece of chamois in a mixture of 
lemon juice and water, or vinegar, 
and water. Dip it into powdered 
pumice stone or putty powder, and 
apply carefully until the stain is re- 
moved. But rub as little as possible, 
and do not use these substances 
oftener l:han is necessary, as their 
constant use tends to make the nails 
thick and coarse. 

To Toughen the Nails. — Mix 8 
grains of pure rectified tar with ^ 
ounce of cold cream, rectified lard, 
or suet. Apply liberally to the nails 
at night and draw on a pair of loose 
gloves. 

To Polish the Nails. — Appl}% with 
a chamois buffer, a mixture of 1 
ounce each of finely powdered emery 
and cinnabar, softened with olive oil, 
almond oil, or the essential oil of bit- 
ter almonds. 

Diseases of the Nails. — Splinters 
under the nails which cannot easily 
be drawn out by pincers may be re- 
moved by softening the nail with pot- 
ash lye diluted with an equal quan- 
tity of water. Apply this with a 
brush, then scrape the nail until the 
splinter is laid bare and can be re- 



558 HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



moved. To check the action of the The white spots which superstitious 
lye when necessary rinse with clear people, half in fun, sometimes say 
water and apply vinegar or lemon are produced by having told lies, are 
juice. In all cases, however, when caused by air getting under the nails 
foreign bodies get under the nails, it during their growth and being con- 
is best to consult a physician. fined there. 



CHAPTER XIX 

TOILET PREPARATIONS 

TOILET PREPARATIONS— SIMPLE HOME PREPARATIONS— ALMOND 
MILK CREAM AND PASTE— COLD CREAM— AROMATIC VINEGAR- 
TOILET POWDERS— ROUGE— ESSENCES AND PERFUMES 



TOILET PREPARATIONS 

Recipes for the Toilet. — The enor- 
mous array of mixtures of all sorts 
for the toilet evinces equally the pop- 
ular interest in these recipes, and 
the whims, caprices, and vagaries of 
their makers. At first glance the 
number and variety of recipes rec- 
ommended by standard authorities 
is bewildering. A careful study of 
these preparations, however, and their 
tabulation in the form of charts for 
comparison, discloses the fact that 
the number of remedial agents con- 
tained in them is relatively small. 
The various forms in which these 
recipes appear are merely so many 
attempts to attract the notice of the 
public, whether by appealing to its 
taste or its convenience. The same 
ingredients, for example, may be 
compounded so as to form washes, 
lotions, emulsions, creams, or pastes, 
according to the degree of dilution 
preferred by the individual user. 
Standard recipes differ also by vary- 
ing the proportions of the same in- 
gredients recommended. Very often 
these ingredients will be the same 
with the exception of the perfumes. 
Needless to say the latter may be 
varied to suit the preference of the 
user. 

There are, of course, certain stand- 
ard types of toilet preparations. 
These vary according to the different 



bases, remedial agents, and the kind 
and amount of liquids employed for 
diluting them. A few words on each 
of these subjects will assist the read- 
er in making a satisfactory selection. 

To Save Money. — Practical sugges- 
tions and instructions for preparing 
all kinds of toilet preparations are 
of universal interest and value. Many 
toilet preparations made according 
to recipes given in this section are 
widely advertised for sale. The cost 
of advertising these articles and plac- 
ing them upon the market is usually 
from 50 to 80 per cent of their retail 
price. The purchaser has to pay all 
this in addition to the original cost 
of the ingredients and the labor of 
compounding. Moreover, it is impos- 
sible to tell what the ingredients are 
or whether they are of good quality. 
Very often they are injurious and 
even poisonous. Adulteration and 
substitution are very common. Any- 
one can save from 75 to 95 per cent 
on the cost of these by compounding 
them himself. He will know exactly 
what the preparations are composed 
of, and also that the ingredients are 
fresh and of good quality. 

To Make Money. — Some persons, 
however, have little skill in com- 
pounding, or have not the time or 
the proper facilities for the work. 
While anyone can prepare these arti- 
cles, it is, of course, true that a per- 
son may become very expert by giv- 



559 



560 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



ing special time and attention to 
them, and especially by the practice 
of maliing up prescriptions in fairly 
large quantities. Hence anyone who 
has an aptitude for work of this kind 
can make a good deal of money by 
preparing these articles in quantity, 
putting them up neatly in jars, bot- 
tles, boxes, etc., and affixing to them 
neat printed labels. These can be 
sold on shares at the local stores, or 
bought by friends and neighbors, or 
peddled from house to house by em- 
ploying young people on a commis- 
sion basis. Mail-order business can 
also be worked up for the sale of 
these preparations. The recipes are 
taken from the formulas of manufac- 
turers of standard toilet articles. 
Such preparations also make a very 
popular bazaar at a church fair. The 
work of compounding them in such 
cases can be delegated to a com- 
mittee. 

Bases. — The standard bases for 
solid and semifluid preparations, as 
pastes, creams, and emulsions, are 
white wax, spermaceti, suet, lard, 
yolk or white of egg, and various 
soaps. 

Animal fats, as lards, suet, and 
the like, must be specially refiHed and 
prepared for toilet purposes. This 
may be done at home by melting and 
simmering the fat slowly with gentle 
heat, and straining it through linen 
one or more times. On the farm 
these animal fats are easily obtained 
and consequently inexpensive, but 
unless alcohol or other preservatives 
are mixed with them they tend to 
become rancid. Hence small quanti- 
ties at a time should be prepared, 
and care should be taken not to em- 
ploy such preparations when they 
become in the least degree sour. The 
same caution applies to compounds 
containing the white or yolk of eggs 
and honey. 

White wax, spermaceti, castile and 
other soaps as bases are free from 
these objections, and recipes contain- 
ing them are to be preferred when 
such ingredients can conveniently be 
obtained. In compounding recipes 



having these solid unguents as bases 
they are first melted slowly with gen- 
tle heat, and while in a melted con- 
dition the other ingredients are 
added. They may also be " cut " or 
dissolved in alcohol and spirits. 

Liquid Bases. — Certain toilet prepa- 
rations, as emulsions, lotions, washes, 
and the like, omit the above solids 
or employ them only in small quanti- 
ties, and in their place use certain 
oils and other liquids as bases. The 
principal liquid bases are almond oil, 
olive oil, glycerin, honey, and the 
like. These have a double value: they 
tend to soothe and also to feed the 
skin. They are, therefore, among the 
most deservedly popular of all ingre- 
dients. 

Other Bases. — Gum arabic, quince 
seed, and white paste are also em- 
ployed as bases when a certain de- 
gree of adhesiveness is desired, as in 
ihe preparation of bandoline and 
pomades for the hair and beard. 
The quince seeds are prepared by 
simmering them gently in rose water 
until they form a stiff jell. This 
must then be strained through a fine 
sieve to remove the hulls. Gum 
arabic may be dissolved in warm 
water. 

Bases of Powders. — ^Wheat starch 
is the standard base for homemade 
toilet powders, but other materials 
often employed are fuller's earth, 
French chalk, and pearl white. Al- 
mond meal, like almond oil, has the 
double property of serving as a base 
and also as a remedial agent. 

Bemedial Agents. — This term is 
employed to describe certain ingre- 
dients used in toilet preparations 
which have specific curative proper- 
ties. Some of the bases already men- 
tioned, notably almonds, fall also un- 
der this heading. Among others of 
especial value may be noted sub- 
stances which soothe and feed the 
skin, as the yolk of egg, honey, and 
cocoa butter; substances which are 
mildly astringent, as lemon juice, 
alum, spirits, and benzoin; and other 
specifics, as glycerin, camphor, and 
sulphur, whose action varies with dif- 



TOILET PREPARATIONS 



561 



ferent persons. These agents are in 
most cases of a harmless character 
except when otherwise stated. 

Mineral Agents. — The use of min- 
eral drugs in toilet preparations can- 
not be too earnestly deprecated. In 
many cases they are immediately 
harmful, and defeat the very object 
for which they are intended, as in the 
case of bismuth, which frequently 
blackens the skin. AU compounds 
and preparations containing lead in 
any form are positively dangerous 
and sometimes give rise to blood poi- 
son. These mineral compounds are 
often recommended as heroic reme- 
dies, to be tried when other measures 
have failed; as, for example, for the 
removal of obstinate freckles, moles, 
pimples, and similar disfigurements. 
They are very common in hair dyes 
and pomades, and are too often em- 
ployed under delusion, caused by the 
misleading statements of friends, 
beauty doctors, or others, and by 
publishers of otherwise reputable 
books. 

Two statements we desire to ear- 
nestly make and stand by: first, 
mineral drugs in toilet preparations 
a^e dangerous ; and, secondly, they 
are not necessary. The simple and 
harmless remedies hereinafter given, 
if patiently and skillfully applied ac- 
cording to directions, will, in due 
course of time, accomplish the results 
intended, and develop the most per- 
fect complexion that the individual 
is capable of. 

The use of mineral drugs, on the 
other hand, whatever the immediate 
benefits derived from them may ap- 
pear to be, will in the end defeat its 
own object by producing after ef- 
fects ruinous to the complexion, and 
the last state of the deluded indi- 
vidual who employs them will indeed 
be worse than the first. 

Diluents or Vehicles. — Distilled 
water, various perfumed toilet wa- 
ters, as rose water, together with al- 
cohol, rectified spirits of wine, and 
other spirits, are the liquids most 
often recommended for diluting 
toilet preparations to the consistency 



of creams, lotions, washes, and the 
like. 

Distilled water may be prepared at 
home by attaching a tube to the 
spout of the teakettle, immersing as 
much of its length as possible in a 
basin of water shielded from the fire 
and kept cold, if convenient, with ice, 
and collecting the condensed steam 
at the opposite end of the tube in 
a fruit jar or other receptacle. The 
object of this process is to remove all 
impurities held in suspension, as lime 
and other minerals which are found 
in hard water; also vegetable and 
animal matter and other impurities. 
In winter clean snow, melted, is 
equivalent to distilled water. Rain 
water collected in a clean vessel is 
a good substitute. The ordinary wa~ 
ter supply, softened if necessary by 
means elsewhere recommended, will 
usually answer every purpose. Elder- 
flower water, orange-flower water, 
and other perfumed toikt waters are 
often recommended, but rose water 
or plain distilled or soft water may 
be used as a substitute, if preferred, 
in all cases. 

Perfumes. — Substances used as per- 
fumes commonly occur in several 
forms, i. e., the attar or essential oil, 
the essence, and the tincture or the 
" water," depending upon the degree 
of dilution. They can also be ob- 
tained in powdered form, as in 
sachets. The most convenient form 
in which to purchase perfumes is the 
otto or attar, i. e., the essential oil. 
This may be purchased in small 
quantity and employed according to 
taste, a few drops being sufficient to 
perfume most toilet preparations in 
quantities suitable for domestic use. 
The scent of these perfumes is fa- 
miliar to most persons, but they can 
easily be inspected at a drug store 
and a selection can be made. It is 
not necessary, of course, to purchase 
or have on hand each and all the 
different perfumes recommended. In 
fact, perfumes are now used very 
much less than they were formerly, 
and a strong scent of cologne, musk, 
or other odor about an individual is 



562 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



regarded as a mark of vulgarity. 
Many ladies who enjoy perfumes 
compromise by selecting any particu- 
lar odor they prefer, as violet, rose, 
lavender, or heliotrope, and employ 
this exclusively in the toilet. Any 
of the essential oils may be substi- 
tuted freely for the others, and the 
quantity may be varied to suit the 
taste as determined by experiment. 

Coloring Matters. — The standard 
coloring matters employed for lip 
salve, rouge, cold cream, and the like 
are as follows: for rose pink or red, 
alkanet root or dragon's blood; for 
yellow or orange, palm oil or annotto; 
for blue, finely powdered indigo; for 
green, spinach leaves. Other coloring 
matter, as the various lakes and 
other mineral substances, are inten- 
tionally omitted. 

Utensils Required. — The utensils 
required in compounding the follow- 
ing recipes are usually at hand in 
every household. A small pair of 
druggist's scales or balances is a 
great convenience, and will be found 
useful in many ways. A graduate 
glass, marked for the measurement 
of fluid ounces, is also useful, and 
can be obtained of any druggist or 
dealer in photographic materials. A 
glass of the size of 4 or 8 ounces may 
be obtained at from 25 cents or less 
to 50 cents!" 

In addition to the above a small 
spatula or thin, broad-bladed, flexi- 
ble knife, a small mortar and pestle, 
and one or two short pieces of glass 
tube or rod for stirring, will be 
found convenient. Ordinary porce- 
lain-lined saucepans are the best re- 
ceptacles in which to melt and mix 
the necessary ingredients. A double 
boiler is convenient, but if this can- 
not be had, a large saucepan may be 
partly filled with water, and a small- 
er one containing the ingredients to 
be melted placed within it so that 
the water will reach part way up the 
sides. A few nails or other solid ob- 
jects placed in the bottom of the 
large saucepan will raise the small 
one so as to permit the water to cir- 
culate freely beneath it. In this way 



the ingredients may be melted with- 
out danger of burning or sticking to 
the pan. Care must be taken that 
the water in the outer saucepan does 
not all evaporate or boil up and flood 
the inner one. 

Directions for Compounding. — 
First place the solid or liquid con- 
stituents used as a base in a double 
boiler or saucepan, as above sug- 
gested. Simmer with a gentle heat, 
but without boiling. When the solids 
are melted and the mass is warm 
enough to flow freely, first put in the 
coloring matter, if any, and simmer 
until the color has been fully incor- 
porated. Next strain through linen 
while still hot. 

Return the mixture to the double 
boiler, and while hot add such spe- 
cific remedial agents as the oil of 
bitter almonds, honey, glycerin, ben- 
zoin, lemon juice, alum, etc. 

If rose water or distilled water is 
to be added to form an emulsion, lo- 
tion, or wash, take the mixture olf 
the fire and add the water gradually, 
stirring briskly with a spoon or egg 
beater to insure forming a perfect 
emulsion. The last ingredient to be 
added is always the perfume, and 
this should be done after the mixture 
has cooled somewhat, but before it 
sets. Perfumes are volatile, and if 
added to a heated mixture are likely 
to be wasted by evaporation. 

Compounding of Pastes and Pow- 
ders. — The above instructions apply 
especially to liquid compounds. The 
solid constituents of pastes may be 
rubbed together in a mortar, and 
kneaded with the hands or with a 
spatula on a marble or metal slab, a 
clean piece of zinc, or a kneading 
board. In some cases an egg beater 
can be employed if the consistency of 
the mixture will allow it. Almonds 
for pastes may be reduced in a mor- 
tar to the proper consistency by 
moistening them with rose water and 
grinding them with a pestle, or by 
heating them with water in a sauce- 
pan until the mass assumes a granu- 
lar consistency, somewhat similar to 
cooked oatmeal. Both methods are 



TOILET PREPARATIONS 



563 



employed, but the former is the more 
common. The materials for toilet 
powders may be compounded by sim- 
ple mixture in a mortar or other suit- 
able receptacle. 

General Suggestions. — We would 
suggest to the novice that it will be 
well to first prepare a small quantity 
of some good toilet powder (prefera- 
bly based on wheat starch), a good 
cold cream, and, if desired, one of 
the liquid emulsions or lotions as a 
wash for the face and hands. 

Other preparations, as pastes, 
rouge, aromatic vinegar, and the like, 
may be made up as occasion de- 
mands. Persons experienced in these 
matters will, of course, need no sug- 
gestions. 

Tables. — A number of tables have 
been prepared which contain practi- 
cally all the standard recipes for the 
toilet in use by beauty doctors and 
others in all parts of the world. An 
exception to this statement has al- 
ready been noted; all recipes contain- 
ing preparations of lead and other 
injurious mineral drugs have been 
absolutely excluded. A list of the 
different ingredients is given at the 
left of the table, and the name of 
each preparation is quoted at the 
top. Under each name and opposite 
the names of the different ingredients 
will be found the amount of each to 
be employed. General directions for 
compounding the following recipes 
have already been given. Special di- 
rections follow each table when nec- 
essary. 

SIMPLE HOME PEEPARATI0N8 

The following simple homemade 
preparations are suggested in addi- 
tion to the more elaborate receipts 
given later: 

To Remove Freckles. — Prepara- 
tions recommended for the removal 
of freckles are usually of an acid 
character containing alum, lemon 
juice, horse-radish, buttermilk, and 
the like; also mineral drugs, as salts 
of lead, mercury, bismuth, and oth- 
ers. It cannot be too clearly stated 



that all such preparations are dis- 
tinctly injurious to the complexion, 
and their frequent use is not to be 
recommended. Most young persons 
of light complexion are annoyed by 
freckles, but these ordinarily pass 
away in later life, and the wisest pos- 
sible course is to pay little attention 
to them and allow nature to effect a 
cure. The application of prepara- 
tions advertised to remove freckles, 
the ingredients of which are un- 
known, should be avoided lest they 
contain bismuth, which is liable to 
blacken the skin, or lead or mercury, 
which are active mineral poisons. 
The following recipes, the active 
principles of which are principally 
animal or vegetable acids, are less in- 
jurious; but it must be borne in 
mind that all cosmetics of an as- 
tringent nature do their work by 
contracting the pores, which thus be- 
come weakened and in time are un- 
able to discharge their natural func- 
tions. The result may be, in later 
life, wrinkles and sallowness, and the 
last state of the complexion may be 
distinctly worse than the first. 

Grate a fresh horse-radish root very 
fine, cover with fresh buttermilk, and 
let stand over night. Strain through 
cheese cloth, and wash the face 
night and morning with the resulting 
liquor. 

Or squeeze the juice of a lemon 
into half a tumbler of water, and use 
two or three times daily as a face 
wash. 

Or dissolve in lemon juice as much 
sugar as it will hold, and apply with 
a soft brush frequently until the 
freckles disappear. 

Or apply a lotion containing glyc- 
erin, but this is hardly a specific. 

Or mix 2 ounces of lemon juice 
with 1 dram of confectioner's sugar 
or powdered rock candy and | dram 
of powdered borax. Let stand for 
4 or 5 days, shaking occasionally, and 
apply with a camel's-hair brush two 
or three times a day. 

Or to 1 pint of distilled soft 
water add 1 dram of sal ammoniac 
and ^ ounce of cologne. Rub on the 



564 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



face and hands two or three times 
daily. 

Or dissolve in 4 drams of rose wa- 
ter 1 dram of muriate of ammonia, 
and apply two or three times a day 
with a camel's-hair brush. 

Or put in a double boiler 1 ounce 
of grated Venice soap and 1 ounce 
of pure soft water (or distilled wa- 
ter) ; melt with gentle heat and con- 
tinue the heating until the water is 
evaporated and only the melted soap 
remains. Remove from the fire, and 
stir in | ounce of lemon juice, ^ 
ounce of oil of bitter almonds, i 
ounce of deliquidated oil of tartar, 
and 3 drops of oil rhodium. This is 
said to be a recipe of the celebrated 
Mme. de Maintenon, the mistress of 
Louis XIV of France. 

Or this mixture can be prepared 
by grating the soap, pouring over it 
the lemon juice and other ingredi- 
ents, exposing it to direct sunlight, 
and shaking occasionally until it is of 
the right consistency. Apply to the 
face at night. 

Or mix I pint of tincture of tolu, 
i pint of tincture of benzoin, and J 
ounce of oil of rosemary. Put a tea- 
spoonful of this mixture in one 
fourth tumblerful of pure soft water, 
and apply to the face with a soft 
sponge two or three times a day. 

Or put iVi a glass fruit jar or bot- 
tle 6 ounces of fresh oxgall. Add 2 
ounces of rock candy, 2 ounces of 
rock salt, IJ scruples of camphor, 1 
dram of borax, and 1^ scruples of 
burned alum. (But remember that 
this is an heroic remedy.) Apply with 
a brush or sponge at night, and wash 
the face thoroughly next morning. 

Or mix 2 ounces each of aqua am- 
monia, sweet oil, and limewater. 

But none of these preparations can 
be regarded as desirable lotions for 
regular or frequent use. 

Cucumber Milk. — Slice three or 
four large cucumbers with the skin 
on, add ^ pint of water, boil, stir to 
a soft pulp, cool, and strain. Mix 
IJ ounces of this cucumber juice, IJ 
ounces of 95 per cent alcohol, and i 
ounce of grated castile soap. Let 



stand in a warm place over night; 
next day add 8 ounces more of the 
cucumber juice, 1 ounce of oil of 
sweet almonds, 20 drops of tincture 
of benzoin, and 5 grains of boracic 
acid. Shake well before using, and 
apply to the face two or three times 
a day with a soft cloth or sponge. 

Milk for the Skin. — New milk, 
skimmed milk, and buttermilk each 
possess properties peculiar to it- 
self, and they all make useful and 
simple washes having a general emol- 
lient action on the skin. If used 
daily they tend to make the skin soft, 
smooth, and white, and to preserve it 
from the effects of exposure to 
weather. Buttermilk is useful for 
freckles and acne, and relieves itch- 
ing and local irritations of the skin. 
Pure, fresh cream is a simple and 
effective preventive of chapped hands 
and lips, and is excellent to cure 
these evils. 

Milk as a cosmetic may be im- 
proved by infusing in it freshly 
grated horse-radish, or infusing in 
new milk or buttermilk a quantity of 
flowers of sulphur. These are useful 
remedies for freckles and other dis- 
colorations and slight eruptions of 
the skin. 

Or mix flowers of sulphur with a 
little new milk and let stand an hour 
or two to settle. Pour off the milk 
from the sediment, and rub well into 
the skin before washing. This^ mix- 
ture is for immediate use only, and 
must be prepared daily. It may be 
prepared at night with evening milk 
and used the next morning, but not 
afterwards. Two or three table- 
spoonfuls are all that need be pre- 
pared at a time. 

Or boil 1 cupful of fine Scotch oat- 
meal — not breakfast food — ^in 1 pint 
of boiling water until it forms a 
clear liquid. Use a double boiler, or 
place the saucepan containing the 
oatmeal in an open kettle or pan of 
boiling water to prevent sticking or 
burning. Strain the clear liquid 
through a cloth, boil again, and 
strain a second time. Add rose wa- 
ter, elder-flower water, or orange- 



TOILET PREPARATIONS 



565 



flower water untU the liquor has the 
consistency of milk. Add a few 
drops of your favorite perfume, and 
bottle for use. 

lemon Juice. — Dilute fresh lemon 
juice with five or six times its volume 
of pure soft water. This, however, 
should hot be used too frequently on 
account of its acid quality and tend- 
ency to impair the work of the pores 
of the skin. It may, however, be 
used on occasion to relieve itching or 
local irritation. 

Or mix equal parts of lemon jmce, 
toilet water, and alcohol. Let stand 
over night, pour off the clear liquid, 
and strain through silk or linen. 

Kalydor. — Dissolve 3 drams of 
tincture of benzoin in 1 pint of rose 
water, and use as a face wash for the 
complexion. 

Magnesia Cream. — Mix fine pow- 
dered magnesia with rose water to a 
thin cream, dip the face in warm wa- 
ter to open the pores, apply a glyc- 
erin lotion, and afterwards apply the 
magnesia cream. Let dry and re- 
move with a soft towel. 

Or dissolve fuller's earth in water, 
stir well, then let it settle, and use 
once or twice daily. 

Honey. — Honey is a favorite in- 
gredient in various lotions imder the 
name of "honey water," "balsam of 
honey," and the like. The term 
"honey water" is also applied to 
certain combinations of perfumes 
that do not, in fact, contain honey. 

To prepare honey water from 
honey, put in a 2-quart fruit jar 4 
ounces of pure white honey with i 
ounce of fresh grated lemon peel, i 
ounce each of calamayta, benzoin, and 
storax, i ounce of cloves, and J ounce 
of nutmeg. Add 3 ounces each of 
rose water and elder-flower water and 
12 fluid ounces of 95 per cent alcohol. 
Let stand 3 or 4 days, shaking fre- 
quently, run through a filter, and bot- 
tle for use. 

Or, for balsam of honey, mix with 
gentle heat 8 ounces of pure white 
honey and 2 ounces of best quality 
glycerin. Let stand until cool, stir in 
2 fluid ounces of 95 per cent alcohol, 



and add 10 drops of the essence of 
ambergris. 

Glycerin. — When pure, glycerin is 
a colorless viscid liquid, having a 
sweet taste and without odor. AH 
the ordinary fats contain glycerin, 
which is produced by treating animal 
fats with alkalies, such as caustic 
soda or potash, as is done in the 
manufacture of soap. Glycerin is a 
by-product of soap factories. It may 
also be produced by treating fats 
with superheated steam, as is done in 
the manufacture of candles. Hence 
glycerin is also a by-product of can- 
dle factories. 

Glycerin mixes freely with water, 
and pure glycerin absorbs about one 
half its own weight from the atmos- 
phere. It is an excellent solvent, and 
is an Important ingredient of po- 
mades, toilet soaps, and cosmetics. 
Glycerin is recommended as a lotion 
for irritation of the skin and for 
itching; also as a preventive against 
sunburn, chaps, and redness from 
exposure to the weather. A prepa- 
ration of 1 ounce of glycerin to 19 
ounces of pure soft water is about 
right for regular use as a face wash, 
and is an excellent vehicle in which 
to dissolve various remedies. 

Or 1 ounce of glycerin to 9 ounces 
of water may be used for chapped 
hands and lips, or whenever a strong 
solution is desired. 

Borax. — Dissolve 5 drams of borax 
in 1 pint of pure soft or distilled wa- 
ter, and use as a wash for sore gums 
or nipples, boils, or any other irrita- 
tion of the skin or mucous mem- 
brane. 

Or combine borax with glycerin in 
the proportion of 6 drams of borax 
and li ounces of pure glycerin; add 
16 ounces of rose water. This may 
be used regularly as a face wash. 

Or mix | ounce of powdered borax 
with 1 ounce of pure glycerin and 16 
ounces of camphor oil. Apply to the 
face with a soft cloth or sponge two 
or three times a day; let dry, and 
rinse with clear water. 

Or to 1 ounce of glycerin add 2 
ounces of fresh lemon juice, 1 pint 



566 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



of pure distilled water, and 1 pint of 
rose water. Apply to the face sev- 
eral times a day and let dry before 
rinsing. 

Lotions for Tan or Sunburn. — 
These are based principally on oil of 
almonds, with the addition of castile 
soap and rock candy, and contain 
various remedial agents, including 
astringents, as alum and lemon juice, 
also benzoin, tincture of tolu, tartar 
oil, ox gall, and the like. They are 
diluted usually with alcohol or any 
perfumed toilet water, for which 
plain distilled or soft water may be 
substituted. And they may be per- 
fumed with any essential oil or es- 
sence preferred. Apply any of these 
lotions to the face with a small 
sponge or a soft linen rag. Let it 
dry on without rubbing, and after- 
wards wash the face with soft warm 
water. 

The following is a simple remedy 
for tan or sunburn: apply peroxide 
of hydrogen, pouring a teaspoonful 
or more in the palm of the hand, and 
applying it equally over the hands, 
arms, and face. Let it dry without 
rubbing. After it is thoroughly dry, 
apply any good lotion. This will 
rapidly bleach the skin without in- 
juring the most delicate complexion. 



bly the nut or kernel of the almond, 
of which there are two sorts: the 
sweet and the bitter. The almond is 
the fruit of a tree very similar to the 
peach tree. It is cultivated exten- 
sively in southern Europe, and is now 
grown largely in California. Al- 
monds are much cheaper now than 
they were formerly, and are likely to 
become cheaper still. The almond 
contains two active principles: an 
odorless fixed oil of a light color, 
which is obtained by pressure; and 
the oil of bitter almonds, which is a 
volatile oil obtained by crushing bit- 
ter almonds in cold water and by dis- 
tillation. This latter oil is colorless, 
limpid, and has the distinctive odor 
of bitter almonds, similar to that of 
prussic acid. It sometimes contains 
prussic acid, in which case, if taken 
internally even in minute quantities, 
it is a deadly poison. 

The ordinary almonds of commerce 
are sweet almonds of the thin- 
shelled varieties. They contain about 
50 per cent or more of almond oil, 
which may be extracted by boiling in 
water or by softening the kernels 
with water or other liquid, rubbing 
them in a mortar, and mixing the 
resulting mass with various other in- 
gredients. Or the oils of commerce 



LOTIONS FOR TAN AND SUNBURN 



Castile Soap 

OxGaU 

Borax 

Almonds, Bitter 

" Oil of.. 
" Sweet " . . 

Rock Candy 

" Salt 

Camphor 

Benzoin 

Tine. Tolu 

jllum 

Lemon Juice 

Tartar Oil 

Ltmewater 

Alcohol (95%) 

Rose Water 

Any Essential Oil 



1 lb. 

2 dr. 



ioz. 
Idr. 

Idr. 



1 pt. 
ipt. 



i pt. 
i oz. 



ioz. 



*Pt. 



1 oz. 



1 oz. 



1 oz. 



i oz. 



^oz. 
i oz. 



3 dr. 



idr. 



Idr. 



2oz. 



ilb. 



1 qt. 
1 gal. 
4 dr. 



1 pt. 

ipt. 



igill 
J oz. 



1 oz, 
i oz, 



i oz. 



3 dr. 



idr. 



Idr. 



2oz. 



2qt. 
20 m. 



8oz. 

2oz. 

li scr. 



li Bcr. 



4 on. 



1 dr. 
8oz. 



2 dr. 



1 qt. 



ALMOND MILK CEEAM AND PASTE 

Almond Preparations. — The prime 
favorite among all ingredients of the 
various toilet preparations is proba- 



may be utilized. Preparations of al- 
monds for toilet purposes are va- 
riously known as " milk of almonds," 
" almond cream," " almond paste," 
and the like. They are likewise 



TOILET PREPARATIONS 



567 



known as English, French, or other 
•' milk of roses," and by similar fan- 
ciful titles, arising from the various 
added ingredients and the wishes of 
the different manufacturers. 

Among the ingredients most often 
added to almonds in these prepara- 
tions are solid unguents, as white 
wax, spermaceti, white paste, and the 
like; also liquid unguents, as glyc- 
erin, honey, the yolk of egg, and 
similar substances. Perfiuned and 
distilled water, alcohol, and other 
spirits are often used as vehicles. 
And various specifics for the com- 
plexion, as benzoin, calts of tartar, 
alum, lemon juice, and other cosmet- 
ics, may be added. All recipes con- 
taining mineral substances, as salts 
of lead, mercury, bismuth, and the 
like, are here omitted. 

The oil of almonds Is a gentle 
emollient. It not only softens but 
also feeds the skin. Hence it is a 
specific for the complexion, and is 
especially useful for chaps, sunburn, 
redness, and other local irritations. 
The following are standard recipes 
for milk, cream, or paste of almonds, 
in the order mentioned. Among these 
are proprietary articles which are 
sold under various fanciful titles at 
exorbitant prices, but which can be 
readily prepared at home by anyone 
who cares to take the necessary pains, 
with the advantage of knowing that 
the materials are fresh and pure and 
that the mixture contains nothing 
inj urious. 

Milk of Almonds. — The principal 
object to be attained in preparing 
milk of almonds or milk of roses is 
to form a perfect emulsion which will 
not separate, or which, if it separates 
after standing, may be emulsified by 
shaking. Such substances as soap, 
gum, wax, and the like, are added 
for this purpose, and all such prepa- 
rations will be improved by beating 
thoroughly with . an egg beater or 
otherwise after all the ingredients 
have been incorporated. 

The milk of roses varies from the 
milk of almonds merely in being per- 
fumed Avith rose water or the essence 



or attar of roses. Other perfumes 
are frequently added, but in such 
limited quantities that the scent of 
roses predominates. 

Rub up in a mortar 1 ounce of 
sweet blanched almonds by adding, 
a little at a time, ^ pint of distilled 
water or pure soft water, mixing and 
rubbing constantly until a smooth, 
homogeneous milky emulsion is 
formed. Finally strain the resulting 
mixture through a piece of net or 
gauze to remove the coarser particles. 
This is the common " milk of al- 
monds " of perfumers, to which glyc- 
erin, various cosmetics, perfumes, and 
coloring matter may be added as de- 
sired. 

Or mix in a mortar 5 drams of 
blanched almonds, 2 drams of white 
lump sugar or rock candy, and 1 
dram of powdered gum arable, and 
rub up the whole together in the 
same manner, adding distilled water, 
a little at a time, until 8 fluid ounces 
have been incorporated. This is an 
Irish formula, and is especially use- 
ful when it is desired to add oils, 
gums, or balsams. 

Or milk of bitter almonds or emul- 
sion of bitter almonds may be pre- 
pared in the same manner by substi- 
tuting blanched bitter almonds for 
the sweet variety. The milk of bitter 
almonds is especially recommended 
to relieve itching and irritation (es- 
pecially that caused by shaving), and 
as a remedy for freckles, but it de- 
velops prussic acid, a very active 
poison, and hence must not be swal- 
lowed or applied except in very mi- 
nute quantities to a raw surface. 

Or put in a mortar 5 ounces of 
blanched sweet almonds, and add 
slowly 1 pint of distilled water, rub- 
bing up the almonds with the water 
until a complete emulsion is formed. 
Dissolve in a double boiler ^ ounce 
of spermaceti, J ounce of white wax, 
and I ounce of castile soap. Pour 
into this mixture in a fine stream the 
milk of almonds, stirring constantly. 
Remove from the fire, and stir in a 
mixture of 6 ounces of alcohol, 5 
drops of oil of bitter almonds, and 



568 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



1 dram of oil of bergamot. Strain 
through a piece of net or gaiize and 
bottle for use. 

Or mix in a mortar 1 ounce of 
sweet almonds and 3 ounces of bitter 
almonds, adding slowly 1 quart of 
pure soft or distilled water. Stir in 
1| pounds of sugar, and perfume 
with orange-flower water or other- 
wise, as desired. Strain and bottle 
for use. 

Or rub up in a mortar IJ ounces 
of sweet blanched almonds, adding 
slowly I pint of rose water. Stir in 
1 dram of finely powdered castile 
soap and 1 dram of oil of almonds, 
beating up with an egg beater or oth- 
erwise to form a complete emulsion; 
stir in a mixture of 2^ ounces of 95 
per cent alcohol and ^ fluid dram of 
essence of roses. Add enough rose 
water to make 1 pint of the whole. 
Add, if desired, a few drops of the 



essential oil of bergamot or of lav- 
ender, or the attar of roses dissolved 
in the alcohol. 

Or rub up gradually in a mortar 
3 ounces of sweet blanched almonds 
and 12 ounces of rose water. Mix 
separately with gentle heat 2 drams 
each of white castile soap, white wax, 
and oil of almonds, to which add 1 
dram of oil of bergamot, 15 drops of 
oil of lavender, and 8 drops of attar 
of roses. Add this mixture to the 
"milk of almonds," rub up thorough- 
ly in a mortar, beat with an egg 
beater or otherwise to form a perfect 
emulsion, and strain through silk or 
linen. 

Enough has been said to indicate 
the method of compounding these 
recipes. The following may be pre- 
pared in the same manner: 

Blanched bitter almonds, 2 ounces; 
distilled water, 2 ounces; salt of tar- 







ALMOND CREAM 


. MILK OF 


ROSES, E 


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Almonds, , 




























Sweet... 


16 oz. 


Hoz. 


1 oz. 




71b. 


51b. 


31b. 


16 OZ. 




61b. 








Bitter. . . 






3oz. 


5 oz. 


16 oz. 






1 oz. 


8oz. 










Oil 


1 oz. 


Idr. 




5d. 




16 oz. 


4 oz. 








Idr. 




1 oz. 


Milk. . . . 




























Paste... 




















3 dr. 




3 dr. 




White Wax 


7 dr. 






i oz. 






^oz. 


1 oz. 












Spermaceti 


3 dr. 






Joz. 






i oz. 


1 oz. 












Castile 




























Soap. . . . 


1 oz. 


Idr. 




\ oz. 




12 oz. 


Jib. 


1 oz. 












White Sug. 






U lb. 






















Alcohol. . . . 


1 pt. 


2ioz. 




6oz. 


Igal. 


3 qts. 


2 qts. 






Igal. 


1 oz. 






RoseWater 


7 pts. 


Ipt. 


1 qt. 


1 pt. 


5 gal. 


q. s. 


10 qts. 


1 qt. 


8oz. 


3 gal. 


Ipt. 


ipt. 


4 OS. 


Eosemary 




























Water. . . 




ipt. 
























Elder-Fl. 




























Water. . . 






1 oz. 












6oz. 










Lavender 




























Water... 




























Tin. Storax 


















2 dr. 










Tine. Ben- 


























zoin 


idr. 




















Idr. 


i fl. oz. 




Pearlash. . . 












8oz. 


2oz. 














Oil of Rose 




6 m. 






60 m. 


20 m. 








20 m. 








Oil of Lav- 




























ender. . . 


J dr. 








1 oz. 


4 dr. 


^oz. 






1 oz. 








Oil of Tar- 




























tar 








Idr. 










20 m. 








20 m. 


Oil of Ber- 




























gamot. . . 
Balsam of 






















































Peru.... 






















20 m. 







TOILET PREPARATIONS 



569 



tar, ^ dram; tincture benzoin, i 
dram. Riib up together in a mortar, 
beat to an emulsion, and strain. 

Or blanched sweet almonds, 1 
ounce; grated castile soap, 1 ounce; 
oil of almonds, 1 ounce; white wax, 6 
drams; spermaceti, 3 drams; oil of 
bergamot, | dram; oil of lavender, | 
dram; rose water, 3 quarts; alcohol, 
1 pint. 

Complexion Paste. — The principal 
ingredients in standard pastes for the 
complexion consist of solid and liquid 
unguents, as spermaceti, wax, paste, 
suet, various soaps, and the like; 
soothing substances, as almond oil 
and honey; mild astringents, as lem- 
on juice and alum; rose water and 
alcohol for mixing purposes, and va- 
rious perfumes. 

As in other toilet preparations, the 
solid unguents give substance to the 
compound and hold the various reme- 
dial agents in suspension. Yolk of 
egg, almonds, honey, and the like, 
feed the skin, and other ingredients 
are used for convenience in com- 
pounding, perfuming, etc. 

Any of these pastes may be colored 
by adding coloring matter in the 
process of preparation while the mix- 
ture is in a liquid state. Rich rose, 
pink, or red may be obtained by dis- 
solving i dram of alkanet root or 
dragon's blood in about 8 ounces of 
melted fat. For orange or yellow, 
use palm oil or annotto. For blue, 
use finely powdered indigo. For 
green, steep spinach leaves in oil, and 
strain before using. 

If coloring matter is not used, 
these pastes will be of a pure white 
or a slightly tinted yellow from the 
yolk of egg. 

In compounding the above mix- 
tures, a small marble mortar and 
pestle will be found convenient. 

White of egg may be boiled in rose 
water or plain soft or distilled wa- 
ter. Where pulverized almonds are 
required, it is better to obtain the 
fresh nuts and pulverize them shortly 
before using. The nuts may be first 
crushed by a rolling-pin, and after- 
wards pulverized in a mortar. A few 



drops of rose water or almond oil 
added in the mortar will assist by 
softening them. An egg beater will 
be found convenient in thoroughly 
blending all the ingredients in these 
mixtures. Perfumes must be added 
while the material is in a liquid state. 
When oil is used, perfume may be 
first mingled with the oil. Sperma- 
ceti, white and other soaps, may be 
first reduced to liquid form by melt- 
ing. Where alkanet root or other 
solid substances are used, the paste 
may be improved by straining while 
in a liquid condition through a linen 
cloth. The milk of pistachio nuts 
may be obtained by distilling fresh 
peeled nuts in an equal quantity of 
rose water. Simmer over a slow fire, 
and when melted form an emulsion 
with the egg beater. 

With a little attention to the above 
instructions anyone may compound a 
paste for himself, and have the sat- 
isfaction of knowing that the mate- 
rials are fresh and that no harmful 
ingredients have been used. 

Almond Paste may be prepared in 
two ways: either in the cold or by 
cooking the almonds. To prepare al- 
mond paste in the cold, pound the 
dry kernels of sweet almonds to a 
fine powder in an earthenware or 
marble mortar. This will require 
time and patience. When the al- 
monds are sufficiently fine, add just 
enough elder-flower, rose, or orange- 
flower water to make a paste of the 
desired consistency and perfume with 
some essential oil — as the attar of 
roses, bergamot, neroli, or any other 
desired. Preserve in covered glass 
jars. 

Or, to prepare paste of bitter al- 
monds, take equal parts of bitter and 
sweet almonds and proceed as before. 
It is not necessary to add perfumes, 
as the scent of the bitter almonds is 
sufficient. 

Or add to either of the above 2 
ounces of powdered spermaceti or I 
ounce of grated castile soap for each 
pound of almonds. 

Or the white of 1 egg to each 
pound of almonds. 



570 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



ALMOND PASTE FOR THE COMPLKXION 





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White Wax 


4 
i oz. 

i oz. 


1 oz. 
4 oz. 

1 oz. 
7 1b. 

1 oz. 
ioz. 


1 oz. 

1 

8oz. 
q. B. 


1 oz. 

1 

4 oz. 
4oz. 

q. s. 


8oz. 

8oz. 
3 

16 oz. 


4oz. 
2oz. 

iPt. 

Idr. 
idr. 


2oz. 
14 oz. 

Idr. 
idr. 


2 dr. 
§oz. 

2oz. 
2oz. 
i^ oz. 

12 m. 

12 m. 


4 1b. 
lib. 

q. s. 
4oz. 


4oz. 
4 oz. 
1 oz. 

1 oz. 
6oz. 

2oz. 


2oz. 
8oz. 

q. B. 


3oz. 

2oz. 
6oz. 
6 

2oz. 
Hdr. 
8oz. 




Spermaceti 




Suet 




Castile Soap 




White Paste 




Sunple Sirup 




Honey 




Yolk of Egg 




White of Egg 

Almonds, Sweet 

Bitter 

OUof 

" Attar of . . . . 
Milk of Pistachio 


1 

3oz. 
4oz. 
3 oz. 

q. 8. 
3 oa. 








Rose Water 




Oil of Bergamot 




" Mace 








Orris Powder 









Or, to prepare almond paste by 
cooking, chop or grind 24 ounces of 
blanched bitter almonds, which may 
be done by passing them through a 
meat cutter, cover with 8 ounces of 
elder-flower or orange-flower water, 
and cook over a slow fire, stirring 
constantly 'until the almond kernels 
burst and assume the consistency of 
paste. If the fire is too brisk or the 
mass is not constantly stirred, the 
almonds will burn and the quality of 
the paste will be impaired. It must 
be borne in mind that much of the 
oil of bitter almonds is volatilized by 
heat, and care must be taken not to 
breathe the fumes, which are poison- 
ous. Before removing from the fire, 
stir in 4 ounces more of orange- 
flower or elder-flower water, and rub 
up the paste in a mortar to the 
proper consistency, adding 16 ounces 
of alcohol and 3 ounces of attar of 
roses or any other essential oil de- 
sired. Rub through a hair or other 
fine sieve and bottle for use. 

Or, for honey-almond paste, heat 
in a double boiler 4 ounces of pure 



white honey, strain through cheese 
cloth, and add 4 ounces of bitter 
white paste, 8 ounces of expressed oil 
of bitter almonds, and 2^ yolks of 
eggs. Add the egg and the oil grad- 
ually, and beat vigorously with an 
egg beater or otherwise, as in prepar- 
ing mayonnaise. 

Or rub up together in a mortar 2 
ounces of sweet and bitter almonds 
with 1^ ounces of oil of almonds, and 
add J ounce of ground castile soap. 
Stir in 12 drops of attar of roses and 
oil of bergamot. 

Or rub up to a smooth paste in a 
mortar 4 ounces of bleached sweet 
almonds; add the white of 1 egg and 
equal quantities of rose water and 
alcohol to make a paste of the right 
consistency. 

Or rub to a smooth paste 4 pounds 
of bitter almonds with elder-flower or 
lavender water, and beat up with this 
1 pound of pure strained honey, 4 
ounces of fine orris powder, 8 ounces 
of almond powder, and 2 ounces of 
oil of jasmine. 

Or rub up in a mortar 4 ounces of 



TOILET PREPARATIONS 



571 



powdered almonds, and beat into 
these 3 ounces of oil of almonds and 
3 ounces of lemon juice, and dilute 
with equal parts of alcohol and rose 
water to make a paste of the right 
consistency. 

Or cover the whites of 4 eggs with 
rose water and bring to a boil, stir- 
ring in I ounce of alum and ^ ounce 
of oil of almonds. Evaporate the 
water with gentle heat, and stir con- 
stantly imtil the paste is of the right 
consistency. 

COLD CREAM 

Cold Creams. — The basis of most 
cold creams is either white wax or 
spermaceti or both, with almond oil 
or rectified animal fats, as lard, suet, 
and the like, to which may be added 
various specifics for the complexion, 
and distilled waters, essences, or es- 
sential oils to perfume as desired. 

Cold cream is among the most use- 
ful of all toilet preparations, both 
as a preventive and as a remedy for 
sunburn and reddening of the skin by 
exposure, chapped hands and lips, 
frostbite, and other local irritations. 
It is also useful for whitening the 
hands and to prevent wrinkles. For 



this purpose it should be applied at 
night and thoroughly washed off in 
the morning. The hands may be pro- 
tected at night by a loose pair of kid 
or chamois gloves. 

To prepare cold cream, melt in 
a double boiler 2 drams of white wax, 
1 ounce of spermaceti, and 3^ ounces 
of oil of sweet almonds. Remove 
from the fire and add in a thin 
stream 2 fluid ounces of rose water, 
and stir constantly until cold. Those 
who can use glycerin with safety may 
add i ounce to 1 ounce before the 
mixture sets. 

Or, for a medicated cold cream, 
melt with gentle heat in a double 
boiler | ounce of white wax, A ounce 
of spermaceti, and 4 ounces of al- 
mond oil. Mix separately ^ fluid 
ounce each of the tinctures of bal- 
sam of Peru, tolu, and benzola, to 
which add in a thin stream 2 fluid 
ounces of elder-flower water. Beat 
in the mean time with an egg beater 
or otherwise to form a complete 
emulsion. Pour this emulsion in a 
thin stream into the melted wax and 
oil, meantime beating with an egg 
beater until all the ingredients are 
fully incorporated. When cold, this 
compoimd will set as a permanent 











COLD 


CREAM 
















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White Wax 

Spermaceti 


4 oz. 
16 oz. 

12 oz. 


i oz. 
i oz. 

4oz. 

2oz. 
10 m. 


i oz. 
2oz. 

2oz. 


10 dr. 
10 dr. 
8oz. 

15 gr. 
2 oz. 
4 oz. 

10 m. 


i oz. 
J oz. 

2oz. 


5 dr. 
5 dr. 

10 oz. 

3ioz. 
15 m. 


20 oz. 

h oz. 
1 oz. 

5 oz. 


1 oz. 
1 oz. 

8oz. 
5 oz. 


i oz. 
i oz. 

ilb. 
ilb. 

2 dr. 
12 m. 


4 dr. 
6 dr. 

8oz. 
20 gr. 

Soz. 


2 lb. 
1 lb. 

4 oz. 
30 m. 


3oz. 
16 oz. 

10 m. 


1 oz. 
10 oz 




2 oz. 


Quince Seed 

Mucilage 

Cocoa Butter. . . 

Almond' Oil. . . . 

Soap.... 

Glycerin.. ..... 


4 oz. 


Stearic Acid.. . . 
Sub. Carbonate 

Potash 

Alcohol 

Rose Water. . . . 
Any Essential 

Oil 


3 oz. 
15 m. 



572 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



cold cream which is highly recom- 
mended as a cosmetic. 

Or melt together in a double boiler 
with gentle heat 3 ounces of sperma- 
ceti and 1 ounce of oil of almonds. 
Stir in 3 ounces of pure glycerin, and 
I ounce of balsam of Peru. Remove 
from the fire and beat with an egg 
beater until cool enough to stir. 

AROMATIC VINEGAR 

Aromatic Vinegar, or Toilet Vine- 
gar, is a toilet preparation, the active 
principle of which is acetic acid — in 
the form of glacial acetic acid, white 
wine or other vinegar, or the like. It 
may be perfumed according to taste 
and may serve as a vehicle for va- 
rious cosmetics. To compound toilet 
vinegar, first dissolve the essential 
oils or other perfumes in the spir- 
its, next add the vinegar or acetic 
acid, and lastly the distilled or toilet 
water. 

Or, if no spirits are used, mix the 
ingredients in a glass fruit jar or 
other tightly stoppered vessel, and 
let stand for several days, shaking 
frequently. 

The following recipes are recom- 
mended : 

Dissolve in J pint of pale rum 1 
dram each of the essences of berga- 
mot, rosemary, and marjoram. Add 
i pint of pure white-wine vinegar 
and 1 pint of • elder-flower or rose 
water. Filter and cork tightly for 
use. 

Or dissolve in i pint of glacial 
acetic acid 1 ounce of camphor. Add 
5 grains of pure oil of lavender and 
12 grains of oil of cinnamon. 

Or put in a close vessel 4 ounces of 
dried red-rose leaves, and pour over 
them 1 quart of white-wine vinegar; 
add J pint of strong essence of rose. 
Seal and let stand 3 or 3 weeks, 
shaking frequently; filter and pre- 
serve in a tightly ftoppered glass 
vessel. 

Or to 1 pint of cologne add ^ 
ounce of glacial acetic acid. 

Or to 1 pint of white-wine vinegar 
add i pint of essence of rose, i pint 



of extract of cassia, and J pint of ex- 
tract of orris. 

Or dissolve in 1 quart of rectified 
alcohol 1 dram of attar neroli, i 
dram of attar cloves, 1 ounce of bal- 
sam of Peru, and 3 ounces of gum 
benzoin. Add 1 ounce of glacial 
acetic acid. 

TOILET POWDERS 

The bases of most toilet powders 
are compounds of magnesia, includ- 
ing talc or talcum — which chemically 
is magnesium silicate, and which is 
mined in large quantities in various 
parts of the world — and French 
chalk, which is not chalk but ground 
soapstone; fuller's earth, a greenish 
clay found in many parts of England 
and on the continent of Europe; and 
starch, especially rice and wheat 
stajch, which is sometimes adulter- 
ated with cornstarch, potato starch, 
etc. These preparations usually con- 
tain pulverized perfumed woods, as 
orris root, sandalwood, and other 
perfumes. In addition, it is quite 
customary to use in face powder me- 
tallic bismuth, preparations of mer- 
cury, and other mineral drugs — all of 
which are distinctly harmful, and the 
use of which is therefore never ad- 
visable. No recipes of this sort arc 
included in the present volume. 

The following are standard prepa- 
rations which contain no injurious 
ingredients : 

For plain face powder without 
perfume, pure white starch can hard- 
ly be improved upon. 

Or mix together equal quantities 
of rice flour, fuller's earth, and white 
starch, and perfume with any essen- 
tial oil — rose, violet, or any other 
preferred. 

Or, for violet powder, mix 3 ounces 
of white starch with 1 ounce of pow- 
dered orris root, rub up together in 
v/ater, and perfume with the essen- 
tial oils of lemon, bergamot, and 
cloves, using about double the 
amount of lemon as of the two 
others. 

Or, for a rose face powder, mix 8 



TOILET PREPARATIONS 



573 



ounces of pulverized rose leaves with 
4 ounces of pulverized sandalwood, 
and add 1 dram of the attar of 
roses. 

Or to 3J pounds of powdered rose 
or white starch, add ^ dram of rose 
pink and 1 dram each of rose oil and 
santal oil. 

ROUGE 

Rouge Paste and Powder. — The 
base of rouge for the lips and cheeks 
is usually French chalk, almond oil, 
or other animal fat, or oil, or one of 
thp gums, as gum tragacanth, colored 
with cochineal, carmine, vermilion, 
alkanet, or other red coloring matter, 
and perfumed to taste. To this may 
be added a mild astringent, as alum, 
acetic acid, and the like. 

For carmine rouge, raise to a boil 
in an aluminum or copper vessel 1 
quart of distilled water, to which add 
1 ounce of the best pulverized cochi- 
neal. After 5 or 6 minutes stir in 
carefully 30 grains of powdered Ro- 
man alum. Continue boiling 3 to 5 
minutes and set aside to cool. When 
lukewarm, but before the mixture set- 
tles, pour off the clear liquor from 
the sediment through a piece of white 
silk or chiffon into a glass fruit jar. 
Let stand 3 or 4 days and again 
pour off through white silk into an- 
other vessel. Allow the resulting 
liquor to settle; pour off the clear 
liquor from the top, and dry the 
sediment carefully in a cool, shady 
place. The result is a very finely 
divided powder, making a rouge of 
the best quality. 

Or finely powdered carmine can be 
used by taking a piece of fine un- 
scented pomatum about the size of 
a pea, and placing on it a bit of car- 
mine the sispe of a pin head. Mix the 
two together and apply with a bit of 
cotton. 

Or mix 4 ounces of powdered 
French chalk with 2 drams of oil of 
almonds and 1 dram of powdered 
carmine. 

Or powdered French chalk, 4 
oimces; rectified lard, 4 ounces; pow- 



dered carmine, 1 ounce. Perfume 

with essential oils as desired. 

Or the rouge ordinarily used for 
theatrical purposes may be prepared 
by mixing fine French chalk with any 
quantity of powdered carmine neces- 
sary to give the required color. 

Ot the so-called Turkish rouge 
may be prepared by putting 1 ounce 
of alkanet in a glass fruit jar and 
pouring over it 1 ounce of alcohol. 
Let stand for a week or 10 days, 
shaking frequently; strain and bottle 
for use. 

Or vinegar rouge may be prepared 
by mixing together 1\ drams each of 
powdered cochineal and carmine lake 
and 3 drams of alcohol. Pour over 
these i pint of alcohol and let stand 
2 or 3 weeks; afterwards strain and 
bottle for use. Perfume with essen- 
tial oils according to taste. 

Or, for another vinegar rouge, dis- 
solve 25 grains of balsam of Peru in 
12 ounces of alcohol; dissolve sepa- 
rately 15 grains of alum in 6 ounces 
of rose water; mix the two solutions 
and add 2 drams of acetic acid; let 
stand 3 or 4 hours, shaking occasion- 
ally; and finally add 1 dram of the 
finest quality of powdered carmine 
dissolved in ^ dram of aqua ammonia. 
Shake well, allow to settle for 10 or 
15 minutes, and pour off the clear 
liquor. 

Or dissolve J ounce of gum traga- 
canth in hot water and color with 
vermilion; add a few drops of al- 
mond oil, and evaporate the excess of 
moisture with gentle heat. 

Liquid Rouge. — Rouge in liquid 
form is variously known as " bloom 
of youth," " bloom of roses," " al- 
mond bloom," " Turkish bloom," etc. 
These various preparations are based 
upon distilled water and alcohol, or 
other spirit, as vehicles, and are col- 
ored with Brazil wood, red Sanders, 
cochineal, and various other red col- 
oring matter. In some instances 
they contain an adhesive ingredient, 
as isinglass, and various specifics, as 
benzoin, alum, borax, and the like. 

Put in a glass fruit jar 2 drams of 
dragon's blood, 2 ounces of red san- 



574 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



ders, and IJ ounces of gum benzoin; 
pour over these 2 ounces of 90 per 
cent alcohol and 4 ounces of pure 
soft water. Seal the jar and let 
stand a week or 10 days, shaking fre- 
quently; filter and bottle for use. 

Or put in a glass fruit jar 4 
ounces of finely powdered cochineal; 
add 4 fluid ounces of distilled water 
and the same amount of aqua am- 
monia; cover with a wet cloth and 
let simmer 3 or 4 hours in a double 
boiler. This preparation is ready for 
use as soon as it is cool. 

Or, for a larger quantity, put in a 
2-gallon glass fruit jar 1 pound of 
gum benzoin, 2i ounces of dragon's 
blood, and 1^ pounds of red sanders. 
Cover with 1 gallon of alcohol; let 
stand 2 weeks or more, shaking fre- 
quently; strain or filter for use. 

Or put 1 ounce of Brazil wood in 
a double boiler; cover with 1 ounce 
of pure soft water, and let boil 15 
or 20 minutes. Strain through cheese 
cloth; return to the fire; add i oimce 
of borax, ^ ounce of cochineal, 1 
ounce of alum, and | ounce of isin- 
glass. Dissolve with gentle heat, stir- 
ring constantly, and strain or filter 
for use. 

Or put in a fruit jar with tight 
rubber ring I ounce of finely pulver- 
ized carmjne, and add 1 ounce of 
pure, fresh aqua ammonia. Seal 
tightly and let stand 3 or 4 days, 
shaking frequently. Add 1 pint of 
rose water, i fluid ounce of essence 
of roses, and I ounce of 90 per cent 
alcohol. Seal; let stand a few days, 
shaking frequently; pour off the liq- 
uor and bottle for use. 

Or put in a gallon glass bottle 1 
ounce of powdered Brazil wood and 
i ounce of cochineal; pour over this 
2 quarts of boiling hot soft water; 
let stand for 3 or 4 days, shaking 
frequently; strain through cheese 
cloth, and add 2 drams each of isin- 
glass and gum arable, and 2 ounces 
of 95 per cent alcohol. Perfume with 
essential oils or essences as desired. 

Or put in a quart fruit jar li 
oiuices of red-rose leaves, dried and 
pulverized. Add 1 pii)!; of pure soft 



water, boiling hot; simmer with gen- 
tle heat in a double boiler for 2 or 
3 hours, taking care that the wa- 
ter does not approach the boiling 
point. Strain the liquor, and add the 
strained juice of 2 or 3 large lemons; 
let stand 24 hours, filter, and add 4 
fluid ounces of 95 per cent alcohol as 
a preservative. 

Circassian Cream. — Put in a glass 
fruit jar 4 ounces of fresh suet, 6 
ounces of olive oil, li oimces of pow- 
dered gum benzoin, and -J ounce of 
alkanet root. Place the jar in a 
double boiler and simmer with gentle 
heat for several hours. Let stand 
24 hours more; heat, and strain 
through cheese cloth, and when cold 
perfume with i- dram of essence of 
ambergris, i dram of oil of laven- 
der, or any other essential oil pre- 
ferred. 

Chapped lips. — Preparations rec- 
ommended for chapped lips are usu- 
ally based upon white wax, sperma- 
ceti, or beeswax, with the addition of 
almond oil and such specifics as ben- 
zoin, honey, unsalted butter, and the 
like, adding perfumes and coloring 
matter according to taste. 

Melt together with gentle heat 2 
ounces of white wax and 1 ounce of 
spermaceti; add 2 ounces of pure 
strained honey, and continue to heat 
and stir until fully incorporated. 
Add in a thin stream 4 ounces of oil 
of almonds; remove from the fire 
and continue stirring until the mix- 
ture is nearly cold; finally perfume 
with any essential oil according to 
taste. 

Or cover with rose water in a glass 
fruit jar 4 ounces of unsalted butter 
divided into small pieces; seal, and 
set aside in a cellar or other cool 
place for 4 or 5 days. Drain off 
the rose water, and put the butter 
in a porcelain double boiler; melt 
with gentle heat, and stir in 1 ounce 
each of spermaceti and grated bees- 
wax, i ounce of powdered alkanet 
root, 1 ounce of powdered borax, J 
ounce of confectioner's sugar, 2 
drams of powdered gum benzoin, and 
a double spoonful of strained lemon 



TOILET PREPARATIONS 



575 



juice. Beat into an emulsion with an 
egg beater, and set over a slow fire, 
stirring constantly. Just before it 
comes to a boil remove from the fire; 
cool, strain, and bottle for use. 

Or put in a clean double boiler 4 
ounces of unsalted butter and 2 
ounces of grated beeswax; squeeze in 
through a piece of cloth the juice of 
a bunch of ripe grapes; add the pulp 
of the grapes and a large apple, 
chopped fine. Simmer with gentle 
heat, and when all dissolved add i 
ounce each of benjamin and storax, 
also i ounce of alkanet root. Mix 
until all are incorporated; strain 
through a piece of fine linen; remelt 
and pour into jars or molds for use. 

Or use pure clarified honey. Per- 
fume as desired. 

Or mix equal quantities of white 
sugar candy, white wax, oil of al- 
monds, and spermaceti, melting all 
together with gentle heat. 

ESSENCES AND PERFUMES 

Perfumes. — The subject of per- 
fumery is perhaps not so important 
as it was formerly, because the use 
of strong perfumes appears to be 
going out of fashion. The natural 
fragrance of flowers, spices, and per- 
fumed woods — the sources of the in- 
gredients used in perfumery — is, 
however, so delightful that those sub- 
stances are likely always to be em- 
ployed to a certain extent in the 
toilet. 

The various forms in which per- 
fumes are placed upon the market 
are, according to the degree of dilu- 
tion, the attar or essential oil, the es- 
sence or extract, and the perfumed 
toilet water. Innumerable com- 
pounds are sold under various fanci- 
ful titles, as colognes, scents, spirits, 
(French esprit), and the like. The 
substances from which these per- 
fumes are obtained may also in some 
cases be purchased, as the dry leaves 
or flowers of plants, various kinds of 
wood or roots, ambergris (supposed 
to be a morbid secretion of the sperm 
whale), and the like. 



Perfumes are also used in the foiTQ 
of sachets or dry powder, to be 
placed among garments or linen, 
either in sachet bags or scattered 
loosely in chests and drawers. They 
are likewise employed to perfume 
the atmosphere of a room by put- 
ting them in open jars, or burning 
them in the form of pastilles and 
incense. 

Generally speaking, the most con- 
venient form in which to obtain per- 
fumes is the attar, otto, or essential 
oil. A few drops of these concen- 
trated substances, usually about 5 or 
6 drops to the pint or pound, will 
yield any desired odor. When the 
essence, the perfumed water, or the 
original substances themselves are 
prescribed in recipes, the essential oil 
can be substituted in most cases by 
a little careful experimenting. The 
process of extracting essences and es- 
sential oils, however, is not difficult, 
and can be carried on at home by 
anyone who is interested enough to 
procure suitable apparatus. Several 
methods of preparing homemade ex- 
tracts are given below which can be 
employed successfully by anyone. 

Volatile Oils. — These are found 
naturally in plants, and are usually 
obtained by distillation. They are 
distinguished by their pungent odor 
and also by the fact that they are 
not capable of uniting with alkalies 
to form soaps. They are used prin- 
cipally in perfumery, with the excep- 
tion of turpentine, which is employed 
in mixing paints and varnishes. This 
oil is obtained from various cone- 
bearing trees, and exudes from the 
bark mixed with rosin and other 
vegetable juices, from which it, is ex- 
tracted by distillation. 

The volatile oils upon being ex- 
posed to air absorb oxygen and crys- 
tallize into substances having the ap- 
pearance of rosin, balsam, or gum 
camphor. The perfumed oils, if not 
tightly corked, gradually lose their 
delicate scent. Most volatile oils are 
obtained by distillation in the pres- 
ence of water or alcohol, but others 
are obtained by mechanical processes 



576 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



without heat. The essential oils in 
solution with water are known as es- 
sences, as essence of pennyroyal or of 
mint, and the like. These are often 
prepared by distillation with water, 
forming the distilled perfumed wa- 
ters of commerce. The bath in which 
perfume-bearing substances are dis- 
tilled should be slightly acidulated 
with sulphuric acid. Use a few drops 
only — ^just enough to give a sour 
taste to the tongue. All the essen- 
tial oils are soluble in alcohol and 
ether. 

To Test Essential Oils. — As many 
of the essential oils are expensive, 
they are frequently adulterated. Ob- 
tain a drop of the pure oil and de- 
termine the presence of substitutes 
by placing a drop of each on sepa- 
rate pieces of paper and comparing 
them carefully. The attar of roses is 
often adulterated with the oils of 
rhodium, sandalwood, camphor, sper- 
maceti, etc. The pure article has a 
sweet, smooth taste. A bitter taste 
indicates the oil of rhodium or san- 
dalwood; a pungent flavor, the oil of 
geranium or camphor; a greasy stain 
on paper, spermaceti. 

Or mix a drop of the attar of roses 
with a drop of sulphuric acid. The 
pure attar will not be affected, but 
the adulterated article will become 
dark colored, and the characteristic 
odors of the different substances with 
which it may have been adulterated 
can easily be discerned. 

Or, to test for adulteration with 
fixed oils, place a drop of the sus- 
pected oil on paper and evaporate it 
with gentle heat. The presence of a 
fixed oil will be detected by a perma- 
nent greasy stain. 

Or distill off the volatile oil with 
gentle heat. The fixed oil will be left 
behind. 

Or add three or four times its vol- 
ume of 80 per cent alcohol. The 
fixed oil will not be dissolved. 

Or, to test for alcohol, dilute the 
suspected oil with water. If the 
quantity of alcohol is large, the mix- 
ture will become roily or turbid. 

To test for oil of turpentine — 



which is often used to adulterate the 
oils of orange, lemon, neroli, and the 
like — set a little of the oil on fire, 
blow it out, and the presence of tur- 
pentine may be detected by its char- 
acteristic odor. 

Odor of Perfumes. — The odor of 
the volatile oils is probably caused 
by their gradual oxidation or chemi- 
cal union with the oxygen of the air. 
This is the same process as that 
which takes place in the rusting of 
iron, and is similarly promoted by 
moisture. When treated chemically 
so as to be perfectly pure and free 
from oxygen and moisture, the most 
powerful perfumes are odorless. Ex- 
posure to moist air restores their 
odor. Perfume-bearing flowers are 
much more fragrant when mois- 
tened, as with dew. Roses and other 
fragrant blossoms are nearly scent- 
less in dry climates. Rose jars and 
other mixtures of dry perfume-bear- 
ing substances give off very much 
more perfume when slightly mois- 
tened. 

Individual Perfumes. — Many per- 
sons prefer to have a perfume of 
their own different from those which 
are on the market or used by others 
among their acquaintances. This is 
not especially difficult, although the 
perfumes that are usually emploj^ed, 
such as heliotrope, violet, white rose, 
and the like, may, of course, be ob- 
tained by anyone. An individual 
perfume may be secured by experi- 
menting with two or more essential 
oils, mixing and blending a few drops 
at a time until a new and agreeable 
fragrance is obtained. This is, in 
fa^ct, the way in which colognes and 
similar preparations are compounded 
for the market. One celebrated 
" German cologne " of the past gen- 
eration is said to have contained no 
fewer than thirty different kinds of 
ingredients, the result being a pun- 
gent perfume of a peculiarly agree- 
able odor. The proportion in which 
the various ingredients should be 
blended is entirely a matter of indi- 
vidual preference, to be determined 
by experiment. 



TOILET PREPARATIONS 



577 



PERFUMES— COLO GNE 



Oil Bergamot.. . 

" Cedrat 

" Cinnamon. . 

" Cloves 

'* Jasmine. . . . 

" Lemon 

" Lavender. . . 

" Neroli 

" Orange 

" Roses 

" Rosemary. . 

Tinct. Benjamin 

" Benzoin.. 

Ess. Bergamot.. 

" Cedrat 

" Ambergris.. 

" Citron 

" C a r d a- 
moms 

" Lemon 

" Or. Flower. 

" Musk 

" Neroli 

" Jasmine.... 

" Rosemary. . 
Distilled Water. 
Orange - flower 

Water 

Rose Water. . . . 
Scented Honey 

W^ater 
Alcohol (95%) 
Calamps Ara 
maticus 



40 d. 



2d. 
1 dr. 

Udr. 



l^dr. 
l^dr. 

2oz. 



Upt. 



1 oz. 

2 dr. 



2 dr. 



Idr. 



5oz. 



,9 *-■ 



Idr 



Idr. 
2 dr. 

1 dr. 
10 d. 
lidr, 



2 dr. 



Ipt. 



1 dr, 



8d. 
8d. 



Idr. 



2dr, 



2 dr. 
50 d. 



Ipt. 



5 dr. 
5 dr. 



4 dr. 
3d. 



2idr. 



1 qt. 



i oz 

8d. 
15 d. 

i oz 
i oz. 



15 d. 



2qt. 



50 d. 



50 d. 
50 d. 



2 dr. 



50 d. 



1 gal. 



30 d 



30 d 
30 d 



30 d 



ipt. 



O =3 
1^^ 



2oz. 

Id. 

i oz. 

2 dr. 
2 dr. 



3 oz. 
2oz. 



ioz. 



2pt. 



1 oz. 

2 dr. 



1 oz. 

6d. 

Idr. 



32 oz. 



1 gal. 



1 oz, 



3 dr. 
i oz. 



Ipt 



3pt. 



1 oz. 



2oz. 



8oz. 
2 dr. 
2 dr. 



J oz. 



Idr. 



1 dr. 
6dr 
8oz. 



Ipt. 
3pt. 



Sachet Powders. — "Various solid 
perfume-bearing substances, to which 
may be added small quantities of the 
essential oils, are used in powdered 
form and sprinkled between layers of 
absorbent cotton or otherwise to per- 
fume garments laid away in chests or 
drawers. To prepare the various 
sachet powders, it is only necessary 
to finely pulverize the solids in a mor- 
tar, add the essential oils drop by 
drop, and mix the whole thoroughly 
together. When not required for 
use, sachet powder should be kept in 
tightly sealed boxes, jars, or bottles, 
so that the volatile perivunes will not 
be lost by evaporation. 

Incense — Pastilles. — Several per- 
fume-bearing substances may be util- 
ized in solid form by mixing them 
with combustibles, such as charcoal, 
niter, and various gums, and setting 



them on fire to perfume apartments. 
The table on page 478 embraces a 
number of recipes for incense pas- 
tilles. In all cases first reduce the 
solids separately to powder in a mor- 
tar. This may be done by beating the 
ingredients together in an earthen- 
ware bowl, or by mixing them on a 
marble slab or plate of glass with an 
ordinary knife or a palette knife hav- 
ing a thin, broad blade. If gum 
tragacanth is used, it should be dis- 
solved in water to the consistency of 
mucilage. The essential oils and other 
liquid perfumes are then to be added 
and thoroughly worked into the mass, 
the whole formed into small cones 
like chocolate drops, and thoroughly 
dried either in a very slow oven or 
by the heat of the sun. When re- 
quired for use, one or more of these 
cones may be placed on any hot sur- 



578 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



face or set on lire at the tip and al- 
lowed to gradually smolder, when 
they will give oflf an agreeable per- 
fume. 

Or, where niter and charcoal are 
both employed, dissolve the niter in 
sufficient soft water to make a soft 
paste with the charcoal. Dry this 
paste thoroughly, and pour over it 
the liquid perfumes. If other solid 
ingredients are added, they should be 
in powdered form. Mix the whole 
with gum tragacanth dissolved as 
above. Dry and use as above. 



be free from all foreign substances. 
They are then placed in a large 
earthen pot or a wooden vessel, cov- 
ered with pure soft or distilled water, 
and exposed to sunshine. The vessel 
should be taken indoors at night, 
kept covered, and placed preferably 
in a warm spot. The attar or essen- 
tial oil of the rose petals rises on the 
surface in the form of a scum. This 
may be carefully taken up by a small 
piece of absorbent cotton on the end 
of a stick. The oil may then be 
squeezed frem the cotton into a very 



PERFUMES— SACHET 





1 lb. 
12 gr. 

Idr. 
f dr. 

1 dr. 
i dr. 


1 oz. 
1 oz. 

1 oz. 


1 oz. 

1 oz. 
1 oz. 

8oz. 
8oz. 
1 oz. 


1 oz. 

1 oz. 
1 oz. 

1 oz. 
1 oz. 
1 oz. 


1 oz. 
1 oz. 

1 oz. 
1 oz. 

5gr. 
idr. 


Ub. 

1 lb. 
1 lb. 

Jib. 

Idr. 

Idr. 
idr. 


i oz. 
i oz. 

i lb. 

ioz. 

1 oz. 
i oz. 


1 lb. 

4 oz. 

1 oz. 
4 dr. 
Idr. 


^oz. 

Ij oz. 

2oz. 

4 gr. 

6 m. 

10 m. 
20 m. 

2 dr. 


ilb. 

1 lb. 
ilb. 

1 lb. 

2 1b. 

Idr. 
idr. 

idr. 












Cloves 
























Dried Lemon Peel 














1 lb. 






Mint 










i lb. 


Salt 




Thyme 








Musk 
















" Neroli 














i oz. 





























Rose Perfume, — One of the most 
universally popular odors is the per- 
fume of the rose. Most persons can 
obtain rose petals in any quantity 
during the month of June, and their 
fragrance may be extracted and 
stored for future enjoyment. 

Attar of Rose. — This costly per- 
fume is prepared principally in the 
Orient and imported to America, but 
the process of preparation is simplic- 
ity itself and can be tried by any- 
one. A large quantity of petals of 
the rose are picked carefully so as to 



small vial with a glass or rubber 
stopper and preserved for use. The 
process should be continued until the 
scum no longer rises. The vessel in 
which the roses are steeped should be 
covered during the day with a fine 
screen; otherwise it is likely to be- 
come a breeding place for mosqui- 
toes. Needless to say, it should be 
kept as free as possible from dust 
and dirt. Or put dried rose petals 
in an earthenware or glass vessel, 
cover with olive oil, and simmer with 
very gentle heat mitil the oil has 



TOILET PREPARATIONS 



579 



PERFUMES— PASTILLES— INCENSE 





bi 

'a 

3 

i 
1 


to ^ 

m 


a 

cj 
Ph 
_m 

PL, 


E 

o 

"o 
J 
1 

Oh 


a! 

o 

0) 
(1| 


'S 

OS 

> 

(8 




a 
Is 

Ph 


i 

a 

o 

a 


d 


4 


Niter 


U dr. 


2oz. 
li lb. 

2oz. 
3 oz. 
1 oz. 

Hoz. 

q. s. 
J oz. 


J oz. 
i lb. 

q. s. 

11 parts 

^dr. 
idr. 

*dr. 
^dr. 
^dr. 

12 parts 

* dr. 
6oz. 

ipt. 


17 OZ. 
3Joz. 

-J oz. 
3oz. 

J oz. 

3oz. 

4 oz. 
4 oz. 

4 oz. 


2ioz. 

3oz. 
i oz. 

J oz. 
6oz. 

4 oz. 


5 oz. 

23 oz. 

5 oz. 

5 oz. 
5 oz. 

5 oz. 
2ioz. 

7 oz. 


2 1b. 

1 lb. 
1 lb. 

2oz. 

2oz. 
6oz. 
4oz. 
4 oz. 


2}oz. 
12 oz. 
1* oz. 
2| oz. 

15 gr. 

q. s. 
1 part 
i" oz. 


1 oz. 
2oz. 

1 oz. 




Charcoal 


Goz. 

4 dr. 
q. s. 

2 dr. 
2 dr. 

8 dr. 
2 dr. 




Gum Galbanum 








" Benzoin 


2 oz 


" Tragacanth 




Oil Bitter Almond 




" Caraway 
























" Styrax 




" Thyme 




Ess. Ambergris 








Clear Sirup 












Alcohol 
























Powder of Rose 




Vanilla Eean 









fully extracted both the odor and the 
color of the flowers. Or the essential 
oil of roses or of any flower which 
Ijas an agreeable fragrance may be 
extracted as follows: procure a quan- 
tity of the petals of any flower or 
flowers desired, a roll of absorbent 
cotton in thin layers, a wide-mouthed 
glass bottle or earthen vessel, and a 
small quantity of high-grade olive 
oil. Put a layer of petals in the 
empty bottle, sprinkle over them a 
small quantity of fine salt, and cover 
with a layer of absorbent cotton 
dipped in olive oil. So continue until 
the bottle is filled. Close it tightly 
with a glass stopper, a piece of blad- 
der, parchment, or rubber cloth, and 
expose to the sun. In from ten to 
twenty days squeeze out the oil, 
which will be found nearly equal to 
the commercial article. 



Or arrange the flowers in the same 
manner in an earthen jar and simmer 
with gentle heat by means of a dou- 
ble boiler, changing the flowers oc- 
casionally until the odor is satisfac- 
tory. Rectified spirits may be added, 
and the whole squeezed and strained 
for use. 

Rose Jar. — Many artistic vases 
with suitable lids can be purchased 
for this purpose, and these make very 
acceptable holiday gifts; or an earth- 
enware or glass vessel, such as a fruit 
jar which can be tightly closed, may 
be employed. 

Gather fresh roses on a clear day 
when the petals are dry. Place these 
petals in the rose jar in layers, cov- 
ering each with a thin layer of com- 
mon salt. Then add two or three 
handfuls each of lavender flowers, 
rosemary leaves, and sweet mar jo- 



580 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



ram. Other flowers may be added if 
desired, or a jar may be filled en- 
tirely with rose petals. Add 4 ounces 
of pulverized bay salt and 1 ounce 
each of various spices, as cloves, cin- 
namon, grated nutmeg, and the like, 
also orris root, storax, or indeed any 
other perfumes that may be pre- 
ferred. The jar is to be kept closely 
covered, except when perfume is de- 
sired. Then the lid may be removed 
and the contents slightly moistened. 

Potpourri. — This is a mixture of 
dried flowers and spices not ground. 
To make it, take dried lavender flow- 
ers, 1 pound; dried rose leaves, 1 
pound; crushed orris root, i pound; 
crushed cloves, 3 ounces; crushed 
cinnamon, 2 ounces; crushed allspice, 
2 ounces; table salt, 1 pound. 

To Prepare Tinctures. — A tincture 
of flowers having strong perfume, as 
the tuberose, j asmine, violet, j onquil, . 
and heliotrope, may be prepared by 
crowding the fresh blossoms into a 
fruit jar and covering them with 
alcohol. After they have stood for 
a few daj^s, the mixture may be 
strained through a linen cloth, the 
flowers squeezed to extract as much 
of the essence as possible, and fresh 
flowers added. 

Or glycerin may be scented for the 
toilet- and bath with any desired odor 
by the same method. 

Or put half-inch layers of any 
flowers in an earthen pot or glass jar 
with layers of fine salt between. 
Screw the top on tightly and place 
the jar in a cellar or other dark, cool 
place. This process requires from 
one to two months. At the end of 
this time strain and squeeze the liq- 
uor through a cloth, put it into a 
glass bottle, and let it stand in the 
sun to clarify. 

Or place dry rose or other petals 
in a large bottle or fruit jar, cover 
with alcohol or other rectified spirits, 
close tightly, and preserve for use. A 
few drops of this tincture sprinkled 
about a room will give it a delicious 
perfume. 

Geranium Perfume. — A perfume 
which is very agreeable to many may 



be made by either of the above meth- 
ods from the leaves of any of the 
sweet-smelling geraniums. The tinc- 
ture, obtained by packing the leaves 
in a fruit jar, filling it with alcohol 
and allowing it to stand for a few 
weeks, is perhaps the easiest to pre- 
pare. The leaves may be renewed, if 
desired, to strengthen the perfume. 

To Distill Essences. — A common 
glass retort, such as is used by chem- 
ists, may be used for distilling per- 
fumes. This consists of a round glass 
vessel with a wide mouth that can be 
closed by a cork or glass stopper. A 
glass tube passes through this cork to 
a receiver placed upon the table. 
This tube should be long enough to 
allow the steam forming in the retort 
to condense before escaping. To fa- 
cilitate condensation, a cloth kept 
wet with cold water may be wrapped 
about the tube. A small alcohol lamp 
is kept burning under the retort, care 
being taken to keep the lamp at just 
the right distance, so that the liquor 
will not run over but pass over gen- 
tly, drop by drop. Perfumes are es- 
sentially volatile^ and by this process 
they pass off with the steam con- 
densed in the tube, and thus become 
thoroughly amalgamated with the 
distilled liquor. Special appliances 
called stills can be purchased for the 
manufacture of perfumes, but this 
method is entirely practical for home 
use. The bath in which perfumes are 
distilled should be slightly acidulated 
with sulphuric acid. 

Smelling Salts. — The base of the 
best quality of smelling salts is the 
true neutral carbonate of ammonia. 
This is a volatile salt which keeps its 
pungency as long as it lasts. The 
portion exposed to the air as it vol- 
atilizes separates into carbonic-acid 
gas and gaseous ammonia. Care 
should be taken in ordering to pro- 
cure the true carbonate of ammonia 
and not the sesquicarbonate, which 
does not possess an equally strong, 
agreeable, or lasting pungency. 

Smelling salts may be prepared by 
putting the carbonate of ammonia in 
a suitable glass bottle with a stopper 



TOILET PREPARATIONS 



581 



of ground glass, and adding any de- 
sired perfume, as 8 parts of carbo- 
nate of ammonia to 1 part of oil of 
lavender, or a suitable quantity of 
other essential oils, as bergamot, 
cloves, cassia, verbena, and the like. 

Or put equal quantities of slaked 
lime and carbonate of ammonia in a 
glass-stoppered bottle, cover with 
aqua ammonia, and add 12 to 20 
drops of any desired essential oil or 
oils. 

Or put in a glass-stoppered bottle 
absorbent cotton or a small sponge 
cut up into fine pieces. Fill with 
common liquid ammonia, and add 5 
or 6 drops each of various essential 
oils according to taste. 

Perfumed Toilet Waters. — These 
preparations are the product of dis- 
tillation. The perfume-yielding in- 
gredients are placed in a glass retort 
or a still, with water or spirits, and 
subjected to heat. The perfume is 
volatilized and passes with the steam 
into the receiver, the distilled water 
thus becoming thoroughly impreg- 
nated. Distillation is usually con- 
ducted on a large scale, and the pro- 
portions recommended are often for 
manufacturers' use. Most persons 
prefer to purchase perfumed waters 
rather than to go to the expense and 
trouble of obtaining a retort and 
conducting the operation. Anyone, 
however, who wishes to make this ex- 
periment for amusement or to make 
money by the sale of these prepara- 
tions may readily reduce the propor- 
tions to suit his apparatus. 

To distill with water, put the per- 
fume-bearing substances in the retort 
in the proportion of about 1 part by 
bulk to 8 parts of water. Continue 
the distillation as long as the dis- 
tilled water carried over continues to 
yield the desired odor. Additional 
water may be added if necessary. 
The less water used, the stronger the 
perfumes. The quality can be greatly 
improved by distilling a second or 
third time. 

To distill with spirits, put the in- 
gredients in a flask, and cover with 
jiist enough spirits to thoroughly 



moisten them. The receptacle at the 
end of the tube should be a corked 
flask or bottle through which a tube 
should pass to within an inch of the 
bottom of the flask. This receptacle 
should be placed in a basin of iced 
water. The principal substances 
from which perfumed waters are dis- 
tilled are lavender flowers, rosemary 
tops, orange flowers, rose leaves, myr- 
tle flowers, marjoram, orange peel, 
lemon peel, laurel leaves, bitter alm- 
onds, and elder flowers. These are 
distilled separately, and the distillate 
is, of course, named accordingly. 

Perfumed Waters. — A substitute 
for rose water and other distilled 
waters may be quickly prepared by 
dropping the essential oil or attar of 
rose or other substances into distilled 
boiling water. The water should be 
taken off the fire at a boil, the oil 
dropped in, and stirred vigorously 
while cooling. 

Rose Water. — Dissolve 1 dram of 
attar of rose, or a proportionate 
quantity of other essential oils, in 1 
pint of rectified spirits; while hot 
place in a 2-gallon jug and add If 
gallons of pure distilled water, 
heated, but not quite to the boiling 
point — say 190°. Cork the jug and 
shake, cautiously at first but thor- 
oughly afterwards, until cold. This 
form of rose water will be found 
equal to the commercial article. 

Or drop 12 drops of attar of rose 
on a half ounce of cube sugar. Add 
2 drams of carbonate of magnesia. 
Put in a fruit jar and pour in gradu- 
ally 1 quart of water, stirring brisk- 
ly. Add 2 ounces of rectified spirits. 
Place a funnel of filtering paper in 
another fruit jar, and pour through 
the funnel to filter. The efi'ect of the 
magnesia is to break up the oil glob- 
ules and assist in forming an emul- 
sion with water. The magnesia is 
removed by filtering. Other per- 
fumed waters may be prepared in a 
similar manner. 

Violet Water. — Put 1 pint of alco- 
hol or proof spirits in a quart fruit 
jar. Add 1 pound of orris root, 
cover, and shake. Let stand on the 



582 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



dregs for a week or 10 days. Filter 
through filter paper to remove the 
orris root. 

Or mix deodorized aleohol, 15 
ounces; rose water, 2 ounces; extract 
of cassia, 1 ounce; and extract of 
violet, 2 ounces. Mix, shake, and 
niter. 

Or mix 1 pint of alcohol and 1 
ounce each of neroli and essence of 
violets. 

Lavender Water. — A favorite arti- 
cle for the toilet is the oil of lavender 
diluted with rectified alcohol, to 
which various other perfumes may be 
added according to taste. To pre- 
pare lavender water, it is only neces- 
sary to first mix the oil of lavender 
and other essential oils (if any) with 
a little of the alcohol; then add the 
remaining alcohol in a thin stream, 
stirring constantly. Finally stir in 
the other ingredients. The whole 
should be placed in a glass fruit jar 
with rubber rings, or other closely 
stoppered vessel, and allowed to stand 
for several months before using. It 
should be shaken frequently. The 
longer it can be allowed to stand 
before being opened the better tlie 



quality will be. The English oil of 
lavender is the best. 

Other perfumed toilet waters may 
be prepared by substituting any of 
the essential oils, according to taste, 
in the following table. 

Perfumed Toilet Waters. — The 
number of possible combinations of 
perfumes diluted with distilled or 
soft water, which form the perfumed 
toilet waters of connnerce, is, of 
course, unlimited. The following ex- 
amples illustrate the method of com- 
bining these, and may be recom- 
mended to be as desirable as any: 

Put in a pint glass bottle or fruit 
jar * ounce of oil of rosemary and 
1 dram of essence of ambergris; add 
1 pint of 95 per cent alcohol. Shake 
well, remove the cork, and let stand 
.01 hours. Then cork tightly and let 
stand a month or 6 weeks, shaking 
frequently, after which put in a 
tightly stoppered bottle imtil ready 
for use. This is the well-known 
" Hungary water.*' 

Or put in a 0-quart fruit jar 1 
ounce of oil of hergamot, A ounce of 
tincture of benzoin, 1 dram of oil of 
cinnamon, and cover witli 1 quart of 



LAVENDER TOILET WATER 



1- 


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2pt. 
4 oz. 

loz. 

1 oz. 

2 dr. 


Ipt. 

Joz. 

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6 dr. 


Ipt. 

3 dr. 
6 m. 
6 m. 
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J dr. 
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loz. 
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1 gal. 
2oz. 


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4 dr. 
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Job. 

1 oz. 


4 gal. 
2oz. 

i oz. 

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24 qt. 
2oz. 

6 dr. 
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1 hvme 






10 m. 


" Rose Geranium 

Essence Amberarris 

Musk 


2 dr. 
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Tinct. Orris Rojt 

Musk 




Honey 

Benzoic Acid 









TOILET PREPARATIONS 



583 



95 per cent alcohol. Let stand a 
month or G weeks, shake frequently, 
filter, and put in a tightly stoppered 
glass bottle. This is a standard 
recipe for " Florida water." 

Or, for a cheaper grade of " Flor- 
ida water," put in a 2-quart fruit jar 
i ounce of oil of bergarnot, ^ ounce 
of lavender. Cover this with 1 pint 
of oil of lemon, and i ounce of oil 
of 95 j)er cent alcohol. Shake well 
and add J dram each of oil of cloves 
and oil of cinnamon. Let stand 
24 hours, add 1 quart of pure soft 
or distilled water, filter, and bottle 
for use. 

Or, for a simple " Florida water," 
put in a corked fruit jar ^ ounce of 
oil of bergarnot, ^ ounce of tincture 
of benzoin, and i pint of 95 per cent 
alcohol. Dilute with pure soft or 
distilled water to the extent desired. 

Or, to illustrate the great variety 
of ingredients that may be employed 
in this manner, the following recipes 
will be stated without comment. Any 
of these, while more expensive than 
the above, will be found to be of 
most excellent quality. 

Mix i pint of tincture of cedar 
wood, i pint of tincture of myrrh, 
and i pint of tincture of krameria, 
and add G drops of oil of rose. 

Or put in a glass fruit jar 1 dram 
each of oils of iecaon, lavender, and 



bergarnot, i dram of oil of neroli, i 
dram of tincture of turmeric, 16 
drops of oil of balm, and G drops of 
attar of rose. Cover with 1 pint of 
pure alcohol and let stand a week or 
10 days, shaking frequently. 

Or mix J pint each of the essence 
of rose, jasmine, orange flower, and 
c/ove gillyflower. Add 1 pint of de- 
odorized alcohol, J ounce each of es- 
sence of vanilla and musk, i ounce of 
red sanderswood, and i pint each of 
orange-flower water and rose water. 

Or put in a 2-quart fruit jar J 
ounce each of essence of cloves and 
balsam of Peru, J ounce each of 
musk and bergamot, i ounce each of 
essence of neroli and thyme, and J 
pint of orange-flower water, and 
pour over all 1 quart of deodorized 
95 per cent alcohol. This is the so- 
called " balsam of a thousand flow- 
ers." 

Or mix 2 ounces each of extract of 
violet, orange flower, and tuberose, J 
ounce of tincture of musk, 1 dram 
of essence of cedrat, 6 drops of attar 
of rose, i dram of oil of bitter alm- 
onds, and 1 ounce each of rose wa- 
ter and orange-flower water. Cover 
all with IJ pints of deodorized 95 per 
cent alcohol, and let stand a week or 
10 days, shaking frequently, after 
which filter and preserve in tightly 
stoppered bottles. 



CHAPTER XX 

HAIRDRESSING BOTH FOR MEN AND WOMEN 

DANDRUFF AND SHAMPOOING— HAIR WASHES— HAIR TONICS-^ 
HAIR OILS— HAIR DYES— OTHER HAIR TOPICS— THE BEARD, 
MUSTACHE, AND SHAVING— TOILET PREPARATIONS FOR MEN 



Hairdressing. — The subject of 
hairdressing, while of interest to 
both sexes, is especially important to 
women, both because the mass and 
length of their hair render it difficult 
to handle and keep clean, and also 
because any peculiarities it may have 
are very conspicuous. This subject 
is not only of interest to every wom- 
an for herself, but it may also be 
mentioned among the many methods 
of earning pin money in small com- 
munities. In neighborhoods where 
there is no professional hairdresser 
any woman with natural deftness and 
taste can earn a good miany dollars 
by caring for ladies' and children's 
hair, doing up ladies' hair in proper 
style for parties, and also by teach- 
ing inexperienced persons, for a small 
fee, how to do up their own hair in 
the latest style of coiffure. The in- 
formation contained in the following 
paragraphs can thus be put to prac- 
tical use and turned into dollars and 
cents. The attention of neighbors can 
be called to a woman's willingness to 
serve them in this manner by having 
a few business cards printed and giv- 
ing them to one's friends to distrib- 
ute among their acquaintances, or by 
means of a reading notice or business 
card in a local paper, which may be 
paid for by services to the wife or 
family of the editor. 

Nature of the Hair. — The hair, 
like the nails, is formed of the same 
horny substance as that which ap- 



pears on the outer surface of the 
skin when it becomes callous. Each 
hair, on the other hand, has a well- 
developed root which runs deep into 
the skin. The pigments which give 
the hair its color are present in light 
hair as well as dark, except that gray 
hairs may not contain them. Some- 
times gray hairs are produced by the 
splitting of the hair in such a way 
as to admit the air. The daily 
growth of the hair is about one twen- 
tieth of an inch. It normally con- 
tinues to grow for several years, and 
reaches from 18 inches to 1 yard in 
length. The hair is subject to va- 
rious diseases, and may be affected 
by the constitutional results of wast- 
ing and infectious ailments, such as 
typhoid fever, and also by severe 
emotions, such as fright, grief, and 
the like. Many preparations are ad- 
vertised which claim that they will 
infallibly promote the growth of the 
hair. It cannot be too strongly em- 
phasized that all such claims are 
humbugs. 

Care of the Hair. — The proper 
care of the hair under normal con- 
ditions is very simple. The objects 
to be kept in mind are to preserve its 
natural luster and texture by means 
of absolute cleanliness, and to mas- 
sage the scalp sufficiently to remove 
any scurf or dandruff that may ad- 
here to it, and thereby promote the 
active circulation of the blood. All 
this must be done without injury to 



584 



HAIRDRESSING BOTH FOR MEN AND WOMEN 585 



the scalp or the hair by pulling, 
scratching, or tearing. Cutting the 
hair frequently has a tendency, es- 
pecially in youth, to thicken the indi- 
vidual hairs and promote their 
growth. Neither this nor any other 
known process, however, tends to in- 
crease the actual number of hairs. 
AH claims to the contrary are the 
pretensions of charlatans. 

Professional hairdressers do not 
advocate shampooing the hair oftener 
than once a month. A thorough 
brushing once or twice a week is re- 
garded by them as sufficient for 
cleanliness and as much more bene- 
ficial to the hair and scalp. 

Much contradictory advice has 
been given on the subject of brush- 
ing the hair, some persons saying 
that stiff brushes should be used and 
the scalp and hair brushed by means 
of them with a good deal of vigor; 
others recommending soft brushes 
and a very moderate amount of fric- 
tion. These differences are probably 
due to different views of the objects 
to be obtained by brushing. One ob- 
ject is to promote the health of the 
scalp and hence to give strength and 
vigor to the hair. For this purpose 
brushes with hard, stiff bristles may 
be used with considerable vigor, pro- 
vided the skin is not injured. The 
other object is to smooth the hair 
and free it from dust. For this pur- 
pose brushes may be soft and used 
with a very moderate pressure. 

Care should be taken, on the one 
hand, not to scratch the scalp, tear 
the roots of the hair, or cause it to 
split; and on the other, not to neglect 
the stimulating effects of massaging 
the scalp and removing dandruff. In 
other words, a vigorous brushing 
should be directed to the head or 
scalp, the gentler stroke being em- 
ployed in brushing the hair itself. 

The general opinion is that it is 
feasible to brush the hair free from 
dust each night before retiring. Ap- 
plications of tonics and restoratives 
should also be made at this time, as 
they have the best opportunity of 
doing their work during sleep and es- 



pecially while the blood is circulating 
freely as the result of brushing. The 
care of the hair must be governed by 
common sense, and general rules 
must be adapted to individual con- 
ditions. Some persons find it neces- 
sary to wash the hair as often as 
twice a month, and with others once 
a month is sufficient. When the hair 
is oily it should not be brushed as 
freely or frequently as otherwise. 
When it is dry and harsh the appli- 
cation of lanolin or other pomades 
may be necessary. ^ 

An analogy may be found in the 
grooming of horses. Every good 
groom knows by experience that 
plenty of combing and brushing not 
only produces a fine coat but pro- 
motes the health and vitality of the 
animal. Hence brushes with moder- 
ately stiff bristles should be chosen. 

For men the so-called military or 
broad double brushes, one for each 
hand, are to be preferred. 

To Dry-clean the Hair. — To thor- 
oughly cleanse the hair it should be 
brushed successively from partings 
made in all directions upon the scalp, 
the utmost care being taken that for- 
eign matter accumulated on the brush 
is removed and not returned by the 
next stroke to the hair. 

Professional hairdressers when giv- 
ing the hair a dry cleaning run a 
comb through the brush each time 
the latter is drawn through the hair, 
and afterwards wipe the comb clean 
on a towel. The object of this proc- 
ess is to remove dirt and dandruff 
and bring about the additional soft- 
ness resulting from perfect cleanli- 
ness. If this is not done, the natural 
oil of the hair mixing with foreign 
substances merely makes the hair 
sticky. 

Care of Hairbrushes. — Brushes 
should be cleaned very often and 
thoroughly, as a surprising amount 
of dust and dirt gathers in the hair. 
This quickly accumulates in the 
brushes and fills them. Hence the 
brush should be cleaned immediately 
after using. 

Substances recommended for this 



586 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



purpose are gasoline, ammonia, bo- 
rax, and sal soda, of which the last is 
least desirable. It is also a good 
plan to disinfect the brush by put- 
ting a few drops of carbolic acid in 
the water. Neither hot water nor 
soap should be used, and the bristles 
should be allowed to dry thoroughly 
before using them. The eifect of hot 
water and soap is to soften the bris- 
tles and also the glue with which they 
are commonly fastened into the 
brush, and when soft, the bristles are 
likely to split and break off or fall 
out. 

To Clean a HairJbrush. — First 
comb out the loose hair with a coarse 
comb. Turn the brush downward 
and strike the bristles on a smooth, 
solid surface to loosen the dust and 
dandruff. Then rub the bristles over 
a Turkish or other coarse towel to 
wipe off as much of the loosened dust 
as possible. 

To Wash a Brush.-— Take two 
bowls of cold water in which to wash 
and to rinse the brush respectively. 
In one put about 1 tablespoonful of 
ammonia to 1 pint of water, and in- 
troduce the bristles in this without 
immersing the back of the brush. 
Rub the bristles back and forth with 
the hand in the water until they are 
clean. 

Or, to Assist in cleaning them, re- 
move the brush from the water and 
brush the dust and dirt out of it 
with a clean, stiff whisk broom which 
will work down into the bristles. Af- 
terwards rinse in clear water in the 
same way. 

Or add about 2 or 3 teaspoonfuls 
of alum to 1 pint of water, and rinse 
the bristles in this to toughen them. 
Wipe the bristles back and forth on 
a clean, dry towel, and hang up the 
brush by the handle to dry, or better 
still, lay it down in the draught with 
the bristles down. Never lay a wet 
brush down on the back, as this per- 
mits the water to run down the bris- 
tles and soak the glue with which 
they are fastened to the back. Do 
not expose a wet brush to direct sun- 
shine or other drying heat, as too 



rapid drying has a tendency to warp 
or crack the back of the brush. 

Or first moisten the bristles in 
clear warm water and sprinkle them 
with powdered borax, after which 
wash and rinse as above. 

Or dissolve 1 tablespoonful of sal 
soda in 1 quart of boiling water and 
let stand until it is cold. Wash and 
rinse the brush as above. 

To Clean Combs. — A wire brush or 
whisk broom is the best means to 
clean gutta-percha combs, and is 
preferable to soaking them in water. 

Or they may be washed in either of 
the solutions recommended above for 
washing brushes. 

DANDRUFF AND SHAMPOOING 

Dandruff. — Dandruff is a very 
common disease. It is caused by the 
formation of a scurf on the scalp 
which becomes detached in fine, dry 
scales. Unless these scales are re- 
moved from the hair by frequent 
brushing they give it a dry and lus- 
terless appearance. They also tend 
to accumulate on clothing and to 
give the impression of uncleanliness. 
Advertised preparations for the cure 
of dandruff are not only usually of 
no avail, contrary to the claims which 
are so persistently advertised in^ their 
favor, but are often positively inju- 
rious. 

Among the causes of dandruff may 
be mentioned weakness of the scalp 
from infectious diseases or otherwise, 
pressure of heavy and close hats and 
caps or of the hair matted upon the 
scalp, excessive use of hair oils and 
dyes, and other causes. These condi- 
tions should be avoided as much 
as possible, and the scalp should be 
kept perfectly clean, with due atten- 
tion to instructions already given for 
its care. Hygienic measures for the 
improvement of the general health 
are also very important. Substances 
which are especially recommended for 
dandruff are yolks of eggs with chlo- 
roform, borax with or without cam- 
phor, carbolic acid, soda, and chlorate 
of potash. 



HAIRDRESSING BOTH FOR MEN AND WOMEN 587 



Add 10 drops of chloroform to the 
yolk of an egg, and beat with an egg 
beater to a stiff consistency. Rub 
the size of an English walnut of this 
mixture into the scalp with the tips 
of the fingers, taking care to rub it 
thoroughly into the roots of the hair. 
Afterwards wash the scalp with Cas- 
tile or lanolin soap, and dry thor- 
oughly with a soft towel. Some phy- 
sicians claim that this is the only 
remedy for dandruff that is at once 
harmless and efficacious. 

Or pulverize 1 ounce of borax and 
i ounce of camphor, and dissolve in 
1 quart of boiling water. Use this 
solution cold. Moisten the hair fre- 
quently. Some of the camphor 
will sink to the bottom of the ves- 
sel, but enough will remain in solu- 
tion to be effective. After using, 
rub a little neat's-foot oil into the 
scalp. 

Or dissolve 1 ounce of flowers of 
sulphur in 1 quart of water. Shake 
frequently while dissolving. Allow 
the solution to stand until it settles, 
and saturate the hair with the clear 
liquor night and morning. 

Or put a lump of fresh quicklime 
the size of a butternut in 1 pint of 
water. Let it stand 12 hours. Strain 
through a linen cloth and add | pint 
of white-wine vinegar. Rub this mix- 
ture into the roots of the hair with 
the finger tips. If white-wine vine- 
gar is not obtainable, the best that 
you have will do. 

Or mix 3 ounces of glycerin with 
I dram of carbolic acid and 1 dram 
of oil of bergamot or other perfume. 
Rub this mixture into the roots of 
the hair with the finger tips and af- 
terwards use bay rum. This tends to 
keep the hair and scalp in good con- 
dition and to prevent the formation 
of dandruff. 

Or dissolve 1 thimbleful of pow- 
dered borax in 1 teacupful of water. 
Rub this mixture into the scalp with 
the fingers, and follow with a brisk 
brushing. Where the dandruff is 
plentiful, use this mixture daily for 
a week. Afterwards use twice a 
week until a cure is effected. 



To Shampoo the Hair. — Shampoo- 
ing is a word which means cleansing 
the head and hair. The base of the 
best shampoo mixtures is undoubt- 
edly yolk of egg. Castile soap, how- 
ever, is highly recommended. Borax, 
ammonia, sal soda, and salts of tar- 
tar are added on account of their 
cleansing properties; alcohol or bay 
rum to cut the oily substances and 
as preservatives; distilled water and 
rose water for convenience of appli- 
cation. 

Perhaps the best of all shampoos 
is the yolk of an egg beaten up with 
a pint of soft warm water. Apply at 
once, and rinse off with warm water 
and castile or other hard white soap. 

Or add 6 drops of chloroform to 
the above. 

Or salts of tartar may be used for 
this purpose and is commonly em- 
ployed by barbers. Dissolve i ounce 
of salts of tartar in 1 pint of soft 
water; apply freely and rub to a 
lather. Wash with soft warm water 
and castile soap. 

Or dissolve 1 ounce of salts of tar- 
tar in IJ pints of soft water. Add 
1 ounce of castile soap in shavings 
and 4 ounces of bay rum. The salts 
of tartar will remove dandruff, and 
the soap will cleanse the hair and 
scalp. 

Or mix 1 pint of soft water, 1 
oun^e of sal soda, and ^ ounce of 
cream of tartar. 

Or mix | ounce of alcohol, ^ ounce 
of glycerin, ^ ounce of sulphuric 
ether, ^ dram of aqua ammonia, ^ 
ounce of castile soap in shavings, and 
1 pint of soft water. 

After using a shampoo mixture, a 
little vaseline, oil, or pomade should 
be rubbed into the hair to take the 
place of the natural oil which is 
washed out in the shampooing. 

Or pea flour or almond meal is rec- 
ommended for cleansing the hair and 
scalp. The hair should -first be 
washed with cold water, and a small 
handful of pea flour or almond meal, 
as preferred, rubbed into it for five 
or ten minutes. Fresh water should 
be added from time to time until a 



588 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



perfect lather forms. The whole 
head should then be rinsed clean, 
dried with a soft towel, and brushed 
thoroughly. This process thoroughly 
cleanses the hair and tends to give it 
a soft, silky texture. It is also said 
to be invigorating to the scalp. 

To Compound Shampoos. — ^When 
yolk of egg is employed it should be 
beaten stiff with an egg beater, other 
dry materials added, and the whole 
diluted by adding distilled water 
slowly, and stirring briskly with an 
egg beater or otherwise to form an 
emulsion or thin paste. For the ideal 
egg shampoo, however, see above un- 
der " Dandruff." 

For other remedies, bring distilled 
water to a boil, take it off the stove, 
dissolve in it such substances as Cas- 
tile soap, sal soda, borax, etc., add 
bay rum and spirits if desired, strain 
through linen, and allow to cool be- 
fore perfumes are added. 

To Apply Shampoo Mixtures. — 
Apply about a tablespoonful of a 
good shampoo mixture, rubbing it 
into the scalp with the tips of the 
fingers and working it in thoroughly. 
Massage with the hands until a fine 
lather is produced. Afterwards rinse 
with clear soft water, first hot then 
cold, dry the hair with a coarse 
towel, and apply a little oil or poma- 
tum, if idesired, to take the place of 
the natural oil which has been re- 
moved from the hair by this process. 

Dry-hair Shampoo. — ^Mix 4 ounces 
of powdered orris root with 1 ounce 
of talcum powder, and sprinkle free- 
ly through the hair. This absorbs the 
superfluous oil and gives the hair a 
very thick and fluffy appearance. It 
is especially useful to persons whose 
hair is heavy and oily. It is also 
cooling and cleansing to the scalp. 

KAIE WASHES ( 

The solid and semisolid bases com- 
monly found in toilet preparations 
are naturally to a great degree ab- 
sent from those given here. The base 
of these washes is usually soft water, 
rose water, eau de cologne, or some 



form of spirits in which the remedial 
agencies and perfumes are held in 
solution. Preparations containing al- 
cohol and other spirits should be 
used with caution, as by evaporation 
they tend to dry the scalp and also to 
deprive the hair of its natural oil, 
which gives normally a perfect luster. 

Such substances as castile soap, 
ammonia, sal soda, salts of tartar, 
borax, and the like are often added 
for their cleansing properties. The 
principal remedial agents recom- 
mended are such substances as can- 
tharides, arnica, camphor, sulphur, 
iron sulphate, and the like, and va- 
rious vegetable infusions. These are 
employed for certain specific prop- 
erties beneficial to the scalp. As in 
other similar toilet preparations, rose, 
elder-flower, orange-flower, rosemary, 
and other waters may be used, ac- 
cording to taste, and the same may 
be said of the various perfumes. 

Nothing, perhaps, is better to 
cleanse the hair than diluted am- 
monia water — 1 part of aqua am- 
monia to 10 parts of water. The hair 
and scalp should afterwards be well 
rinsed with clear warm water. 

Or pour 1 pint of boiling water on 
a handful of rosemary leaves, and 
add i tablespoonful of carbonate of 
ammonia. Cork tightly and let stand 
over night, shake well, and strain 
through cheese cloth. Preserve in a 
tightly stoppered bottle. 

Or mix 3 ounces of sal soda and 
1 ounce of cream of tartar. Dilute 
with soft water to any desired con- 
sistency. 

Or dissolve 1 tablespoonful of aqua 
ammonia and 1 teaspoonful of borax 
in 1 quart of soft water. Wash the 
hair thoroughly and rub dry with a 
towel. 

Or dissolve 20 grains of salts of 
tartar in 1 pint of soft water, and 
add 1^ ounces of glycerin. 

Or dissolve ^ ounce of camphor 
and 1 ounce of borax in powdered 
form in 1 quart of boiling water. Put 
in a tightly stoppered bottle and let 
stand over night. Shake well before 
using. 



I 



HAIRDRESSING BOTH FOR MEN AND WOMEN 589 



Or dissolve 1 dram of pearlash in 
^ pint of alcohol; dilute with 2 
quarts of soft water. 

Or boil 1 ounce of sassafras wood 
and 1 quart of soft water or diluted 
water, and add i pint of alcohol and 
i pint of pearlash. 

Care, however, should be taken not 
to use these preparations too fre- 
quently. Once or twice a month is 
often enough to wash the hair in this 
manner unless it is unusually oily, 
and it should be borne in mind that 
the use of hair washes, by depriving 
the hair of its natural oil, has a 
tendency to make it harsh and dry, 
and hence tends to split it. After 
the use of washes of this sort a little 
vaseline, hair oil, or pomatum may be 
rubbed into the hair to replace the 
natural oil. 



for fifteen or twenty minutes to 
make a strong infusion. Next strain, 
add such solids as castile soap (in 
shavings), borax, sal soda, and the 
like while the liquor is warm enough 
to dissolve them, and reserve the per- 
fumes until it becomes cool. 

HAIR TONICS 

loosening and Falling Out of the 
Hair. — This often takes place as the 
result of infectious diseases, on ac- 
count of the weakening of the scalp. 
Contrary to common belief, it is 
probably never due to results of dis- 
sipation and excesses. Hygienic 
measures to improve the general 
health come first in importance. The 
use of tar soap and the yolk of egg 
is beneficial. To plunge the head 





HAIR PREPARATIONS, WASHES, 


ETC. 












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i oz. 

1 oz. 
1 oz. 

24 oz. 


1 oz. 

idr. 
idr. 
8oz. 


1 oz. 

ipt. 

1 qt. 


i oz. 

ipt. 

1 qt. 
Jpt. 

idr. 


2oz. 

2 qt. 
6oz. 


2 dr. 
ipt. 


2oz. 

2oz. 
ipt. 

1 qt. 


Idr. 

4pt. 
6 oz. 

2 oz. 
2oz. 


J oz. 

1 oz. 

2 qt. 

1 lb. 


2oz. 

2 qt. 

2oz. 
2oz. 
2oz. 

2 oz. 


1 oz. 
J oz. 

Iqt. 












Cream of Tartar 


2 dr. 


Salts of Tartar 




Glycerin 








Tinct. Cantharides 


ipt. 














Eau de Cologne 

Tinct Myrrh 




Ext. Rondeletia 

Water (Soft) 


1 gal 


Hay Saffron 
















Rosemary Leaves 

Southernwood 









Compounding Hair Washes. — 
When the solid substances, as rose- 
mary or bay leaves, saffron wood, 
southernwood, and the like are rec- 
ommended, they are prepared by 
boiling in the water or other liauid 



into cold water night and morning, 
and afterwards to dry the hair, 
brushing the scalp briskly to a warm 
glow, is beneficial for men so af- 
fected. The recipes for various ton- 
ics and lotions will be given contain- 



590 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



ing all the known specific remedial 
agents, and persons threatened with 
baldness are earnestly advised to 
compound their own remedies and 
not purchase advertised nostrums. 

Dry and Harsh Hair. — This condi- 
tion of the hair may be improved by 
shampooing the scalp with yolk of 
egg, as recommended for dandrufP, or 
the scalp may be washed with a weak 
solution of green tea applied cold, or 
with an emulsion of castile soap con- 
taining a small quantity of tannin. 
Alcohol in any form is highly objec- 
tionable, as it tends by rapid evapo- 
ration to increase the dryness of the 
scalp. Shamj^ooing the scalp occa- 
sionally with a good shampoo mix- 
ture is also useful. This condition 
may occur from too frequent wash- 
ing of the scalp with soap or other 
substances that deprive it of its nat- 
ural oils. 

Baldness. — Absolute baldness is a 
condition in which the follicles or 
roots of the hair have lost their vi- 
tality. It is absolutely incurable. 
Hence preventive measures should be 
taken as soon as there is any indica- 
tion of a tendency to baldness, as 
shown by the falling out or loosening 
of the hair. The bases of most hair 
invigorators and restorers is some 
form of ,.cantharides or quinine. A 
number of simple household remedies 
have been recommended which are 
harmless and may be tried by any- 
one, among these being sage tea, Ja- 
maica rum, lemon juice, vinegar, salt 
water, lobelia, onion juice, boxwood, 
and ammonia. 

Instructions for the use of these 
homemade remedies are as follows: 

Mix 1 pint of strong sage tea, 1 
pint of bay rum, and 1 or 2 ounces, 
more or less, of glycerin, depending 
upon the amount of natural oil in the 
hair; or substitute neat's- foot oil for 
glycerin if the latter does not suit the 
skin. Shake the mixture well and 
apply with the finger tips to the 
scalp, rubbing thoroughly into the 
roots of the hair every night. This 
tends to prevent the hair from turn- 
ing gray. 



Or wash the head daily with good 
old Jamaica rum. 

Or rub the pulp of a lemon on the 
scalp. 

Or pour boiling water on rock salt 
or sea salt, using 2 heaping table- 
spoonfuls to 1 quart of water, and 
allow it to cool before using. Use as 
a wash daily. 

Or 1 teaspoonful of ammonia in 1 
quart of warm water. Use as a wash. 

Or fill a jar or bottle with pow- 
dered lobelia. Mix brandy and sweet 
oil in equal parts, and add as much 
of the mixture as the powdered lo- 
belia will take up. Mix and allow 
the compound to stand three or 
four days. Apply to the roots of the 
hair by rubbing with the finger tips 
daily. 

Or cut a small onion in half and 
rub the scalp with it just before re- 
tiring. The onion juice is said to 
stimulate the skin and invigorate the 
roots of the hair. Rinse well with 
soft water and castile soap in the 
morning. 

Or steep in a covered saucepan for 
15 or 30 minutes 4 large handfuls 
of the leaves of the common box, 
such as is used for garden borders- 
Let the decoction stand over night. 
Strain through a linen cloth and add 
I ounce of cologne or lavender water. 
Use as a wash daily. 

Hair Tonics. — The principal reme- 
dial agents in proprietary articles 
usually known as invigorators or re- 
storatives for the hair are- the va- 
rious preparations of cantharides 
(usually the vinegar or tincture), 
quinine (either in the form of cin- 
chona bark or quinine sulphate), car- 
bonate of ammonia, tincture of ar- 
nica, an infusion of the tendrils of 
the grapevine, and various astringent 
substances. These preparations may 
be based on solid unguents, as lard, 
white wax, spermaceti, or beef mar- 
row; or on liquid unguents, as sweet, 
olive, cocoanut, or other oil, espe- 
cially castor oil, which is thought to 
be a specific for promoting the 
growth of the hair; and diluted with 
various vehicles, as alcohol, eau de 



HAIRDRESSING BOTH FOR MEN AND WOMEN 591 



cologne, rose water, distilled water, 
and the like. Jamaica rum, with or 
without the oil of bay, and sherry- 
wine are thought to have tonic prop- 
erties. And various cleansing agents, 
as borax and ammonia, are frequent- 
ly added. All of these preparations 
may be perfumed with the various es- 
sential oils according to taste. They 
require only mixing. Hence it is suf- 
ficient to give the formulas in the 
following table. The ingredients 
should be shaken well before using 



and applied daily, being well rubbed 
into the roots of the hair until it 
stops falling out, or is otherwise in 
a satisfactory condition. 

The following is an especially rec- 
ommended recipe: put in a glass bot- 
tle 8 ounces of 95 per cent alcohol ; 
add i ounce of glycerin, 8 grains 
of sulphate of quinine, 1^ grains of 
tincture cantharides, 2i drams of 
tincture rhotany, and i ounce of es- 
sence of lavender. Mix and shake 
well before using. 



HAIR TONICS, INVIGORATORS, AND RESTORATIVES 



Lard 

White Wax 

Castor Oil.. 

Glycerin . . . 

Sweet Oil. . 

Aromatic 
Sp. Am . 

Aqua Am.. 

Tine, of 
Arnica. . 

Tine, of 
Canthar- 
ides 

Ving. of 
Canthar- 
ides .... 

Capsicum . 

Carb. Am.. 

Cinchona 
Bark. . . . 

Black Tea . 

Tannic 
Acid 

Alcohol.. . . 

Bay Rum. 

Sherry 
Wine... . 

Water 

Balsam of 
Tolu. . . . 

Oil of Ber- 
gamot . . 

Eau de 
Cologne. 

Oil of Lav- 
ender . . . 

Oil of 
Cloves,. . 

Tine, of 
Myrrh. . 

Oil of Rose 

Oil of Rose- 

^ mary. . 

I'hyme 
(white) 



1 oz. 



2 dr. 



3oz. 



1 oz. 



idr. 



idr. 



Idr. 
4 oz. 



•pt. 
rPt 



4oz 



Soz. 



30 m. 



10 m. 



2oz. 
Soz. 



2dr, 
30 d. 



3oz 



4 dr. 



2 dr. 



lipt. 



Soz. 



10 m. 
15 dr. 



.3 ° 
'5 cs 






Joz. 



i oz, 



Ipt. 



^ oz. 



1 oz. 

J dr. 
7Joz. 



i oz. 



i oz 



1 oz, 



loz, 



1 oz. 



Ipt, 



1 oz. 



Iqt, 



Joz, 



Iqt. 

i oz, 

i oz. 



1 oz. 



loz. 



Joz. 



Ipt. 
2pt. 



1 oz. 



2 dr. 

Idr. 

Soz. 

J dr. 
1 oz. 



9oz. 



1 oz. 
Ipt 



1 oz. 



Ipt. 

Iqt. 



3oa 



ioa. 



2 02. 

Iqt. 
1 gal 



592 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Compounding Hair Tonics. — In 
compounding the various hair tonics 
in the preceding table the solids, as 
black tea, bay leaves, and the like, 
must be boiled fifteen or twenty min- 
utes to produce an infusion, and then 
strained through a linen cloth. Cin- 
chona bark and jaborandi should be 
first reduced in a mortar to a fine 
powder before boiling. Solid un- 
guents must be melted with gentle 
heat, oils cut in alcohol or other spir- 
its, and remedial agents added while 
the mixture is still hot enough to dis- 
solve them readily. The whole should 
then be removed from the fire, thor- 
oughly mixed by beating with an egg 
beater or otherwise, and strained 
through a linen cloth to remove the 
dregs. The essential oils and other 
volatile perfumes, if any, should be 
reserved until the liquor is nearly 
cold, to prevent loss by evaporation. 

HAIB OILS 

Xlse of Hair Oils.— The natural lus- 
ter of the hair is often destroyed by 
the excessive use of hair oils and 
similar preparations. The sebaceous 
glands which secrete an oily sub- 
stance are attached closely to the 
roots of the hair, and normally sup- 
ply it with sufficient oily matter to 
keep it in good condition. To pro- 
mote the activity of these glands and 
to distribute the natural oil evenly 
to the extremities of the hair is one 
of the principal objects of brushing. 
This is why a person whose hair is 
naturally too oily should refrain 
from brushing the hair more than is 
necessary for cleanliness. A multi- 
tude of hair oils and similar prepa- 
rations are on the market, and va- 
rious preposterous claims are set 
forth by their venders. Many of 
these contain minerals and other in- 
jurious ingredients, and none of them 
are equal to the simple preparations 
which may be compoimded at home 
from the following recipes. We ear- 
nestly advise against the use of any 
preparation the ingredients of which 
are kept a secret, and the quality 



and condition of which cannot be 
definitely ascertained by the user. 

The hair is liable to certain abnor- 
mal conditions, as premature gray- 
ness, falling out, dryness and harsh- 
ness caused by the absence of its 
natural oils, and partial or total 
baldness. Certain special methods of 
treatment and remedial agents may 
properly be employed in such cases, 
and recipes for compounding these 
are given below. 

Hair Oils. — Preparations recom- 
mended to replace the natural oil of 
the hair when that is, for any reason, 
deficient, are based upon various 
fixed oils, with the addition of essen- 
tial oils as perfumes and various 
remedial agents. The best quality 
of hair oil is, perhaps, that based on 
the oil of ben (which is colorless, 
odorless, does not become rancid, and 
therefore requires less perfume than 
others), olive oil, the oil of sweet alm- 
onds, and castor oil. Cotton-seed 
oil is employed for the cheaper va- 
rieties. As specific remedial agents 
they frequently contain cantharides. 
Alcohol and other spirits are used 
to cut oils, and also as preserva- 
tives. 

Bear's grease was formerly in high 
approval for this purpose^ but mar- 
row oil from beef marrow is equally 
good and much less expensive, be- 
sides being free from the objection- 
able odor of bear's grease. In fact, 
the latter is not usually obtainable, 
as substances sold under that name 
are largely diluted with various other 
animal fats. These preparations re- 
quire only mixing and the addition of 
a few drops of essential oil or other 
perfumes according to taste. The ex- 
tent to which they should be used 
will, of course, depend upon the con- 
dition of the hair and the tastes and 
preferences of the individual. Their 
principal use is in cases of unusual 
dryness or harshness of the hair, or 
when the natural oil of the hair has 
been temporarily removed by sham- 
pooing. 

To Compound Hair Oils. — Oils pre- 
scribed in these compounds should be 



HAIRDRESSING BOTH FOR MEN AND WOMEN 593 



HAIR OILS 













^ 




d 
















O 


6 

'3 
o 


O 
<o 

a 

1 


-s 


O 
S3 

-s 


O 


O 




d 

O 

g 


d 
o 


d 
O 

i 


O 


1 






Q 


1-5 




12; 






o 




CQ 


§ 
s 


< 


a 


Beef Marrow 












1 pt. 






4oz. 


1 pt. 








Oil of Ben 






1 Pt. 






















Castor Oil 




15 oz. 






6Jpt. 












4oz. 


4 oz. 


1 qt. 


Cocoanut Oil 




















Ipt. 








Cotton-seed Oil . . . 


Iqt. 






1 gal. 






1 gal. 














Olive Oil 












1 pt. 




3 oz. 












Tine, of 




























Cantharides . . . 






















1 lb. 






Vinegar of 




























Cantharides. . . . 




























Glycerin 




2 oz. 
























Alcohol 




2 oz. 






lipt. 














1 pt. 


ipt. 
i oz. 


Oil of Bergamot . . 




20 dr. 














10 d. 




10 m. 


" Cinnamon.. 


























i oz. 


" Citronella. . 










i oz. 


















" Civet 






3gr. 






















" Cloves 








i oz. 






i oz. 














" Fennel 














2ioz. 














*' Jasmine. . . . 






3oz. 






















"' Lavender . . 








1 oz. 


i oz. 




i oz. 


1 m. 












" Myrbane . . . 


i oz. 


2 dr. 
























°' Nutmeg . . . 
















6d. 


12 d. 










" Origanum... 






















1 m. 






" Rose 






3d. 






















" Rosemary . . 














i oz. 




i oz. 




lid. 






" Sassafras. . . 














i oz. 














" Thyme 








i oz. 






i oz. 















first melted together with gentle heat. 
Next add coloring matter, if any is 
desired. Now put in remedial agents, 
add spirits, if any, mix while warm, 
and allow to cool before adding per- 
fumes. 

To Color Hair Oil. — Any desired 
color may be imparted to oils for the 
hair by treating the fixed oil used as 
a base before the other ingredients 
are added. To accomplish this the 
olive, cotton-seed, or other oil which 
is used in the largest quantity in the 
mixture should be warmed with gen- 
tle heat, the coloring matter added, 
and the whole simmered without boil- 
ing, until the desired color or a little 
stronger tint is obtained. This may 
require from one to two hours. The 
oil should then be poured into a 
closed vessel and kept in a warm 
place for a day or two so that it may 
be evenly tinged with color. Finally 
it should be warmed and strained 
through coarse linen to remove the 



dregs and to give it brilliancy and 
luster. 

For red, pink, or rose, use alkanet 
root — about 2 drams to a pint. The 
trouble of straining the oil may be 
avoided by putting the alkanet root 
in a muslin bag and suspending it in 
the oil, but the former method is to 
be preferred. 

For yellow or orange, use a little 
annotto or palm oil. 

For green, use a little green parsley, 
or lavender in the same manner, or 
dissolve 2 or 3 drams of gum guaia- 
cum in each pint of oil as above di- 
rected. 

Perfumes for Hair Oils. — Instead 
of taking the trouble to measure the 
exact quantities of different perfumes 
directed to be used in various recipes, 
many persons select a particular per- 
fume for their own use, or blend two 
or more essential oils to produce an 
individual perfume suited to their 
taste. The combinations of essential 



594 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



oils that may be made up are, of 
course, countless; but the ones rec- 
ommended elsewhere will serve as 
suggestions to those interested. An 
ounce or two of any of these per- 
fumes added to a pint of rectified 
spirits produces an agreeable per- 
fume or "cologne" for personal use. 

HAIB DTES 

Dyeing as a means of changing the 
normal color of the hair is now very 
little resorted to, except by a small 
number of thoughtless girls and wom- 
en who are misled by ignorant or in- 
terested persons. This practice is 
regarded by all intelligent persons as 
an unmistakable mark of vulgarity. 
Even the young men themselves, who 
are supposed, if any are, to be de- 
ceived and attracted by this process, 
have coined the expression " chemical 
blonde " and " peroxide blonde " to 
define a woman who has been deluded 
into following this silly fad, and 
boast themselves able to recognize 
such an individual at sight. 

There is more justification for the 
use of hair dyes in case of premature 
grayness and especially in those pe- 
culiar cases where irregular patches 
of gray hair make their appearance. 
The causey of these conditions are 
not fully understood. It is well 
known that the hair may turn gray 
suddenly as a consequence of extreme 
emotion, fright, pain, and the like. 
Patches of gray hair are sometimes 
attributed to fungous growths at the 
roots. Even in these cases, however, 
it is usually better to avoid taking a 
plunge into the unknown. The diffi- 
culties connected with dyeing the 
hair are many, and the injurious 
consequences are inevitable. Such a 
substance as a harmless hair dye is 
not known, all claims to the contrary 
notwithstanding. Neither is it possi- 
ble to deceive anyone. The natural 
color of the hair is subtly blended by 
nature with the tints and shades of 
tlie complexion, and any change in 
the color of the hair will produce an 
unnatural disparity which the prac- 



ticed eye readily detects. Men might 
perhaps be deceived, but women 
never. And the man or woman who 
adopts the use of hair dyes speedily 
becomes the subject of more or less 
invidious gossip and ridicule. The 
practice is usually begun with the 
idea that a single application will be 
sufficient. This is not the case. The 
hair grows at the rate of about one 
twentieth of an inch each day; hence 
in a few daj^s a new growth appears 
and a fresh application of the dye 
becomes necessary. Meantime the 
dye has injured the hair and in many 
cases the scalp, brain, and nervous 
system. All preparations of lead, 
silver, and other mineral substances 
are distinctly and often fatally inju- 
rious. We have excluded from this 
book all preparations of this char- 
acter, but in deference to the wishes 
of, those who have a legitimate 
reason for wishing to darken the 
color of the hair, we give a number 
of recipes which are as efficacious as 
any that can be recommended with 
safety. 

Hair Dyes. — A careful examination 
of more than 100 coimted recipes for 
hair dyes recommended in otherwise 
reputable books of household recipes 
discloses none which do not contain 
injurious mineral substances, except 
those we give below. 

Recent chemical analysis of widely 
advertised hair dyes and washes for 
bleaching, darkening, or otherwise 
changing the color of the hair dis- 
closes the presence of these mineral 
agents in practically every instance, 
notwithstanding the fact that in all 
cases the proprietors announce that 
the preparations are " harmless."- 
Among the injurious substances rec- 
ommended are the following: 

Nitric, muriatic, and sulphuric 
acids; bismuth; lead, as litharge and 
the acetate or sugar of lead, etc.; 
antimony, silver (usually the ni- 
trate), potassium, baryta, iron, tin, 
copper, etc. These metals are rec- 
ommended in the form of various 
salts, as sulphates, acetates, chlorides, 
and the like. They are each and all 



HAIRDRESSING BOTH FOR MEN AND AVOMEN 595 



vicious in principle and injurious in 
practice, and those who knowingly or 
unknowingly recommend them should 
be regarded with suspicion. 

To Prevent Gray Hair. — A pre- 
ventive against grayness of the hair 
has already been mentioned, i. e., the 
yolk of egg. Preparations containing 
ncat's-foot oil are also beneficial for 
darkening the hair. The action of 
hair dyes in pomades is necessarily 
slow, and they must be used daily or 
frequently until the proper results 
have been secured. Compounds con- 
taining vegetable ingredients are bet- 
ter than those containing mineral 
ones. Among materials which are 
relatively harmless are stains from 
walnut shells and green walnuts, 
which gradually dye light hair to 
dark-brown shades. These have to be 
used constantly, as the color is not 
durable. These stains cannot be used 
in the form of pomades. Henna and 
indigo powders produce various 
shades from yellow to dark brown, 
and other compounds and substances 
are mentioned below. " Chemical 
blondes " wash the hair with greatly 
diluted hydrogen peroxide. When 
dyes are applied to the hair it should 
first be thoroughly cleansed of its 
natural oils and other foreign sub- 
stances. This may be done by wash- 
ing the hair with a mixture contain- 
ing one fourth part of chloroform 
and three fourths of alcohol. Gloves 
should be worn, and the dye worked 
into the hair with a comb and a clean 
toothbrush. 

Or mix 1 part of bay rum, 3 parts 
of neat's-foot oil, and 1 part of 
French brandy by measure. Use this 
as a hair wash daily. Shake well be- 
fore applying. 

Or into 1 gallon of new milk put 
3 quarts of the green tendrils of the 
grapevine. Add 2 pounds of honey 
and a handful of rosemary. Simmer 
slowly until the bulk is reduced 
about one half. Strain through a 
linen cloth and apply to the hair fre- 
quently. 

An excess of lime in the system is 
said to have a tendency to make the 



hair brittle and cause it to split and 
crack. This, by admitting air to the 
hair, is the most common cause of 
grayness. Hence hard water for 
drinking purposes should be avoided, 
or softened by means elsewhere rec- 
ommended. 

Walnut Hair Dye. — Press the juice 
from the bark or shells of green wal- 
nuts. Add a small quantity of recti- 
fied alcohol and a little allspice or a 
few cloves. Let the mixture stand for 
a week or ten days and shake occa- 
sionally. Filter through a linen cloth 
and add a small amount of common 
salt as a preservative. Keep in a cool, 
dark place. 

Yellow Hair Dye. — BoU 1 or 3 
ounces of pure annotto in 1 pint of 
soft or distilled water, adding a pinch 
of baking soda. This gives the hair 
a golden yellow, which, however, va- 
ries according to its strength and the 
original color of the hair. Washing 
the hair in a solution of alum water 
deepens the color. The application of 
a solution of lemon juice or vinegar 
after the use of this dye reddens the 
hair or gives it an orange color. 

Black or Brown Hair Dye. — Boil 2 
ounces of black tea in 1 gallon of wa- 
ter. Strain through a linen cloth. 
Add 2 or 3 ounces of glj^cerin, ^ 
ounce of tincture of cantharides, and 
1 quart of bay rum. Let the mixture 
stand 48 hours, shaking occasionally, 
and perfume with any essential oil 
preferred. 

Black Hair Dye. — Mix juice of 
green walnuts as above described with 
neat's-foot oil, using about 1 part of 
the oil to 4 parts of walnut juice ac- 
cording to the amount of natural oil 
present in the hair. 

Red Hair Dye. — Make a strong de- 
coction of safflowers or of alkanet by 
boiling either in water to which a 
small amount of baking soda has been 
added. This gives the hair a bright- 
red or reddish-yellow color, accord- 
ing to its strength. When the hair is 
dry after this application, wash with 
a solution of lemon juice or vinegar 
mixed with an equal quantity of 
water. 



596 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Or, to darken red hair, mix 1 dram 
each of oil of nutmeg and rosemary, 
1 ounce of castor oil, 2 drams of tinc- 
ture of cantharides, and 8 ounces of 
French brandy. Work a teaspoonful 
or more of this into the hair each day 
with a moderately stiff brush, brush- 
ing 12 to 20 minutes. 

OTHER HAIR TOPICS 

Superfluous Hair. — There is no 
known method which is entirely sat- 
isfactory for removing superfluous 
hairs. Among the various methods 
recommended are shaving, plucking 
out the hairs with tweezers, the use 
of the electric needle, and various de- 
pilatories. The active principle in 
these compounds is usually chloride 
of lime, quicklime, or sulphide of ar- 
senic. These cause the hair shafts to 
fall out, but do not affect the root of 
the hair, and hence must be frequent- 
ly repeated. These substances are 
strong irritants and unless handled 
intelligently may create ugly ulcers. 

Shaving stimulates the growth of 
che hair and by thickening it in- 
creases the discoloration caused by 
the ends of the hair shafts showing 
through the skin. Plucking the hairs 
perseveringly by the roots, the skin 
having been previously softened and 
prepared by the application of a 
suitable toilet emulsion, is perhaps 
the most satisfactory method. 

A competent operator supplied 
with the proper apparatus can re- 
move superfluous hair permanently by 
means of the electric needle. The 
electrode from the positive pole of 
the battery is attached to the back of 
the patient's neck or other convenient 
spot. A three-cornered electric nee- 
dle with sharp cutting edges is at- 
tached to the negative pole of the 
battery. This is inserted into the 
skin, alongside the hair, care being 
taken not to penetrate too deeply. 
When the current is applied the nee- 
dle becomes hot and causes bubbles 
of froth to appear at the point where 
it is inserted. The needle is then 
turned so that the sharp corners 



scrape the adjacent surfaces, and the 
process is continued until the hair is 
loosened and destroyed. The result- 
ing scar is so slight as to be hardly 
noticeable, and if the operation is 
properly conducted the results are 
sure and permanent. The following 
are standard recipes for depilatories. 
These are severe remedies, and should 
be employed only with caution and 
due regard to what has been said 
above. 

Spread equal quantities of galba- 
num and pitch plaster on a, piece of 
soft chamois leather. Lay it smooth- 
ly on the superfluous hair and let it 
remain three or four minutes. It may 
then be pulled off, hair and all. The 
inflamed skin may then be rubbed 
with olive oil. 

Or pulverize finely in a mortar 1 
ounce of fresh limestone and 1 dram 
of 'pure potassa. Soak the parts for 
10 minutes in warm water, so as to 
soften the superfluous hairs. Form a 
paste of the above powder with warm 
water, apply with a brush, and re- 
move after 5 or 6 minutes or as soon 
as the skin begins to be inflamed. To 
remove this paste, wash it away with 
vinegar. This softens the skin and 
neutralizes the alkali. 

Or mix equal quantities of sul- 
phuret of calcium and quicklime pul- 
verized to a fine powder. Apply pre- 
cisely as for the preceding. The 
action is quicker. Hence it should be 
removed after two or three minutes 
in the same manner as the last. 

To Curl the Hair. — Preparations 
recommended for curling the hair are 
usually based upon various more or 
less adhesive substances, as gum ara- 
ble, quince mucilage, beeswax, sper- 
maceti, and the like, mixed with va- 
rious oils and diluted with alcohol or 
water. They may be perfumed ac- 
cording to taste. Specific curling 
properties are claimed for beeswax, 
oil of origanum, mastic, and carbo- 
nate of potassium. 

It is also said that when the hair is 
clipped, as is sometimes done with 
children or after a serious illness, if 
the head is shaved " against the 



HAIRDRESSING BOTH FOR MEN AND WOMEN 597 



grain " the hair will come in curly or 
wavy. The use of the egg shampoo 
elsewhere recommended also has the 
same tendency. 

The following recipes are recom- 
mended : 

Put in a double boiler 1 ounce of 
oil of sweet almonds, 1 dram of sper- 
maceti, white wax, or beeswax, and 
dissolve with very gentle heat. Re- 
move from the fire, stir in 3 drams of 
tincture of mastic. Bottle and cork 
tightly until wanted. Apply a small 
quantity and arrange the hair loosely. 
This is a French preparation and a 
commercial article of considerable 
reputation. 

Or mix 12 ounces of olive oil, 1 
dram of origanum, and 1 dram of oil 
of rosemary. Bottle and cork tightly 
until wanted. Apply every other day. 

Or melt a piece of white beeswax 
about the size of a hickory nut in 1 
ounce of olive oil, and perfume with 
a few drops of oil of neroli. This is 
simple and effective. 

Or beat up the yolk of an egg, rub 
it into the hair, and let dry. Rinse 
off with clear warm water and apply 
a little bandoline or pomade when 
arranging the curls. 

To Compound Curling Fluids. — 
Put the above solids or oils in a 
saucepan and simmer with gentle 
heat. When solids are melted or oil 
is well warmed, add other ingredients, 
except perfume. Strain, cool, and 
add perfume when neai-ly cold. 

Hair Powders. — The basis of pow- 
ders for the hair was formerly wheat 
starch, but potato farina is now more 
commonly used, as it is whiter and 
more lustrous. This is the ordinary 
plain hair powder of commerce, to 
which may be added for a black pow- 
der powdered charcoal or ivory black, 
or, for a sparkling effect, white frost- 
ing. Various perfumes are used ac- 
cording to taste. These may be used 
as a dry powder in the form of sa- 
chet, or they may be dropped on loaf 
sugar, which is afterwards pulverized 
in a mortar. 

The following preparations are rec- 
ommended : 



Mix and sift together through a fine 
hair or other sieve 8 ounces of pow- 
dered wheat bran and 1 ounce of 
powdered orris root. 

Or mix 8 ounces of starch powder 
with 2 ounces of rose sachet. 

Or, for musk hair powder, mix 1 
scruple of musk with 3 pounds of 
wheat starch or farina. 

Or mix 13 ounces of starch or fa- 
rina with 3 ounces of powdered am- 
bergris; or 13 ounces of starch or 
farina with 3 ounces of violet sachet. 

Or, for a blond hair powder, mix 
4 ounces each of powdered starch or 
farina and powdered orris root; add 
1 ounce of powdered yellow ocher. 

Or, for a black hair powder, mix 4 
ounces each of powdered starch or 
farina and powdered orris root, and 
add 4 ounce each of powdered char- 
coal and ivory black. 

Or, for a sparkling effect, grind 
white frostings to a powder in a 
mortar. 

Compounding Hair Powders, — 
These powders are merely mechani- 
cal mixtures. The ingredients should 
be thoroughly mixed in a mortar or 
other suitable receptacle, or sifted 
through a fine hair or wire sieve. 

THE BEARD, MUSTACHE, AND 
SHAVING 

Care of the Beard. — Unless prop- 
erly cared for a full beard may seri- 
ously interfere with cleanliness. The 
beard should be frequently washed 
with soap, thoroughly dried, and 
treated with some simple prepara- 
tion. The object of care of the 
beard, as in the case of the hair, is 
to keep it clean and to preserve its 
normal luster. Lotions which have 
alcohol or other spirits as a base may 
be used once or twice a week to 
cleanse the beard of oily or fatty ma- 
terials that may have accumulated, 
and to clean the skin. These may be 
applied with a wash cloth and the 
beard afterwards rubbed dry with a 
towel. Frequent cutting or shaving 
of the beard has a tendency to make 
the individual hairs thick and short. 



598 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



It does not increase their number. 
Singeing is harmful unless the hair 
is treated with oil or grease. Other- 
wise singeing tends to split the hair 
at the ends and to make it dry and 
brittle. Lanolin soap is perhaps the 
best soap for use on the hair and 
beard. 

How to Kaise a Mustache. — Stim- 
ulate the circulation by the applica- 
tion of hot towels, followed by rub- 
bing briskly with a rough towel, 
and apply one of the following mix- 
tures: 

Alcohol, i pint; castor oil, i dram; 
tincture of cantharides, 1 ounce. 
Perfume with 20 to 40 drops of any 
of the essential oils, as cloves or ber- 
gamot, and 1 ounce of cologne or 
other essence. 

Or dissolve in 5 ounces of alcohol 
1 dram of compound tincture of ben- 
zoin, 1 dram of tincture of Spanish 
flies, and 3 ounces of castor oil, and 
perfume with 10 to 20 drops of any 
of the essential oils. Do not use this 
mixture too frequently as it may in- 
flame the skin. 

Or melt with gentle heat 1 ounce 
of white wax or spermaceti, and stir 
in while hot 15 drops of saturated 
tincture of cantharides. Remove 
from the fire, and when nearly cool 
perfume with 10 or 12 drops of any 
of the essential oils. This is a pow- 
erful stimulant, but must not be em- 
ployed oftener than once or twice a 
week, as otherwise it may inflame the 
skin. 

Mustache Pomade. — Melt 4 ounces 
of white wax, and add 2 ounces of 
pure white vaseline and | ounce of 
Canada balsam. When nearly cold 
add about 30 drops of any essential 
oil or mixture according to taste. 
For coloring matters, see under " Hair 
Oils." 

Or dissolve i pound of white wax, 
i pound of lanolin soap, ^ pound of 
gum arable, and i pint of rose water. 
Melt and mix all together with gen- 
tle heat, and when cool perfume by 
adding 12 to 20 drops of essential 
oils according to taste. Color as rec- 
ommended under " Hair Oils." 



Shaving. — Those who snave should 
make it a practice to do so daily, or 
at least every other day. Some men 
complain that this practice makes 
the skin sore, but this will not be the 
case if a good razor is used, if it is 
kept in good order, and if the razor 
strokes are always in the same direc- 
tion, never against the grain of the 
beard. The use of a good lotion 
after shaving is another preventive of 
soi-eness. A good toilet soap for 
shaving is indispensable. Shaving 
sticks or cream which can be rubbed 
on the face without the use of the 
shaving mug are a great conveni- 
ence, especially to those who travel. 
It should be borne in mind that the 
skin and hair absorb warm water 
freely, and swell and soften under 
its influence, and that this effect is 
greatly promoted by the use of soap. 
The more time spent in softening the 
face by the application of lather the 
better. The razor should be dipped 
in hot water before using. 

Safety Razors. — The modern cus- 
tom of using safety razors is most 
commendable. These convenient lit- 
tle implements have now been so per- 
fected as to give entire satisfaction. 
A number of separate blades are 
sold with each razor, and additional 
blades can be had at a very low 
price. These blades can be stropped 
by means of a special device, or re- 
turned by mail to the manufacturer 
to be honed, or thrown away when 
they become dulled by use. The lux- 
ury of having a set of seven razors — 
one for each day in the week — has 
often been suggested in books and 
otherwise to persons who have felt 
that they were hardly able to afford 
it. But the safety razor is a means 
of bringing this luxury within the 
reach of all. It is always ready 
without honing or stropping, can be 
used without the best of light, is en- 
tirely safe, is economical, and has 
made a multitude of friends for it- 
self within recent years. Millions of 
these little implements are being 
manufactured, and the problems of 
how to get a good razor and how to 



HAIRDRESSING BOTH FOR MEN AND WOMEN 599 



keep it in p;ood condition have there- 
by been greatly simplified. It is ad- 
visable to buy only the best-known 
make of safety razor, patronizing the 
makers who advertise most extensive- 
ly in leading periodicals, so as to in- 
sure obtaining a thoroughly satisfac- 
tory article. 

To Strop Razors. — Comparatively 
few persons seem to understand the 
theory of stropping a razor. The 
cutting edge of a razor should be in 
the form of a V, the sides of the V 
being perfectly flat and not round. 
The object of honing to produce this 
angle, and that of stropping, is to 
keep the edge perfect in overcoming 
its tendency to become round as a 
result of wear. The strop, therefore, 
should be held in such a way that the 
leather will bear with equal pressure 
on every part of the straight sides of 
the V which terminates in the edge. 
Barbers are able by constant prac- 
tice to hold a loose strop in such a 
way as to accomplish this purpose 
with little apparent effort, but nov- 
ices are very apt to allow the strop 
to move and to strike it with the ra- 
zor . in such a way as to round the 
edge, and do more harm by strop- 
ping than good. Hence a novice will 
usually accomplish the best results 
by means of a strop glued flat on a 
piece of wood. The razor should be 
stropped carefully both before and 
after using until it will cut a hair 
held loosely in the fingers, and before 
it is put away in its case it should be 
wiped dry with a clean, dry towel. 
If any moisture is left on the edge 
the steel will rust and may be ruined. 

Much of the satisfaction of the use 
of an ordinary razor depends upon 
the strop and its condition. If the 
strop is purchased, only ' the best 
quality should be obtained, and it is 
better to prepare a paste for the 
strop than to buy a preparation for 
this purpose, as many of those adver- 
tised for sale are entirely unreliable. 

Razor Strop. — A good razor strop 
may be made at home by anyone 
having a little ingenuity which will 
give at least as good satisfaction as 



the purchased article. Take a piece 
of hard wood about 15 inches long, 
1^ inches wide, and i inch thick. Al- 
low 3 inches or more for handle. Se- 
lect a piece of horsehide or calfskin 
the width of the wood, and notch the 
wood to the depth of the leather at 
about i inch from the handle, so that 
the leather can be set in flush with 
the surface of the wood. Attach a 
piece of canvas to the other side, and 
the strop is done. The razor should 
be stropped first on the canvas and 
afterwards on the leather. 

To Keep a Razor Strop in Order. 
— Various methods of keeping a strop 
in order are recommended. Fine 
mutton tallow or a few drops of 
sweet oil rubbed into the surface of 
the strop and a little very finely 
powdered emery dusted over the sur- 
face is p&rhaps the most satisfactory 
dressing. The snuffings of candle 
wicks in place of the emery are also 
recommended. Other recipes for ra- 
zor paste are suggested below. 

Preparations for Razor Strops. — ■ 
The articles used for giving an edge 
to a razor are flour of emery, ground 
coke, and oxide of tin or prepared 
putty. Any of the following will be 
found more satisfactory than most 
preparations on sale, and a great 
deal cheaper: 

Mix fine flour of emery with mut- 
ton tallow or white wax or beeswax. 
If the emery is not fine enough, 
pound and grind it in a mortar. Put 
the whole into a large open-mouthed 
bottle, fill it two thirds full of water, 
cork, and shake. Allow it to come to 
rest, and when the coarser particles 
have fallen to the bottom, turn off the 
water with the finer particles into a 
shallow pan. When the water has 
evaporated, the emery dust remain- 
ing will be found of suitable fineness. 

Or collect the grit from a fine 
grindstone as it gathers in the form 
of paste on the blade of an ax or 
scythe. Shake in water, and treat as 
above suggested for emery. If the 
quality of the grindstone is suitable, 
this wiU prove an excellent razoi 
paste. 



600 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Or mix 1 ounce of levigated oxide 
of tin or prepared putty with a satu- 
rated solution of oxalic acid to form 
a thick paste. If convenient, add 20 
grains of gum arabic dissolved in 
water. Rub this composition evenly 
over the strop and let it dry. Damp- 
en slightly before using. Oxalic acid 
has a strong affinity for iron, which 
is, of course, increased by moisture, 
and very slight friction with this 
preparation will give a razor a good 
edge. 

Or coke prepared as above recom- 
mended for emery is said to be the 
true " diamond dust " for sharpen- 
ing purposes. The above prepara- 
tions, the materials of whicn cost 
practically nothing, are often sold 
at from twenty-five to fifty cents a 
box. 

Or melt together equal parts of 
good tallow and lard, thicken with 
finely powdered charcoal, make into 
cakes, wrap in tinfoil, and sell for 
ten cents. To color red and to thick- 
en, use princess metallic, such as 
painters use. 

To improve the quality, get a little 
olive oil and thicken it with the me- 
tallic in one box. In another box put 
a little of the oil and thicken with 
charcoal. Put the red on one side of 
the strop dnd the black on the other 
side. First strop on the black side, 
then finish on the red side. 

Barber's Itch. — This disease is sup- 
posed to be caused by a microscopic 
fungus, the trichophyton. The symp- 
toms are the appearance of small red 
pimples with yellow tops, each of 
which is pierced by a hair. The dis- 
ease often takes a chronic form and 
sometimes causes the skin to become 
hard and covered with crusts. There 
is another type which is not caused 
by the presence of the trichophyton, 
but it is difficult to tell one from the 
other. It is desirable in this disease 
to keep the beard shaved, wash thor- 
oughly with soap, and use simple 
ointments and soothing solutions. 
The disease is very obstinate, and it 
is always advisable to consult a phy- 
sician. 



lewis's Toilet Water for Shav- 
ing. — The following is recommended 
as a cheap and agreeable toilet water 
to use as a face wash after shaving: 

Fill any size bottle you wish with 
95 per cent alcohol, and add as much 
boracic acid as the alcohol will cut, 
usually about 15 per cent. If a little 
of the boracic acid is not dissolved 
and settles at the bottom of the mix- 
ture, it will not do any harm. Add a 
few drops of any of the essential oils, 
or perfume with cologne or otherwise 
according to taste. This mixture is 
not only soothing and refreshing, but 
it also assists in healing any local ir- 
ritation caused by shaving. It is es- 
pecially useful to those who shave 
every day. 

TOILET PEEPARATIONS FOR WES 

Shaving Creams. — The base of 
creams, pastes, or soap for shaving is 
usually a good, hard white castile or 
other soap mixed with white wax or 
spermaceti, and with the addition of 
almond, olive, etc., or palm oil, 
honey, and various cosmetics, as 
benzoin, glycerin, etc. Substances 
having cleansing properties, as car- 
bonate potassa and borax, are some- 
times included. Alcohol or other 
spirits are employed to cut the oils, 
and various perfumes are added 
later. 

To Compound Shaving Creams. — 
These compounds are all prepared by 
dissolving the solids with gentle heat 
in a double boiler, adding the soap in 
shavings, stirring in the almond oil 
and various remedial agents while 
hot, and when nearly cold adding 
volatile substances, such as spirits of 
turpentine, and any of the essential 
oils to perfume according to taste. 
Solid soaps used as a base of these 
compounds should be exposed to the 
air until dry, then reduced to fine 
shavings or powder. Or, if alcohol is 
used, the soap may first be cut in the 
alcohol. The wliole mixture, after 
being removed from the fire, should 
be thoroughly beaten with an egg 
beater or otherwise until it has a 



HAIRDRESSING BOTH FOR MEN AND WOMEN 601 



SHAVING CREAMS 





S 
2 

S 


O 
o 

a 


1 

O 

a 


"2 


a 
s 

o 


a 

B 

ra 


a 
t 

o 

O 


■i 

6 

a 

O 


1 

To 
a 
H 


a 
o 

M 


a 
IS 

s 

o 
a 


a 
o 

W 


a 

o 

in 

s 

o 


White Wax. . 




i oz. 








Idr. 




2oz. 




i oz. 








Spermaceti.. . 




i oz. 












2oz. 




i oz. 








Hard White 




























Soap 


3oz. 


2oz. 


3 lb. 


3 lb. 




2oz. 


2oz. 


2oz. 


2oz. 






2oz. 


3 1b. 


Castilj Soap. 








1 lb. 










4 oz. 




1 oz. 


4oz. 


lib. 


Soap Jelly . . . 










1 lb. 


4 oz. 










3oz. 






Almond Oil. . 




i oz. 










2oz. 






i oz. 








Olive Oil 












1 oz. 




2oz. 












Palm Oil 






1 lb. 






















Honey 


















1 oz. 


4 oz. 




1 oz. 




Alcohol 


8oz. 








lipt. 


















Rose Water... 


4 oz. 


q. 3. 


12 oz. 


1 qt. 




4 oz. 


1 oz. 


q. s. 


q. s. 


q. s. 






12 oz. 


Sal. Soda. . . . 






1 oz. 






2 dr. 


1 oz. 


2oz. 












Carb. Potassa 


Idr. 


























Sp. Turp 








Igill 


















1 oz. 


Beef's Gall. . . 








ipt. 




















Any Essen- 




























tial Oil 


10 m. 




120 m. 








q. s. 


20 m. 


30 m. 


10 m. 


10 m. 


18 m. 


100 m. 



perfectly smooth and uniform consist- 
ency. A small quantity of any of 
these shaving creams may be rubbed 
on the face and worked up to a 
lather with a wet shaving brush. If 
properly prepared they will give a 
good lather with either hot or cold 
water, that will not dry during the 
time required for shaving. 

Bay Rum. — This fragrant liquid is 
obtained by distilling with rum the 
leaves of a number of large trees of 
the myrtle family, growing in Ja- 
maica and the West Indian islands. 
It is not only very refreshing but it 
acts as a tonic and tends to prevent 
taking cold. Bay rum may be pre- 
pared from the oil of bay diluted 
with rum or other spirit, and with 
the addition of various cosmetics and 
perfumes as desired. 

For a cheap bay rum, take J pound 
of carbonated magnesia in lumps, 
and pour the spirit on it drop by 
drop until it is all saturated. Now 
crush the lumps on a marble slab or 
a piece of clean zinc with a rolling 
pin or otherwise. Put this in a filter 
and pour over equal parts of water 
and alcohol until the desired quan- 
tity and strength of bay rum is ob- 
tained. 



Or dissolve 5 cents' worth of pow- 
dered magnesia in 1 quart of 50 per 
cent alcohol, and add 1 ounce of oil 
of bay. Put in a filter, bottle, and 
cork tightly until needed. Dilute 
with soft water as desired. 

Or add 6 ounces of extract of bay 
to 1 gfllon of 50 per cent alcohol. 

Or mix 1^ fluid drams of oil of 
bay, I fluid dram of oil of pimento, 
J ounce of acetic ether, and 1 dram 
of castile soap in shavings with 3 
pints of alcohol. Add 3 pints of 
soft or distilled water. This is a 
standard preparation for barbers' 
use. 

Or, dissolve in J pint of 95 per 
cent alcohol ^ dram of oil of bay, 3 
drops of oil of nutmeg, and | dram 
of oil of orange. Add 2 ounces of 
Jamaica rum and sufficient water to 
make of the whole 1 quart. 

To Compound Bay Rum. — These 
are for the most part simple mix- 
tures. Magnesia should be first dis- 
solved in soft water and the other in- 
gredients added. The solution may 
afterwards be filtered by means of 
filter paper or fine linen. It is desir- 
able, when convenient, to allow these 
mixtures to stand for two or three 
weeks before filtering. If thejr caa 



602 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



be shaken occasionally during the 
pei-iod, so much the better. 

Bandoline. — These preparations are 
employed to adjust the hair and keep 
it in place. Hence they are based 
upon substances which have a slight- 
ly adhesive character, including gum 
tragacanth, paste of quince seed, 
isinglass, Irish moss, and the like. 

Bring to a boil in a double boiler 
-J pint of soft or distilled water; stir 
in 1 tablespoonful of cold-drawn lin- 
seed oil, and boil for 5 minutes. Let 
cool, add any desired perfume, and 
put in a glass fruit jar until required 
for use. 

Or place in a quart fruit jar 1^ 
ounces of gum tragacanth, and add 

1 quart of rose water. Let stand 3 
or 3 days, shaking frequently, and 
squeeze through a coarse white linen 
cloth. Let stand 3 or 3 days more 
and repeat. Finally add 10 or 13 
drops of attar of rose, and tint with 
an infusion of alkanet wood, cochi- 
neal, or other red coloring matter. 

Or boil i ounce of clean Irish moss 
in 1 quart of water until it thickens; 
add 4 ounces of 95 per cent alcohol 
as a preservative. 

Or boil i ounce of quince seed un- 
til it thickens. Strain through a 
piece of cheese cloth, put in a double 
boiler; add 1 pint of soft water, 
bring to a boil, and stir in 1 table- 
spoonful of linseed oil. Let boil 5 
minutes, remove, and add 10 drops 
of the oil of bitter almonds or other 
essential oil to perfume. 

Brilliantine. — These preparations 
are employed to give luster to the 
hair and beard when the natural oils 
are deficient or are temporarily re- 
moved by shampooing. 

Put in a glass bottle 3 ounces of 
alcohol, 1 ounce of pure honey, and A 
ounce of glycerin. Shake well and 
perfume with any of the essential 
oils or essences. 

Or dissolve i ounce of castor oil in 

2 ounces of cologne. Or mix equal 
parts of cologne and glycerin. Or 
dissolve 1 ounce of honey and 3 
ounces of alcohol. 

Or put in a glass bottle 6 oimces 



of castor oil; add 3 ounces of 95 
per cent alcohol, and J ounce of am- 
monia. Shake well and perfume 
with any essential oil according to 
taste. This is the celebrated French 
" lustral." 

Compounding Brilliantine and 
Bandoline. — Such substances as gum 
tragacanth, qaiince seed, isinglass, 
and Irish moss may be dissolved by 
boiling in hot water until sufficiently 
thick. They should be allowed to 
stand on the dregs from twenty- 
four to forty-eight hours, squeezed 
through a coarse linen cloth, melted, 
and perfumed after cooling but be- 
fore they have finally set. Boil lin- 
seed oil in water for five or six min- 
utes. Perfume when cool. 

Melt Burgundy pitch with white 
wax, cool slightly, mix in the spirits, 
replace on the fire, and bring to a 
boil. Remove, and strain through 
linenr 

Eyebrows and Eyelashes. — In gen- 
eral the less attention paid to these 
features the better. The practice of 
attempting to deepen the color of 
the ej^es by darkening the lids or 
lashes is a dangerous one, and many 
of the preparations advertised for 
sale for this purpose contain lead or 
other poisonous ingredients. Any 
preparation which is good for the 
hair is also good for the eyebrows 
and may be applied to them at the 
same time. 

A simple lotion consists of sulphate 
of quinine, 5 grains; alcohol, 1 ounce. 
Preparations containing cantharides 
are also of assistance. 

Clipping the eyelashes is, on the 
whole, a dangerous practice, as it 
tends to thicken them and cause 
them to become stiff like bristles. 
The presence of superfluous hairs 
causing the eyebrows to run together 
calls for remedies given elsewhere. 

A stick of India ink is perhaps the 
best method of darkening the eye- 
lashes if that is thought desirable. 

Or burnt cork is sometimes em- 
ployed. 

Or cloves charred to a crisp in an 
open flame. 



CHAPTER XXI 



THE TEETH 



THE TEETH - 



■ DENTIFRICES — THE BREATH — TOOTHACHE — TOOTH- 
ACHE REMEDIES 



THE TEETH 

Good Teeth. — Modern dentistry has 
greatly assisted in causing the pub- 
lic to realize the value of a set of 
good teeth, but much still remains to 
be done in this direction. Medical 
inspectors in the public schools of 
large cities report that a very large 
percentage of school children have 
poor teeth due to the ignorance or 
neglect of parents. Good teeth are 
necessary to health, speech, and 
beauty. 

From the standpoint of health, it 
must be remembered that the process 
of digestion begins in the mouth. 
This fact is the basis of the system 
of hygiene known as Fletcherism. 
The originator of this system, after 
having become a chronic dyspeptic, 
cured himself at an advanced age by 
attention to two principles: never 
eating when not hungry, and chewing 
food until all the taste is chewed out 
of it and it disappears without con- 
scious effort of swallowing. The im- 
portance of this last is due to the 
fact that the saliva of the mouth has 
the property of converting starchy 
foods into sugar, thus aiding diges- 
tion. And the further fact that food 
finely divided by proper chewing is 
more readily acted upon by the gas- 
tric juice of the stomach. Good teeth 
are, of course, necessary to good 
chewing. If any of the teeth are lost, 
part of the food is likely to be swal- 
lowed without being properly chewed, 
and the ill effects are no less certain 



because they are not always immedi- 
ately noticed or attributed to the 
true source. 

The teeth play an important part 
in pronunciation, and their loss often 
causes a difficulty in speech which, in 
the case of children, at the age when 
they are learning to pronounce their 
words, may have the eifect of retard- 
ing the child's mental development. 

Apertures caused by the loss of 
teeth, or irregularities due to the 
permanent teeth coming in unevenly, 
are life-long disfigurements. For all 
of these reasons, intelligent and 
painstaking attention to the teeth is 
perhaps the most important single 
subject in connection with the toilet. 

Bad Teeth. — Decayed teeth show- 
ing cavities in the crown, or having 
decayed roots, are not only painful, 
ofl'ensive in appearance and in con- 
taminating the breath, but frequently 
are the direct causes of serious dis- 
turbances of digestion. The tem- 
perature of the mouth is about 96° F. 
or considerably above that of ordi- 
nary summer weather. The humidity 
of the mouth is, of course, high. 
Under these conditions, experience 
teaches that fresh meat and other 
organic matter will decay very rap- 
idly. Hence, particles of food lodged 
in cavities or between the teeth, if 
not removed, decay and afford breed- 
ing places for the bacteria of filth 
diseases. These are swallowed with 
food and upon occasion of any irrita- 
tion of the digestive tract, find lodg- 
ment and give rise to indigestion and 



603 



604 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



other troubles. These substances also 
contaminate the breath and become 
highly offensive to others. So that 
absolute cleanliness is an imperative 
duty that everyone owes to himself 
and also to his neighbor. 

Moreover, if any of the teeth are 
unsound and painful the adjacent 
teeth are not likely to be used in the 
process of chewing, and the conse- 
quence is imperfect digestion. The 
remedy for these conditions is two- 
fold: personal cleanliness and other 
hygienic measures, and prompt treat- 
ment by a good dentist as soon as the 
first symptoms of decay appear. 

Structure of the Teeth. — The outer 
structure of the tooth consists of 
three parts: the root, which is con- 
tained in the bony substance of the 
jaw; the neck, which is contained in 
the gum, and the crown, which is the 
exposed portion. In the interior of 
each tooth is a cavity which contains 
the pulp, a pale-red soft substance 
composed of nerves and blood vessels. 
The surface of the root of the tooth 
is covered by a thin membrane called 
the periosteum, which, when the teeth 
decay, frequently becomes inflamed 
and is one of the causes of toothache. 

Infant's Teeth. — Fasten a bit of 
absorbent cotton on the point of an 
orange stick or a piece of soft pine 
wood. Dip it in a 5 per cent solu- 
tion of boric acid, and with this 
cleanse the milk teeth of children as 
soon as they appear. 

Or wind a piece of cotton around 
the finger and dip it in a 5 per cent 
solution of boric acid or a dilute so- 
lution of listerine. 

As soon as the full set of milk 
teeth, consisting of twenty teeth, or 
five on each half of each jaw, have 
all come in, a soft toothbrush should 
be used daily. Otherwise the milk, 
which forms such an important part 
of a child's diet, will be deposited be- 
tween the teeth and become trans- 
formed into lactic acid. This tends 
to destroy the enamel and cause 
decay. 

Two important facts regarding 
children's teeth are often overlooked, 



and much mischief results. One is 
that the first permanent teeth usually 
appear about the sixth or seventh 
year. The other is that several of 
the milk teeth are retained unti/ 
about the twelfth year. This over- 
lapping of the two sets of teeth 
makes early and constant care im- 
perative. The first permanent teeth 
must, of course, have attention if 
they are to be preserved, and the 
milk teeth that are retained must be 
kept in good order to insure proper 
digestion during the period of most 
yapid growth of the child. 

Teeth of Children, — One of the 
most common causes of trouble with 
the teeth in after life is the mistaken 
notion that children's teeth do not 
require very much attention because 
they will soon be lost and replaced 
by others. Children, on the contrary, 
shoiild be taught to clean their teeth 
at a very early age, partly because 
they will thus acquire a habit which 
it will afterwards be more difficult 
to teach them, but more especially 
because the lack of proper develop- 
ment or decay of the milk teeth has a 
direct effect upon the health of the 
child, and an indirect effect upon the 
permanent teeth themselves. 

The appearance of the milk teeth 
about the seventh month is a signal 
that the child should commence to 
have solid food and should no longer 
be fed exclusively on milk and other 
soft foods. And during the entire 
period when the milk teeth are com- 
ing in, children should be encouraged 
to eat crackers and dry bread, and 
not allowed to discard the crusts. 
The resistance of coarse food in- 
creases the circulation of the blood 
and gives the necessary exercise to 
develop the gums and the jaw mus- 
cles that are necessary to proper 
chewing. All of this has a direct in- 
fluence in improving the quality of 
the permanent teeth. If the milk 
teeth show black spots or other evi- 
dence of decay, they should be at 
once treated, and filled, if necessary, 
with the same care as the permanent 
teeth. If they are suffered to decay. 



THE TEETH 



605 



the permanent teeth coming in their 
place will be likely to decay also. 

Care of the Teeth. — There are two 
cardinal rules in the care of the 
teeth: keep them clean and consult a 
good dentist. Few professions have 
arrived at a degree of proficiency 
equal to that of modern dentistry. 
In fact, the public does not generally 
realize what dentistry can and ought 
to do. The notion is far too preva- 
lent that the business of a dentist is 
to fill decayed teeth, or to pull them, 
and make' false teeth, crowns, or 
bridges to take their place. A very 
important part of the duty of a mod- 
ern dentist is to prevent the teeth 
from decajdng. Hence it is most un- 
ivise to postjione visiting a dentist 
until one's teeth commence to ache. 
On the contrary, a dentist should be 
consulted at least twice a year and 
oftener if necessary, and children, es- 
pecially, should be taken to a dentist 
quite frequently during the period 
when the milk teeth are being lost 
and the permanent teeth are coming 
in. 

An honest dentist will make no ex- 
orbitant charges or attempt to do 
work that is unnecessary. On the 
other hand, by keeping the teeth 
clean, filling small cavities when they 
first appear, correcting any malfor- 
mation of the teeth and giving advice 
as to suitable mouth washes and other 
treatment when abnormal conditions 
are present, a positive saving in fu- 
ture dentist's bills will be effected; 
toothache and the pain of pulling 
teeth and other dental work will be 
avoided, and the teeth themselves 
will be, as a rule, preserved intact 
with all of the attendant benefits. 

Tartar on the Teeth. — The accu- 
mulation of tartar in the form of a 
yellowish incrustation, which is usu- 
ally most plentiful on the inner side 
of the lower jaw, is almost universal. 
But the deposit is much more pro- 
nounced in some cases than in others. 
Tartar is not only objectionable in 
appearance, but also tends to push 
the gum away from the neck of the 
tooth, and thus expose the soft den- 



tine between the root and the harder 
enamel of the crown. In the course 
of years, the gum will recede so far 
as to allow the tooth to fall out, even 
if it is kept perfectly clean and is 
thus protected from decay. The ac- 
cumulation of tartar cannot always 
be prevented by brushing the teeth, 
although the use of suitable tooth 
powders, pastes, or mouth washes 
will assist, but in all cases where the 
tartar is plentiful, the teeth should 
be thoroughly cleaned by a compe- 
tent dentist three or four times a 
year, and an astringent lotion, as a 
5 per cent solution of chloride of 
zinc or a solution of alum in soft 
M^ater, should be rubbed on the gums 
daily. 

Aside from the advice and services 
of a dentist, the teeth should be thor- 
oughly brushed and cleaned at least 
once a day, or better still when pos- 
sible after each meal, and especially 
before retiring at night. And the 
teeth of small children should be 
cleaned for them before they are 
themselves old enough to form the 
habit of caring for them. 

Permanent Teeth are thirty-two in 
number, or eight on each half of each 
jaw. Two in the front center of the 
jaw are called incisors or cutting 
teeth, and appear in the eighth or 
ninth year^ One, next in order, the 
canine or dog tooth, appears between 
the eleventh and fifteenth year. Two 
next, called premolars, appear be- 
tween the tenth and fifteenth year. 
Three last in the back part of the 
mouth are called molars, of which the 
first (as has already been mentioned) 
appears about the seventh year, the 
second between the thirteenth and 
sixteenth year, and the third, which 
is called the " wisdom " tooth, be- 
tween the eighteenth and twenty- 
sixth year. 

Care of the Permanent Teeth. — 
Chewing dry toast, crackers, hard 
bread or other coarse food, greatly 
assists in keeping the permanent 
teeth in good condition. But for the 
purpose of dislodging particles of 
food, removing tartar and other sub- 



606 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



stances a good toothbrush is indis- 
pensable. A toothbrush having me- 
dium soft bristles is preferable to 
one having stiff bristles, which may 
tend to injure or inflame the gum. 
The shape of the brush is not par- 
ticularly important, although the so- 
called " prophylactic " brush assists 
in dislodging food from the teeth in 
the back part of the mouth. What 
is more important is the manner in 
which the brush is handled. In ad- 
dition to the sidewise strokes, the 
brush should also be worked up and 
down so as to remove from between 
the teeth particles of food that would 




The Way the Brush is Handled." 



only be crowded in more tightly by 
rubbing back and forth. This is very 
important. The inner surface of the 
teeth should be brushed in the same 
manner, care being taken to cover, in 
brushing, every portion of the teeth 
that can be reached. The strokes of 
the brush should also cover the ad- 
jacent gums. This may cause them 
to bleed slightly at first, but in 
time they will harden and become 
strengthened. By promoting the cir- 
culation of blood, this will greatly 
improve the nutrition of the teeth 
and insure their permanency. 

Toothpicks. — Etiquette forbids the 
use of the toothpick in public. But 
a supply of quills or wooden tooth- 
picks of good quality should always 
be kept at hand at the toilet table. 
These should be used as frequently 
as possible after meals to remove 
particles of food that cannot be dis- 
lodged by the use of the brush. 
When, as sometimes happens, the 
formation of the teeth is such that a 
toothpick cannot be used to advan- 
tage, a piece of silk thread, such as 
is used by dentists, can be procured 
at a drug store or dentist's oflBce. 
This will be found very useful for 



this purpose. After the use of the 
toothpick or thread, the mouth should 
be thoroughly rinsed, preferably 
with warm water, which has the proji- 
erty of dissolving foreign substances 
to a greater extent than cold water 
would do. And, if possible, a good 
antiseptic mouth wash, such as per- 
oxide of hydrogen, should be used. 

Or use a strong solution of table 
salt in warm water. 

Care of the Toothbrush. — After 
using a toothbrush, rinse it carefully, 
wipe it dry on a clean towel and hang 
it up where it will be exposed to sun- 
light and a draught of air. Never 
keep a toothbrush in a closed box or 
hang it up in a closet. Never lay 
down a wet toothbrush to dry, es- 
pecially on the back, as this allows 
the moisture to run along the bristles 
into the back of the brush, softens the 
glue with which they are fastened in, 
and causes them to decay and fall 
out. It is hardly necessary to say 
that no two persons should ever use 
the same toothbrush. 

DENTIFRICES 

This is a general term including 
all tooth powders, pastes, and washes 
for the teeth. The principal ingredi- 
ents of these preparations are various 
substances in powdered form that are 
capable of exerting a gentle friction 
on the teeth and also have antacid, ab- 
sorbent, or other useful properties, as 
chalk, Armenian bole, cuttlefish bone, 
charcoal, orris root, and Peruvian 
bark. To these may be added mild 
alkalies, and other substances having 
cleansing properties, as borax, bicar- 
bonate of soda, and castile soajj; 
astringent substances as alum and 
tannic acid; and agreeable vehicles as 
powdered sugar, rock candy, honey, 
sirup, and sugar of milk. Any of 
these mixtures may be perfumed with 
a few drops of any of the essential 
oils or essences, or colored by the ad- 
dition of finely pulverized red coral, 
rose pink, cochineal, dragon's blood, 
or red sanders for red ; ocher for yel- 
low; indigo for blue or violet. Vari- 



THE TEETH 



607 



ous other substances having specific 
properties too numerous to mention 
may be added. 

Prepared Chalk is the most univer- 
sally popular ingredient in tooth 
powders, as it is cheap, safe, and ef- 
fective, and tends to neutralize any 
acids that may be present in the 
mouth. 

Bole is an earthy substance similar 
to clay, which is found in veins and 
fissures of basalt and other rocks in 
various parts of the world. It has a 
greasy feeling when rubbed between 
the fingers, and is slightly sticky on 
the tongue. There are several kinds 
of bole found in different localities, of 
which the Armenian bole has a red tint 
and is used in tooth powders to im- 
part that color and also because of its 
absorbent and astringent properties. 

Magnesia. — Carbonate of magne- 
sia or " magnesia alba " is a white 
powder which is valuable because of 
its absorbent qualities and its power 
to neutralize acids that may be pres- 
ent in the mouth. It is used in medi- 
cine for acid dyspepsia. Hence it is 
entirely safe and a very effective in- 
gredient in tooth powder. 

Charcoal is a form of carbon ob- 
tained by charring wood or by heat- 
ing it in close vessels. Charcoal va- 
ries according to the method by 
which it is produced. The best char- 
coal for toilet purposes is areca-nut 
charcoal, but this is expensive and 
often adulterated. Next best is the 
sort of charcoal used as an ingredi- 
ent of gunj)owder made of hard, non- 
resinous wood, or soft wood such as 
willow and poplar, by roasting in 
iron cylinders. Charcoal has an ex- 
traordinary capacity for absorbing 
gases. It cannot be melted or dis- 
solved in acids, will not decay, and is 
not aflPected by ordinary tempera- 
tures. It is a very poor conductor 
of heat. On account of its property 
of absorbing gases, it is used in medi- 
cine in certain forms of dyspepsia, 
also to preserve flesh or sweeten it 
when tainted. As an ingredient of 
tooth powders, it tends to sweeten 
and purify the breath. 



Cuttlefish Bone. — This substance is 
the shell of a mollusk of world-wide 
distribution. It is sold in powdered 
forui under the name of " pounce " 
for tooth powder and other purposes. 
It has some value in neutralizing 
acids, but is less valuable for this 
purpose than chalk or magnesia. It 
is also harsher in it^ scouring efifect, 
for which reason it is, in small quan- 
tities, a valuable ingredient in tooth 
powders. It must, however, be finely 
powdered and used with caution. 

Myrrh. — This is a reddish-brown 
brittle substance obtained from the 
juice of a small tree growing in Ara- 
bia and vicinity. It occurs in resi- 
nous lumps, has a fragrant odor, and 
a bitter aromatic taste. It has been 
used for ages, on account of its fra- 
grant perfume, as an ingredient in 
incense, perfume, and salve. It acts 
as a tonic on the mucous membranes 
and hence is much used in mouth 
washes to harden and strengthen the 
gums and is good for sore throat and 
canker. 

Cinchona Bark, or Peruvian Bark, 
is obtained from a fragrant evergreen 
tree growing in South America which 
produces the alkaloid quinine of so 
much value in medicine. Quinine is. 
an indispensable tonic in the cure of 
intermittent fevers and debilitating 
diseases. It is used in medicine prin- 
cipally in the form of the sulphate. 
And the bark itself is much less used 
than formerly. The pulverized bark 
has valuable tonic and astringent 
properties. 

Iris or Orris Root. — This substance 
is a pulverized root of the common 
species of lily known as the flower de 
lucei which is cultivated in the neigli- 
borhood of Florence for this sub- 
stance. It is particularly valuable 
for its violet-scented perfume. 

Coral. — This substance is a carbo- 
nate of lime obtained by grinding up 
the hard skeleton of the coral polyp 
which produces the Coral Islands. In 
ground form it has a quality similar 
to chalk, but as an ingredient for 
tooth powdear is valued principally 
for its color. 



608 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Other Ingredients. — In addition to 
the standard recipes for dentifrices 
given in the following tables, a num- 
ber of simple remedies may be men- 
tioned wliich are always at hand. 

Salt water in strong solution is a 
useful mouth wash, and dry salt may 
also be applied by means of a brush 
to cleanse the teeth. 

Borax is also useful and tends to 
remove the smell of tobacco and 
other unpleasant odors from the 
breath. Dissolve 2 to 4 ounces of bo- 
rax in a pint of hot water and flavor, 
if convenient, with half a teaspoon- 
ful of tincture of myrrh or spirits of 
camphor. 

Castile Soap, or other neutral hard 
tt'hite soap, is good for the teeth. It 
may be applied by rubbing the cake 
of soap with a wet toothbrush, which 
nay afterwards be dipped into a 
scented tooth powder to cover the 
slightly unpleasant taste. But the 
taste of Castile soap is not objection- 
able to those who have become ac- 
customed to it. 

To Whiten the Teeth. — Salt com- 
bined with peroxide of hydrogen is 
a powerful bleach. Apply by wet- 
ting the brush with the pure peroxide 
and sprinkle with dry salt, but do 
not use this oftener than is neces- 
sary. 

Tooth powders containing charcoal 
assist in whitening the teeth. A lit- 
tle dry charcoal powder may be 
rubbed gently into the crevices be- 
tween the teeth on retiring at night, 
and brushed or rinsed out thoroughly 
in the morning. The use of bicarbo- 
nate of soda as a tooth powder has 
the same property. 

Mix 1 ounce of chloride of lime, 10 
ounces of prepared chalk, ^ ounce of 
Peruvian bark, 1 teaspoonful of tinc- 
ture of myrrh. Use once a day until 
the teeth are sufficiently whitened. 
Afterwards use an ordinary tooth 
powder. 

The juice of the common straw- 
berry is said to be a natural denti- 
frice which has the property of dis- 
solving tartar and sweetening the 
breath. 



Or, to remove tartar, dip the brush 
in powdered magnesia. 

Tooth Powder. — A good tooth 
powder is a very necessary toilet ar- 
ticle, as it not only increases the effi- 
ciency of the brush, but also makes 
the operation of cleansing the teeth 
more agreeable, and hence tends to 
strengthen the habit. 

Standard tooth powders are based 
mainly upon some carbonate having 
a slightly alkaline quality. But care 
must be taken not to use the stronger 
alkalies, as they tend to irritate the 
gums and mucuous surfaces of the 
mouth. Many of the tooth powders 
of commerce, especially the cheaper 
sorts, contain substances that if used 
with hard water produce free alkali. 
This may have a very injurious effect 
upon the gums. Hence it is much 
better to ,buy the ingredients and 
make up a tooth powder for yourself, 
or have a recipe made up for you by 
a local druggist. Thus you will know 
exactly what ingredients it contains. 
The powders used in tooth powders 
must be very finely pulverized and 
free from gritty particles. Such sub- 
stances as ground oyster shells, pum- 
ice, cuttlefish bone, cigar ashes, and 
the like, unless ground very fine in- 
deed, are unnecessarily coarse and 
gritty. Tooth powders may be col- 
ored at will, as the coloring matter 
does not affect their efficiency one 
way or the other. The addition of 
some agreeable perfume, as the oil of 
wintergreen, sassafras, or the lilce, 
may have a decided advantage in 
making children and others take 
more kindly to the frequent use of 
tooth powder. A word of caution is 
especially needed against the use of 
commercial tooth powders that rap- 
idly remove tartar and quickly give 
the teeth a snowy whiteness. To ac- 
complish these results they contain 
strong acids that will injure the 
enamel and make the last state of the 
teeth much worse than the first. 

To Compound Tooth Powders. — If 
charcoal or cuttlefish bone are used, 
they should be reduced to a very 
fijie powder in a mortar, and may 



THE TEETH 



609 



be improved by mixing with water 
and allowing the coarser and heavier 
particles to settle. The finer parti- 
cles that settle more slowly may 



then be poured off without disturbing 
the sediment. The water may then be 
permitted to evaporate, thus leaving a 
resulting powder of the best quality. 



TOOTH POWDERS 






Bole 

Chalk 

Charcoal 

Cuttlefish Bone 

Pulverized Sugar . . . 

Alum 

Borax 

Carb. of Magnesia. . . 
Cream of Tartar . . . . 

Castile Soap 

Bicarbonate of Soda 

Pul. Camphor 

Sulphate Quinine. . . 

Myrrh 

Orris Root 

Cassia Powder 

Peruvian Bark 

Any Essential Oils . . 

Any Essences 

Rose Pink 



3 oz. 



2dr, 



2 dr. 



i oz. 






1 part 
4 parts 



1 part 



1 part 
1 part 



> 



2oz. 

G oz. 1 lb. 



8oz. 
4 oz. 



2 dr. 



4 oz. 
1 J oz. 4 oz. 



3 oz. 





u 


a 

03 
O 


■T3 


m 


O 


c3 


Ph 


O 


,rl 






o 





O 


o 




H 


1 lb. 




1 lb. 


1 lb. 




4 lb. 


i lb. 


1 lb. 




2 lb. 


1 lb. 


10 oz. 


J dr. 




i oz. 






10 oz. 



is 




o 


-a 


Ph 


is 


ni 


^ 


s-d 


cj 


fl 


a 




3 


Pi 


a 


ft ^7 


i IK 



in O 



1 OZ. 

h oz. 



2oz. 





r* 


si 


'^J 






o . 






HS3 




-t^-o 


■^ 5 


^^ 






•aflH 


■SPh 


Oj 


X 


Pi 


w 


8oz. 


4 oz. 




4 oz. 




4 oz. 


8oz. 


4 oz. 


1 lb. 




i lb. 




2ilb. 






6oz. 




4 oz. 


12 oz. 




1 oz. 




IJ dr. 




3oz. 





°p. 



2oz. 
4 oz. 



HS3 



4 oz. 
4 oz. 



; oz. 

1 oz. 4 oz. 

l2oz. 

1 oz.'2 oz. 

2oz.ll dr. 



TOOTH PASTES 



q. 



3 oz. 4 oz. 
2oz. 



1 oz. 



Honey(white) 

Chalk 

Charcoal 

Cuttlefish 

Bone 

Pow. Sugar. . . 
Castile Soap. . . 
Cream of Tar. . 
Bicar. of Soda. 
Burnt Alum . . 
Sal Ammoniac. 
Chlor. Potassa. 

Camphor 

Disulphate 

Quinine. . . . 
Tine. Opium . . 

Myrrh 

Orris Root 

Any Essential 

Oils 

Any Essences.. 

Drop Lake. . . . ^ oz. 2 oz. 

Rose Pink . 

Red Coral. 

Cochineal. 

Alcohol . . . 



4 gal. 



1 oz. 



1 oz. 



2oz. 



H3 

^Ph 



3 oz 
2 oz 







d 






















m 


03 


^ 


^ 


Ph 


Ph 


03 




© 




P^ 




CI 






o 


C 


a 






H 


3 


fa 

03 


P^ 


8oz. 


4 oz. 


q. s. 


3 oz. 


8oz. 




1 oz. 


2oz. 




1 oz. 


1 oz. 
4 dr. 


1 oz. 




J dr. 






If dr. 








IJ dr. 


Idr. 


1 dr. 




8oz. 




2 dr. 




1 dr. 






10 d. 


i dr. 


3 oz. 




idr. 




Sfl.dr. 




2 fl. dr. 



q. s. 
4 dr. 
2 dr. 



2 dr. 

3 dr. 



5 oz. 
4 oz. 
2 oz. 



4 oz. 1 oz. 

1 oz. 

3 oz. 3 oz. 



1 oz. 



1-i dr. 



l*dr. 
q. s. 



2 dr. 



eq. parts 



eq. parts 



1 oz. 



1 oz. 
2oz. 



10 oz 



2oz. 
idr. 



4 oz. 
1 oz. 



610 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Or, after the ingredients have been" 
rubbed up together in the mortar as 
finely as possible, the whole may be 
rubbed through a very fine gauze 
sieve to remove the coarser particles. 
As tooth powders contain absorbent 
substances, they should be kept in 
tightly closed wide-mouthed bottles 
when not in use. 

Tooth. Pastes. — Any of the ordi- 
nary tooth powders may be put up in 
the form of pastes by reducing them 
to a very fine powder and mixing 
them with a little clarified honey or 
almond cream or simple sirup to a 
moderately stiff paste. SuflScient es- 



To compound tooth pastes, first 
rub up the dry materials to a very 
fine powder in a mortar, moisten 
slightly with alcohol or perfumed 
toilet water, and add slowly enough 
honey or sirup to form a paste of the 
right consistency, beating all the time 
with an egg beater or otherwise to 
thoroughly incorporate the materials. 
Or mix the mass on a piece of glass 
or marble or other smooth hard sur- 
face. Let stand twenty-four hours 
before sealing. 

Mouth "Washes. — The use of an 
antiseptic and scented mouth wash is 
very agreeable and is to be recom- 



WASHES FOR THE MOUTH AND GUMS 



Cuttlefish Bone. 

Borax 

Bitartrate of Potassa 

Tannic Acid 

Camphor. , 

Alum 

Disulpliate Quinine. . 

Honey. 

Glycerin , 

Castile Soap 

Tine, of Soap Bark. . , 
Aqua Ammania, .... 
Mucilage... .. , . . . , , 
Saltpeter. ...,....., 
Sugar of Milk. ...... 

Orris Root... ....... 

Myrrh. 

Peruvian Bark .... 

Red Lake .......... 

Red Coral, ......... 

Water. . .,o .,,.... . 

Alcohol , 

Any Essential Oils. . . 
Any Essences 



1 oz. 
3 dr. 



1 oz. 
3oz. 



Idr. 



C? 



15 gr. 



1 dr. 
.3oz. 



4oz. 



10 oz. 
2oz. 
q. 6. 



i oz. U dr. 

lidr. 

2oz 



tinct. 
Idr. 



1 J oz. 



20 d. 



4oz. 
1 oz. 
q. 8. 



§43 



1 OZ. 

2 dr. 



3o2. 
4oz. 



1 oz. 
ioz. 



8oz. 
Ipt. 



i m, 



k m 



Loa. 



SPt. 



Joz. 
2oz 



a o 



i oz. 



1 oz. 



idr 



1 fl. oz. 

1 fl. OS. 

llfl.OZ. 

^pt. 

q. s. 



tinct 
ipt. 



ipt. 

5d. 

ipt. 



sential oils or alcohol to act as a pre- 
servative should be added, otherwise 
they are likely to fei-ment or effer- 
vesce. 

Or the ingredients may be mixed 
with cologne or lavender water or 
other perfumed toilet waters to the 
desired consistency. They should be 
tightly covered to exclude the air. 



mended especially after the use of a 
silk thread, toothpick, or toothbrush 
for cleansing the teeth. But it must 
be carefully observed that the use of 
a mouth wash does not take the place 
of these mechanical agencies, all 
claims to the contrary by manufac- 
turers of various proprietary washes 
notwithstanding. A mouth wash 



THE TEETH 



611 



should be agreeable and antiseptic in 
taste and odor, and should contain 
nothing injurious to the general 
health. 

Mouth washes are used with sev- 
eral objects in view, and the ingredi- 
ents recommended vary accordingly. 
Among these may be mentioned 
hardening and strengthening the 
gums, cleansing the teeth, neutraliz- 
ing the effects of acids and bacteria 
present in decayed teeth or particles 
of food, and sweetening and purify- 
ing the breath. Substances recom- 
mended for these various purposes 
are astringents, such as burnt alum, 
tannin, chloride of zinc, and lemon 
juice, which tend to harden the gums 
and prevent the bad effects of accu- 
mulation of tartar and scurvy; anti- 
septics, such as carbolic acid, perox- 
ide of hydrogen, and salt; bleaching 
substances, as chloride of soda and 
peroxide of hydrogen; cleansing 
agents, as castile soap, salts of tartar, 
and borax; perfume substances, as 
the various essences and toilet wa- 
ters. 

These preparations are simple mix- 
tures. Hence it is only necessary to 
give the various recipes in the table 
given on page 509. 

Peroxide of Hydrogen. — Peroxide 
of hydrogen is perhaps the most gen- 
erally efficient and satisfactory all- 
around mouth wash that can be used. 
If the peroxide is too active in its 
effects and causes the sensation de- 
scribed by athletes as " spitting cot- 
ton," it may be followed by a solu- 
tion of baking soda in water, which 
will neutralize its effects. This is a 
chemical substance consisting of di- 
oxide of hydrogen diluted with wa- 
ter. It is a limpid, colorless liquid 
having a slightly acid taste. It is 
similar in composition to water 
charged with oxygen, which is read- 
ily set free when in contact with any 
substance for which it has an affinity. 
Thus when applied to the mucous 
membrane, oxygen is set free, which 
actively attacks any foreign organic 
matter that may be present. It is 
used as a deodorant and an antisep- 



tic. Peroxide of hydrogen is also 
used for restoring paintings that 
have become dim by the effects of 
sulphur on the white lead contained 
in the original paints; as a hair 
bleach and for bleaching ostrich 
feathers, ivory, silk, wool, and cotton. 
It is used in medicine for the treat- 
ment of sores, sore throat, diphtheria, 
and as a mouth wash for bleaching 
the teeth and cleansing the gums antl 
other mucous surfaces. It is at once 
the safest and most active substance 
known in medical science for these 
purposes, and its general use is to be 
highly recommended, 

THE BREATH 

Foul breath is most often caused 
by decayed teeth, inflammation of the 
gums, or neglect to use the tooth- 
brush. It may also be caused by ca- 
tarrh or various diseases of the throat 
and stomach or other internal organs. 

Substances recommended for puri- 
fying the breath are essence of cam- 
phor, chloride of lime, tincture of 
myrrh, chloride of soda, chloride of 
potash, carbolic acid, and various 
substances designed to heal and 
strengthen diseased gums. In addi- 
tion, various perfumes are made up 
into pastilles to ]ierfume the breath, 
but these are rarely effective in over- 
coming foul breath, are in themselves 
offensive to man}% and their use may 
be obviated by suitable means to re- 
move the cause. 

One of the most effective remedies 
for foul breath is a mouth wash com- 
posed of a teaspoonful of concen- 
trated solution of chloride of soda in 
a tumbler of water. This should be 
used as a gargle and also forced 
back and forth between the teeth. 
Or, if foul breath is caused by stom- 
ach troubles, take 8 drops of the so- 
lution of chloride of soda in half a 
tumbler of soft water before break- 
fast. 

Or dilute a small quantity of bro- 
mochloralum with ten times its own 
bulk in water and use as a gargle. 

Or mix 20 drops of carbolic acid, 3 



612 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



drams of alcohol, 6 ounces of salt 
water. Apply by moistening the 
toothbrush and afterwards dipping it 
into any good tooth powder. Rinse 
well with salt and water or other 
mouth wash. 

Or use any good mouth wash con- 
taining chloride of potash, tannin or 
tannic acid, myrrh or Peruvian bark. 
All of these are good for the gums 
and tend to prevent foul breath and 
like conditions. 

Or chlorine water obtained from a 
druggist and employed as a wash or 
gargle is helpful. Use a tablespoon- 
ful to half a tumbler of water. 

Or use as a mouth wash 2 drops of 
concentrated solution of permanga- 
nate of potash in a glass of water, or 
moisten a bit of cotton with this so- 
lution and insert it in the cavity of 
the tooth. 

Or to 4 ounces of fresh prepared 
limewater add 1 dram of Peruvian 
bark and use as a mouth wash night 
and morning. 

Or swallow half a teaspoonful of 
powdered charcoal mixed with a lit- 
tle cold water. Or two or three char- 
coal tablets after each meal. 

Or use a tooth powder containing 
charcoal and one of the mouth washes 
mentioned above. If these are not 
efficacious, there is probably some or- 
ganic disease, and a physician should 
be consulted. 

Loose teeth or looseness of the 
teeth may be due to the effects of 
tartar, to diseases of the gum, old 
age, or other causes. Use as a remedy 
an astringent mouth wash of a tea- 
spoonful of alum dissolved in a quart 
of soft water or any mouth wash con- 
taining myrrh, tannic acid, and simi- 
lar substances. 

To Remove the Odor of Onions. — 
A cup of black coffee tends to re- 
move the odor of onions from the 
breath. 

Or parsley with vinegar is useful 
for this purpose. 

Or 4 or 5 drops of the concen- 
trated solution of chloride of soda 
taken in 3 tablespoonfuls of cold 
water. 



Mouth Pastilles to Perfume the 
Breath. — Mix 6 drams each of pow- 
dered chocolate and pulverized coffee 
with 4 drams of prepared charcoal, 4 
drams of pulverized lump sugar pre- 
viously saturated with 4 drops of ex- 
tract of vanilla, and make into loz- 
enges with gum tragacanth dissolved 
in water. This may be used freely to 
purify the breath. 

Or extract of licorice, 6 oimces; oil 
of cloves, 3 drams; oil of cinnamon, ^ 
dram. Mix and di\ide into 2-grain 
pills and coat them. 

Or place in a double boiler IJ 
oimces of extract of licorice, lA ounces 
of water. When dissolved, stir in i 
ounce of catechu, i ounce of gum 
arable. Continue a gentle heat, stir- 
ring constantly until all the ingredi- 
ents are dissolved, then add 15 drops 
each of mastic, cascarilla, charcoal, 
and orris, all in powdered form. Beat 
the whole with an egg beater or 
otherwise until thoroughly mixed. 
Remove from the fire and when near- 
ly cold perfume with 10 drops each 
of oil of peppermint, oil of winter- 
green, and 5 drops of essence of am- 
bergris. Form into lozenges. These 
are used by smokers to perfiune the 
breath. 

TcJOTHACHE 

This may arise from several causes. 
Either the crown or root of the tooth 
may partly or wholly decay, the gum 
may recede so as to expose the soft 
dentine of the neck of the footh, or 
the membrane covering the outer sur- 
face of the root of the tooth may be 
inilamed. All of the conditions that 
give rise to toothache are a serious 
menace to the general health, and 
should have the early attention of a 
competent dentist. Toothache is a 
warning that these conditions are 
present, and if attended to in time 
will certainly be a means of avoid- 
ing graver consequences. When the 
enamel of the tooth becomes broken, 
the bone decays in all directions imtil 
the pulp or nerve of the tooth becomes 
affected. Often a very small orifice in 



THE TEETH 



613 



the enamel, which is hardly notice- 
able, may lead to the decay of the 
whole interior of the tooth. And this 
condition may not be suspected until 
the crown happens to be chipped or 
broken. Hence, if the teeth are sen- 
sitive to cold or to the touch, or if 
they ache or " grumble " more or less 
from time to time, a dentist should 
be immediately consulted, so that the 
cavity may be filled before the nerve 
is affected. Otherwise the roots of 
the nerve may decay and produce 
ulcers, which will work their way 
through the bones of the jaw and the 
gums and discharge into the mouth. 
During these conditions the process 
of chewing is much affected, tartar 
accumulates on the teeth, and general 
bad conditions prevail. 

Hence the use of toothache reme- 
dies is only advisable when for any 
reason it is not possible to consult a 
dentist. And the fact that they al- 
lay the pain, and thus seem to effect 
a temporary cure, should not be al- 
lowed to cause the sufferer to lose 
sight of the danger signal that means 
trouble ahead unless the cause of the 
pain is permanently removed. 

Treatment of Toothache. — This de- 
pends upon the cause. And the only 
permanent cure is the removal of the 
cause, if possible, by the aid of a good 
dentist. 

Toothache caused by cavities which 
expose the dentine, but do not affect 
the nerve, is usually due to local irri- 
tations caused by acids, sweets, or 
salt taken into the mouth, by the 
presence of acid in the saliva due to 
indigestion, by the use of the tooth- 
brush, or by exposure to cold. In 
such cases a dentist should be con- 
sulted and the tooth filled as soon as 
possible. But in the mean time va- 
rious pain-killers mentioned below 
may be used to relieve or deaden the 
pain. Filling the cavities will alm.ost 
always give immediate relief. If the 
neck of the tooth is exposed, mouth 
washes should be used containing 
such substances as bicarbonate of 
soda, carbonate of magnesia, and 
other alkalies, to neutralize the acid 



that may be present in the saliva, 
and suitable washes should be used 
to strengthen the gums. 

Among substances recommended to 
give temporary relief in toothache 
are counterirritants, such as oil of 
cloves or cinnamon, alum, carbolic 
acid, ammonia; and various anaes- 
thetics, as opium, belladonna, ether, 
sulphate of morphia, chloral hydrate, 
laudanum, and the like. Many of 
these are powerful and dangerous 
drugs and should be used only with 
the most intelligent caution. They 
should never be used when it is pos- 
sible to consult a dentist, and they 
must not be expected to effect a per- 
manent cure. 

First cleanse the cavity, if possible, 
with a bit of cotton on the point of 
a toothpick dipped in peroxide of 
hydrogen or a solution of baking 
soda in warm water, or a solution of 
boric acid, listerine, or other antisep- 
tic. Rinse out the cavity with the 
same solution by means of a medicine 
dropper or small syringe, or by using 
it as a mouth wash. In using the fol- 
lowing powerful substances be care- 
ful that they do not fall into the 
mouth so as to be swallowed. 

TOOTHACHE REMEDIES 

Use the oil of cloves or equal parts 
of the oil of cloves and chloroform. 
Saturate a bit of cotton with this 
and crowd into the cavity. Renew 
frequently. But if the tooth is ul- 
cerated, saturate the cotton and place 
it on the gum. Meantime soak a 
small piece of absorbent cotton in 
chloroform and insert it loosely in 
the ear on the affected side. Renew 
from time to time. Care, of course, 
must be taken not to be overcome by 
the fumes of the chloroform. 

Or mix 1 dram of finely powdered 
alum with 3 drams of nitrous spirit 
of ether. Apply to the cavity on a 
piece of cotton. 

Or mix equal parts of salt and alum 
with just enough water to dissolve 
them, saturate a bit of cotton and in- 
sert in the cavity. Renew frequently. 



614 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Or place | ounce of carbolic acid 
in a glass bottle and melt by placing 
the bottle in hot water. Add -| ounce 
of coUodium, saturate a bit of cotton 
and insert in the cavity, but do not 
let this come in contact with the in- 
side of the mouth, as the carbolic acid 
will burn wherever it touches. 

Oi mix 5 grains of opium, 5 grains 
of extract of henbane, 3 drams of oil 
of cloves, 10 grains of extract of bel- 
ladonna with powdered pellitory into 
a stiff paste and fill the cavity with 
this. 

Or saturate a bit of cotton with a 
solution of ammonia and insert. Or 
insert cotton saturated with camphor 
dissolved in turpentine. 

Or, with great care, touch the in- 
side of the cavity with the point of 
a pencil of lunar caustic. Protect all 
but the point of the caustic by means 
of a cloth or otherwise, and carefully 
hold the lips and face away from the 
parts while the application is being 
made. 

Or mix 4§ ounces of alcohol, 2 
drams of camphor, 2 scruples of 
opium, 3 drams of oil of cloves, f 
ounce of bruised pellitory. Let stand 
a week or 10 days and strain. Rub 
on the outside of the face or in very 
small quantities on the gum, or insert 
in the cavity on cotton. 

Or mix 1 ounce each of ginger, 
cloves, and camphor. Grind to pow- 
der in a mortar, add 4 ounces of 
tincture of opUim, 16 ounces of pure 
soft water, let stand a week or 10 
days and strain. Apply as above. 

Or dissolve in alcohol 5 grains of 
opium, 5 grains of camphor, 1 dram 
of oil of cloves, 1 dram of oil of 
cajeput. Apply to the cavity on cot- 
ton. 

Or place in a glass bottle 1 ounce 
of creosote and add I dram of sul- 
phate of morphia. Let stand until 
the solution is clear, then add 3 
ounces of chloroform. Apply to the 
cavity on cotton. 

Or rub to poMaler in a mortar A 
dram of chlorate hydrate, 1 grain of 
sulphate of morphia, ? drams of cam- 
phor untU they liqueiy. Add 1 dram 



of oil of peppermint. Apply on cot- 
ton. 

Or mix 10 drops each of cam- 
phorated oil, carbolic acid, creosote^ 
chloroform, oil of peppermint, oil of 
cloves. Apply to the cavity on cot- 
ton. 

In addition to the above, tooth- 
ache will usually be relieved by ap- 
plying to the face any poultice hav- 
ing the property of retaining heat, or 
resting the face on a hot-water bot- 
tle, soapstone, or comm.on red brick 
covered with flannel. 

Dental Work. — Teeth should never 
be pulled unless it is absolutely nec- 
essary. And this will not often be 
the case if the warning given by sen- 
sitiveness of the tooth, or by tooth- 
ache, is heeded in season. The loss of 
the tooth usually renders the corre- 
sponding tooth on the opposite jaw 
useless for chewing. It also impaiBS 
proper pronunciation in speech. 

Always consult the best dentists 
available and do not put too much 
confidence in the men who advertise 
cheap or painless dentistry. When 
the pulp or nerve of the tooth is af- 
fected it should be deadened and 
completely removed, and the root 
canal should be thoroughly cleaned 
out. This cannot be done properly 
without some pain. And if the op- 
eration is painless there is ground 
for suspicion that it may not have 
been thorough. Once the cavity and 
roots have been thoroughly cleaned 
and filled by a competent dentist, all 
trouble M'ith that tooth will be at an 
end. The judgment of a dentist 
should be taken as to what sort of 
filling should be employed in any 
tooth. But all cavities should be 
filled promptly and properly, other- 
wise stomach troubles are sure to 
follow. 

Artificial Teeth. — The progress of 
modern dentistry is nowhere more 
apparent than in the cheapness and 
perfection with which lost teeth can 
be replaced. Sometimes when the 
crown of the tooth is broken, it can 
be covered with an artificial crown, 
and the loss of one or more teeth can 



THE TEETH 



615 



sometimes be repaired by a bridge 
consisting of several crowns anchored 
to two or three adjacent roots. All 
lost teeth, whether in the front or 
back part of the mouth, should be, on 
the ground of health, replaced at the 
earliest possible moment. Artificial 
teeth should be kept perfectly clean. 
And plates should be removed at 
night and placed in an antiseptic so- 
lution, such as listerine or boric acid. 

Temporary Filling for Teeth. — 
First cleanse the cavity by using a 
bit of cotton at the end of a tooth- 
pick. Dip this in an antiseptic solu- 
tion, as boric acid in water. Rinse 
out the cavity with the same, or a 
solution of peroxide of hydrogen, by 
means of a small glass or rubber 
syringe. Drop a small piece of 
gutta-percha into boiling water. Cut 
off with a penknife sufficient to fill 
the cavity and press it in the tooth 
with an orange stick or a piece of 
soft pine wood whittled to conveni- 
ent size and shape. After filling the 
cavity, remove carefully any gutta- 
percha that may adhere to the out- 
side of the tooth; and fill the mouth 
with cold water several times until 
the gutta-percha hardens. 

Or melt a small piece of gutta- 
percha at the end of a wire by mois- 
tening in boiling water or holding 
over a hot stove or other heated sur- 
face, and insert while warm. 

Dentists' Amalgam for Pilling 
Teeth. — Gold, 1 part, mercury, 8 
parts, melted together with gentle 
heat and poured while melted into 
cold water. 

Or dissolve 2| parts of powdered 
mastic in 1 part of ether and mix to 
a stiff" paste with powdered alum. 

Or melt together equal quantities 
of tin foil and mercury and when 
cold enough to bear the hands, knead 
a small quantity with the fingers and 
insert quickly before it hardens. 

Or melt together 1 part of cad- 
mium, 2 parts of tin. Allow the re- 
sulting alloy to harden, reduce to 
filings and add sufficient mercury 



with gentle heat to make a fluid 
amalgam. Squeeze out any excess of 
mercury through leather. Knead up 
the solid remnant with the fingers 
and fill the cavity with this. 

Or make a fluid amalgam of either 
gold or silver with mercury. Squeeze 
out the excess of miercury through 
leather and use the residue. 

Or for a quick, cheap, and handy 
amalgam, mix when required for use 
20 grains of fine zinc filings, 40 
grains of mercury. 

Or amalgamate with quicksilver 6 
parts of zinc, 21 parts of tin, 73 
parts of silver. 

Or melt together 1 part of poM"^- 
dered gold, 3 parts of silver; add 2 
parts of tin, allow to cool and harden ; 
reduce to fine filings and mix with 
an equal quantity of pure mercury 
when required for use. 

Or make into a paste with equal 

parts of quickly drying copal and 

mastic varnish 1 part of gypsum, 1 

part of powdered porcelain, 1 part of 

_^ iron filings. 

Or amalgamate 2 parts of steel 
filings with 4 parts of quicksilver. 

Dentists' Nerve Paste. — The sub- 
stance used by dentists to kill the 
nerve is arsenic in very minute quan- 
tities. 

Mix 1 part of arsenic with 2 parts 
of rose pink and apply on a bit of 
cotton moistened with creosote. Re- 
move after 3 or 4 hours and wash 
out the cavity with water containing 
an antiseptic, as boric acid. 

Mix 15 grains of arsenious acid and 
10 grains of sulphate of morphia with 
creosote to a paste, and apply on 
cotton; but this should never be done 
without having the nerve immedi- 
ately removed by a competent den- 
tist. Otherwise the nerve pulp in the 
roots of the tooth will decay and 
will form an ulcer, which will work 
through the gum and sometimes 
through the face and continue to dis- 
charge until properly treated. Hence 
work of this sort should be intrusted 
only to a competent dentist. 



CHAPTER XXII 

FOOD VALUES AND ADULTERATIONS 



HUMAN NUTRITION— DIETARY STANDARDS— KINDS OF NUTRIENTS 
—PROBLEMS OF DIET— MEAT IN THE DIET— FISH AS FOOD- 
POULTRY AND DAIRY PRODUCTS— SOURCES OF CARBOHYDRATES 
—FOOD ADULTERATIONS— CANNED VEGETABLES AND FRUITS 
—FLAVORING EXTRACTS AND CONDIMENTS— BAKING CHEMICALS 
—TEA AND COFFEE— DAIRY AND MEAT PRODUCTS 



The choice, preparation, service and 
care of food are topics of vital im- 
portance in every home. Until quite 
recently experience — as represented 
by the traditions of the best house- 
keepers — has been about the only 
source of information on these sub- 
jects. And such experience is still 
in many respects the best and safest 
guide. But of late a great many 
scientific investigations as to food 
values and adulterations have been 
made — notably under the direction of 
the United States Department of 
Agriculture — and very practical re- 
sults have been secured. The most 
essential »" facts and principles are 
here condensed for ready reference. 
In many respects the result of scien- 
tific study has been to confirm popu- 
lar impressions derived from every- 
day experience. Yet it has been 
shown that certain very widespread 
beliefs are wholly groundless. Ail 
the conclusions here stated have been 
abundantly confirmed by practical 
experiments and may be accepted 
without hesitation. Such knowledge 
is valuable because it dispels doubt 
and uncertainty. It confirms good 
practices. It also draws attention to 
mistakes and shows how they may be 
corrected. 

HUMAN NUTRITION 

The human body has often been 
likened to a steam engine in which 



the food we eat takes the part of 
fuel. This comparison is partly true 
but is inadequate. A steam engine 
gradually wears out with use. Then 
the worn or broken parts must be re- 
placed from some source without 
itself. The human body also wears 
away, but — iinlilve the steam engine — 
it has the power of rebuilding its 
own parts from the fuel (food) 
which it consumes. It can also bring 
about certain chemical changes wiiere- 
by its fuel (food) is converted into 
new forms either for immediate use 
or for storage within the body 
against future needs. Hence the 
value of food depends in part upon 
its capacity to produce needed heat 
and energy, and in part upon its 
capacity to supply material for 
growth and repair of bodily waste. 
Food Wastes. — The relation be- 
tween the cost of food and its actual 
value to supply bodily needs is af- 
fected by at least three dift'erent 
kinds of wastes. These differ great- 
ly in different kinds of food. They 
are among tlie things which should 
be most jealously watched and stud- 
ied by the housewife. There is con- 
siderable loss between some kinds of 
foods as purchased and as cooked 
or served. Familiar examples are 
the shells of eggs, skins and seeds 
of fruit and vegetables, bones and 
offal of meat, bran of cereals and 
the like. These are commonly known 
as refuse. Some are of no value 



616 



FOOD VALUES AND ADULTERATIONS 



617 



since they are wholly indigestible 
(for example egg shells). Others 
may be utilized in various ways as 
meat bones, which may be used for 
soup stock. 

A second kind of waste is that 
caused by cooking. This is less im- 
portant since, in most cases, it can- 
not be helped. But with some of the 
more expensive kinds of food, the 
choice among methods of cookery 
may be aflFected by the fact that 
some ways are more economical 
than others. 

A third waste is due to the fact 
that a part of the food actually eat- 
en is not taken up into the lymph 
and blood channels but passes 
through the digestive tract and is 
excreted from the body. This is said 
not to be "available" to digestion. 

The net product which finally gets 
into the blood is called nutritive ma- 
terial, or nutrients. 

Nutrients in Food. — Formerly a 
great many scientific terms were 
used in discussing the nutritive value 
of foods. This made the subject 
uninteresting to most persons because 
difficult to understand. With the in- 
crease of popular interest, efi"orts 
were made to simplify the language 
of science. It was found that all 
nutrients may be classed under five 
heads and referred to by means of 
terms, all but two of which are in 
every-day use. These unusual terms 
are "proteid" and "carbohydrate." 
Of these the former is indispensable. 
There is no other word which can 
take its place. It refers to that part 
of foods which contains (among 
other things) the element nitrogen. 
These include, chiefly, the lean of 
meat; the gluten of wheat and other 
cereals; the curd (casein) of milk; 
and the white (albumen) of eggs. 
The two words sugar and starch can 
be used in place of the term "car- 
bohydrate" as the word refers chiefly 
to these two substances. These and 
other carbohydrates are so called be- 
cause they contain the element hydro- 
gen in the same proportions in which 
it occurs in water but combined with 



the element carbon; hence the name. 
Good examples of carbohydrates are 
potato or corn starch, and cane, 
grape, or milk sugar. 

The names of the other three 
classes of nutrients are in common 
use. These are water, fat and ash. 
Water occurs in varying ^percentages 
in nearly all foods, even those which 
we are accustomed to think of as 
entirely dry, such as wheat and other 
dry grains, or dried peas and beans. 
Common examiiles of fat are lard, 
suet, butter and olive oil. The ash 
in foods consists of various kinds of 
mineral matter which are left as a 
residue when the foods are burned. 
The only kind of mineral matter 
usually added to foods in cookery is 
common salt. 

In addition to these five kinds of 
nutrients, there is another class of 
substances in food which is of some 
value in cookery, although it is not 
believed that they furnish fuel or 
contribute to the growth of bodily 
tissue. They are called "extrac- 
tives." They include various volatile 
oils and similar flavors which are 
"extracted" from foods in the proc- 
ess of cookery, whence the name. 
They give to certain foods the char- 
acteristic taste and odor whic!" 
"make the mouth water." They aid 
digestion by stimulating the palate 
and promoting the flow of the saliva, 
gastric juice and other secretions 
which are necessary to good diges- 
tion. An example is the well known 
meat extract used for bouillon. This 
is not a food but merely an appetiz- 
ing condiment. 

Interest in tne subject of food val- 
ues centers in the three classes 
of nutrients — proteid, carbohydrate, 
and fat. Water is plentiful in every 
diet and is usually taken freely to 
satisfy thirst. Ash or mineral mat- 
ter represents only about 1 per cent 
of most foods and is thought to be 
abundant in the ordinary diet. It is 
most plentiful in the natural food 
of the young, as in milk and eggs, 
and is of special importance to fur- 
nish material for bony structures 



618 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



during the period of growth and also 
in some diseased conditions. The 
housekeeper's problem is thus nar- 
rowed to the supply" of sufficient 
proteid, carbohydrate and fat in the 
right proportions, as cheaply as pos- 
sible, and in readilj"" available, that 
is easily digestible, forms. 

Uses of Nutrients in the Body. — 
The three principal classes of nutri- 
ents — proteid, fat and carbohydrate, 
all serve as fuel to yield energy in 
the forms of heat and muscular pow- 
er. But the chief source of fuel is 
fat. Hence the Eskimo eats freely 
of tallow and blubber to keep up the 
bodily heat in winter. Any excess 
of fat may be stored in the body 
against future needs. Thus the bear 
lives on his fat during his long win- 
ter's sleep, and comes out lean in 
the spring. The carbohydrates — sug- 
ar and starch — may be immediately 
consumed as fuel, or they may be 
converted into and stored as fat. 
The proteids may also be consumed 
as fuel. But this does not ordinarily 
happen unless there is a deficiency 
of fat and carbohydrate in the diet. 
The normal use of proteid is in the 
growth and repair of the bodily tis- 
sues. The importance of this class 
of nutrients in food is due to the 
fact that none of the others can take 
its place. ,-This explains why an in- 
fant fed wholly on condensed milk 
— which is rich in sugar and fat, but 
deficient in proteid (curd^,), may be 
fat but not strong. Roughly speak- 
ing, fat and carbohydrate supply 
heat and energy, and proteid forms 
tissue. This broad distinction is very 
serviceable and should be kept clearly 
in mind. 



DIETARY STANDARDS 

Balanced Diet. — A diet is said to 
be balanced when it contains avail- 
able proteid, carbohydrate and fat 
in the right proportions. A great 
many experiments have been made to 
determine the ratio which the differ- 
ent classes of nutrients should sus- 
tain to one another in human food. 



In American publications the con- 
clusions of Atwater and Chittenden 
are most often taken as standards. 
The Atwater standard, for a man 
with light exercise, is 100 parts (by 
weight) of proteid, 100 parts of fat 
and 360 parts of carbohydrate. The 
Chittenden standard is that for every 
100 food units about 10 should be 
proteid, 30 fat, and 60 carbohydrate. 
These figures are interesting chiefly 
as showing that there can be no uni- 
versal rule of proportion fixed by 
science. So-called standards are 
merely attempts to arrive at a gen- 
eral average on the basis of experi- 
ence. In practice it will be sufficient 
if each of the principal nutrients are 
present in the dietary in sufficient 
quantities and without marked ex- 
cess or deficiency of either. If this 
is the case the normal appetite will 
ordinarily select a well balanced diet. 

The Graphic Method of Diet Cal- 
culations. — Prof. Irving Fisher has 
devised a method of making "food 
maps" which show the proportions of 
proteid, fat, and carbohydrate in 
graphic form. He says: "Any food 
is represented on the food map by 
a point the relative distance of which 
from the three sides of the triangle 
represents the proteid, fat and carbo- 
hydrate. Fatty foods are represent- 
ed by points near the fat corner, F; 
starchy and sugary foods by points 
near the carbohydrate corner, C; 
and proteids by a point near the 
proteid corner, P. A food devoid of 
proteid is evidently located -on the 
base line CF. A food devoid of fat 
on the side, CP, and a food devoid 
of carbohydrates on FP. ... In 
each case the position of the point 
relative to the sides of the triangle 
represents the proportions of pro- 
teid, fat and carbohydrate and the 
number opposite each name repre- 
sents the weight in ounces of a 'stand- 
ard portion.' " 

The accompanying food majis pre- 
pared by Dr. Fisher are a much 
more convenient means of comparing 
the values of different foods than 
tables of percentages. If carefully 



FOOD VALUES AND ADULTERATIONS 



619 



\ .'!<■'' ,'"■, rUsK andCerjaU, 

tvj'i^yy ■>• 




«ra.o'"J' " "flC -' ill.; 

■*=^ SI '"" 

Food map for flesJi and cereals 'by Dr. 
Irving Fisher. 



VeqttaUes. 









J"" 










■oil 



Food map for vepetahles hy Dr. Irving 
Fisher. 



Dairy Product's . f qcjs and 
Hto-t SubstUuttj. 







Food mop for dairy products, eggs, and 
meat substitutes by Dr. Irving Fisher. 



Nuts ORcl fruits. 







Food map for nuts and fruits by Dr. 
Irving Fisher. 



p 

\ 


Soups. Salads an'd.ReltskfS. 






\ 










\ 


v'' ■•'"> 










\ 


//' 












X 












-■/ 




\ 


.<-'■" 






.' 










\ 


£j-' 


-- 


-"■; 






i 








\, 




,' 


' , 


'; 


1 








A 






Food map for soups, salad, and relishes 
by Dr. Irving Fisher. 



Henry 1.0$ .^ 

/?f /(7Jjr5 Cone I Z. • 

Taplao 3SS. \'. 

Taptecofippiiy'i'S . •' 

HuitHarmalaJr 2?'^ 



PudJuc)s,Pus.Paslri.cs.5u/tits)' 




At!//f iujir I.Z-- ■ C I ..' '.', ■ ',' '— ^ 



4 • 



« 5 ' » 






Food map for puddings, pies and pas- 
tries by Dr. Irving Fisher. 



620 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



studied they will be found to con- 
tain about as much information as 
most persons would be apt to need 
or use. Roughly speaking, a bal- 
anced ration should contain one or 
more foods from each of the three 
corners of this triangle. To take an 
extreme illustration, butter, white of 
egg and sugar combined in standard 



Classes 




Food map for classes of foods hy Dr. 
Irving Fisher. 

proportions — if such a combination 
were possible in cookery — would give 
an example of a well balanced ration 
because they consist of almost pure 
fat, proteid and carbohydrate respec- 
tively. Or, a food located near either 
corner of the triangle may be bal- 
anced by one which is about equi- 
distant between the opposite corners. 
The food map "Flesh and Cereals" 
affords many good illustrations of 
this principle. The different kinds 
of flesh are seen to contain both fat 
and proteid, but practically no starch 
or sugar. But the cereals are nearly 
all carbohydrate. For example, beef 
tongue and brown bread make a well 
balanced ration. Observe that brown 
bread is shown by the food map to 
be near the carbohydrate corner. Its 
food values are practically all sugar 
or starch. Beef tongue is about half 
way between the fat and proteid cor- 
ners. Its food values are about 
equally divided between these two 
kinds of nutrients. 

The foods that are represented on 
or near one of the side lines of the 



triangle show absence or marked de- 
ficiency of the kind of nutrient rep- 
resented at the opposite corner. 
Those at or near one of the corners 
show absence or deficiency of the 
kinds of nutrients represented at 
both the opposite corners. The foods 
appearing at or near the center of 
the triangle contain each of the three 
classes of nutrients and, according 
to their position, afford a naturally 
more or less well balanced ration. 

By reference to the standards given 
on page 618 it will be seen that the 
body requires, according to Chitten- 
den, about one part proteid to three 
parts fat and six parts carbohydrate. 
Hence foods constituting a naturally 
well balanced ration appear toward 
the bottom of the food map. Here 
they fall within what is called the 
"normal rectangle" shown in the ac- 
companying illustration. The posi- 
tion of all possible combinations of 
food can be worked out upon the 



ICO 
90 
80 

70 
60 
SO 


P 

N 


N 








\ 










\ 












\ 




i)0 












\ 




in 














\ 




?n 
















\ 






















\ 


in 












> 
























V 




r 












\ 1 


1 


C^ 2 


3 


Q 4 


5 


6 


7 


8 


9 


100 



Food map shonnng normal rectangle for 
a balanced, diet, Chittenden's standard. 
(Dr. Irving Fisher.) 

food map and thus a perfectly bal- 
anced diet can be calculated. Bur 
the process is too complex ior the 
ordinary person.* 

Standard Portions. — Dr. Fischer 
has adopted for the purpose of cal- 
culating food values, a unit which he 

* Those who wish to give the subject further 
study should send 10 cents to the American 
School of Home EconomicSj Chicago, for its 
bulletin, " Fon^ Values.'' 



FOOD VALUES AND ADULTERATIONS 



621 



calls the "standard portion." This 
is a quantity of each kind of food 
which will produce 100 calories of 
energy. The "calory" is the unit of 
measurement of heat, just as the 
pound is the unit of ■weight, or the 
acre the unit of land measure. A 
calory is approximately the amount 
of heat that is required to raise the 
temperature of one pound of water 
4° F. The figures after the names 
on the food maps give the weight of 
"standard portions" in ounces. They 
are useful as a means of comparing 
the values of diiSferent Idnds of 




Butter 



O 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 c 

C '^ 



Food map shoiotng combination of one 
''portion" of bread and one '"portion" 
of hutter. (Dr. Irving Fisher.) 

foods, since the value of food to the 
body is determined by the number of 
calories of heat or energy that it 
can produce. Referring to the food 
map "Flesh and Cereals," for exam- 
ple, it will be seen that 1,^0 
ounces of white bread are the equiva- 
lent of 2i% ounces of round of 
beef (uncooked), and many other in- 
teresting comparisons are suggested. 
A few words about each of the prin- 
cipal kinds of nutrients and a brief 
discussion of each of the chief classes 
of food from which they may be ob- 
tained — with the aid of the food 
maps for purposes of comparison — 
will enable any housewife to provide 
a reasonably well balanced diet. 

KINDS OF NUTRIENTS 

Water. — Water makes up a very 
large part of many kinds of food, 
such as milk, fresh meat, and fresh 
fruits and vegetables. It is present 



in practically all food products. 
Roughly speaking, over one-half of 
fresh lean meat and fish, and about 
three-fourths of fresh fruit and veg- 
etables are water. It forms over 60 
per cent by weight of the average 
human body and is a component part 
of all the tissues. It is thus an im- 
portant constituent of our food. But 
it cannot be burned and hence does 
not yield energy to the body. For 
this reason the water contained in 
foods is usually set aside together 
with the refuse and nutrients not 
available to digestion. Only the 
values of the digestible solids need be 
calculated. To the housewife, the 
presence of water in foods is of im- 
portance chiefly in comparison of 
cost by weight. Oysters, for exam- 
ple, are an expensive food as com- 
pared to sirloin of beef at the same 
price per pound, since they contain 
36 per cent more water. In other 
words, watery foods are dilute and 
bulky and must be paid for and eaten 
in far larger quantities to yield an 
equal amount of nutrient. 

Mineral Matter or Ash. — When 
food or body material is burned, a 
small residue of mineral matter re- 
mains as ash. This constitutes some 
5 per cent or 6 per cent of the body 
by weight. It is found principally in 
the bones and teeth. It is, however, 
present in other tissues and in solu- 
tion in the various fluids. Mineral 
matter yields little or no energy, yet 
is indispensable to life and health. 
The average of mineral matter in the 
various kinds of food is not far from 
1 per cent, but the proportion ranges 
to over 3 per cent in some cereals. It 
is most plentiful in the hulls (as the 
bran of wheat found in whole wheat 
flour) and in dried legumes (peas and 
beans); these contain about 4 per 
cent of mineral matter. Fresh vege- 
tables, especially lettuce, are esteemed 
— especially in certain kinds of dis- 
eases — for the mineral salts they con- 
tain. 

Proteid. — The proteid compounds 
form about 18 per cent by weight of 
the average human body. They in- 



622 



liOUSEilOLD DISCOVERIES 



elude the white of egg, the lean of 
meat, the curd of milk and the gluten 
of wheat. They also occur to some 
extent in animals in the tendons, skin 
and bones. They are most important 
constituents of our food since they 
make the basis of bone, muscle and 
other tissues. They may also be used 
as fuel or even, to some extent, trans- 
formed into fat and stored in the 
body, especially if there is a defi- 
ciency of fats or carbohydrates. 
The chief sources of proteid are 
animal foods — meat, fish, eggs 
and dairy products. Butter and 
lard are exceptions; tliey repre- 
sent only the fat of milk and 
meat. 

The proportion of proteid present 
in meats and fish varies greatly with 
the kind and cut. In beef, veal, and 
mutton it composes between 14 and 
26 per cent of the edible portion. It 
is somewhat less abundant in the 
flesh of fish, because the latter is 
more watery than meat. The fatter 
the meat, the smaller is the propor- 
tion of proteid. Lean pork has less 
than beef and mutton, and fat pork 
almost none. It is very abundant in 
cheese (i?S-38 per cent) and likewise 
in dried beans and peas (18-i?5 per 
cent). Proteid makes up, roughly 
speaking, from 7 to 15 per cent of 
the cereals, being least abundant in 
rye and buckwheat and most abund- 
ant in oats. Wheat flour averages 
not far from 11 per cent and bread 
not far from 9 per cent of proteid. 
Fresh vegetables and fruits contain 
almost no proteid, seldom if ever 
more than 5 and often only 1 per 
cent or less. 

Fats. — These form about 15 per 
cent by weight of the body of an av- 
erage man, but the amount varies 
greatly with food, exercise, age and 
other conditions. As a general rule 
any excess of the diet tends to be con- 
verted into fat and stored in the 
body. But the tendency to fatness 
or leanness cannot be controlled by 
the diet alone. It depends also on 
individual peculiarities which are not 
well understood. Fats occur chiefly 



in animal foods, as meat and dairy 
products. They are also abundant in 
some vegetable products, such as 
olives and cottonseed. From these 
they are expressed as oil. They occur 
to a less extent in some cereals, as 
oatmeal and corn, and also in all 
common edible nuts. 

Fats may be stored in various parts 
of the body in masses, or may be 
scattered through the tissues in mi- 
nute particles. The quantities pres- 
ent in meat vary from less than 10 per 
cent in some cuts of beef and veal, to 
over 40 per cent in a side of pork, or 
over 80 per cent in fat salt pork. 
Lean fish, like cod and haddock, con- 
tains a smaU amount, but fatter 
kinds, like shad, mackerel, and nota- 
bly salmon, often contain from 5 per 
cent to 10 per cent and sometimes as 
high as 15 per cent of fat. The chem- 
ical composition of salmon is not un- 
like that of lean meat. Milk averages 
about 4 per cent of fat. Butter is 
nearly pure fat, and clieese contains 
from 35 per cent to 40 per cent of fat, 
according to the richness of the cream 
or milk from which it is made. Vege- 
table foods are as a rule very defi- 
cient in fats. The principal excep- 
tions have been noted. 

Carbohydrates. — The carbohy- 
drates form only a very small part 
of the body, less than 1 per cent. 
They are either immediately con- 
sumed as fuel or transformed in the 
body as fat. They include such com- 
pounds as starches, different kinds of 
sugar and the fiber of plants or cellu- 
lose. They are very abundant in veg- 
etable foods like cereals, green vege- 
tables and potatoes, but imlike the 
fats, are almost entirely absent from 
the animal foods except milk. Car- 
bohydrates make up from 70 per cent 
to 80 per cent of the cereals, 60 per 
cent to 70 per cent of the dry legumes 
(peas and beans) and the bulk of the 
nutrients of fresh fruits and vege- 
tables. Sugar, molasses, honey and 
the like are almost entirely carbo- 
hydrates. Milk also contains a cou'- 
siderable amount of carbohydrates in 
the form of milk sugar. They are a 



FOOD VALUES AND ADULTERATIONS 



623 



very important portion of the diet, 
because they are an excellent source 
of energy and are easily digested. 

Atwater says: 

"In brief then, the chief source of 
proteid is animal foods, legumes and 
cereals; of fats, animal foods; and 
of carbohydrates, vegetable products 
and milk. Mineral matters are 
found in all food materials. Refuse 
and water are most abundant in 
meats, fish, eggs, milk, fresh vegeta- 
bles and fruit. The fuel value varies 
within wide limits, being greatest in 
those materials which contain the 
most fat and the least water. 

"The ingredients of food and the 
ways they are used in the body may 
be briefly summarized in the follow- 
ing schematic manner: 



stomach could be observed or re- 
moved at will. Beaumont's table 
giving the average time required for 
the stomach to digest various articles 
of diet has been frequently pub- 
lished. More recent experiments 
show that his conclusions are by no 
means a safe guide. The process of 
digestion is not confined to the stom- 
ach. It continues in the intestine. 
The digestibility of foods is also af- 
fected by the quantity taken, its me- 
chanical condition, and other causes. 

As a general rule the less atten- 
tion given by housewives to this ques- 
tion the better. Recent experiments 
seem to indicate that all well-cooked 
ordinary foods are about equally well 
digested by normally healthy persons. 
The question of modification of diet 



NUTRITIVE INGREDIENTS (OR NUTRIENTS) OF FOOD 

f Water. 



Food as purcha/sed 
contains — 



Edible portion < 

e. g., flesh of meat, yolk and white 
of eggs, wheat, flour, etc. | 

. Refuse. 

e. g., bones, entrails, shells, bran, etc. 



Nutrients. 



Proteid. 
Fats. 

Carbohydrates. 
Mineral matters. 



USES OF NUTRIENTS IN THE BODY 



Proteid Forms tissue 

e. g., white (albumen) of eggs, curd 

(casein) of milk, lean meat, gluten of 

wheat, etc. 
Fats Are stored as fat 

e. g., fat of meat, butter, olive oil, oils 

of corn and wheat, etc. 
Carbohydrates Are transformed into fat . . 

e. g., sugar, starch, etc. 
Mineral matters (ash) Share in forming bone, assist in digestion, etc. 

e. g., phosphates of lime, potash, soda, 

etc. 



All serve as fuel to yield 
energy in the forms of 
heat and muscular 
power. 



PROBLEMS OF THE DIET 

Digestibility. — Many experiments 
i'.ave been made to learn the com- 
parative value of different kinds of 
food as affected by their digestibil- 
ity and by various processes of cook- 
ery. Some of the earliest and most 
famous of these were made by Dr. 
Wm. Beaumont, U. S. A., between 
1835-33. His .subject was a French- 
Canadian trapper, a man whose stom- 
ach had been torn open by a gun- 
shot wound but had healed, leaving 
an opening closed only by a valve 
which developed over it. By pressing 
this valve inward the contents of the 



on the grounds of digestibility, is of 
importance only in some kinds of 
disease. It should then be referred to 
the attending physician. It is true 
that some kinds of foods do not 
agree with certain individuals. But 
this is a matter which does not admit 
of general rules. It can be settled 
in each case only on the basis of ex- 
perience. Each person must learn 
what kinds of food yield him nourish- 
ment with the least discomfort and 
must avoid those which do not agree 
with him. 

The value to persons in good 
health of special diets consisting ex- 
clusively of vegetables, fruits and 



624 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



nuts, or of an exclusive diet of un- 
cooked foods is often grossly exag- 
gerated. The ordinary mixed diet 
has been shown by scientific tests to 
be by far the most wholesome and 
economical. As general rules, how- 
ever, it may be said that carbohy- 
drates — especially in the form of 
sugar — are more completely digested 
than proteids and fats; and that the 
proteid of animal foods — as meat, 
fish, milk and eggs — ^is more digesti- 
ble than that of vegetable foods. 

Economy in Diet. — The needs of 
individuals differ, but it has been 
estimated that an average man at 
moderately active labor — as a farmer, 
carpenter or mason — should have 
about one-fourth of a pound of avail- 
able proteid each day, and sufficient 
fats and carbohydrates, in addition, 
to bring the total fuel value of the 
whole diet up to about 3000 calories. 
A man at sedentary employment 
would require only one-fifth of a 
pound of proteid, and other nutrients 
enough to produce a total of only 
2700 calories of energy. A woman 
under similar conditions would need 
about eight-tenths as much food as 
a man. Children require lesser 
amounts, varying with their ages. 
The proportions usually stated are 
about sevfji-tenths for a boy from 
the ages of 12 to 14; six-tenths from 
10 to 13; five-tenths from 6 to 9, and 
four-tenths from 2 to 5 years of age. 
Girls require slightly less nutrient 
than boys of the same age, but in 
practice the difference is negligible. 

The cost of the amounts of differ- 
ent nutrients required varies greatly 
with the different kinds of food at 
ordinary prices. For example, one- 
fourth of a pound of proteid from a 
sirloin of beef at 25 cents a pound 
would cost 40 cents. The same 
amount from a shoulder clod of beef 
at 12 cents a pound would cost 19 
cents, and from a piece of beef stew 
meat at 5 cents a pound only 9 cents; 
yet the actual value of each in the 
diet would be identical. The table on 
the next page of the comparative cost 
of digestible nutrients and energy in 



different food materials at average 
prices, prepared by the Department 
of Agriculture, is very useful and 
suggests many similar comparisons. 

The most common errors in food 
economy are (1) the needless waste 
of exi^ensive foods, (2) the use of a 
one-sided diet, (3) waste of food 
from over-eating, (4) table waste, 
and (5) neglect of the value of 
refuse. Many housekeepers buy the 
more expensive kinds of meat and 
pay higher prices for vegetables and 
eggs out of season, from a mistaken 
belief that such foods are enough 
more nutritious to be worth what 
they cost. In point of fact equal 
amounts of nutriment could be ob- 
tained from other foods at very much 
lower price. The result is a great 
waste of money. The maxim that 
"the best is the cheapest," as pop- 
ularly understood to apply to high 
prices, is not true of food. The 
larger part of the price of the cost- 
lier foods is paid for appearance, 
flavor or rarity. While often more 
pleasing to the palate and sometimes 
more easily cooked or of finer flavor, 
the dearer articles are no more di- 
gestible or nutritious than the cheap- 
er ones. The plain, substantial 
standard food materials — like the 
cheaper cuts of meat and fish, milk, 
flour, cornmeal, oatmeal, beans and 
potatoes — are as digestible and nutri- 
tious and as well fitted for the nour- 
ishment of persons in good health 
as are any of the costly materials. 

A one-sided or badly balanced diet 
is one in which either proteid or fuel 
ingredients are in excess. If we eat 
too much meat and too few vegeta- 
bles, the diet will be too rich in pro- 
teid and may be harmful. Or, if we 
eat too much pastry and other food 
rich in fats and sweets, the diet fur- 
nishes too much energy and too lit- 
tle building material. The result is 
injurious to health as well as false 
economy. Waste from over-eating is 
perhaps not common except among 
persons of sedentary occupations — 
brain workers, as distinguished from 
hand workers — but table waste is al- 



FOOD VALUES AND ADULTERATIONS 



625 



COMPARATIVE COST OF DIGESTIBLE NUTRIENTS AND ENERGY IN DIFFERENT 
FOOD MATERIALS AT AVERAGE PRICES 

[It is estimated that a man at light to moderate muscular work requires about 0.23 pound of proteid 
and 3,050 calories of energy per day.) 



Kind of food material 



Price 

per 

pound 



Cost 
of 1 
pound 
pro- 
teid a 



Cost of 

1,000 

calories 

energy 

(o) 



Amounts for 10 cents. 



Total 
weight 
of food 

mate- 
rial 



Pro- 
teid 



Fat 



Carbo- 
hy- 
drates 



Energy 



Beef, sirloin 

Do 

Do 

Beef, round 

Do 

Do 

Beef, shoulder clod 

Do 

Beef, stew meat 

Beef, dried, chipped 

Mutton chops, loin 

Mutton, leg 

Do 

Roast pork, loin 

Pork, smoked ham 

Do 

Pork, fat salt 

Codfish, dressed, fresh 

Halibut, fresh 

Cod, salt 

Mackerel, salt, dressed 

Salmon, canned 

Oysters, solids, 50 cents per 

quart 

Oysters, solids, 35 cents per 

quart 

Lobster, canned 

Butter 

Do. 

Do 

Eggs, 36 cents per dozen . . . 
Eggs, 24 cents per dozen . . . 
Eggs, 12 cents per dozen . . . 

Cheese 

Milk, 7 cents per quart 

Milk, 6 cents per quart 

Wheat flour 

Do 

Corn meal, granular 

Wheat breakfast food 

Oat breakfast food 

Oatmeal 

Rice 

Wheat bread 

Do 

Do 

Rye bread 

Beans, white, dried 

Cabbage 

Celery 

Corn, canned 

Potatoes, 90 cents per bushel 
Potatoes, 60 cents per bushel 
Potatoes, 45 cents per bushel 

Turnips 

Apples 

Bananas 

Oranges 

Strawberries 

Sugar 



Cents 
25 
20 
15 
16 
14 
12 
12 
9 
5 
25 
16 
20 
16 
12 
22 
18 
12 
10 
18 
7 
10 
12 

25 

18 
18 
20 
25 
30 
24 
16 
8 
16 
31 
3 
3 
2i 
2i 
71 
7^ 
4 
8 
6 
5 
4 
5 
5 
21 
5 
10 

li 
1 

1^ 

7 
6 
7 
6 



Dollars 



1.60 

1.28 

.96 

.87 

.76 

.65 

.75 

.57 

.35 

.98 

1.22 

1.37 

1.10 

.92 

1.60 

1.30 

6.67 

.93 

1.22 

.45 

.74 

.57 

4.30 



3.10 

1.02 

20.00 

25.00 

30.00 

2.09 

1..39 

.70 

.64 

1.09 

.94 

.31 

.26 

.32 

.73 

.53 

.29 

I.IS 

.77 

.64 

.51 

.65 

.29 



65 



4.21 

1.00 

.67 

.50 

1.33 

5.00 

10.00 

12.00 

8.75 



Cents 
25 
20 
15 
18 
16 
13 
17 
13 

7 
32 
11 
22 
IS 
10 
13 
11 

3 
46 
38 
22 

9 
13 

111 



46 

6 

7 

9 

39 

26 

13 

8 

11 

10 

2 

2 

2 

4 

4 

2 

5 

5 

4 

3 

4 

3 

22 

77 

23 

5 

3 

3 



27 

40 

47 

3 



Pounds 

0.40 
.50 
.67 
.63 
.71 
.83 
.83 

1.11 

2 
.40 
.63 
.50 
.63 
.83 
.45 
.56 
.83 

1 
.56 

1.43 

1 
.83 

.40 

.56 

.56 

.50 

.40 

.33 

.42 

.63 

1.25 

.63 

2.85 

3.33 

3.33 

4 

4 

1.33 
1.33 
2.50 
1.25 
1.67 
2 

2.50 
2 
2 
4 
2 
1 

6.07 
10 

13.33 
10 
6.67 
1.43 
1.67 
1.43 
1.67 



Pound 
0.06 

.08 

.10 

.11 

.13 

.15 

.13 

.18 

.29 

.10 

.08 

.07 

.09 

.11 

.06 

.08 

.02 

.11 

.08 

.22 

.43 

.18 

.02 

.03 
.10 
.01 



.05 
.07 
.14 
.16 
.09 
.11 
.32 
.39 
.31 
.13 
.19 
.34 
.08 
.13 
.16 
.20 
.15 
.35 
.05 
.02 
.02 
.10 
.15 
.20 
.08 
.02 
.01 
.01 
.01 



Pound 
0.06 
.08 
.11 
.08 
.09 
.10 
.08 
.10 
.23 
.03 
.17 
.07 
.09 
.19 
.14 
.18 
.68 



Pounds 



.02 
.01 
.20 
.10 



.01 
.01 
.40 
.32 
.27 
.04 
.06 
.11 
.20 
.11 
.13 
.03 
.04 
.07 
.02 
.09 
.16 



.02 
.02 
.03 
.01 
.03 
.01 



.01 
.01 
.01 
.01 
.01 
.02 
.01 



.01 



.01 
.02 



.02 

.14 

.17 

2.45 

2.94 

2.96 

.98 

.86 

1.66 

.97 

.87 

1.04 

1.30 

1.04 

1.16 

.18 

.05 

.18 

.93 

1.40 

1.87 

.54. 

.65 

.18 

.13 

.09 

1.67 



Calories 
410 
515 
685 
560 
630 
740 
695 
795 

1,530 
315 
890 
445 
560 

1,035 
735 
915 

2,950 
220 
265 
465 

1,135 
760 

90 

125 

225 

1,705 

1,365 

1,125 

260 

385 

770 

1,185 

885 

1,030 

5,440 

6,540 

6,540 

2,235 

2,395 

4,500 

2,025 

2,000 

2,400 

3,000 

2,340 

3,040 

460 

130 

430 

1,970 

2,950 

3,935 

1,200 

1,270 

370 

250 

215 

2,920 



a The cost of 1 pound of proteid means the cost of enough of the given material to furnish 1 
pound of proteid, without regard to the amounts of the other nutrients present. Likewise the 
cost of energy means the cost of enough inaterial to furnish 1,000 calories, without reference to the 
kinds and proportions of nutrients in which the energy is supplied. These estimates of the cost 
pf proteid and energy are thus incorrect in that neither gives credit for the value of the other. 



626 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



most universal in America. In many 
families it is a matter of pride to 
furnish more food than is needed. 
The waste in the preparation of food 
materials for consumption is also 
considerable. This is especially the 
case with animal foods which are the 
most expensive. The trimmings of 
meat left with the butcher or thrown 
away in the kitchen often represent 
one-eighth of its value. Much of this 
might be saved by its use in soups, 
stews and the like. But persons who 
wish to get the most nutriment for 
their money should avoid such cuts as 
loin of beef, rib chops of lamb, and 
others, one-fifth or more of which are 
bone, and buy more economical cuts 
in which there is less waste. The 
common remark that "the average 
American family wastes as aiuch food 
as a French family would li^ e upon" 
is greatly exaggerated. Yet it con- 
tains considerable truth. Tests have 
shown that the waste in private fam- 
ilies is often as high as twenty per 
cent. A study of the information 
here given is important for both 
health and purse. 

MEATS IN THE DIET 

Reference to the food map will 
show that the nutritive part of meat 
contains,- no carbohydrate but con- 
sists of proteid and fat in varying 
proportions. It is possible to live un 
animal food alone. And this is done 
in the arctic regions where vegeta 
ble food is lacking. But the diet is 
better and more wholesome if the 
proteid and fat of meat are balanced 
by the sugar and starch contained in 
vegetables. Meat is an expensive 
source of proteid as compared to 
some foods of vegetable origin, but 
is to be preferred upon the ground 
that it is more easily digested. 
Meats are more similar in composi- 
tion to the tissues of the human 
body than foods of vegetable origin. 
Hence they require less change in the 
body to make them available to di- 
gestion. 

A comparison of the nutrients in 
the different cuts of meat shows that 



they vary chiefly in the amounts of 
fat and water which they contain, 
Init tliat there is very little difference 
in the proportion of proteid. I,ang- 
worthy says, in substance, chat for 
every day purposes the proportion 
and net value of the proteid obtained 
from a given weight of meat differs 
very little either with the kind of 
meat or the cut, with the exception 
of fat salt pork or bacon. This 
makes it easy for the housekeeper to 
be sure that her family is getting 
enough of tliis nutrient. 

The total amount of proteid needed 
each day for a man at moderate la- 
bor is estimated at 3i ounces. Of 
this, one-half is usually taken in the 
form of animal food, including milk, 
eggs, poultry and fish, as well as 
meat. The remainder is taken in the 
form of bread and other cereal foods, 
-or beans and other vegetables. An 
ordinary helping of three to five 
ounces of lean meat may be consid- 
ered to contain about one-half of the 
required proteid. An egg or a glass 
of milk contains about one-twelfth 
of the needed daily supply. Hence 
the housekeeper who gives each adult 
member of her family a helping of 
three to five ounces of cooked meat 
each day with eggs, milk or cheese — 
together with puddings or other 
dishes which contain eggs or milk — • 
can feel sure that she is supplying 
sufficient proteid. The remainder 
necessary will be supplied by bread, 
cereals and other vegetable- foods. 

Langworthy says further, that 
there is practically no difference be- 
tween the various cuts of meat, or 
the meats from different animals, 
with respect to either the thorough- 
ness or the ease with which they are 
digested. Red meat is equally as di- 
gestible as white meat, pork is as di- 
gestible as beef, and the cheaper 
cuts are equally as digestible as the 
tenderest steak. Meats of all kinds 
and cuts are therefore to be classed 
as easily digested foods. Those 
who wish to use the cheaper cuts 
need not feel that, in so doing, their 
families are less well nourished than 



FOOD VALUES AND ADULTERATIONS 



627 



by the more expensive meats. It is, 
however, true that some kinds of 
meat — as roast chicken, or veal, ten- 
derloin of steak and lamb chops 
cooked rare — are tender, easily mas- 
ticated, well flavored and appetizing. 
Hence so far as stomach or gas- 
tric digestion is concerned, they are 
somewhat more easily and rapidly di- 
gested than others. In other words, 
they pass quickly out of the stomach 
and into the intestine where the prin- 
cipal work of digestion actually takes 
place. This agrees with the practice 
of using so-called white meats in 
diets for the sick room. It remains 
true, however, that nearly all of the 
proteid and about 95 per cent of the 
fat of all sorts of meat are digested 
by the average person. 

Cuts of Meat. — The method of cut- 
ting sides of beef, veal, mutton and 
pork into parts for sale, and the 
terms used for the different "cuts" 
as these parts are commonly called, 
vary in different localities. The 
standard adopted by the U. S. De- 
partment of Agriculture is shown in 
the accompanying illustrations both 
for the live animal and the dressed 
carcass. Elsewhere the principal cuts 
are illustrated as they appear on the 
butcher's table. Both the lines of the 
different cuts and the names vary 
more or less in different parts of the 
country. The best way to learn the 
cuts of meat, as sold in your local 
market, is to ask the butcher to allow 
you to watch him cut up one or more 
sides of the different kinds of meat. 
Ask him to give you the names of 
the parts and also to give you his 
own ideas concerning them. In this 
way a great deal of valuable infor- 
mation can be obtained. Too many 
housekeepers are in the habit of buy- 
ing only two or three of the highest 
priced cuts of meat. They do not 
realize that by proper methods of 
cookery equally as much nutriment 
can be obtained from cheaper cuts 
at from one-half to one-tenth the 
cost. The characteristics of the dif- 
ferent cuts are described by Woods, 
in substance, as follows: 



Cuts of Beef. — The diagram shows 
the general method of cutting up a 
side of beef. The neck piece is some- 
times cut so as to include more of 
the chuck than is here shown. The 
shoulder clod is usually cut without 




LMect. 

i. Cbnclt. 

& Ribs. 

4. Shoulder clod. 

C. fore shack. 

6. Brisket. 

7. Croa rlb«. 
e. PlaU). 

9. liaveL 

10. Loin. 

11. Flank.. 

12. Rump. 
^. Round. 

14. Second cut roQIU£V 

U-eiDileliank. 



Diagrams of cuts of beef. 
{Chas. D. Woods.) 

bone, and hence is an economical 
cut, being free from refuse. The 
shoulder (not indicated in the dia- 
gram) includes more or less of the 
shoulder blade and the upper end of 
the foreshank. Shoulder steak is cut 
from the chuck. The blade is some- 
times made to include all the parts 
of the forequarter here shown as 
brisket, cross ribs, blade and navel. 
The different portions of the blade 
as thus cut are then spoken of as 
the "brisket" end of the blade, or 
"navel" end of the blade. This part 
of the animal is largely used for 
corning. The ribs may also be di- 
vided into first, second and third cuts. 
The latter lying nearest the chuck 



628 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



are slightly less desirable than the 
former. The chuck may also be di- 
vided in a similar way, the third cut 
being nearest the neck. 

The names applied to different 
portions of the loin vary considera- 
bly. The part nearest the ribs is 
often called "small end of loin" or 
"short steak." The other end is 
calied "hip sirloin" or "sirloin". Be- 
tween the "short" and the "sirloin" is 
a portion quite generally called the 
"tenderloin" for the reason that the 
real tenderloin — the very tenderest 
strip of meat lying in the tenderloin 
— is found most fully developed in 
this cut. "Porterhouse steak" is the 
term usually applied to either the 
short steak or the tenderloin. The 
flank may be cut to include more of 
the loin, in which case the upper por- 
tion is called "flank steak". The 
larger part of the flank is, however, 
very often corned, as is also the case 
with the rump. Or the rump may be 
cut so as to include a portion of the 
loin, which is then sold as "rump 
steak". The portion of the round on 
the inside of the leg is frequently 
preferred to the outside as more 
tender than the latter. As the leg 
lies upon the butcher's table, this in- 
side of the round is usually the up- 
per ori- toji side and is therefore 
called "top round". Sometimes the 
blade is called the "rattle". 

Cuts of Veal. — A side of veal cuts 
up into fewer parts and otherwise 
quite difi^erently than a side of beef. 
The chuck is smaller and is often cut 
off with the neck. Or the chuck may 
be so cut as to take in part of the 
shoulder — more nearly like the chuck 
of beef. The shoulder of veal, as 
usually cut, includes the larger part 
of what is classed as chuck in the 
full grown animal. The under part 
of the forequarter, corresponding to 
the blade in beef, is often called the 
"breast" in veal. The part of the 
veal corresponding to the rump of 
beef is most often cut with the loin, 
but may be cut to form part of the 
leg. The fore and hind shanks of veal 
are sometimes called "knuckles". 



Cuts of Lamb and Mutton. — These 
number but six, three in each quar- 
ter. The chuck includes the ribs to 
the end of the shoulder blades. 
Beyond this comes the loin. The 
flank is made to include all the un- 
derside of the animal. Some butch- 
ers however include part of the "loin" 
and "chuck" in a cut known as the 




Diagrams of cuts of lamh and mutton, 
{CJias. D. Woods.) 

"ribs" and part of the flank and 
shoulder in a cut known as "brisket". 
The term "chops" is applied to parts 
of the loin, rib, chuck or shoulder, 
cut or chopped by the butcher into 
pieces for frying or boiling. The 
chuck and ribs are sometimes called 
the "rack". 

Cuts of Pork. — A large portion of 
the carcass of a dressed pig is al- 
most clear fat. This is used for salt 
pork and bacon. The cut designated 
as "back" is almost clear fat used for 
salting and pickling. The "middle" 
cut is used for bacon or for lean 
ends of salt pork. The "belly" is 
salted, pickled or made into sausages. 
Beneath the "back" are the ribs and 
loins. They furnish the "spareribs", 
"chops" and roasting pieces, here 
shown by dotted lines. The hams or 
shoulders may be cured or sold fresh 
as "pork steak". The tenderloin 
proper is a very small strip of com- 
paratively lean meat lying under the 



FOOD VALUES AND ADULTERATIONS 



629 



bones of the loin. It usually weighs 
a fraction of a pound. Some fat is 
usually trimmed from the hams and 
shoulders. This is called "ham and 




1. Head. 

2. Sh,oa]der. 

5. Back. 

4. Middle Cttt. 

6. Belly. 
€. Ham. 

7. Elbe. 

8. Loin. 

Diagrams of cuts of pork. 
{Chas. D. Woods.) 

shoulder fat" and is often used for 
sausages. The kidney fat from the 



inside of the 
"leaf lard". 



back is often called 



Cost of Different Cuts. — The ta- 
ble below is useful as showing the 
proportion of bone or other waste in 
the different kinds of cuts and the 
effect of this waste in the actual, as 
compared with the apparent cost of 
meat. 

Langworthy says: "The relative 
retail prices of various cuts usually 
bear a direct relation to the favor 
with which they are regarded by the 
majority of persons. The juicy, ten- 
der cuts, of good flavor, sell for the 
higher prices. When porterhouse 
steak sells for 35 cents a pound, it 
may be assumed that in town or vil- 
lage markets round steak would ordi- 
narily sell for about 15 cents, and 
chuck ribs, one of the best cuts of 
the forequarter, for 10 cents. This 
makes it appear that the chuck ribs 
are less than half as expensive as 
porterhouse steak and two-thirds as 
expensive as the round. But appar- 
ent economy is not always real econ- 
omy. In this case the bones in the 
three cuts should be taken into ac- 
count. Of the chuck ribs, more than 
one-half is bone or other materials 
usually classed under the head of 
'waste' or 'refuse'. Of the round. 



NET COST OF EDIBLE PORTION OF DIFFERENT CUTS AS COMPARED WITH 
ASSUMED MARKET PRICE (a) PER POUND 



Kind of meat 


Proportion 
of bone 

or waste 
in cut 


Proportion 

of edible 

material 

in cut 


Assumed 
market 

price per 
pound 


Net price 

per pound 

of edible 

portion 


Beef: 


Per cent 
23.3 
19.0 

5.5 
53.8 
12.7 
31.2 
20.1 

8.5 
38.3 

5.9 
26.5 

3.4 

24.5 

17.7 
14.8 
21.2 

19.3 
8.1 
8.7 

12.2 


Per cent 
76.7 
81.0 
99.5 
46.2 
87.3 
68.8 
79.9 
91.5 
61.7 
94.1 
73.5 

96.6 
75.5 

82.3 
85.2 
78.8 

80.7 
91.9 
91.3 

87.8 


Cents 

7.0 

10.0 

7.0 

10.0 

20.0 

7.0 

15.0 

15.0 

3.0 

5.0 

22.0 

20.0 
12.5 

15.0 
15.0 
12.5 

15.0 
12.5 
20.0 
20.0 


Cents 
9.0 




12.5 


Flank 


7.5 




22.0 




23.0 




10.0 


Ribs 


20.0 




16.0 


Shin 


5.0 


Heart 


5.3 




29.8 


Veal: 


21.0 




17.0 


Mutton: 


18.0 




17.5 




20.0 


Pork: 


20.0 




13.0 




22.0 




23.0 







a Prices vary greatly in different parts of the country. These prices are assumed for the purpose 
pi making it possible to compare nominal with net prices. 



630 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



one-twelfth is waste, and of the por- 
terhouse, one-eighth. In buying the 
chuck, then, the housewife gets, at 
the prices assumed, less than one- 
half pound of food for 10 cents. 
This makes the net price of the edi- 
ble portion 33 cents a pound. In 
buying round, she gets eleven-twelfths 
of a pound for 15 cents. This makes 
the net value about 16i cents. In 
buying porterhouse, she gets seven- 
eighths of a pound for 25 cents. 
This makes the net value about 38j^ 
cents a pound. The relative prices, 
therefore, of the edible portions are 
33, 16^ and 38^ cents. Or to put 
it in a different way, a dollar at the 
prices assumed will buy 4A pounds 
of solid meat from the cut known as 
chuck, 6 pounds of such meat from 
the round, and only 31 pounds of 
such meat from the porterhouse." 

Owing to the extremely high price 
of meats in recent years a special 
study has been made by the United 
States Government on the economical 
use of meat in the home. The con- 
clusion has been reached that the ex- 
pense for meat can be reduced in a 
number of different ways. Among 
these may be mentioned lessening of 
the amount of meat used as food; 
buying meat in quantity for home 
use; utilizing the fat, bone and trim- 
mings and the left-over cold meats; 
extending the flavor of meats to vari- 
ous vegetables and cereals by means 
of mixed dishes; utilizing the cheaper 
cuts; and developing and improving 
the flavor by proper methods of 
cookery, including use of herbs, 
spices, sauces and the like. 

To accomplish these results a num- 
ber of valuable recipes have been 
prepared by Miss Caroline L. Hunt, 
an expert in nutrition, under the 
supervision of Dr. C. F. Langworthy, 
who has been in charge of this inves- 
tigation, all of which are so valuable 
as to merit reproduction elsewhere in 
this volume. 

In general, it is suggested that 
most American families eat too much 
meat and that the simplest way to 
reduce the meat bill would be tQ 



serve meat once only, instead of two 
or three times a day, or to use less 
meat at a time. One good meat dish 
a day will furnish sufficient proteid, 
provided other and cheaper substi- 
tutes such as eggs, milk, cheese and 
beans are used instead. Fish might 
well be substituted for meat for the 
sake of variety as well as of econ- 
omy, whei'ever it can be obtained 
fresh and cheap. Canned or salt fish 
also makes a useful and economical 
variation of the diet. 

FISH AS FOOD 

The flesh of fish is included with 
that of other animals on the food 
map on page 619. This shows that 
fish is similar in composition to meat 
and occupies much the same place 
in the diet. It contains practically 
'no carbohydrate but consists almost 
wholly of proteid and fat in varying 
proportions. Some fish such as fat 
mackerel, shad and salmon, contain a 
high percentage of fat. And these 
are believed to be less easily and 
readily digestible than the leaner 
kinds such as cod, haddock, perch, 
pike, bluefish and others. The ash 
or mineral matter in fish does not 
vary greatly in quantity or value 
from other foods. The notion that 
fish are richer in phosphorus, and 
hence more valuable as a brain food 
for students and other sedentary 
workers, has no scientific foundation. 
Experiments do not indicate that fish 
contain a larger percentage of phos- 
phorus than other kinds of flesh used 
as food, nor that phosphorus is any 
more essential to the brain than ni- 
trogen, potassium or other elements. 
The percentage of available nutrients 
per pound is somewhat less in fish 
than in most kinds of meat because 
fish contains a much larger propor- 
tion of water. But this difference is 
offset by the difference in cost under 
ordinary conditions and prices. 

A careful comparative study of dif- 
ferent sources of proteid shows that 
shell fish are the most expensive and 
the cheaper meats, fish aud cereals 



FOOD VALUES AND ADULTERATIONS 



631 



less expensive in the order mentioned. 
As sources of energy, shell fish are 
higher in price than common fish. 
The ordinary kinds of meats and the 
cereals are most economical. Both 
fish and the leaner kinds of meat are 
deficient in materials which yield 
muscular power. But when supple- 
mented by bread, potatoes and the 
like, they are the more important 
parts of a well-balanced diet. 

Cautions Concerning Fish. — Avoid 
fish which is not perfectly fresh and 
especially that which has been frozen 
and kept for a time after thawing 
and before being cooked. Such fish 
is liable to rapid decomposition with 
the forming of ptomaine poisons. 
As a general rule fish are unfit for 
food if the eyes are dull, the ball of 
the eye clouded, the giUs pale and 
frothy, the scales dry and easily 
loosened, or the meat so soft that it 
can be dented with the finger like 
putty. To test fish about which you 
are in doubt, lay them in water. If 
they sink they are probably good. 
But if they float they are certainly 
unfit for food. Remove canned fish 
promptly from the can and use at 
once. If left in the can there is 
danger of poisoning from metallic 
oxides formed by the action of the 
air on the inside of the can. More- 
over, canned fish deteriorates very 
rapidly after being opened. 

Do not buy or use clams in the 
shell unless they are alive. That is, 
use only clams which close the shell 
when taken out of water. Also avoid 
oysters which are not perfectly fresh. 
Oysters dead in the shell and even 
slightly decomposed may be extreme- 
ly poisonous. When removed from 
water good oysters close the shell, 
move when touched, are of normal 
size and color and have a clear fluid 
inside the shell. In the case of dead 
oysters the shells remain open. The 
oysters in a short time become dis- 
colored and very soft. They have a 
stale odor and show blackish rings in- 
side the shell. Oysters are some- 
times "floated" or "fattened" in 
water contaminated with sewage, and 



death sometimes results from eating 
them from typhoid fever and other 
diseases. The only safeguard against 
such conditions is to buy oysters only 
from the most reliable dealers. 



POULTRY AND DAIRY PRODUCTS 

In addition to meat and fish, the 
chief sources of proteid in the ordi- 
nary mixed diet are poultry and dairy 
products. Poultry differs very little 
in composition from other kinds of 
flesh used as food and is but slightly 
more digestible than beef, pork or 
mutton. The difference in digestibil- 
ity between the different kinds of 
poultry depends chiefly upon the 
amount of fat present. Fat birds 
such as fat geese are least easily di- 
gested. Tenderness assists digestion; 
hence young birds are more easily 
digested than old. The less used 
muscles such as those of the breast 
are also more digestible than the 
much used muscular tissues of the 
thighs or "drumsticks." Experiments 
indicate that there is very little dif- 
ference in digestibility between the 
white fleshed and dark fleshed birds, 
or between the white and dark meat 
of the same sj^ecies. 

From the standpoint of economy, 
home-grown chickens fed chiefly upon 
table scraps, sour milk and other by- 
products are among the cheapest and 
most wholesome kinds of food. 
Reckoning the cost of the actual nu- 
trients, chicken as purchased in city 
markets at low or average 'prices is 
the cheapest kind of poultry. It then 
compares favorably in economy with 
the cheaper cuts of beef and pork. 
Turkey and goose may be compared 
in value and economy to sirloin of 
beef and leg of lamb. Out-of-season 
chicken and turkey, capon, duck and 
green goose are more expensive. 
Squab, pheasant and quail are so 
dear as to be luxuries. Their place 
can be filled, however, in most lo- 
calities at little or no expense by 
trapping the ordinary English spar- 
row by methods elsewhere recom- 
mended. These birds are equally as 



632 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



fine as game birds in flavor. They 
are especially valuable as delicacies 
in sickness, either broiled or used as 
the basis of stews or broths. The 
chief value of game and poultry to 
invalids is found in the extractives 
they contain. These under projDer 
methods of cookery give the charac- 
teristic flavor which makes the pa- 
tient's "mouth water", i. e., they start 
the digestive juices flowing and stim- 
ulate the appetite. 

Eggs are a very important part of 
the average dietary. They furnish a 
light, easily-digested food, rich in 
proteid and especially suitable for 
breakfast or other light meals and 
useful for persons of sedentary 
habits. It is the practice of many 
families of moderate means to serve 
fresh meat for only one meal a day — 
i. e., dinner. They use for breakfast 
such foods as bacon, dried beef, cod 
fish or left-over meats. For lunch 
or supper, they have bread and but- 
ter, with cold meats and other left- 
overs, and perhaps the addition of 
cooked, fresh or preserved fruits. It 
is not sound economy to omit eggs 
from such a diet. At ordinary prices 
they are among the cheapest sources 
of proteid and should be used freely 
as meat substitutes. Eggs at 25 
cents a dozen are cheaper than meat, 
especially if one egg is sufficient to 
satisfy each person or if the average 
is less than two eggs per person, as 
will usually prove to be the case. 
Even at high prices the occasional 
use of eggs in the place of meat need 
not be regarded as a luxury. 

Milk and Skim Milk.— While milk 
is universally recognized as the 
standard food of infancy and child- 
hood its value as a food for adults 
is often underestimated. Milk is 
most commonly thought of merely as 
a beverage like coff'ee, tea or water. 
It is taken or not according to taste 
— or to satisfy thirst — rather than as 
a substitute for meat or other sub- 
stantial portion of the diet. Yet a 
single glass of milk contains about as 
much of the nutritive value of a meal 
as a quarter of a loaf of bread or 



a good slice of roast beef. A quart 
of fresh milk contains nutrients 
equivalent to three- fourths of a 
pound of meat or 6 ounces of bread. 

On the other hand milk is some- 
times spoken of as the only perfect 
food. This is perhaps true in the 
sense that it is possible to sustain 
life indefinitely upon an exclusive 
milk diet. Such a diet is sometimes 
prescribed in the treatment of rheu- 
matism and in some other diseases. 
Persons doing ordinary sedentary or 
light work can take sufficient milk to 
sustain themselves in good health and 
to furnish normal energy for periods 
of several months. Such a diet is 
not advisable for adults under ordi- 
nary conditions for the reason — 
among others — that to secure the re- 
quired amount of carbohydrate it is 
necessary to take a much larger 
amount of proteid than is necessary. 
Yet these facts indicate that milk 
should be regarded as a substantial 
food. 

Skim milk is often regarded on 
the farm as having little food value. 
It may be purchased in cities at a 
vei-y low rate, usually about 2 or 3 
cents a quart. Yet even after the 
bulk of the butter fat has been re- 
moved from milk by skimming, the 
solid nutrients make up nearly one- 
tenth of its entire weight and it af- 
fords one of the cheapest sources of 
proteid generally available. A lunch 
or meal of bread and skim milk is 
very nutritious in proportion to its 
cost and convenience. Eight ounces 
of bread eaten with a pint of skim 
milk will furnish very nearly one- 
third of the proteid required for a 
day's nutriment at a cost of 5 cents. 
As compared with the ordinary mixed 
diet of meat and potatoes, bread and 
skim milk make a better balanced 
and equally wholesome ration. 

Many housewives hesitate to re- 
move the cream from whole milk in 
the belief that they are thus robbing 
members of their family, and espe- 
cially growing children, of a neces- 
sary kind of nutriment. But this is 
not the case. The fuel value of the 



FOOD VALUES AND ADULTERATIONS 



633 



butter fat removed in cream can be 
supplied in the ordinary diet more 
cheaply by the use of butter, meat, 
sweets and other carbohydrates. And 
the skim milk is rich in carbohydrates 
and proteid. Many families in mod- 
erate circumstances who are in the 
habit of drinking whole milk and 
buying cream, would be quite as well 
off if the top of the milk for 2 or 3 
inches were poured into the cream 
pitcher. And there would be a 
marked saving in the cost of cream. 

Growing children will ordinarily 
drink freely of skim milk, if it is 
available, and nothing could be more 
wholesome for them. But since the 
older members of the family may not 
take kindly to skim milk as a food, 
it is an excellent plan to use it freely 
in cookery. Skim milk should be pre- 
ferred to water for making bread and 
all other recipes for which it is 
available. 

Milk soups furnish an excellent 
means of increasing the food value 
of a meal or using up superfluous 
milk. Milk may be mixed with stock 
made from meat, or used as a basis 
of vegetable purees, such as bean, 
pea, potato, corn and celery soups, or 
tomato bisque and the like. Oyster 
stew made of milk owes its food value 
to the milk more than to the oys- 
ters. 

Milk "white" or "cream" sauces are 
also very useful. They are nutritious 
and are a convenient and economical 
way of using up left-overs. Numer- 
ous recipes found elsewhere in this 
volume for puddings, desserts, blanc- 
mange, ice cream and junket, illus- 
trate the many ways in which surplus 
milk may be used up in the ordinary 
mixed diet. Among ordinary by- 
products of milk may be mentioned 
— junket, cottage cheese, butter milk, 
whey, sour milk or clabber, and kou- 
miss. All of these may profitably be 
employed to give variety. 

Cheese. — One of the most impor- 
tant among dairy products is cheese. 
This has been a common article of 
diet among ci\ilized people since the 
earliest times. Yet, oddly enough, 



its food value is not fully appre- 
ciated and it labors under what seems 
to be an unfounded prejudice, being 
supposed to cause certain digestive 
disturbances. Cheese is among the 
best of all meat substitutes and, at 
ordinary prices, is one of the cheap- 
est sources of proteid. Its flavor is 
so pronounced that there may be one 
or more members of a family who do 
not relish it. And from hick of ex- 
l^erience most housekeepers are un- 
skillful in the use of cheese in cook- 
ery. Yet when properly cooked and 
relished it may fill an important place 
in the diet. 

A series of careful experiments 
under the auspices of the Depart- 
ment of Agriculture have led to the 
conclusion that cheese, when used by 
normal healthy persons in sufficient 
quantity to be a substitute for meat, 
is not indigestible. Nor does it seem 
to cause any digestive disturbances. 
While there are jDersons with whom 
cheese does not agree, the same is 
true with many other articles of diet. 
If it should have a tendency to pro- 
duce constipation, this may be offset 
by adding fruits and fruit juices to 
the diet. Bread and cheese taken 
with fruit is a thoroughly well bal- 
anced and very economical ration. A 
number of suggestive bills of fare 
and recipes for the use of cheese, 
prepared under the supervision of the 
Department of Agriculture, are given 
elsewhere. (See Appendix.) 

SOURCES OF CARBOHYDRATES 

Sugar as Food. — Sugar, on account 
of its pleasant flavor and high nu- 
tritive value, is among the most de- 
servedly popular of all food prod- 
ucts. It occurs in several forms of 
which the best known are cane sugar 
— the ordinary granulated sugar and 
other well known kinds used in cook- 
ery — glucose, made from starch; milk 
sugar, grape sugar and honey. Sugar 
is also produced in large quantities 
from the sugar beet. And maple 
sugar is an important article of com- 
merce. Roughly speaking, sugar is 



634 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



the equivalent of starch after the 
latter has been digested and made 
soluble. Thus a mealy potato is very 
nearly akin to sugar, but — like all 
forms of starchy food — it must be 
turned into a kind of sugar by the 
digestive juices before it can be ab- 
sorbed by the system. This process 
is started by a ferment contained in 
the saliva. It is continued and com- 
pleted in* the intestine. Sugar in 
proper quantity is very fully and 
rapidly digestible and is one of the 
most important sources of heat and 
energy in the diet. For this reason 
men employed at hard labor — espe- 
cially in cold climates, as lumbermen 
in the northern forests — use large 
quantities of sugar in the form of 
molasses. And, for similar reasons, 
it is relished by children to supply 
the energy required by their active 
habits. 

Sugar, like starch, is fattening 
since, when taken in excess, it may 
be transformed into fat and stored 
as reserve fuel. On this account 
sugar should be used sparingly by 
persons who tend to become corpu- 
lent. 

Sugar, confectionery, and the vari- 
ous sweet table sirups and molasses 
are not luxuries. They are not only 
valuably as flavors. They have high 
food value and may properly be re- 
garded as economical sources of heat 
and energy. Well-to-do families in 
our country consume about 2 pounds 
of sugar per week per person. Most 
of the bad effects sometimes ascribed 
to sugar are due to its use in excess. 
Sugar is not any more harmful to 
the teeth than other foods. If al- 
lowed to cling to the teeth after eat- 
ing it rapidly ferments and forms 
acids that may be injurious. But 
this is true of all starchy foods. The 
remedy is to be found in proper care 
of the teeth as elsewhere recommend- 
ed. Neither does sugar produce 
gout; although it may be injurious in 
large quantities in certain classes of 
illness. 

In addition to being used as a fla- 
vor in cooked foods and otherwise, 



considerable quantities of sugar are 
taken in fresh fruits — of which it 
sometimes forms one-tenth or more — 
and dried fruits such as figs, dates 
and raisins, of which as much as 50 
per cent may be sugar. 

Large quantities of sugar are also 
taken as confectionery. Cheap can- 
dies are made largely from glucose. 
This is no longer considered an in- 
jurious adulterant, although it is not 
quite so digestible as sugar. It may, 
therefore, overload the stomach more 
easily. The best authorities seem to 
agree that, while sugar is a valuable 
food for growing children, it should 
be withheld from infants under two 
years of age. Nor should it be used 
for older children to sweeten cereal 
foods which form their staple food. 
Mush, porridge, and similar prepara- 
tions of wheat or other grain, should 
Jbe eaten only with milk or cream. 
They are then in the same class as 
bread and milk and form the simple, 
wholesome basis of a meal. Sugar 
should preferably be given afterward 
in a simple pudding, or dessert, or 
in the form of lump sugar or home- 
made candy. Indeed, the best man- 
ner and time for giving candy to 
children is in the form of a few bon- 
bons for dessert rather than at all 
hours of the day between meals. 

Cereals. — Wheat bread and loaves 
of corn, rye or other cereal prod- 
ucts, together with the cereal break- 
fast foods, form a very essential part 
of the ordinary mixed diet. The va- 
rious cereals are similar in chemical 
composition. They contain little fat, 
but consist, on an average, of 10 per 
cent proteid and from 60 to 80 per 
cent carbohydrate with varying pro- 
portions of water and ash. The ce- 
reals rank v/ith milk and other dairy 
products as among the cheapest 
sources of nutriment. An average 
man at moderately active work re- 
quires about J of a pound of pro- 
teid with enough fats and carbohy- 
drates daily to make a total of 3,000 
calories of available energy. Milk 
contains all three classes of nutri- 
ents but not in the proper propor- 



FOOD VALUES AND ADULTERATIONS 



635 



tions for healthy adults. Meats and 
cheese are rich in proteid and fat. 
Vegetables are especially rich in car- 
bohydrates. Cereals contain both 
proteid and carbohydrates but in such 
proportions that, in order to get the 
requisite amount of proteid from 
bread alone, one would have to take 
more carbohydrate than would other- 
wise be necessary. Hence, the com- 
bination of bread with such foods as 
meat, milk or cheese, which are rich 
in proteid, makes a much better bal- 
anced ration. 

All of the cereals contain an inner 
kernel surrounded by one or more 
outer hulls. These hulls are ordi- 
narily removed in the process of mill- 
ing and sold as bran which is fed to 
stock. The popular opinion that 
bread made fi*om the entire grain 
is more wholesome is not sustained 
by scientific experiments. The bran 
contains a large proportion of cellu- 
lose, or woodj' fiber, which is wholly 
indigestible. This substance may 
have some value as a laxative in 
cases of constipation, since, by me- 
chanical action it stimulates the peri- 
staltic action of the bowel. But it 
adds very little nutritive value to the 
loaf. On the contrary, experiments 
indicate that its presence somewhat 
lessens the digestibility of the finer 
portion of the grain. On the whole it 
may be taken for granted that the 
ordinary white bread is not only more 
palatable, and preferable for ap- 
pearance sake, but is actually a more 
economical source of nutriment. 
However, all kinds of bread are nu- 
tritious and are to be recommended 
for the sake of variety. This is 
equally as important in bread as in 
meats, vegetables and puddings. 

The cheaper grades of flour are 
about as nutritious as the more ex- 
pensive and may be used without 
hesitancy if economy is required. 
Crackers, macaroni, and the various 
kinds of cake made from white flour 
have practically the same nutritive 
value as l)read and are equally well 
digested by healthy adults. Hot 
bread in the form of rolls and bis- 



cuit is also found to be digestible, if 
properly masticated. The value of 
toast for invalids and others is due 
to several changes produced by heat- 
ing. A portion of the carbohydrates 
becomes more soluble and hence more 
easily digested. If the heating is 
strong enough any ferments and bac- 
teria present may be killed. Toast, 
on account of its dryness, is likely to 
be well masticated. And partial 
caramelization gives a crispness and 
flavor which stimulate the digestive 
juices. Bread made with skim milk 
makes a better balanced ration than 
that made with water alone and is 
preferable since it does not material- 
ly increase the cost. The common 
custom of eating butter or some 
other fat with bread is justified by 
the fact that the cereals, with the 
exception of corn, have little or no 
fat content. 

Breakfast Foods. — Careful studies 
in large numbers of American fam- 
ilies show that the various cereals 
furnish over one-fifth of the total 
food, about one-third of the total 
proteid and considerably over one- 
half of the total carbohydrates of the 
average dietary. Of these about 2 
per cent are furnished by the mod- 
ern cereal breakfast foods. Notwith- 
standing that the percentage is small, 
the total quantity of such foods con- 
sumed is very great. And the mil- 
lions of dollars expended in adver- 
tising the claims of superiority made 
for these foods by their manufac- 
turers give the subject popular inter- 
est. A careful study of the princi- 
pal breakfast foods, made under the 
supervision of the Department of 
Agriculture, indicates that their nu- 
tritive value and digestibility are 
practically the same as the old-fash- 
ioned porridge and similar dishes. 
The ready-to-eat cereals economize 
time and, to some extent, fuel. This 
advantage may justify the dlff'erence 
in their cost under certain conditions 
in the household. The process of 
preparation in most cases is thor- 
oughly cleanly and sanitary. And the 
small pasteboard packages in which 



636 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



these products are put up protect the 
contents from all possible contamina- 
tion. They also afford a convenient 
means of storage in the pantry. In 
general it was found that the less ex- 
pensive kinds of raw cereal break- 
fast foods selling for about 4 cents a 
pound in bulk were as economical as 
flour, meal, or other forms of cereals 
with which they may be properly 
compared. The higher prices of 
ready-to-eat brands, however, do not 
yield any additional nutriment. 
Their advantage, if any, lies in their 
convenience and the pleasant variety 
they afford. Some of these are ex- 
cessively high in price, the maximum 
being about 15 cents per pound, or 
nearly four times as much as thei" 
nutritive value would justify. 

The so-called malted foods and 
others said to be predigested, are 
perhaps the most objectionable of 
any. The claims made for them are 
largely fraudulent. The addition of 
malt and similar processes are de- 
signed to transform the starch con- 
tent of such foods into sugar and 
other soluble forms. Experiment 
with most of the advertised foods 
shows that this has really not been 
done to any appreciable extent. 
Moreover, healthy adults are more 
likely to be injured than benefited 
by the use of predigested foods. 
Nor should they be used by invalids 
except upon the advice of a compe- 
tent physician. Hence, while these 
foods are really more wholesome than 
they would be if actually predigested, 
they are sold under misrepresenta- 
tion, and at excessively high prices 
which are in no way justifiable. 

Coffee Substitutes. — Cereal prod- 
ucts as coffee substitutes appear to 
be made of parched barley, wheat and 
other grain, sometimes mixed with 
pea hulls, corn cobs or bran. Such 
grain parched with a little molasses 
in an ordinary oven makes something 
undistinguishable in flavor from the 
cereal coffees on the market. The 
claim of the manufacturers that these 
substitutes yield more nourishment 
than coffee is entirely unfounded. 



They contain little or no nutriment, 
skim milk being about twenty times 
as nutritive. If strict economy is 
necessary it will be found equally as 
satisfactory to use old-fashioned 
"crust coffee" made by toasting 
broken crusts of white, brown, or 
preferably "rye and Indian" bread, 
steeping them in hot water and 
straining until comparatively clear. 
Or parched corn, rye sweet potato 
or other old-fashioned coffee substi- 
tutes may be used. 

Vegetables in the Diet. — In addi- 
tion to the cereals, vegetable foods 
may be classified as legumes, tubers, 
roots and bulbs, green vegetables and 
fruits. The principal legumes used 
as food are peas, beans, cow-peas 
and lentils. While about one-half of 
these consists of carbohydrate in the 
form of starch, they also contain 
about one-fourth proteid. The re- 
mainder is chiefly water and refuse, 
since the proportion of fat which 
they contain is small. The dried 
legumes are so rich in proteid and 
comparatively so cheap a source of 
this most important nutrient, that 
they may well be used for the sake 
of both economy and variety, as sub- 
stitutes for meat in the daily dietary. 
The lack of fat in legumes suggests 
the addition of butter or other suit- 
able fat, as salt pork, in the process 
of cooking. Dietary studies and ex- 
periments with legumes indicate that, 
when properly cooked and combined 
with other foods in the , ordinary 
mixed diet, they are well digested. 
Their tendency to cause flatulence 
may be corrected by soaking in soda 
and water and parboiling to remove 
the skin. Also by the addition of 
soda and salt in cooking. There can 
be no doubt that such foods as baked 
beans, pur6e of peas, and the like, 
are a valuable and economical part 
of the diet, especially for men em- 
ployed at muscular work and for 
growing children. In view of their 
low cost, high nutritive value and 
wholesomeness, they m.ay profitably 
be used to a much greater extent 
than they are at present. 



FOOD VALUES AND ADULTERATIONS 



637 



The potato, among roots and tu- 
bers, is most commonly used as food. 
This and other root crops contain 
from 70 to 90 per cent of water. 
Hence the digestible nutrients pres- 
ent are somewhat less than 10 to 30 
per cent. The greater part of the 
solid matter consists of carbohydrate. 
The amount of proteid and fat fur- 
nished by root crops is negligible. 
Hence, potatoes and other roots must 
.be balanced in the diet by meat, milk, 
butter and similar sources of fat and 
proteid. Mashed potato, prepared 
with milk and butter, is for this rea- 
son more wholesome and palatable 
than plain boiled jDotato. 

Use preferably young potatoes of 
the early varieties, of medium size, 
smooth and regular in shape and with 
comparatively few eyes. Avoid old 
potatoes especially about the time 
they begin to sprout and become soft 
and watery. Discard, especially in 
the case of old potatoes, any which 
have been turned green by the sun. 
The green portion contains solanin, a 
virulent acid poison. The danger 
from this increases the longer the 
potato is kept before being used. 
Potatoes rank next to bread stuffs 
as a source of carbohydrate in the 
diet. 

The sweet potato resembles the 
white potato in composition although 
it contains a larger proportion of 
sugar and there are some other dif- 
ferences. It is equally as whole- 
some. While slightly more expen- 
sive it is to be recommended, at ordi- 
nary prices, as a substitute for 
the white potato for the sake of va- 
riety. 

Succulent roots, tubers and bulbs 
such as beets, carrots, parsnips, tur- 
nips, onions and the like are much less 
important as source of nutrients than 
the cereal foods, or the starchy roots 
and tubers such as the potato. Their 
chief value lies in their flavors as 
aids to digestion. They also supply 
the body with mineral salts and by 
their bulk and the proportion of cel- 
lulose which they contain stimulate 
the peristaltic action of the bowel. 



Fresh fruits are similar to green 
vegetables in composition, but they 
often contain considerable percent- 
ages of sugar. They are very dilute 
foods and usually contain 80 per cent 
or more of water. With the notable 
exception of the olive, fruits contain 
very little fat, nor do they have any 
importance as sources of proteid. 
They have some nutritive value as 
sources of carbohydrate, chiefly in 
the form of sugar, the percentage of 
which in common fruits ranges from 
1 to as high as 15 per cent. But 
like green vegetables their value is 
chiefly in their flavors and mineral 
salts as aids to digestion and in their 
laxative effect. 

Experiments have shown that per- 
sons living on an exclusive fruit and 
nut diet may apparently maintain 
their health and strength for a con- 
siderable length of time. The cost of 
such diet, however, does not differ 
greatly from that of an ordinary 
mixed diet. Nor is there anything to 
show that it is in other respects equal 
or superior. Dried and pi-eserved 
fruits form an especially important 
part of the diet since they may con- 
tain 50 per cent or more of available 
carbohydrates in the form of sugar, 
in addition to many characteristics of 
fresh fruit. In short fruits are a 
valuable part of a well-balanced diet 
and may well be eaten in larger 
quantities than at present. 

FOOD ADULTERATIONS 

A preservative added to a food is 
an adulteration, because it is a for- 
eign substance and neither a food nor 
a condiment. It is an entirely differ- 
ent question whether the food thus 
preserved is wholesome. A commer- 
cial sausage may contain a considera- 
ble amount of starch, which is added 
in order to allow the use of more fat 
or water to the product. This is not 
injurious, but the customer buys the 
product at a high price believing that 
he is getting a genuine sausage and 
nothing else. 

On account of the frequent use of 



638 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



adulterants, some simple tests are 
here given. These can be performed 
without any special chemical knowl- 
edge by carefully following the di- 
rections given. Any hoi'^^lieeper or 
teacher can do the work. These in- 
structions were compiled by E. H. S. 
Bailey, Ph. D., for the Kansas State 
Board of Health. The complete 
details of many of the processes are 
given in the recent article by Bigelow 
and Howard, in Bulletin No. 100, 
United States Department of Agri- 




"7s /* Any Wonder I Am Oetting the 
Reputation of Being a Dyspeptic?" 

culture. Bureau of Chemistry. From 
this excellent publication many of the 
following tests are taken. 

Kitchen Tests. — In addition to the 
ordinary kitchen dishes and utensils 
the following will be required: One 
glass funnel, three inches in diam- 
eter; white cut filter-papers, five 
inches in diameter; and one medicine- 
dropper. The chemicals required 
are: One four-ounce bottle of strong 
hydrochloric (muriatic) acid; one 
four-ounce bottle of aqua ammonia; 
one eight-ounce bottle of chloroform; 
one four-ounce bottle of alcohol; one 
one-quarter pound bottle of hydro- 
gen peroxide; one one-ounce bottle of 
tincture of iodine; one-quarter of an 
ounce of ferric alum; one-half an 
ounce of logwood chips; one-quarter 
of a pound of fuller's earth; a few 
pieces of sheet zinc; a few square 
inches of turmeric-paper. 



All of the above can be readily ob- 
tained at any drug store. If it is 
proposed to have the chemicals about 
the house, the bottles should be pro- 
vided with poison labels by the drug- 
gist. 

CANNED VEGETABLES 

Vegetables put up by reputable 
manufacturers who think it worth 
while to keep a good brand on the. 
market are usually of good quality 
and wholesome. Sometimes, however, 
coloring matter and preservatives are 
present. Notice the appearance of 
the tin can containing canned vege- 
tables or fruit. If it is convex in- 
stead of concave at the ends, and if 
when water is poured on the end of 
the can and the can is punctured, 
bubbles of gas come out through the 
- water, the contents have begun to 
ferment and are not fit for use. 

Copper. — The only artificial color- 
ing matter usually found in canned 
vegetables is copper. This is acjded 
to produce a natural green color. 
This is most likely to be found in 
peas and string-beans. It has also 
been frequently used in pickles. 

To test for copper: Mash two 
heaping tablespoonfuls of the sam- 
ple with a stiff' spoon, and put the 
pulp in a teacup, with three times as 
much water. With a medicine-drop- 
per add thirty drops of hydrochloric 
acid, and set the cup in a pan of 
boiling water on the stove. Drop a 
bright two-penny nail in the mixture, 
and keep the water in the pan boiling 
for about twenty minutes. Take care 
to stir the solution occasionally with 
a splinter. Pour out the contents of 
the cup, rinse off" the nail and exam- 
ine it. If any appreciable quantity 
of copper is present in the food the 
nail will be plated red. 

PEESERVATIVES 

The preservatives "most commonly 
used in canned vegetables are borax, 
sodium benzoate and salicylic acid. 
Sodium sulphite is also sometimes 



FOOD VALUES AND ADULTERATIONS 



639 



added both to bleach the product and 
to act as a preservative. Saccharin, 
which acts very slightly as a pre- 
servative, is used with such vegeta- 
bles as sweet corn and in tomato cat- 
sup, as a sweetening agent. 

Borax. — To detect borax or boric 
acid, mash a sample, as for copper, 
with a tumbler used as a pestle in a 
tea saucer, add a few teaspoonfuls 
of water, and strain through a cloth, 
putting the wet, folded cloth in the 
funnel. Collect about a teaspoonful 
of the liquid that comes through the 
filter in a sauce-dish, and add to this 
four drops of hydrochloric acid. Dip 
into this solution a piece of yellow 
turmeric-paper about an inch square. 
Then dry the paper by placing it in 
a clean saucer over a teakettle of 
boiling water. If borax is present, 
the yellow paper will become cherry- 
red when dry. If a drop or two of 
ammonia be put upon it, when cold, 
the color will change to a greenish 
black. 

Benzoic and Salicylic Acid. — To 
detect sodium benzoate or benzoic 
acid and salicylic acid, macerate and 
filter a sample as above. By gently 
squeezing the bag or cloth contain- 
ing the sample, obtain two ounces of 
the liquid. Place this solution in a 
narrow bottle holding about five 
ounces. The ordinary quinine bottle 
of the druggist is convenient. Add a 
quarter of a teaspoonful of cream of 
tartar and about three tablespoon- 
fuls of chloroform, and mix thor- 
oughljr with a splinter. Do not shake 
too vigorously or the chloroform will 
not separate readily from the rest of 
the liquid. Pour the mixture into a 
tumbler, and after the chloroform 
layer has settled to the bottom of the 
tumbler, take out with a medicine- 
dropper all the clear chloroform pos- 
sible and divide it into two parts, 
A and B. 

Place one-half of the chloroform 
solution (A) in a glass sauce-dish. 
Set the dish on the outside of a win- 
dow-ledge close to the window, and 
allow the chloroform to evaporate. 
In cold weather the sauce-dish should 



be placed in a pan of hot water be- 
fore being placed on the window- 
ledge. When the cliloroform has 
evaporated, if the quantity of ben- 
zoic acid is sufficient it will be seen 
in the bottom of the dish in small flat 
crystals. It the dish is warmed 
slightly the odor of gum benzoin 
may be recognized. A better con- 
firmatory test, however, is, without 
warming the residue left after the 
evaporation of the chloroform, to add 
to it a half teaspoonful of strong- 
ammonia water and three teaspoon- 
fuls of strong hydrogen peroxide, as 
obtained at the drug store, and let 
the solution stand over night. The 
next day pour the liquid remaining 
in the sauce-dish into one of the tall 
bottles used above, add a piece of 
turmeric-paper and then hydrochloric 
acid, drop by drop, stirring with a 
splinter, until the turmeric-paper 
changes from a brown to a clear 
yellow color, then add chloroform as 
in the first part of the test, and 
after stirring thoroughly take out 
the chloroform with the dropper and 
allow it to evaporate on the window- 
ledge. Finally treat the residue re- 
maining in the sauce-dish for sali- 
cylic acid as noted below. The treat- 
ment with ammonia and hydrogen 
peroxide was for the purpose of 
changing the benzoic acid to sali- 
cylic acid. 

To test the other half of the solu- 
tion (B) for salicylic acid, pour it 
into a tall five-ounce bottle contain- 
ing a tablespoonful of water, and 
add to the solution a piece of iron 
alum about as large as the head of a 
pin. 

Shake the mixture and allow the 
chloroform to again settle to the bot- 
tom of the bottle. If salicylic acid 
is present, the upper layer of the 
liquid, or the line separating the two 
liquids, will be of purple color. 

Sulphites. — To detect sulphites . in 
food, as for instance in jelly or in 
sirups, place about an ounce of the 
material, with the addition of some 
water — if necessary — to make a thin 
liquid, in a tumbler, add a dozen 



640 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



small pieces of zinc, and about fifty 
drops of hydrochloric acid. Cover the 
tumbler with a sauce-dish, and allow 
to stand for a few minutes in a 
warm place. In the presence of sul- 
phites the gas, hydrogen sulphide, 
which has a disagreeable odor like 
rotten eggs, can be recognized in the 
tumbler by the sense of smell. 

If the hydrogen sulphide cannot be 
detected by its odor, it can often be 
found by proceeding as follows: 
Stick, by means of sealing wax, a 
clean, bright ten-cent piece on a 
splinter of wood so that it will hold 
the silver coin above the liquid in the 
cup. Place the stick and coin in the 
tumbler and let it stand covered in 
a warm place for from thirty min- 
utes to an hour or so, if the color 
does not appear before. If the coin 
is stained brown to black, sulphites 
are indicated; the greater the quan- 
tity, the darker the stain. 

Saccharin. — Saccharin is used in 
the place of sugar to sweeten vari- 
ous food products. It is made from 
coal-tar and is about 500 times as 
sweet as ordinary sugar. To detect 
this substance, the sample of food is 
extracted with chloroform as de- 
scribed in the method for detecting 
sodium benzoate, and the chloroform 
solution is allowed to evaporate in a 
glass dish in the open air. If a con- 
siderable amount of saccharin is 
present the residue left in the dish 
will have an intensely sweet taste. 

CANNED FRUIT AND PRESERVES 

There is very little excuse for the 
use of preservatives, and not any at 
all for the use of artificial coloring 
matters in canned fruits. The pre- 
servatives mentioned under canned 
vegetables are those more commonly 
used, and the methods for their de- 
tection given in the previous section 
may also be applied to canned fruits. 

Jams, Jellies and Preserves. — 
There is no class of food products, 
with the exception of spices, so com- 
monly adulterated as jams and jel- 
lies. The basis for the cheap jellies 



is often the pomace or refuse from 
the cider-mill, the sweetening is glu- 
cose or corn sirup, the coloring mat- 
ter is a coal-tar dye. Hence the use 
of a preservative is almost always 
necessary. Starch is often used as a 
filler or gelatinizing agent. 

Dyeing Test. — To detect a coal-tar 
or anilin dye, mix a few teaspoonfuls 
of the jam or jelly with some water 
. and filter first through cloth and aft- 
erwards through filter-paper. The 
filter-paper should be folded across 
the middle, and again at a right angle 
to this fold. Place in the funnel so 
that there shall be three thicknesses 
on one side and one on the other. 
Moisten the paper with water to hold 
it in place. Add a few drops of hy- 
drochloric acid to the filtered solu- 
tion of the jelly, and place it in a 
teacup in a pan of boiling water on 
the stove. Boil a small piece (about 
' an inch square) of white woolen 
cloth or nun's veiling with a little 
soap, and, after rinsing, place it in 
the colored solution to be tested. 
After heating for ten minutes, take 
out the cloth and rinse in clear water. 
If the cloth is not colored, the ex- 
periment may be discontinued. 

If, however, the cloth is colored, 
to confirm the test, heat the cloth in 
a teacup in clear water containing 
about a teaspoonful of ammonia. 
This will dissolve the anilin color out 
of the cloth, but will have little ef- 
fect on a natural fruit color. Take 
the piece of cloth and add enough 
hydrochloric acid to the contents of 
the cup so that the solution will not 
smell of ammonia. Put into this 
solution a new piece of washed wool- 
en cloth and heat again in a pan of 
water. If an anilin dye is present, 
the cloth will be dyed, and after 
heating a short time, may be taken 
out and rinsed in clear water. This 
method of testing may also be ap- 
plied to tomato catsup, which is fre- 
quently artificially colored. 

Starch. — -If considerable starch 
paste has been added to a jelly, it 
may be detected by adding to the 
cold filtered solution a few drops of 




Side of the Steer after being dressed 



FOOD VALUES AND ADULTERATIONS 



641 



liiKlure of iodin. The j^roduction of 
;m intense blue color indicates starch. 
OI)serve that this color may be modi- 
lied by any dye that is present in 
the sample examined. 

FLAVORING EXTRACTS AND CON- 
DIMENTS 

Lemon Extract. — The extracts in 
most common use are those of lemon 
and vanilla. Extract of lemon, ac- 
cording to the United States Phar- 
niacopa2ia, should contain 5 per cent 
of oil of lemon. About 85 per cent 
of alcohol is required to keep this in 
solution. Much of the extract of 
lemon on the market contains so 
little oil of lemon that it can with 
difficulty be measured. The oil is 
also often replaced by some other 
essential oil, as that of lemon grass. 
To hold the small quantity of oil of 
lemon in solution, a 25 or 30 per cent 
alcohol is often used. The yellow 
color of this product is produced by 
the use of a yellow anilin dye. As 
oil of lemon is held in solution by 
alcohol, to test the character of the 
extract, add to a teaspoonful of the 
sample, in a tumbler, three times as 
much water. If the liquid does not 
become milky the sample is not gen- 
uine. If the solution remains per- 
fectly clear on the addition of the 
water, or is slightly turbid only, the 
extract is of very poor quality. When 
buying lemon extract, shake vigor- 
ously. If the foam docs not disap- 
pear immediately the extract is not 
genuine. 

Vanilla Extract. — Extract of van- 
illa, if genuine, is made by exhaust- 
ing vanilla beans with alcohol. Fre- 
quently Tonka beans are in part or 
wholly substituted for the vanilla 
beans. The coloring matter in the 
artificial extract is usually caramel, 
burnt sugar, or prune juice, and arti- 
ficial vanillin is added to strengthen 
the ordinary product. To detect car- 
airiel, shake the bottle containing the 
extract, and observe the foam on the 
top of the liquid. If the extract is 
pure the foam is colorless and per- 



sists; but if caramel has been added, 
there is a brownish color at the point 
of contact of the bubbles until the 
last bubble disappears. 

As pure extract of vanilla contains 
considerable resin, which is held in 
solution by the alcohol, a test may 
be made for this as follows: Evap- 
orate about two tablespoonfuls of 
the extract in a sauce-dish placed 
over a teakettle of boiling water. 
When one-third of the liquid has 
evaporated olT, jiour the residue into 
a tumbler and dilute with water to 
the original volume. If the liquid 
is turbid, and the resin separates as 
a brownish substance, the extract is 
probably genuine. If, on the other 
hand, the liquid remains clear after 
dilution, though of course of a brown 
color, this indicates that it is arti- 
ficial. 

Vinegar. — Vinegar is usually made 
from cider, wine, malt, or spirits. 
Much of the so-called "white wine 
vinegar" is made from spirits of al- 
cohol. One method of detecting the 
source of a vinegar is to rinse out 
a tumbler with the sample and al- 
low it to stand over night. The odor 
of the residue will enable one who 
is accustomed to these odors to de- 
tect the source of the vinegar. An- 
other method is to evaporate some of 
the vinegar in a tea saucer over a 
teakettle of boiling water. The odor 
and taste of the residue left in the 
saucer are characteristic. From spirit 
vinegar the residue is very small in 
quantity and practically odorless. 

To detect the addition of caramel 
to vinegar, add about two teaspoon- 
fuls of fuller's earth to two ounces 
of vinegar, in a tall bottle of about 
five ounces' capacity. Shake vigor- 
ously, allow to stand a half hour, 
and filter. The first part of the fil- 
trate should be poured through the 
filter a second time. Compare the 
color of this filtrate with the color of 
a sample of the vinegar which has 
not been filtered. This may be con- 
veniently poured into another bottle 
of the same size as that containing 
the filtered sample. If the coloring 



642 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



matter is largely removed by filtra- 
tion, this indicates that the sam- 
ple has been colored with car- 
amel. 

Sulphuric acid has often been used 
as an adulterant of vinegar. To de- 
tect it, moisten a lump of sugar with 
the suspected vinegar and place on a 
saucer. Place a second piece of 
sugar moistened with water on a sec- 
ond saucer, and put the two into a 
warm (not hot) oven. If the sugar 
moistened with the vinegar becomes 
brown to black after a short time, 
while the second piece remains white, 
the presence of sulphuric acid is in- 
dicated. 

Sugar; Honey. — Artificial honey is 
sometimes made by the use of com- 
mon sugar and glucose, which is flav- 
ored to resemble the natural product. 
To detect the latter, add to a some- 
what dilute solution of honey at 
least an equal volume of alcohol and 
stir. The production of a white pre- 
cipitate of dextrose, which finally 
settles to the bottom of the glass, in- 
dicates the presence of glucose. This 
test may also be applied to a solu- 
tion of candy. Glucose is not, how- 
ever, properly considered an adulter- 
ant in candy. 

To detect starch in candy, boil 
some of the solution, and after cool- 
ing add a few drops of a tincture 
of iodine. The production of an in- 
tense blue color indicates starch. 
White sugar, especially granulated, 
before the passage of the pure food 
laws, usually contained a little blue 
coloring matter, such as ultramar- 
ine. This may be detected by making 
a strong solution of sugar in a tum- 
bler and allowing it to stand for sev- 
eral days. The blue coloring matter 
will finally settle to the bottom of 
the glass. If saccharin is added to 
candy or a food product, it may be 
detected by the test given under 
"Canned Vegetables." 

Spices and Condiments. — Spices, 
especially those which are ground, 
are very often adulterated. If a 
sample has not a strong spicy odor 
and taste, this is an indication of 



adulteration. Cocoanut shells, prune 
pits and inert materials are often 
used as adulterants, but starchy sub- 
stances are also extensively used. 
But observe that many spices also 
naturally contain starch. This is not 
the case, however, with cloves, mus- 
tard, and cayenne. Hence these may 
be tested for starch as follows: 
Stir a half-teaspoonful of the spice 
into half a cup of boiling water, and 
heat in a pan of water on the stove 
for a few minutes. Cool the mix- 
ture, and dilute with water so 
that the solution shall not be very 
strongly colored. Add a few drops 
of tincture of iodine. The pro- 
duction of a blue color indicates 
starch. 

To test for turmeric > — a vegetable 
coloring matter in ground mustard — 
digest some of the sample with al- 
cohol, and after a short time dip a 
'piece of white filter-paper in the mix- 
ture. If the paper is colored a 
bright yellow turmeric is probably 
present. 

BAKING CHEMICALS 

Baking Powder. — As the statement 
that appears on the label of a bak- 
ing powder can is often deceptive, 
it may be of interest to prove 
whether a sample contains alum or 
not. To test for alum, make a fresh 
extract of logwood, either from the 
chips or the solid extract, by treat- 
ing with water and pouring away 
the first and second extracts. Use 
the third extract obtained and allow 
it to settle. Place two teaspoonfuls 
of baking powder in a teacup and 
add to it four teaspoonfuls of cold 
water. With a medicine-dropper add 
twenty drops of extract of logwood 
to the mixture and stir with a splin- 
ter. Place the teacup in a pan of 
hot water on the stove and examine 
the color after two hours. If the 
baking powder contains alum, or a 
compound of aluminum, a distinct 
lavender color will be produced, but 
if this substance is not present in 
the sample, only a dirty brown or 



FOOD VALUES AND ADULTERATIONS 



643 



pink color will appear. It is well 
to make a test at first on samples of 
known composition, so as to recog- 
nize the colors accurately. 

Cream of Tartar. — The cream of 
tartar on the market is frequently 
adulterated with acid calcium phos- 
phate, alum, and even plaster, and 
starch. A simple test to determine 
the purity of the sample is to stir 
one level teaspoonful of it into a 
cupful of boiling water. Pure cream 
of tartar will dissolve completely, 
but many of the adulterants will 
only partially dissolve. The solution 
may then be poured into a tumbler 
that has been previously warmed. 
When cold, the cream of tartar will 
crystallize out in very characteristic 
crystals. To detect starch, add to a 
little of the cooled solution a few 
drops of tincture of iodine. The pro- 
duction of a blue color indicates that 
starch or flour is present. 

TEA AND COFFEE 

There is hardly any adulterated 
tea on the market, although there are 
some very poor grades and there may 
be too muCh "tea siftings" in the 
sample. Ground cofi^ee is very often 
adulterated. Some simple tests for 
adulterants may be made. If ground 
colfee is dropped into a glass of 
cold water, the genuine coflFee will 
float, and will not discolor the water 
for several minutes. Most of the 
adulterants sink to the bottom and 
leave a brown trail in the water. But 
little coff^ee is contained in the so- 
called "cofi'ee substitutes." The pro- 
portion of coff^ee in a sample may 
be ascertained approximately by 
dropping it into cold water, as 
very few coffee substitutes will 
float. 

Many of the substitutes are of a 
starchy nature. Starch may be test- 
ed for in the ordinary infusion pre- 
pared for the table, when cold, by 
diluting it until it is not too strong- 
ly colored, and then testing by tinc- 
ture of iodine. (See test under 
"Sugar.") 



DAIRY PRODUCTS 

]yiilk, butter, ice cream and 
cheese are frequently adulterated. 
Milk is adulterated by adding water, 
coloring matters and preservatives. 
When water is added to milk, it 
changes the natural color, and the 
milk becomes bluish- white. If a yel- 
low coal-tar dye has been added to 
the milk to restore the natural color 
when watered, this may be detected 
by adding an equal quantity of 
strong hydrochloric acid to a sample 
of the milk and afterwards heating. 
A pink coloration indicates the pres- 
ence of the dye. 

Another test is to allow the milk 
to stand in a tumbler for about 
twelve hours, or until the cream 
rises, and notice the color of the 
cream and of the milk layer. If the 
lower layer is of a yellow color, 
about the same as that of the cream, 
an artificial color is indicated. 

To detect annatto, a yellow color- 
ing matter, stir some washing soda 
into the milk, and after standing a 
few minutes filter through filter pa- 
per. Then wash the milk off the pa- 
per, and if annatto is present the 
paper is colored yeUow to orange. 

If the milk does not turn sour in 
the usual time, the presence of a 
preservative is indicated. Baking 
soda is sometimes added to correct 
the acid of the milk. If an appre- 
ciable quantity of this substance has 
been used, the milk, after standing 
a few hours, will have a slightly al- 
kaline reaction; that is, it will 
change a piece of yellow turmeric 
paper to an orange-red color. 

Formaldehyde. — Other preserva- 
tives are sometimes used, but that 
which is the most common is formal- 
dehyde or formalin, because a little 
goes a long way as a preservative. 
To detect this substance, place four 
tablespoonfuls of the sample in a 
teacup, with an equal quantity of 
strong hydrochloric acid and a piece 
of ferric alum about the size of the 
head of a pin. After mixing, by 
giving the contents of the cup a 



644 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



rotary motion, place the cup in a pan 
of boiling water on the stove, and al- 
low to stand for five minutes. If 
formaldehyde is present, the mixture 
will be of a purple color. A similar 
test may be made for formaldehyde 
in ice cream, although if starch is 
present in the cream this may modify 
the shade of the purple. 

Butter. — The substitutes for gen- 
uine butter are "process" or "reno- 
vated" butter, and oleomargarin or 
"butterine." Process butter is made 
by treating old or rancid butter by 
melting, skimming and allowing the 
brine and curd to sink to the bottom, 
whence it is drawn off. Air is then 
blown through the melted butter-fat, 
and the product is churned with milk 
or cream. Oleomargarin is made 
from various mixtures of oleo-oil, 
cottonseed-oil, neutral lard and milk 
or butter. It should always be sold 
under Its true name. 

The spoon test may be used to dis- 
tinguish fresh butter from renovated 
butter and oleomargarin. A lump of 
butter the size of a hickory nut is 
placed on a large iron spoon and 
heated over the flame of a small 
kerosene or alcohol lamp or over 
a gas flame. Fresh butter will 
melt quietly, with many small 
bubbles throughout the mass, which 
produce much foam; oleomargarin 
or process butter will splutter and 
crackle, like hot fat containing 
water, and produce but little 
foam. 

To make the "milk test", as it is 
called, place about two ounces of 
sweet milk in a wide-mouthed bot- 
tle, which is set in a pan of boiling 
water on the stove. When the milk 
is hot, add a teaspoonful of butter, 
and stir with a splinter until the 
fat is melted. Place the bottle in a 
pan of ice water and stir continually 
while the fat is solidifying. If the 
sample is butter, either fresh or 
renovated, it will solidify in a gran- 
ular condition and be distributed 
through the milk in small granular 
particles. If, on the other hand, the 
sample is oleomargarin, it §oUdifie5 



practically in a single lump, so that 
it may be lifted from the bottle with 
a stirrer. 

Eggs. — Probably the best method 
for testing the freshness of eggs is 
the time-honored one of candling. 
The egg is held between the eye and 
a bright light. A fresh egg shows a 
perfectly uniform rose-colored tint, 
while if not fresh there will be num- 
erous dark spots. 

In packed eggs there is a tendency 
for the white and yolk to slightly in- 
termingle along the line of contact. 
Packed eggs also are apt to adhere 
to the shell on one side. If eggs 
have been in a nest for any length of 
time they are smooth and glossy and 
the appearance is entirely different 
from the dull, rough surface of fresh 
eggs. 

,MEAT PRODUCTS 

The preservatives most commonly 
used in meat products are borax, 
boric acid and sodium sulphite. The 
latter chemical also develops a bright 
red color in the meat in imitation of 
the natural red of fresh cut meat. 
If the meat keeps an CKceptionally 
long time without a tendency to spoil, 
or if it retains its red color, the 
presence of preservatives may be 
suspected. 

The method of j:esting for borax, 
which has already been described un- 
der "Canned Vegetables", may be 
used in testing meat products. The 
meat must be finely divided, and 
should be warmed with water for 
some time, then the liquid which is 
filtered ofi' should be tested. To test 
for sulphites, see process described 
under "Canned Vegetables." 

Sausages. — The principal adultera- 
tion of sausages, in addition to the 
introduction of inedible meats into 
the product, is the addition of starch. 
This is added as a "filler" to allow 
the incorporation of more fat and 
water and on the ground that it pre- 
vents shrinkage when fried. It should 
be remembered in this connection, 
however, thfvt stgrch is cheaper than 



FOOD VALUES AND ADULTERATIONS 645 

meat. To detect this adulteration out some of the liquid below the fat 
boil the sausage in water, pour the witli a dropper, and test with tine- 
resulting liquid into a teacup and al- ture of iodine for starch as described 
low it to cool thorouglily. Then take under "Jams and Jellies". 



CHAPTER XXIII 

PRESERVING AND CANNING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES 

CANNED GOODS FOR THE MARKET— UTENSILS AND MATERIALS— 
THE PROCESS— PRESERVES AND PRESERVING— SMALL FRUITS 
—LARGE FRUITS— PUREES AND MARMALADE— JELLY MAKING 
—CANNING VEGETABLES 



The art of preserving and canning 
fruit and fresh vegetables is much 
more important than is usually re- 
alized. Preserved fruit is, perhaps, 
most often classed with candy and 
other sweetmeats as an expensive 
luxury. But fruit, properly put up, 
is not necessarily expensive and may 
be regarded as a very essential part 
of the diet in winter. The value of 
fruit as food can hardly be overesti- 
mated. The fruit juices have a pe- 
culiarly wholesome effect upon the 
digestive organs and tend to keep the 
blood in good condition. They also, 
to a large extent, prevent the neces- 
sity for cathartic medicines. Fresh 
fruit in season should, of course, 
have the preference, but in winter 
properly canned fruit and preserves 
may take their place with almost 
equally good effect. 

The art of canning fresh vegeta- 
bles in the kitchen has now been so 
perfected that most kinds of garden 
truck may be canned without expense 
other than for jars, labor and fuel. 
All housewives who have not yet at- 
tempted this newly devised process 
will be delighted to discover that 
they can easily preserve such garden 
vegetables as early peas, sweet corn, 
and others, and serve them in mid- 
winter with all their original deli- 
cacy of texture and flavor. The 
value of such a contribution to the 
winter diet is apparent. It not only 
adds to the palatability, aesthetic 
value and wholesomeness of the diet. 



It is also an impoi'tant measure 
of economy, since by this means 
any surplus of garden products, 
which would have little or no value 
in summer, may be preserved for use 
during the period of greatest scarcity 
and consequent high prices. 
' Preserving and Canning. — These 
terms are used somewhat loosely, but 
the word preserves more properly 
applies to the old-fashioned method 
of our grandmothers, which consisted 
in boiling the fruit in sirup after the 
time-honored recipe of "pound for 
pound." This process, to be entirely 
successful, is difficult and tedious. 
It is also expensive on account of the 
amount of sugar required. The old- 
fashioned preserves are still favored 
by some, but the easier, quicker and 
cheaper method of canning has 
largely deposed them. The term 
"preserves" also covers jams, or 
purees, and marmalade, which are 
fruit, or mixtures of fruit, stewed to 
a smooth paste. 

CANNED GOODS FOR MAEKET 

Money in Preserving Emit. — In 
addition to the importance of pre- 
serving fruit and vegetables for home 
use there is a large and constantly 
increasing market both locally and in 
the large cities for a fine grade of 
homemade canned products. Prices 
ranging from seventy-five cents to 
$1.50 per quart, at retail, for a high 
grade domestic article are not infre- 



646 



CANNING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES 



647 



quent. After deducting the cost of 
fruit, or vegetables, sugar and otlier 
materials including jars, rings, bot- 
tle wax, labels, the cost of packing 
and transportation, and the labor 
cost (at a nominal figure, say, ten or 
fifteen cents an hour) for all time 
actually engaged in picking the fruit, 
preserving and packing it, there 
should be a profit of at least 100 per 
cent clear to the maker. And after 
a reputation has been established for 
a product of uniformly high quality, 
even better prices can be realized. 
This is not only a practical way for 
any housekeeper to earn extra pin 
money. In many localities it is the 
only feasible method of marketing 
the fruit and truck crop. 

Ordinarily so much produce ripens 
at about the same time in villages 
and rural communities, that there is 
no sale for it at any price. And the 
comparatively small amount grown 
by one family, together with the dis- 
tance to the nearest market, often 
makes it unprofitable to pack and 
ship the produce as it ripens to a 
commission merchant. But the 

smallest quantities can be gathered 
and canned from day to day during 
the season. Thus a sufficient quan- 
tity can be accumulated to justify 
the time and cost of packing and 
shipping by freight to the nearest 
city. 

Or if the quantity is large enough, 
it may be worth while to make a 
trip in person, taking a sample of the 
product, in order to make an advan- 
tageous sale to some large consumer. 
Commission merchants and wholesale 
grocery houses are usually glad to 
buy, at fair prices, all the homemade 
goods of this sort they can obtain. 
But the stewards of the finest hotels 
and clubs, such as the country clubs 
that are springing up all over the 
United States, will often pay fancy 
prices for an especially fine article. 

Even local merchants have a con- 
siderable demand for these goods and 
will sometimes make a special ef- 
fort to sell them for a good cus- 
tomer. Or orders can be secured 



from neighbors by means of an ad- 
vertisement in the local paper or by 
tactful solicitation. 

The principal difficulty met in the 
sale of homemade goods is the com- 
mon belief among merchants and 
others that they may not be of uni- 
formly high quality. Factory-made 
goods are nowadays done up with 
scientific care and accuracy. The 
jars are carefully inspected and the 
contents very rarely mold or sour. 

Unless one is willing, therefore, to 
take every step with the most rigid 
and painstaking thoroughness, it is 
useless to attempt to compete with 
the factory product. But once a 
well-deserved reputation has been 
built up, a demand will have been 
created for all that one will ordi- 
narily wish to supply. 

Many women earn a living for 
themselves or contribute largely to 
the family income by thus creating a 
market for all the produce that their 
husbands can grow. Many others 
find it profitable to buy fruit and 
vegetables from their neighbors, em- 
ploy and carefully train assistants 
and put up hundreds of dollars' 
worth annually. 

To Pack Canned Goods for Mar- 
ket. — Use only the best quality of 
all-glass jars. Do not attempt to 
economize on labels, but obtain the 
most attractive that money will buy. 
A distinctive label is an immensely 
important point in promoting sales 
and building up a reputation for 
one's product. Cement the labels 
neatly and securely in a uniform po- 
sition on the jars. Wrap each jar 
in stout colored wrapping paper, fold 
and seal top and bottom with muci- 
lage, or by means of a label gummed 
over all, and place a label on the 
outside of the wrapper in addition to 
that on the jar itself. 

The best method of packing is to 
obtain from a dealer cylinders of 
the proper size which are made for 
this purpose of corrugated cardboard. 
Obtain also a supply of the same 
cardboard to place between the lay- 
ers of jars. If your annual output 



648 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



is large enough, suitable cases to hold 
a quarter gross or half gross of jars 
can be made at home, or for a trifle 
by a local carpenter. These will be 
returned by the purchaser on request. 

Or the jars may be packed in stout 
packing cases or barrels and sur- 
roimded with excelsior, straw or hay. 
An excellent method is to place be- 
tween two sheets of thick manila 
paper a layer of excelsior and stitch 
or quilt the whole together at inter- 
vals with long stitches such as are 
used in basting. The whole may then 
be cut with shears to proper lengths, 
between the rows of basting. In 
these wrap up the separate jars. 
Also line the box or barrel with tliem 
and place one or more thiclvuesses be- 
tween the different layers of jars. 
In addition crowd excelsior between 
the jars so that no two jars can 
come into contact. 

If packing cases are used, the ex- 
celsior must be crowded in at the 
top so that the contents cannot 
move, and the lids securely nailed on. 
It is easy to ascertain by shaking it 
vigorously whether the case has been 
solidly packed. If any rattling is 
heard, it should be opened and re- 
packed. 

If barrels are used, it is sufficient 
to take off the top hoop and cover 
the top>- with a piece of canvas or 
burlap. Replace the hoop over the 
cloth and put on the top a stout 
label marked "Glass, Tlus Side Up, 
With Care." Better care is given a 
package thus left without a head 
than to a sealed box or barrel. 
Place even dozens in each package, 
and be sure to make an accurate 
count. Have a printed billhead and 
promptly notify the consignee of the 
time of shipment by mailing the bill 
with a courteous note. 

To Fix a Price on Canned Goods. 
— Keep account of all time taken in 
picking, preserving or packing the 
produce and figure out what it would 
cost you to hire the work done by 
ordinary day labor. Usually ten or 
fifteen cents an hour is a fair figure. 
Add to this the cost of the produce 



and sugar actually consumed, jars 
and all accessories, including packing 
material, labor, etc. When you have 
thus arrived at the actual cost includ- 
ing labor, double this amount to al- 
low yourself 100 per cent profit. If 
at first you are unable to sell your 
goods at this price or better, it is 
probably because you are inexperi- 
enced. Either you are not taking ad- 
vantage of the work, or others are 
taking advantage of you in the price 
you are paying for labor or material. 
But 100 per cent profit is the ideal 
you should have in view, and some 
persons making homemade canned 
goods realize two or three times as 
much on their investment. 

Storing Preserves. — Canned vege- 
tables, fruits and preserves should 
be stored in a cool, dark, dry place. 
The cellar is not the best place unless 
it is dry and well ventilated. A 
'storeroom partitioned off from the 
cellar and built of concrete is an 
ideal apartment for this purpose. In 
houses that are heated in winter, a 
dark, airy closet in the upper part of 
the house is a good place. But of 
course, they must not be placed 
wliere they will freeze in cold 
weather. If it is necessary to store 
them in an ordinary cellar to pre- 
vent freezing, a swinging shelf 
should be constructed for this pur- 
pose. The jars should be allowed to 
become stone cold before being 
stored away. They will keep much 
better if carefully wrapped in dark- 
colored paper folded and p'asted top 
and bottom, and labeled on the out- 
side so that it will not be necessary 
to disturb the wrappers until they 
are required for use. 

UTENSILS AND MATERIALS 

Utensils for Canning. — The most 
useful utensil for canning in consid- 
erable quantities is an ordinary tin 
wash boiler, such as is used in the 
laundry, cut down to convenient size. 
As this utensil will not ordinarily 
have a great deal of wear, a chea]i 
tin wash boiler may be purchased, or 



CANNING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES 



649 



an old wash boiler that has been dis- 
carded may, by means of patches and 
solder, be put into sufficiently good 
order to answer this purpose. Meas- 
ure from the bottom of the wash 
boiler to a point four or five inches 
higher than the top of an ordinary 
quart fruit jar, mark a line all 
around at this point, and have a tin- 
smith cut it off on this line. Or you 
can cut it off yourself with a chisel 
and hammer by inserting the end of 
a block of wood and striking against 
this. But it is better to have this 
work done by a tinsmith, and have 




"A Utensil for the Ordinary Range" 

him turn over the sharp edge so that 
you will not cut yourself on it. Now 
have a gridiron of wooden slats or 
wires fitted into the bottom in the 
inside. This is to keep the jars off 
the bottom on the principle of the 
double boiler. The result is a utensil 
of the right size for use on an ordi- 
nary range or on two burners of a 
gas or alcohol stove, and of conveni- 
ent depth for sterilizing jars as well 
as canning the produce. 

Or use an ordinary wash boiler 
fitted with a suitable false bottom. 
This has the same advantages, ex- 
cept that it is less convenient to reach 



into its steaming depths when re- 
moving the jars. 

A large poi-celain preserving kettle 
holding ten or twelve quarts, a porce- 
lain skimmer and ladle and a long- 




"A Large Porcelain Kettle." 

handled stirring spoon of wood are 
also necessary. A pair of scales and 
suitable measuring cup should always 
be at hand in the kitchen. The old- 
fashioned Mason jar is still in use, 
but the so-called lightning jar is 
preferable. Have on hand a suffi- 
cient quantity of new rubber rings. 
Never attempt to use old rings, as 
rubber decays very rapidly, and the 
old ring is almost certain to admit 
the air into the jar, causing the con- 
tents to spoil before it is used. Old 
rings also harbor bacteria that cause 
fermentation. With clean jars and 
new rubber rings, the battle is al- 
ready half over. Other useful de- 
vices in canning, preserving and jelly 
making are the sugar gauge, fruit 
pricker, ordinary wooden vegetable 
masher, wire sieve or colander and 
wire basket such as are shown In the 
accompanying illustrations. 




a he 

(a) Wire sieve; (6) wire basket; (c) 
fruit pricker. 

To make a truit pricker cut a 
piece one-half inch deep from a 
broad cork, press through this a 
dozen or more coarse darning nee- 
dles and tack the cork on a piece of 
board. One stroke on this bed of 



650 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



needles punctures the fruit with a 
dozen holes. But be sure to use 
large, strong needles and take care 
that none of the points are broken 
ojff and remain in the fruit. Remove 
the cork from the board, and wash 
and dry thoroughly after using. A 
little olive or sweet oil on the nee- 
dles will prevent rusting. 

The sirup gauge and glass cylin- 
der are essential to uniform success 
in making jelly. These may be ob- 
tained from any druggist at a cost 
of about 75 cents. A cylinder with 
a lip as illustrated and holding a 




(a.) Glass cylinder; Cb) sirup gauge; 

(c) wooden vegetable masher. 

(Maria Parloa.) 

little over a gill is the best size. The 
sirup gauge is a glass tube with a 
weighted bulb so graduated as to 
register 0° to 50°. To use the sirup 
gauge, fill the glass cylinder to about 
two-thirds of its height with a sam- 
ple of the liquid to be tested. In- 
sert the gauge and the quantity of 
sugar present, if any, will be regis- 
tered. In pure water the bulb will 
rest on the bottom. The more sirup 
is dissolved in the water the higher 
the gauge will rise. When testing 
hot liquids, the gauge and cylinder 
must be heated gradually to avoid 
breaking. The fruit juice or sirupi 



either for canning, preserving or 
making jellies may thus be tested 
at any stage. The sirup may be 
made heavier by adding sugar or 
lighter by adding water as the case 
demands. 

Alcohol Stove. — A proper stove is 
a very important consideration. Prod- 
uce is ordinarily ready for canning 
in sidtry weather, and the heat 
of a cook stove or range is so un- 
bearable that the process rarely re- 
ceives the quality of skill and the 
degree of attention that the best re- 
sults demand. A tired and over- 
heated housekeeper is in no mood to 
closely observe the delicate points 
that contribute to the perfection of 
a high grade product. Housekeep- 
ers fortunate enough to enjoy the 
use of gas will need no suggestion 
to use a gas range for canning fruit, 
and at a time when the oven burn- 
ers are not lighted. But where there 
is no available supply of gas a two- 
burner stove consuming denatured 
alcohol is especially recommended. 
This is self-contained and portable. 
Thus the whole apparatus for can- 
ning fruit can be moved into a large, 
cool room, into an outhouse, or if 
desired in still, clear, or sultry 
weather, out of doors on the veranda, 
or in the shade of a tree on the 
lawn. At aU events, an eflFort should 
be made to "keep cool" in both 
senses, if one is ambitious to obtain 
the best possible results. 

Materials for Canning and Pre- 
serving. — The materials used for 
canning and preserving should in- 
variably be of the finest quality. 
Only the best grade of white granu- 
lated sugar should be used. And 
this should be clarified as, described 
imder candy making. Fresh, ripe 
fruit and vegetables of the best 
quality should be selected and care- 
fully picked over. All bruised, 
specked, or wormeaten specimens 
should be discarded. Small fruits, 
as raspberries and strawberries, and 
all vegetables, should be canned if 
possible the morning they are picked. 
Great care should be taken in hand- 



CANNING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES 



651 



ling produce to avoid bruising it. A 
silver paring knife should be used 
for fruit as an iron or steel knife 
tends to darken it. The fruit when 
pared should be instantly dropped 
into a vessel of clear cold water, care 
being taken that it is not bruised in 
falling. This prevents the fruit from 
"rusting" or turning dark by expo- 
sure to the air. All hard portions 
should be removed as they resist the 
eflFects of heat. And all "specks" or 
decayed portions since they injure 
the flavor and color. 

The best quality of canned fruit is 
obtained by heating fruit in the jars 
as hereafter described. This method 
avoids bruising the fruit by stirring, 
lifting, or pouring it from one ves- 
sel to another. Particular attention 
and care when preparing all canned 
goods will be amply repaid in the 
improved quality of the product. If 
fruit is pared, the work should be 
done thoroughly and no particles of 
skin allowed to remain. If the cores, 
pits, or stones are removed at all, 
the work should be clone in a pains- 
taking manner. Especially if the 
goods are offered for sale, a small 
fraction of additional labor at the 
start will add largely to the price 
and salability of the product. For 
similar reasons only the best quality 
of spices, brandy, or other' condi- 
ments should be used. 

PROCESS OF CANNING AND PRE- 
SERVING 

Nature of the Process. — Canning 
or preserving is a process of killing, 
by means of heat, the germs that 
cause decay and preventing the con- 
tact of other germs by covering the 
produce with boiling sirup and seal- 
ing it hermetically so as to exclude 
the air. The reason that boiling is 
necessary, is that the germs of decay 
may be already present in the sub- 
stance of the produce itself. Hence 
it must be boiled until the heat has 
penetrated every part and eff'ectually 
destroyed the germs. And the rea- 
son that air must be excluded is that 



the microscopic germs that cause pu- 
trefaction float in the air in very 
large numbers. Hence if a bubble of 
air remains among the fruit, or if 
air is admitted through a crevice as 
fine as a needle point in the rubber 
ring or metal top of the jar, putre- 
faction will certainly result. 

Other substances such as clear wa- 
ter or fruit juices exclude the air 
as well as sugar sirup. Sugar is 
added partly because it makes the 
product more palatable and nutri- 
tious, and partly because the pres- 
ence of sugar is unfavorable to bac- 
terial growth. Hence the amount of 
sugar to be added to a given quan- 
tity of fruit may be varied at wiU. 
The old-time rule for "preserving" 
was pound for pound, but this is by 
no means necessarily an invariable 
principle. The present tendency is 
in favor of "canning." The pound- 
for-pound preserves are regarded by 
many as unnecessarily sweet and ex- 
pensive. A much thinner sirup is 
commonly used in canning and, pro- 
vided proper precautions are taken, 
preserves the fruit equally well. Or, 
if desired, fruits and fruit juices 
and in fact any kind of vegetable, 
may be canned without the addition 
of any sugar at all. 

To sum up, the produce must be 
thoroughly boiled through and 
through. The jars must be filled to 
overflowing with boiling hot sirup or 
other liquid so that all bubbles of 




(a) Spring-top jar; (6) position of 
spring during sterilizing ; (c) position 
of spring after sterilizing. 

air will be excluded. Then they must 
be instantly sealed, else the contents 
will cool slightly and leave a space 
fiUed with bacteria-laden air between 



65S 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



the top and the jar cover. The jar 
must be provided with a tight ring 
of new rubber or other substance 
that will absolutely exclude the air or 
the bacteria that it contains. Such 
substances as blotting paper and cot- 
ton batting are sometimes used for 
the reason that they have the prop- 
erty of screening or filtering the air 
so as to prevent bacteria from pass- 
ing through. 

Methods of Canning and Preserv- 
ing Fruit. — There are two ditferent 
ways of canning or preserving fruit, 
either of wliich will give satisfactory 
results: (1) boiling the fruit in the 
jars or cans, or (-2) boilmg it in a 
preserving kettle. The old-time 
method of "preserving" consisted in 
boiling the fruit in a suitable pre- 
serving kettle, in sugar sirup, lift- 
ing it from the sirup when sufficient- 
ly boiled, packing it into jars or cans 
and pouring the boiling sirup over 
it. This method is still preferred by 
many. 

The modern method of "canning" 
consists in packing the fruit in the 
cans or jars without sugar, or with 
sugar sprinkled between the differ- 
ent layers at the rate of about one 
tablespoonful to each pound of fruit, 
placing the jars on the stove in a 
suitable t- receptacle surrounded by 
water, bringing the whole to a boil 
and finally filling the cans with boil- 
ing sugar sirup and sealing them. 

Canning is somewhat slower unless 
a large receptacle is provided in 
which to place a considerable number 
of fruit jars while boiling. But the 
process is easier and is likely to give 
a more satisfactory result. All bub- 
bles of air are driven out of the 
fruit while boiling. And the jar 
itself is uniformly heated, so that 
when boiling sirup is added to fill 
it to the brim, it does not shrink by 
cooling in the moment of time re- 
quired to clap on the cover and seal. 
Then, too, the fruit is undisturbed, 
and its shape, color, and texture are 
not injured. 

Preserving Day. — Many house- 
keepers prefer, when putting up 



fruits for home use, to prepare a 
jar or two each day, selecting the 
finest fruits as they ripen. Thus the 
labor is distributed over the season 
and associated with other cooking 
from day to day so as to be hardly 
realized. But it is of some advan- 
tage, when a considerable quantity 
of fruit is to be preserved, to get 
everything in readiness at one time 
and make a day of it. 

To Test Jars. — The contents of 
several jars may be saved in the 
course of a season by testing the 




, '■I'esting the Jars before Vsinfj." 

jars before using. To this end, fill 
them with warm water, put on the 
new rubber rings that are to be used, 
seal them and stand them upside 
down on a large sheet of blotting pa- 
per. Or butcher's brown paper, or 
an ordinary folded newspaper, will 
answer. If there is the slightest leak, 
the water will trickle out and be seen 
on the absorbent paper. Thus de- 
fective rubber rings, or uneven, 
nicked, or cracked jar tops can be 
discarded and assurance can be had 
that no valuable material and labor 
will be wasted. Similarly^ it is a 
good plan to turn the filled jars up- 
side down on absorbent paper and 
let them stand overnight before stor- 
ing them away. If by chance a de- 
fective ring or jar has been used it 
will be detected and the contents can 
be transferred to another jar. 

To Sterilize Jars. — The first step 
is to place in the special boiler above 
mentioned, or in a preserving kettle, 
the jars that are to be used, with 
about one tablespoonful of borax to 
twelve quarts of cold water, and 
bring them to a boil over a slow fire. 
The tops and rubber rings should be 
put in place and boiled with the Jarg 



CANNING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES 



65S 



themselves. They are unfit for use 
if they will not stand this process. 
Jars having glass tops should invari- 
ably be given the preference. This 
will efi'ectually kill all germs, free 
the jars from dust and dirt, and 
also toughen them so that, if proper- 
ly handled, they will not crack in 
the process of canning. After they 
have boiled fifteen minutes or so, 
pour oflF the borax water and pour 
over them hot water to rinse them. 
Care must, of course, be taken not to 
pour cold water over hot jars, or ex- 
pose them to a draught of cold air 
while hot, or they may be cracked 
and broken. 

Canning Fruit. — After the jars 
have been thus rinsed and sterilized, 
replace them on the stove in the 
above-mentioned boiler or other suit- 
able receptacle, surround them with 
hot water, and pack in the fruit, 
either without sugar, or with sugar 
sprinkled among the layers of fruit 
at the rate of one tablespoonful to 
a pound of fruit up to a teacupful 
to each can, more or less, as desired. 
Boil until the fruit is soft enough 
so that a straw can be run through 
it. The time required wiU vary ac- 
cording to the fruit, from a few min- 
utes in the case of small fruits, as 
raspberries, strawberries, and others, 
to an hour or more in the case of hard 
pears, quinces, and the like. But ob- 
serve that the latter cannot be cooked 
properly in the cans. They must be 
done up in the preserving kettle in 
the old-fashioned way. And there 
is the less objection as their firmer 
texture protects them from being in- 
jured by handling. 

Berries and small fruits of soft 
and delicate texture, undoubtedly 
present a better appearance and have 
a finer flavor and color if cooked in 
the can. These include cherries, 
strawberries, raspberries, huckleber- 
ries or blueberries, ripe peaches, sum- 
mer pears, and ripe plums. 

Some fruits cooked in the can with 
sugar, shrink and leave the can only 
partly full. Do not attempt to 
crowd the cans when first filled as 



this will crush the fruit and injure 
its appearance. Remove one can and 
gently pour its contents into the tops 
of the others until all are full. Fin- 
ally, when sufficiently boiled, remove 
the jars one by one, wrapping a 
towel about each; pour boiling sirup 
on top until it runs over and in- 
stantly seal before the contents cool, 
and air is admitted. Place the jars 
in a warm place and out of a 
draught, as otherv/ise they may crack 
in the process of cooling. 

Sirup for Canning and Preserv- 
ing. — The strength of the sirup to 
be used in filling jars after the fruit 
has been cooked in them is a matter 
of individual preference. It also de- 
pends upon the amount of sugar, if 
any, that has been sprinkled in the 
fruit while cooking. 

The old time pound-for-pound rule 
called for -| a pint of water more 
or less, for each pound of sugar and 
pound of fruit, according to the 
amount of juice in the fruit. But a 
larger amount of water is more com- 
monly used at present. To prepare 
sirup, place the sugar in a small 
preserving kettle, pour the required 
amount of cold water over it and 
stir until the sugar is fully dissolved 
before placing on the fire. The sirup 
wiU be clarified and improved by the 
addition of a little gum arabic or 
white of egg. The scum, as fast as 
it rises, may then be removed with 
a skimmer, taking all impurities with 
it. This sirup may be poured over 
the fruit after it has been cooked 
in the can. 

Or according to the earlier method, 
the fruit may be dropped into the 
clarified sirup while at a boiling 
point, cooked until it is tender, re- 
moved with a skimmer, packed in 
the jars and the boiling sirup added 
until they are filled to overflowing. 

PRESERVES AND PRESERVING 

Preserving Fruit. — The process of 
preserving is a very simple one, al- ' 
though it takes a large amount of 
time and great care. However, any 



654 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



housekeeper can accomplish it. The 
principal secret of success is that the 
fruit should be put up and sealed 
while hot and the jars filled to the 
brim. It is usually the custom to 
place the fruit in the kettle, a layer 
of fruit and a layer of sugar, pound 
for pound or measure for measure 
and to let the whole come to a boil 
at once. 

Or place the fruit in a vessel with- 
out, the sugar. Put just enough wa- 
ter over it to keep it from scorching, 
and allow it to boil until the scum 
rises. Carefully skim away the scum 
while it continues to rise before add- 
ing the sugar. Many seem to think 
that the scum rises entirely from 
the sugar, but the experience of those 
who have used the above-mentioned 
method is that an equal amount of 
scum comes from the boiling fruit. 

Or weigh the sugar and the fruit, 
pound for pound, then place the 
sugar in the kettle without the fruit. 
Put in just enough water to dis- 
solve the sugar and stir until it is 
dissolved. Now place on the fire and 
let come to a boil. Continue to sim- 
mer for half an hour or so before 
dipping in the fruit, being careful to 
skim away the scum as it rises. Then 
place the fruit in the boiling liquid 
and let it continue to simmer on the 
back of the stove until the fruit be- 
comes thoroughly impregnated with 
the sirup. 

When about half done lift the 
fruit from the boiling sirup, place 
it in large porcelain or other vessels, 
being careful not to allow any sirup 
to come with it, and place it in the 
sun for an hour or more to bleach. 
After this, again drop the fruit into 
the sirup and let it boil until tender 
enough to allow a straw to run 
through it. 

When the fruit is thoroughly done, 
if the sirup is not as thick as desired, 
it may continuously simmer until the 
desired thickness is reached. Then 
place the fruit in glass jars that 
Jiave been previously heated and ster- 
ilized by boiling in water containing 
a little borax and rinsing in hot wa- 



ter. After filling the jar with fruit 
as full as you conveniently can, pour 
in the boiling sirup until it fills up 
all the crevices between the fruit, 
excluding all the air possible. While 
performing this process, place the 
jar in a pan filled with hot water. 
This will prevent cracking the jar. 

CANNING SMALL FRUITS 

The method of canning such small 
fruits as raspberries, blackberries, 
currants, gooseberries and blueber- 
ries, is substantially the same except 
for the proportions of berries, sugar 
and water required. Select fruit 
just before it is perfectly ripe — 
choose an underripe rather than 
overripe fruit — and can promptly 
while freshly picked. Discard all 
imperfect fruit. Gnarled, broken or 
otherwise defective specimens not de- 
cayed, may be used for marmalade 
or jellies. Avoid berries having a 
large proportion of seeds to pulp and 
if no other can be obtained — as may 
happen during a dry season — remove 
the seeds by rubbing through a 
sieve and preserve the strained pulp 
as marmalade or puree. Pick over 
the berries, hull and stem them and 
drop the perfect fruit in small quan- 
tities into a colander. Rinse in cold 
water and turn them on a sieve to 
drain. Do this quickly so that the 
fruit will not absorb too much water. 
Have ready two bowls, one for 
sugar and one for fruit. 'Observe 
how much of each will be required 
to fill the preserving kettle or the 
number of jars desired. Measure 
the fruit into the proper bowl as fast 
as it is picked over and washed, and 
for each measure of fruit add to the 
other bowl the proportionate amount 
of sugar. When the required quan- 
tity of fruit and sugar has been 
measured, put both into the preserv- 
ing kettle, add the required amount 
of water, if any, and while the first 
kettle is cooking prepare the fruit 
and sugar for another. Fruit de- 
signed to be served as sauce may 
have any proportion of sugar cooked 



CANNING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES 



655 



with it according to taste, or if in- 
tended for beverages or cooking pur- 
poses, it may be canned without the 
addition of sugar. Juicy fruits re- 
quire little or no water, except when 
cooked in a heavy sirup. The above 
are general rules which require to be 
modified for particular fruits as fol- 
lows: 

For raspberries and blackberries 
use 2 quarts of sugar to 12 quarts 
of fruit. First express the juice 
from 2 quarts of the fruit by heat- 
ing it slowly on the stove in the pre- 
serving kettle, crushing with a wood- 
en vegetable masher and squeezing 
through cheese cloth. Rinse the pre- 
serving kettle, pour into it the 
strained juice, add the sugar, heat 
and stir until the sugar is dissolved. 
Let the sirup come to a boil, add the 
remaining 10 quarts of berries and 
heat slowly. Boil ten minutes from 
the time it begins to bubble and skim 
carefully while boiling. Can and seal 
as above directed. 

Tor currants the process is the 
same as for raspberries and black- 
berries, but the proportions are dif- 
ferent, namely: 4 quarts of sugar to 
12 of fruit. For raspberries and 
currants combined use 2| quarts of 
sugar to 3 quarts of currants and 10 
quarts of raspberries. First express 
the juice from the currants as above 
directed, then proceed as for rasp- 
berries. 

For green gooseberries use 1^ 
quarts of sugar and 1 pint of water 
to 6 quarts of fruit. Dissolve the 
sugar in the water, add the fruit and 
cook fifteen minutes. Or can the 
same as rhubarb. For ripe goose- 
berries use only one-half as much 
water. 

For blueberries use 1 quart of 
sugar and 1 pint of water to 12 
quarts of berries. Put all together 
in the preserving kettle and heat 
slowly. Boil fifteen minutes from 
the time the mixture begins to bub- 
ble. 

For cherries use li quarts of 
sugar and h pint of water to 6 
quarts of fruit. Measure after 



stemming. Stone or not as pre- 
ferred, but if the stones are removed, 
take care to save the juice. First 
stir the sugar into the water over 
the fire until dissolved, then add the 
cherries and bring slowly to a boil. 
Let boil ten minutes, skimming care- 
fully. 

For grapes use 1 quart of sugar 
and 1 gill of water to 6 quarts of 
fruit. First squeeze the pulp from 
the skins. Cook it five minutes and 
rub through a fine sieve to remove 
the seeds. Now bring the water, 
skins and pulp slowly to a boil. 
Skim, stir in the sugar and boil fif- 
teen minutes. If the grapes are 
sweeter or more sour than ordinary, 
use more or less sugar, according to 
taste. 

Rhubarb may be cooked and 
canned with sugar in the same man- 
ner as gooseberries, or either rhu- 
barb or gooseberries may be canned 
without heat as follows: Cut the 
rhubarb when young and tender, 
wash thoroughly, pare and divide 
into pieces about two inches long. 
Pack in sterilized jars, fill to over- 
flowing with cold water and let stand 
ten minutes. Drain oif the water 
and once more fill to overflowing with 
fresh cold water. Seal with ster- 
ilized rings and covers. When the 
cans are opened the rhubarb may be 
used in all respects the same as if 
fresh. 

CANNING LARGE FRUIT 

Such large fruit as apples, pears, 
peaches and quinces must usually be 
pared and cored before canning. Se- 
lect first class fruit just before it 
is ripe — preferably underripe rather 
than overripe — and discard all im- 
perfect specimens. It is better not 
to can or preserve spotted or bruised 
fruit, but if such are used, all de- 
cayed or bruised spots must be free- 
ly cut out. Measure the fruit as 
soon as it is pared and cored into a 
large bowl containing cold water 
made slightly acid with lemon juice 
at the rate of one tablespoonful to 



656 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



the quart. This will keep the fruit 
from turning brown. For each 
measure add the proportionate quan- 
tity of sugar into another bowl un- 
til the amount of fruit and sugar 
needed to fill the preserving kettle 
or required number of jars is at 
hand. 

To peel peaches, plums or toma- 
toes, have ready a deep kettle a 
little more than half full of boiling 
water. Fill a wire basket or colan- 
der with the fruit and suspend it 
by means of a string through the 
handles, or otherwise, in the boiling 
water for three minutes. Now re- 
move and plunge the basket for a 
moment into a pan of cold water. 
Let drain a few moments and peel. 
The process of canning in general 
is much the same for all fruits, but 
the following special modifications 
for particular fruits may be ob- 
served: 

Tor peaches and ripe pears use 
1 quart of sugar and 3 quarts of 
water to 8 quarts of fruit. Pre- 
pare the fruit either whole or in 
halves as desired. If the latter, re- 
move all the pits except a few in 
each jar which retain for the sake 
of their flavor. Stir the sugar into 
the water over the fire until dis- 
solved and bring slowly to a boil. 
Skim carefully and let stand where 
it will remain hot but not boil. Put 
only a single layer of the prepared 
fruit in the preserving kettle at a 
time and cover with some of the hot 
sirup. Bring slowly to a boil, skim 
carefully, boil gently for ten min- 
utes, or longer if not fully ripe, can 
and seal. The fruit is not done un- 
til it can be readily pierced with a 
straw or a silver fork. Unripe or 
hard pears will require much longer 
boiling. 

For quinces use 1| quarts of 
sugar and 2 quarts of water to 4 
quarts of fruit. Rub the fruit hard 
with a coarse crash towel. Then 
wash and drain. Pare, quarter and 
core and drop the pieces into cold 
water acidulated with lemon juice. 
Cover the fruit in the preserving ket- 



tle with plenty of cold water, bring 
slowly to a boil and let simmer until 
tender. Remove the pieces one by 
one as soon as they can readily be 
pierced with a silver fork and let 
drain on a platter. Now strain the 
water in which the fruit was cooked 
through cheese cloth and put 3 
quarts of the strained liquid over 
the fire. Stir in the sugar until dis- 
solved, bring slowly to a boil, 
skim well, add the cooked fruit 
and boil gently for about twenty 
minutes. 

For crab-apples use 1^ quarts of 
sugar and 3 quarts of water to 6 
quarts of apples. A part of the 
stem may be left on the fruit if 
desired, but wash carefully and espe- 
cially rub well the blossom end. Stir 
the sugar into the water over the 
fire until dissolved, bring slowly to 
a boil, skim, add the fruit and cook 
gently from twenty to fifty minutes, 
or until tender, depending upon the 
kind of fruit. 

For plums use 2 quarts of sugar 
and 1 pint of water to 8 quarts of 
fruit. Wash and drain the fruit and 
remove the skins if desired as above 
suggested. Or if they are left on, 
prick them thoroughly with a fruit 
pricker to prevent bursting. Stir 
the sugar into the water over the 
fire until dissolved, bring to a boil 
and carefully skim. Add the fruit 
in small quantities one or two layers 
at a time, cook five minutes, can and 
seal and so continue, adding more 
sirup from time to time if neces- 
sary. 

FRUIT PRESERVING 

While the modern method of can- 
ning fruits with small quantities of 
sugar or none at all is to be pre- 
ferred in most cases, there are a few 
fruits which make preserves of such 
excellent quahty that their use may 
be recommended for special occa- 
sions. These are strawberries, sour 
cherries, sour plums and quinces. 
They should be put up preferably in 
tumblers or small jars. 



CANNING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES 



657 



For strawberries use equal weights 
of sugar and fruit. Put a layer of 
berries in the bottom of the pre- 
serving kettle and sprinkle over it 
a layer of sugar. So continue until 
the fruit and sugar are about four 
inches deep. Bring slowly to a boil, 
skim carefully and boil ten minutes 
from the time it begins to bubble. 
Now pour upon platters to a depth 
of about two or three inches and 
place these in a sunny window in an 
unused room for three or four days, 
when the preserve will thicken to a 
jelly-like consistency. Put the cold 
preserve into jars or tumblers and 
seal. The large proportion of sugar 
present in this and other preserves 
is unfavorable to the growth of bac- 
teria and thus prevents them from 
spoiling. 

For white currants select large 
firm fruit, remove the stems and 
proceed as for strawberries. 

For cherries select the sour vari- 
eties such as Early Richmonds and 
Montmorency. Remove stems and 
stones and proceed as for strawber- 
ries. Or cherries may be preserved 
with currant juice. Use for this 
purpose 2 quarts of sugar to 3 quarts 
of currants by heating in a preserv- 
ing kettle, crushing them as they 
boil up and straining through cheese 
cloth. Stem and stone the cherries 
taking care to save all the juice. 
Add the cherries to the fruit juice, 
stir in the sugar over the fire, bring 
to a boil slowly and carefully skim. 
Boil twenty minutes. Put in steril- 
ized jars or tumblers and seal. This 
gives an acid preserve. The quan- 
tity of sugar may be doubled if de- 
sired. 

For plum preserve use 3 quarts 
of sugar to 1 pint of water and 4 
quarts of greengage or other plums. 
If the skins are left on, prick the 
fruit and cover with plenty of cold 
water. Bring slowly to a boil and 
let boil gently for five minutes. 
Drain well. Now stir the sugar into 
the water over the fire until dis- 
solved and boil five minutes, skim- 
ining well. Add the drained fruit 



and cook gently twenty minutes. 
Put in sterilized jars. Remove the 
skins from the white varieties. 

For quince preserve use 2 quarts 
of sugar to 1 quart of water and 4 
quarts of fruit. Pare, quarter and 
core the quinces. Boil in clear wa- 
ter until tender, skim and drain. 
Now stir the sugar into the water 
until dissolved, bring slowly to a 
boil, skim well and boil for twenty 
minutes. Pour one-half the sirup 
into another kettle. Put one-half the 
cooked and drained fruit into each 
kettle, simmer gently half an hour 
and put in sterilized jars. Preserve 
the water in which the fruit is boiled 
and add to it the parings, cores and 
gnarly fruit to make jelly. 

Purees and Marmalades. — These 
preserves are merely crushed fruit 
pulp cooked with sugar. Purees dif- 
fer from marmalades in being 
cooked with a small quantity of wa- 
ter and not cooked so long. They 
retain more of the natural fruit 
flavor. This process is especially use- 
ful for preserving small seedy fruits 
for frozen desserts, cake and pud- 
dings. Pick over and remove leaves, 
stems and decayed portions, or 
peach, plum and cherry pits. Rub 
through a puree sieve and add to 
each quart of strained fruit a pint 
of sugar. Pack in sterilized jars, 
put the covers on loosely and place 
on the rack in the boiler. Put 
enough cold water in the boiler to 
come half way up the sides of the 
jars. Bring slowly to a boil and boil 
thirty minutes from the time the wa- 
ter begins to bubble. Remove the jars 
from the boiler one by one, place in 
a pan of hot water, fill with hot sirup 
and seal. 

For marmalade pick over berries 
with great care and rub through a 
fine sieve to remove the seeds. Re- 
move all cherry, plum or peach pits. 
Wash, pare, core and quarter large 
fruit. Allow 1 pint of sugar to 
each quart of fruit. Rinse the pre- 
serving kettle with cold water leav- 
ing a shght coat of moisture on the 
sides and bottona. Put in a layer of 



658 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



fruit, sprinkle with a layer of sugar 
and so continue until all the fruit 
and sugar are used. Heat slowly and 
stir very frequently so as to break 
up the fruit as much as possible. 
Cook for about two hours and put 
in small sterilized jars. 

Fruit Preserved in Grape Juice. — 
Any kind of fruit can be preserved 
by this method without the use of 
sugar, but it is particularly recom- 
mended for apples, pears and sweet 
plums. Boil 6 quarts of grape juice 
in an open preserving kettle down 
to 4 quarts. Have the fruit washed 
and pared and large fruit quartered 
and cored. Cover the prepared fruit 
with boiled grape juice, boil gently 
until tender and put in sterilized 
jars. 

Boiled Cider. — Choose cider that 
is perfectly fresh and sweet. Fill 
an open preserving kettle not over 
two-thirds full and boil down one- 
half, skimming frequently. Put in 
bottles or stone jugs and use to im- 
prove mince meat or make cider ap- 
ple sauce. 

Cider Apple or Pear Sauce. — Use 
5 quarts of boiled cider to 8 quarts 
of pared, quartered and cored fruit. 
Cover the prepared fruit with boiled 
cider and cook for two or three 
hours, or until clear and tender. 
Place llie kettle on an iron tripod or 
ring to prevent burning. But if 
necessary to stir the sauce take care 
to break the fruit as little as possi- 
ble. 

JELLY MAKING 

All fruit when ripe or nearly so 
contains a substance called pectin 
which has properties somewhat simi- 
lar to starch. All housekeepers know 
that starch when boiled in water cools 
in a jelly-like mass. A similar prop- 
erty in pectin causes fruit juices, 
when properly boiled, to jell. But 
if fruits become overripe, or if fruit 
juices ferment or are cooked too 
long, the pectin undergoes a change 
and loses this power. Experience 
has shown that a definite amount of 



sugar dissolved in the fruit juice — 
namely, 35 degrees as registered by 
the sirup gauge — is exactly right for 
combining with pectin to make jelly. 
Any excess of sugar tends to form 
crystals and the presence of these 
tends to cause the whole mass to 
crystallize. Moreover, if the sirup 
boils so rapidly that some of it rises 
on the sides of the preserving kettle, 
such particles will form crystals and 
these, if stirred into the sirup, may 
crystallize the whole. Hence the 
three chief secrets of jelly making 
are: (1) The selection of fruit 
which is just ripe, or slightly under- 
ripe; (2) the use of the sirup gauge; 
and (3) slow and careful boiling 
with especial care not to boil too 
long. The sirup gauge should regis- 
ter 25 degrees for every kind of 
fruit without exception. 

Housewives are often perplexed 
because one lot of jelly crystallizes or 
refuses to harden, whereas another 
prepared by the same recipe and 
treated under apparently similar con- 
ditions is entirely satisfactory. The 
diiference may be due to either of 
several causes. One lot of fruit may 
be overripe or may contain a greater 
or less proportion of fruit sugar 
than another. Or the difference may 
be caused by too rapid or prolonged 
boiling. Fruit picked during a cold, 
wet season or immediately after a 
rain will contain a good deal more 
water and consequently a less pro- 
portion of sugar than if picked after 
a prolonged period of heat and sun- 
shine. Hence if the proportion of 
sugar is determined solely by meas- 
urement, somewhat less than a pint 
of sugar will be required for a pint 
of juice during wet seasons and vice 
versa. For the same reason small 
fruits should be washed quickly and 
thoroughly drained to prevent their 
absorbing much water. But the use 
of the sirup gauge will obviate all 
such difficulties. It measures the ex- 
act amount of sugar present, includ- 
ing both the natural fruit sugar and 
cane sugar added in the process of 
preserving. 



CANNING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES 



659 



Hence, in general, select for jelly 
making juicy fruit picked during a 
period of sunshine, or at least pre- 
ferably not immediately after rain. 
Wash quickly, drain, express the 
juice, add to the clear juice about 
1 pint more or less of granulated 
sugar to the pint of juice, boil, skim 
and jjour into tumblers or small jars. 

Acid fruits make the best jelly 
and the following are to be pre- 
ferred in the order given: Currant, 
crab-apple, apple, quince, grape, 
blackberry, raspberry, peach. Wild 
raspberries, blackberries, barberries, 
grapes and beech -niums all make 
delicious jellies, lake care to choose 
barberries that are fresh and not 
overripe. Sweet fruits, such as ap- 
ples, make a very mild jelly, but 
may be flavored with fruits, flowers 
or spices, but with the sour varieties 
this will not be necessary. Some 
fruits, such as the strawberry, con- 
tain very little pectin and are diffi- 
cult to jell without the addition of 
some other fruit juice, such as the 
currant, when a pleasant jelly will 
result. 

Currant Jelly. — To make good 
jelly from currants, raspberries, 
blackberries, ripe grapes and plums, 
proceed as follows: Pick over the 
fruit and remove all leaves, large 
stems and the like. Wash quickly, 
drain, and put fruit over the fire in 
a preserving kettle. Crush with a 
wooden vegetable masher or spoon 
enough to start the juice, heat slowly 
and stir frequently. When hot crush 
thoroughly with the vegetable mash- 
er. Express the juice into a large 
bowl through two thicknesses of 
cheese cloth spread over a hair or 
wire sieve. Let the juice drip with- 
out pressure, merely moving the pulp 
about by lifting the corners of the 
cheese cloth and slightly shaking the 
contents until all the free juice has 
been obtained. Use this to make the 
best quality of jelly either as it is 
or after first passing it through a 
flannel or woolen cloth or jelly bag. 
This will make a somewhat more 
transparent jell. Now remove the 



sieve to another bowl, twist the cor- 
ners of the cheese cloth and squeeze 
out as much more juice as can be ob- 
tained. Use this to make jelly of a 
lower grade. 

Measure the juice into a clean pre- 
serving kettle and stir in a pint of 
granulated sugar for every pint of 
juice until the sugar is dissolved. 
Place over the fire and bring to a 
boil slowly. Observe carefully the 
moment it begins to boil, withdraw 
from the fire and skim. Again bring 
to a boil, remove and skim a second 
and third time. Then pour into hot 
sterilized glasses and place these on 
a hot sunny window-sill covered pre- 
ferably with panes of glass. When 
cool and firm seal and store in a 
dark, cool place. 

Or jelly may be prepared directly 
from the strained juice without boil- 
ing by dissolving the required 
amount of sugar in the cold juice, 
pouring it into warm sterilized 
glasses and otherwise treating as be- 
fore. Such jelly is more delicate 
but does not keep quite so well. 

Other good jellies may be made by 
the same process from a mixture of 
equal parts of currants and rasp- 
berries, or a mixture of 10 quarts of 
strawberries with 2 quarts of cur- 
rants, but the last mentioned must be 
boiled fifteen minutes. 

For ripe grape jelly choose an 
acid grape, as the sweet varieties 
contain too much sugar, or use half 
ripe fruit or equal portions of nearly 
ripe and green grapes. Wild grapes 
are excellent. 

For plum jelly use an underripe 
acid plum. Wash, stem and cook 
gently in 1 quart of water for each 
peck of fruit. Strain the juice and 
proceed as for currant jelly. 

Apple and Crab-apple Jelly. — 
Large fruits such as apples, peaches 
and pears must be boiled in water 
to extract the pectin and flavoring 
matter they contain. As a rule 4 
quarts of water added to 8 quarts 
of fruit will produce 3 quarts of 
strained juice, but juicy peaches and 
plums may require only 3 or 3i 



660 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



quarts of water. Boil down the 
juice if necessary to 3 quarts. Stem 
and wash the fruit. Wipe dry and 
clean carefully the blossom end, and 
cut in quarters. Add 4 quarts of 
water to 8 of fruit and cook gently 
until soft and clear. Strain the juice, 
boil down to 3 quarts if necessary 
and proceed as for currant jelly. 
The quality of the jelly will depend 
upon the natural flavor of the fruit. 
Hence choose preferably a fine flav- 
ored acid apple and make the jelly 
at any time of the year when the 
fruit chosen is at its prime. Apple 
jelly made in the spring may be im- 
proved by the addition of the juice 
of a lemon to every pint of apple 
juice. 

To make cider apple jelly, use 
cider fresh from the press instead of 
water. 

Quince Jelly. — Rub the quinces 
with a coarse crash towel. Cut out 
the blossom end, rinse and drain. 
Wash and pare the fruit, quarter and 
cut out the cores, and keep tliem by 
themselves. Drop the best pieces of 
fruit into a bowl half full of water 
containing lemon juice, to be pre- 
served or canned. Run the parings 
and imperfect parts through a meat 
chopper or chop finely. Add a quart 
of water to every 2 quarts of chopped 
fruits and parings and cook gently 
for two hours. Strain and proceed 
as for apple jelly. Put the cores 
into another kettle, cover with plen- 
ty of water and cook two hours. 

Now, to make a second grade of 
jelly, add the chopped parings and 
fruit from which the juice has been 
extracted, mix and strain. Return 
the clear juice to the preserving 
kettle, stir in a pint of sugar for 
each pint of juice and boil ten min- 
utes. 

Covering Jelly. — Cut out some 
discs of any thick white paper, pre- 
ferably paraffin or butter paper, the 
size of the top of the jelly "glass. 
A simple way to make a pattern of 
the exact size is by means of a small 
compass or pair of dividers. When 
the jelly is hard and firm, brush 



over the top with brandy or alcohol 
to kill any spores of mold that may 
be present. Dip a disc of paper in 
the spirits and let it rest on the 
jelly. Now put on the covers. 

Or tie a disc of cotton batting 
over the top of the glass. 

Or cut discs of paper about half 
an inch in diameter larger than the 
top of the glass, wet them in a mix- 
ture of the white of an egg beaten 
together with a tablespoonful of 
cold water and press down the sides 
until they stick. 

Or cut covers about an inch in 
diameter larger than the top of the 
glass, dip in olive oil and tie on the 
glass with string. 

Or pour melted paraffin in the top 
of the glass over a piece of paper 
dipped in brandy or alcohol. Set 
the paraffin in a cup surrounded by 
warm water and heat gently until 
melted. Make a layer at least one- 
fourth of an inch thick. 

Fruit Juices. — These may be 
canned or bottled with or without 
sugar as desired. Use preferably 
self-sealing bottles such as pop or 
beer bottles with care to sterilize 
both bottles and corks. 

For grape juice M^ash the grapes, 
pick them over and remove the stems 
and all defective specimens. To ex- 
press the juice crush slightly in the 
preserving kettle, heat slowly and 
boil gently for half an hour. Crush 
the fruit and express the juice as 
for jelly making, except that all the 
juice may be preserved together. 
Bring the strained juice to a boil in 
a clean preserving kettle, remove and 
skim. Do this a second time. Then 
stir in the sugar until dissolved, boil 
five minutes, skim and put into hot 
sterilized bottles or jars. Set these 
in pans of boiling water in a moder- 
ate oven for ten minutes. Now fill 
up with boiling juice, seal and place 
on boards to cool protected from 
drafts. For grapes use about 1 gill 
of sugar to a quart of juice. 

For raspberries, blackberries and 
strawberries, use J pint of sugar to 
each quart of juice and for currants 



CANNING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES 



661 



d full pint, otherwise proceed as for 
grape juice. 

For cherry, plum and peach juices 
add J pint of sugar to each quart 
of juice. 

Fruit Sirups. — Proceed in all re- 
spects as for fruit juices, but use at 
least one-half as much sugar as fruit 
juice. Use fruit sirups to flavor ice 
creams and water ices, also for bev- 
erages at the rate of two or three 
spoonfuls to the glass of ice water. 

Preserving' Powders. — Avoid all so- 
called "preserving powders" whether 
advertised under various trade names 
or put up and sold by drug- 
gists or peddlers. Any antiseptics 
that v/ill prevent the decay of 
fruits and vegetables are injurious 
to health regardless of all claims by 
interested persons to the contrary. 
Nothing of the sort is necessary if 
sound ripe fruit is selected and ster- 
ilized by means of heat in the proper 
manner. And since the necessary 
care to do good work adds little or 
nothing to the cost of preserving 
fruits and vegetables, the so-called 
"preserving powders" serve no useful 
purpose. On the contrary they tend 
to encourage unclean and slovenly 
work and to conceal the effects of 
using decaying fruits and vegetables. 

CANNING VEGETABLES 

Some vegetables are more difficult 
to preserve properly than fruits and 
fruit juices, since they contain a con- 
siderable proportion of the element 
aitrogen, the presence of which 
makes any substance a good culture 
medium for the bacteria, spores and 
molds which cause decomposition. 
Moreover, the addition of sugar to 
fruits and fruit juices helps to pro- 
duce a condition which is unfavor- 
able to the growth of these injurious 
organisms. But the addition of 
sugar to most vegetables would not 
be desirable. Hence, a considerably 
longer and more heroic treatment 
for canning vegetables is required. 
The process, however. Is simple and 

is SO sjnjUw t9 the- ordinary method? 



of canning fruit that it can be readi- 
ly carried out by any housekeeper 
if the following suggestions are ob- 
served: 

The secret of canning vegetables 
lies in the fact that whereas bacteria 
may be readily killed at the temper- 
ature of boiling water, the spores or 
seeds of certain kinds may retain 
their vitality unless they are kept at 
the temperature of boiling water for 
a long time — about five hours — or 
preferably boiled for about one hour 
upon two or three successive days. 
The latter is the method employed 
by scientific men and is the one here 
recommended. The first day's boil- 
ing kills all the molds and most of 
the bacteria but does not kill their 
spores or seeds. These start to grow 
as soon as the contents of the jar 
is cool. The second boiling kills the 
crop of bacteria thus formed before 
they have time to develop spores. 
The third boiling is not always neces- 
sary, but is advised to make assur- 
ance doubly sure. This process is 
called by scientists "fractional ster- 
ilization." It is the whole secret of 
canning meat, fruits or vegetables 
and anyone who will bear it in mind 
may be sure of satisfactory results. 

Observe, however, that the air must 
be excluded at all times after the 
first boiling. Otherwise a new crop 
of bacteria, spores and molds will be 
deposited from the air and the work 
of sterilization will be undone. Cook- 
ing for three short periods in a 
closed container at a comparatively 
low temperature instead of cooking 
for one sliort period at a high tem- 
perature, or for one long period in 
an open vessel makes the vital dif- 
ference and insures a freshness of 
flavor and color such that the differ- 
ence between the product and the 
fresh vegetables can hardly be de- 
tected. After the jars have been 
sterilized and tested keep them in 
the dark, or wrap them closely in 
dark colored paper, as sunlight will 
soon destroy the color. 

Canning Corn. — - All housewives 
wiU be glad to know that corn is- 



662 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



one of the easiest vegetables to can 
if proper precautions are observed. 
Select preferably the sweetest and 
most delicate varieties. Experiment 
has proved that the amount of sugar 
in sweet corn diminishes very rapidly 
after the ear is pulled from the 
stalk. Hence endeavor to get the 
kernels into the can within an hour 
after the corn is picked. If this can 
be done the result will be far su- 
perior to the ordinary commercial 
product. Select ears with full grains, 
just before they begin to harden, 
since the corn is then sweetest. Husk 
the ears and remove the silks with 
a stiiF brush. Sheer off the grain 
with a sharp knife, pack the jar full 
and salt to taste, usually at the rate 
of one teaspoonful to the quart. 
Fill up the jar to the top with clear 
cold water, put on the rubber ring 
and place the glass top on loosely 
but without depressing the spring. 
Now place the jars upon a false bot- 
tom in a wash boiler and separate 




Steriliser, showing false bottom. 
(J. P. Breaseale.) 

them by means of rags or cotton 
rope, such as an old clothesline, so 
that they cannot strike one another 
when the water begins to boil. Pour 
in about three inches of cold water 
or enough to fill the boiler with 
steam. More than enough to prevent 
the boiler from going dry is not 
necessary as the steam will do the 
cooking. Cover the boiler tightly, 
bring to a boil and let boil for a 
full hour. Now remove the cover 
and allow the steam to escape. Press 
down the spring to prevent air from 



entering. Remove the jars to cool, 
or let them stand in the boiler until 
the next day. 

On the second day raise the spring 
as before and again boil for one 
hour. Once more clamp down the 
top and let stand until the follow- 
ing day. Then repeat the operation. 
Observe that the jars when hot must 
be carefully shielded from drafts of 
cold air or the sudden change of 
temperature will crack them. 

After the third boiling clamp on 
the top and let stand two or three 
days. Then test each jar by releas- 
ing the spring and picking up the 
jar by the glass top. If the top 
does not come off the contents are 
reasonably sure to keep unless there 
should chance to be one or more 
anaerobic bacteria present which may 
cause trouble later on. Should this 
happen increase the length of boil- 
ing for the next lot to IJ hours. 

If the tops come off when the can 
is tested, decomposition has begun 
to take place and gases have been 
formed which offset the atmospheric 
pressure on the outside of the jar. 
In this case it is best to reject the 
contents and to cleanse and refill the 
jar. 

The above directions apply only to 
pint and quart jars. Increase the 
time of boiling for half gallon jars 
to one and a half hours. A little 
practice may be required at first to 
secure perfect results by this meth- 
od; hence do not try too many jars 
the first time. Make a few experi- 
ments in the early part of the sea- 
son until you fully understand the 
directions and learn to follow them 
properly. After that there will be no 
difficulty and the benefits of fresh 
vegetables from the kitchen garden 
will be extended to every season of 
the year. 

The same general process applies 
to canning other vegetables except 
for the mode of preparing them, as 
to which the following suggestions 
are offered: 

Stringbeans. — Pick these when 
young and tender, string, break into 



CANNING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES 



663 



short lengths, pack firmty in the jar, 
cover with cold water and add a tea- 
spoonful of salt to each quart. 
Otherwise proceed as for corn. Add 
a small bit of red pepper in the bot- 
tom of each jar, if desired. 

Eggplant. — Pare, cut in thin 
slices and drop into boiling water 
for fifteen or twenty minutes. Drain 
and pack in jars. Proceed as for 
corn. Remove in slices when re- 
quired and fry in bread crumbs, or 
make into puddings and bake. 

Beets. — Pull while young and ten- 
der. Cut off the tops, wash and 
drop in boiling water for one and 
a half hours, or until thoroughly 
cooked. Skin, slice and pack in 
jars. Proceed as for corn. To pickle, 
cover with equal parts of water 
and good vinegar and sweeten to 
taste. 

Okra or Gumbo. — Pick the pods 
while young and tender, wash, cut 
in short lengths and sterilize as above. 
Use for soups and stews. 

Summer Squash. — Cut into small 
blocks, pack, cover with water, add 
salt and sterilize as above. Or skin, 
boil or steam until well cooked, mash, 
pack and sterilize. But in this case 
steam for an hour and a half each 
day as the heat penetrates the jar 
more slowly. Each jar will contain 
about twice as much of the cooked 
vegetable as if uncooked. 

English. Peas. — Choose young 
sweet peas and proceed as for corn. 
This product has all the delicate 
flavor of the fresh vegetable. 

Asparagus. — Can the tips only, the 
same as for corn. 

Cauliflower. — Prepare in summer 
the same as for serving at table. 
Pack in jars and sterilize. 

Carrots and Parsnips. — Gather in 
early summer when the young plants 
are tender and sweet. Prepare as 
for serving at table and sterilize as 
for corn. 

Turnips and Kohl-Rabi. — Prepare 
as for the table, pack and sterilize. 

Lima Beans. — Pick before the 
pods begin to harden and treat as 
for corn. 



Pumpkin or Winter Squash. — Pre- 
serve these in their natural condition 
in a suitable storeroom as long as 
possible. But should they show 
signs of decay, steam and can the 
same as summer squash. By this 
time the jars which have been emp- 
tied of other vegetables wUl be avail- 
able and may thus be made to do 
double service. 

Succotash. — Gather fresh corn 
and beans early in the morning. Pre- 
pare and sterilize as above. This is 
one of the most difficult things to 
can, hence boil an hour and a half 
each day as for summer squash. 

Vegetable Eoast. — Prepare corn, 
lima beans, tomatoes, stringbeans, 
okra, squash and eggplant as for 
canning separately. Mix in any de- 
sired proportions but let the corn 
and lima beans predominate. Add 
two or three medium sized onions to 
each quart and run through a food 
chopper to mix thoroughly. Pack 
into jars and sterilize by boiling an 
hour and a half each day for three 
days as for summer squash. To pre- 
pare for the table mix an equal 
amount of bread crumbs, add a piece 
of butter the size of a walnut and 
one egg. Season to taste with pep- 
per and salt and bake in a round 
baking dish until brown. Cut into 
slices like a meat loaf and serve hot 
M'ith drawn-butter sauce. 

Or corn, okra and tomatoes mixed 
in equal proportions may be canned 
as soup stock. 

Stewed Tomatoes. — These keep 
very easily even in the common screw- 
top jar. Hence such jars may be set 
aside for tomatoes and the more 
modern styles used for canning other 
vegetables. In this case observe that 
the tops and rubbers must first be 
sterilized by placing them in cold 
water. Bring to a boil and boil for 
ten minutes. Handle as little as pos- 
sible, especially the inside of the top 
or inner edge of the rubber. Fill 
the jar with the cooked tomatoes 
while steaming hot, put on the rub- 
ber, screw the top down firmly, in- 
vert it and let it stand in that posi- 



664 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



tion until cold. To prepare the to- 
matoes, wash and plunge them in 
boiling water for five minutes. Now 
dip for a moment in cold water, 
pare, slice and place them in a pre- 
serving kettle over an iron ring or 
tripod. Heat slowly and stir fre- 
quently from the bottom. Bring to 
a boil and then boil thirty min- 
utes. Put in sterilized jars and 
seal. 

Whole Tomatoes. — Use 8 quarts of 
medium sized whole tomatoes and 4 
quarts of sliced tomatoes. Prepare 
the sliced tomatoes as for stewed 
tomatoes. Boil twenty minutes, rub 
through a strainer and return to the 
fire. Now pare the whole tomatoes 
and put them in sterilized jars. Pour 



over them the stewed and strained 
tomatoes until the jar is full. Put 
the uncovered jars in a moderate 
oven on a pad of asbestos, or in a 
shallow pan of hot water and cook 
for half an hour. Remove, fill to 
overflowing with boiling hot strained 
tomatoes and seal. Any strained to- 
matoes left over may be canned for 
sauces. 

How to Open a Jar. — Run a thin 
knife blade under the rubber next 
to the jar and press against the jar 
firmly. If this does not let in enough 
air to release the pressure on the 
top, place the jar in a deep sauce- 
pan of water, bring to a boil and 
keep boiling a few minutes. It will 
then open easily. 



CHAPTER XXIV 

VINEGAR, PICKLES, AND PICKLING 

SPECIAL VINEGARS— PICKLES AND PICEXING— MIXED PICKLES- 
PICKLED VEGETABLES, NUTS, AND FRUITS 



All vinegar, of which there are 
several kinds, consists of a dilute so- 
lution of acetic acid in water with 
a small amount of sugar and other 
organic matter. Vinegar is the result 
of the action of the oxygen of the 
air, in the presence of a particular 
kind of yeast or ferment, upon a so- 
lution of alcohol. The alcoholic liq- 
uors from which vinegar is made 
may be produced by the fermenta- 
tion of almost any vegetable or fruit 
juices. The principal kinds of vine- 
gar are, accordingly, wine vinegar, 
produced from grapes; malt vinegar, 
from barley; cider vinegar, from 
apples; sugar and molasses vinegar, 
from cane sugar products; corn vine- 
gar; beet vinegar; etc. The alcoholic 
fluid, or " wash," as it is called, should 
contain not over 4 per cent to 13 per 
cent of alcohol. And for the best re- 
sults the temperature should be from 
70 per cent to 85 per cent Fahrenheit. 
Plenty of air to introduce the oxygen 
required by the process must be sup- 
plied and mixed with the alcoholic 
solution. The changing of alcohol to 
acetic acid by the action of oxygen 
produces heat and increases the 
weight of the liquid. 

Commercial vinegar is made on the 
Continent of Europe principally from 
cheap grades of wine, in England 
from malt and sour beer, in the 
United States from cider and cheap 
grades of alcoholic liquors, as whisky 
and the like. 

Methods of Making Vinegar. — 
There are two principal ways of 
making vinegar — the slow and the 
quick process. In the former the al- 



coholic solution is placed in a barrel 
or vat containing a little old vinegar 
or mother, which supplies the neces- 
sary yeast, or in the case of wine 
vinegar, old wine lees, either exposed 
to the sun or placed in a warm room. 
Air is admitted through the bung of 
the casks or otherwise, and the liquid 
is allowed to stand until it turns to 
vinegar. This takes two weeks or 
more in summer, and a month or 
more in cold weather. The process is 
similar to that of making cheap vine- 
gar from molasses and yeast, or mak- 
ing ordinary cider vinegar. 

Or to make vinegar by the quick, 
or German process, prepare a special 
contrivance as follows: 

Supply a large vinegar cask with 
a false bottom about a foot from 
the true bottom perforated with a 
large number of | inch gimlet holes. 
If a line quality of vinegar is desired, 
cover this with one or more thick- 
nesses of white flannel cloth, and an 
inch layer of clean white sand on top. 
Bore, around the outside of the bar- 
rel an inch below the false bottom, a 
row of i inch auger holes slanting 
downward from without 2 or 3 inches 
apart. These are necessary to admit 
the air. Fill the barrel from the false 
bottom to within 4 or 5 inches of the 
top with maple, beech, or basswood 
chips previously soaked for three or 
four days in first-class vinegar. 

Now cut another cask of somewhat 
smaller size in halves. Bore the bot- 
tom of one half barrel full of gimlet 
holes the size of a goose quill or 
about i inch in diameter. Cover this 
with cotton batting or yarn, and 



665 



666 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



place it on top of the barrel resting 
on cross slats or upon the chips. 

Insert a spigot into the cask below 
the false bottom, slanting downward 
to the bottom of the cask but having 




"Vinegar by the Quick or German Process." 

its opeping just below the level of 
the row of air holes, and place be- 
neath the spigot the other half barrel, 
protected by a wooden cover from 
dust and dirt. 

The alcoholic liquor poured into 
the upper half barrel causes the yarn 
or cotton in the bottom to swell and 
fill the gimlet holes, whence the liquor 
drops through upon the chips. Th3 
process of fermentation produces 
heat, which causes a current of air to 
rise through the openings for that 
purpose below the false bottom, and 
to meet the alcoholic liquor as it per- 
colates drop by drop through the 
chips. The air current escapes be- 
tween the bottom of the upper half 
barrel and the top edges of the large 
cask. Thus the action of the oxygen 
in the air in turning the alcohol into 
acetic acid is made very rapid. 



The vinegar, after passing through 
the sand and flannel strainer, and the 
false bottom, accumulates in the bot- 
tom of the barrel but cannot escape 
through the spigot until it reaches 
the level of its mouth, or a depth of 
8 or 10 inches. It is then first drawn 
from the bottom where its strength 
is greatest. And the strong vinegar 
thus accumulated assists in the proc- 
ess of fermentation. 

To use this apparatus, pour in 
about 4 gallons of alcoholic liquor or 
" wash " every hour with the addition 
of 1 quart to make up for the waste. 
And withdraw every hour about 4 
gallons of vinegar from the bottom. 
The first product must be ladled 
back into the upper half barrel, run 
through again and again, when it will 
be converted into vinegar in three or 
four days. It must then be poured 
into a clean tank or cask, and one or 
two quarts of molasses added to it 
each day, until the molasses settles in 
a bed 3 or 4 inches thick. This im- 
proves the flavor of the vinegar and 
gives it a fine color. This process 
is the quickest and most satisfactory 
that has ever been devised. And as 
the apparatus is inexpensive, and the 
product is more salable than ordinary 
vinegar, there would seem to be no 
reason why it could not be utilized 
by grocers and other dealers in vine- 
gar, or by private families or indi- 
viduals either for domestic use or for 
sale. 

Water for Vinegar. — Pure soft or 
distilled water ought to be used for 
the manufacture of good vinegar, and 
if the water is not pure it should be 
purified by filtering through char- 
coal. 

Wash or liquors for Vineg-ar. — 
The commonest alcoholic liquor used 
for commercial vinegar in this coun- 
try consists of about 3 gallons of 
corn whisky, 4 gallons of good com- 
mercial vinegar, and 33 gallons of 
pure water. 

Or 50 gallons of 60 per cent whiskj 
and 37 gallons of beer or maltwort. 

Or 3 gallons of brandy, 4 gallons 
of vinegar, and 13 gallons of water. 



VINEGAR, PICKLES, AND PICKLING 



667 



with the addition, to promote fermen- 
tation, of about 1 gallon of an infu- 
sion of equal parts bran and rye meal. 

Or use IJ pounds of sugar to each 
gallon of pure water. 

Or i gallon of water to 3 gallons 
of cider. Add to the above in all 
cases 2 quarts of yeast to every bar- 
rel of the liquor. 

To Ferment Vinegar. — The proc- 
ess of making vinegar requires the 
presence of the minute vegetable or- 
ganisms called yeast, and is greatly 
hastened by conditions favorable to 
their growth. This is the reason that 
vinegar is made more rapidly in hot 
than in cold weather, and that the 
temperature of 75° to 80° F. hastens 
the process. The germs of yeast are, 
of course, present in large numbers 
in the lees and mother of old vine- 
gar and also in the vinegar which 
is soaked into the fiber of the cask. 
Hence an old vinegar barrel, if 
sound, is preferable to a new one. 
The germs of yeast are also present 
in ordinary vinegar, and if 1 gallon 
of sound vinegar can be added to 
each 3 or 5 gallons of cider or other 
alcoholic liquor or "wash" from which 
vinegar is to be made, no other yeast 
will be necessary. 

Or good brewers' yeast may be 
added to the alcoholic liquor at the 
rate of about | of a pint to each 13 
gallons. 

Or homemade hop yeast at the rate 
of IJ pints to 12 gallons. The 
" wash " should be at a temperature 
of about 75° or 80° F. when the yeast 
is added, and should be kept at or 
near that temperature while the vine- 
gar is being made. Yeast must not 
be scalded as a temperature above 
140° F. kills it. When old vinegar 
oarrels are employed, or ordinary 
vinegar is put into new casks to has- 
ten fermentation, care must be taken 
that the vinegar formerly made in 
the casks, or used for this purpose, 
is of the same kind and of at least 
equally good quality to the desired 
product. That is, if a fine quality of 
cider vinegar is desired, only casks 
that have been used in making pure 



cider vinegar, or the best grade ol 
cider vinegar itself should be used in 
the process. 

Or boil until tender IJ pints of 
shelled corn to each gallon of the 
" wash " and add this in place of 
yeast to promote fermentation. When 
the vinegar is sour enough, strain it 
through cheese cloth to remove the 
corn and let stand another week to 
clarify. 

Money in Vinegar. — Grocers and 
other merchants who sell vinegar at 
retail should make their own vinegar. 
They can thus, by employing only the 
best materials, guarantee a pure ar- 
ticle. They can also materially in- 
crease their profits. In fact, any per- 
son living in the country or small 
town, can profitably manufacture 
vinegar for family use and also, if de- 
sired, by producing a pure and genu- 
ine article can build up a neighbor- 
hood trade. To do this it is only 
necessary to leave samples, with price 
attached, at the neighboring houses 
and keep always on hand a sufficient 
quantity of first-class vinegar. The 
commercial article is so often adul- 
terated with inj urious acids that most 
persons will prefer to buy homemade 
vinegar at the market rates or bet- 
ter and a satisfactory profit will be 
assured. 

Cheap Molasses Vinegar. — To make 
vinegar by the slow process, fill a 
large jug, keg, or cask with a mix- 
ture consisting of 1 quart of best 
New Orleans molasses, 1 pint of 
yeast to each 3 gallons of warm rain 
water. Tie a piece of cheese clotli 
over the bung to keep out dust and 
insects, but to admit the air. Place 
the receptacle out of doors in ihe sun 
during hot weather. Or in cold 
weather let it stand near the kitchen 
stove. It will be converted into vine- 
gar in from three weeks to a month. 
When it gets low, draw off a supply 
for family use, leaving more or less 
old vinegar with the mother and lees 
in the bottom of the cask. Fill up 
with new liquid in the same propor- 
tions, and let stand until converted 
into vinegar as before. 



668 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Or dissolve i a pound of light- 
brown " A " or coffee sugar in 2 gal- 
lons of soft warm water. Add 3 
pints of homemade hop yeast or li 
pints of good brewers' yeast to each 
13 gallons. Pour al into a suitable 
keg or cask. 

Or a firkin may be used if fitted 
with a tight cover having one or 
more auger holes to admit air through 
it. Fill the receptacle about two 
thirds full, or a little more, so as to 
expose as large a surface as possible 
to tlie air. Cover the openings with 
cheese cloth and let stand in a warm 
place. Where the conditions are fa- 
vorable it will be converted into vine- 
gar in about two weeks or a month. 

Or for a somewhat better quality, 
take 5 gallons of water to 1 gallon of 
molasses, and add a quart of j'east. 
The addition of a gallon of good vine- 
gar will hasten the process. Odds 
and ends of sirup, as rinsings from 
fruit j ars, molasses cans, and the like, 
may be added to the liquor from time 
to time. 

Or for a cheaper quality, take 35 
gallons of warm rain water, 4 gallons 
of molasses, and 1 gallon of brewers' 
yeast. 

To Manufacture Vinegar for Sale. 
"^Grocers and other merchants who 
sell vinegar at retail may keep them- 
selves supplied with vinegar in the 
following manner: 

Have on hand three or more bar- 
rels in multiples of three, and use 
them in rotation. If less than a bar- 
rel of vinegar is sold each week, three 
barrels will be sufficient, as the proc- 
ess will be completed in three weeks 
or less. Commence with a barrel of 
good commercial vinegar. Before it 
is quite empty draw off and pour into 
each of the other two barrels 2 or 3 
gallons of vinegar. Now fJl up the 
vinegar barrel with a fresh liquor in 
the proportion of 1 gallon of mo- 
lasses to 5 gallons more or less of 
warm rain water according to the 
quality of vinegar desired, and about 
1 quart of yeast for each 13 gallons 
of the mixture. 

Fill up the other two barrels with 



tlie same liquor. The first or old 
vinegar barrel containing more or less 
lees and mother will turn to vinegar 
very quickly, and may be sold first, 
and refilled when it gets low. By that 
time the second will be ready to use, 
or nearly so. After the three barrels 
are once started, if filled up when 
nearly emptied, they will furnish a 
constant supply. 

Or if upward of two barrels are 
sold each week, six casks may be kept 
going in the same manner. A good- 
sized bunghole should be kept open 
to admit the air, but they should have 
two or three thicknesses of cheese 
cloth tacked over them to keep out 
dust and insects. 

Or to manufacture vinegar oil a 
large scale summer and winter alike, 
it is necessary either to have a large 
cellar equipped with suitable vats or 
'casks, or a building which is well 
ventilated, and can be warmed in win- 
ter by means of a furnace or other- 
wise. In addition to suitable arrange- 
ments for storing ordinary casks in 
tiers, and the necessary apparatus 
for leaching the wash through beech- 
wood shavings by the quick or Ger- 
man process, an important part of 
the equipment is one or more large 
ripening casks or vats capable of 
holding 500 to 1,000 gallons and up- 
ward. The cider or other " wash," 
after having been turned into vinegar 
by cither the slow or quick process 
and run oft" into smaller casks, should 
be transfen-ed at intervals to these 
large casks so that the output of the 
establishment will be of a uniform 
flavor. Care must, of course, be taken 
that the casks, vats, and other appa- 
ratus used to produce a particular 
kind or grade of vinegar should not 
be used for any other purpose, if the 
object is to build up a trade for a 
particular brand or quality. 

Malt Vinegar. — In the vicinity of 
bre\\'eries, where wort can be pro- 
cured at a reasonable price, malt 
vinegar can be made very cheaply. 
Add to each 25 gallons of wort 1 gal- 
lon of beer yeast. Ferment for about 
thirty-five or forty hours, and draw 



VINEGAR, PICKLES, AND PICKLING 



669 



off the liquor into casks about two 
thirds full. Let them stand at a tem- 
perature of 70° to 75° F. Keep the 
bungs out to admit plenty of air. 

Sugar Vinegar. — To make sugar 
vinegar for domestic use, add ^ pint 
of yeast to a solution of 1^ pounds 
of sugar in 1 gallon of water. Let 
the mixture ferment for about three 
days in a large eartheuM^are jar or 
other receptacle, placed where the 
temperature will be at least 80° F. 
Then draw off the clear liquor from 
the sediment into a clean cask and 
add 1 ounce of cream of . tartar and 
1 ounce of bruised raisins. Let stand 
until sufficiently sour, clarify, bottle 
and cork for use. 

Or boil any quantity of coarse 
brown sugar with filtered rain water 
at the rate of 2 pounds of sugar to 
the gallon and with a skimmer re- 
move the scum as fast as it appears. 
Now add a quart of cold water for 
every gallon of hot. Let cool, and 
add about a pint of yeast for each 6 
gallons of the liquor. Run into a 
cask. Cover the bunghole with wire 
gauze or several thicknesses of cheese 
cloth, and place it out in the sun. If 
this vinegar is made in the early 
spring and exposed to summer heat 
it will be ready for use by midsum- 
mer. In winter six months will be 
required. 

Cider Vinegar. — The best quality 
of vinegar is undoubtedly that made 
from cider, providing the apples used 
are sound, ripe, sweet fruit. As the 
best grades of cider vinegar bring a 
fancy price, it is advisable to separate 
ripe, sweet windfalls from small, un- 
ripe, or defective fruit, and use the 
best fruit for an A 1 grade of cider. 
The usual careless method of making 
cider is merely to fill a cask to its 
capacity with cider and let it stand 
four to six months to sour. But, with 
proper care and attention, a better 
grade of cider can be made in a much 
quicker time. The better way is to 
place the cider in a hogshead or 
large tank. Lay the ripening casks, 
with the bungholes open, on their 
sides, exposed to the heat of the sun 



or in a warm cellar, and fill them at 
first only about a quarter full of 
cider. After about two weeks, add 
another quarter, making the barrel 
half full, and after two weeks more 
do the same, leaving the cask about 
three quarters fuU. Thus a consider- 
able flat surface inside is left exposed 
to the air. Once a day for the first 
few weeks draw from the spigot a 
gallon or more of cider and pour it 
from a considerable height through a 
funnel into the bunghole. This keeps 
the cider full of air. Also, put into 
each barrel a pound or more of bread 
dough, prepared as for making ordi- 
nary wheat bread, in the state in 
v.hich it is ready to be put into the 
oven. 

Other methods recommended for 
hastening the process of fermentation 
are the addition of a quart or more 
of molasses to each cask, 3 ounces of 
brown sugar to each gallon of cider, 
or brown paper dipped in New Or- 
leans molasses. But the bread dough 
is perhaps to be preferred. The 
ordinary skunk-cabbage balls, which 
occur plentifully in swamps and mead- 
ows in many localities, are also em- 
ployed for this purpose. 

Or the mother of vinegar from an 
old cider barrel will greatly hasten 
the process. 

Cheap Cider Vinegar. — Save the 
pomace from which cider is made, or 
buy pomace from the cider mill. Put 
it into tight casks or hogsheads with 
the head knocked out of one end and 
a spigot near the bottom, and cover 
with filtered rain water. Tack over 
the top two or three thicknesses of 
cheese cloth to keep out insects and 
dust. Draw off the liquor from the 
bottom as fast as it ferments, and 
use it to dilute pure cider. Thus 
nearly two barrels of vinegar can be 
made from one of cider. 

To Make Cider Vinegar Quickly. 
— Fill a jar or jug with cider and 
add for each gallon of cider a pint 
of New Orleans molasses and a cup- 
ful of good yeast. Take out the cork 
of the jug or leave the cover of the 
jar tilted slightly to admit the air. 



670 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



The cider will commence to ferment 
at once and will be turned into vine- 
gar in about a week. Pour off the 
clear into demijohns or bottles and 
cork tightly for use. Leave the lees 
or mother, and fill up the original re- 
ceptacle with fresh cider to repeat 
the process. 

To Preserve Vinegar. — To preserve 
vinegar after it has ripened to per- 
fection, draw it off from the mother 
into a clean cask and drive in the 
bung to exclude the air. 

Or clarify and bottle it in tightly 
stoppered bottles and store at a low 
temperature. If it again thickens 
and shows traces of mother, it must 
be once more drawn off into a clean 
vessel. 

Grape Vinegar. — ^The juice of the 
grapes must first be extracted in a 
wine press and allowed to ferment. 
Wine when a year old usually fur- 
nishes the best vinegar, as with great- 
er age the wine loses a part of its 
organic matter and becomes unsuita- 
ble for vinegar. To make vinegar 
from wine it is first poured into a 
cask containing wine lees. It is then 
placed in cloth sacks in an ironbound 
vat or cask and squeezed through the 
cloth by means of weights from 
above. It is then placed in upright 
casks having a bunghole at the top 
and allowed to sour, same as cider 
vinegar. If casks are exposed to the 
summer sun, the contents turn to 
vinegar in about two weeks. But in 
winter the process in a warm room 
requires a month or more. The tem- 
perature should be 75° to 86° F. The 
wine is next drawn off into barrels 
containing beech-wood chips, to clar- 
ify for about two weeks. It is then 
ready for use. The original cask, 
containing the residue of mother, is 
used without cleansing to ferment 
additional wine. 

In making the best qualities of 
vinegar the wine is first clarified by 
running it into casks or vats contain- 
ing beech shavings. The ripening 
cosks are then filled about a quarter 
full of boiling vinegar, wliich is al- 
lowed to stand for tliree or four days, 



after which the wine is gradually 
added at the rate of about a gallon 
at a time until the casks are filled. 
After about two or three weeks the 
wine is turned to vinegar. One half 
is then drawn off and bottled or 
stored for use, and the cask is re- 
filled as before. This process is some- 
times continued for ten years, with- 
out the casks ever becoming more 
than half empty, but after that length 
of time it is necessary to remove the 
accumulated sediment. 

White-Wine Vinegar. — Crush 3 
pounds of clean juicy raisins. Add 
a gallon of filtered rain water, place 
in a 2-gallon jug uncorked, and let it 
stand in a warm place. In about a 
month it will be converted into pure 
white-wine vinegar. 

Pour out the clear vinegar through 
a cheese-cloth strainer, leaving the 
raisins and sediment in the jug; add 
i pound of raisins in another gallon 
of water, and repeat the process. 

Corn Vinegar. — Boil in a gallon of 
rain water a pint of shelled Indian 
corn until the kernels burst. Pour 
the whole into a 3-gallon stone jug 
and add filtered rain water to supply 
that lost by evaporation, making a 
gallon all told. Dissolve J pound of 
granulated sugar in i pound of soft 
water by bringing it to a boil. Pour 
into the jug; shake well. Cover the 
mouth of the jug with two or three 
thicknesses of cheese cloth. Let stand 
in a warm place at a temperature of 
75° or 80° F. It will be converted 
into vinegar in about a month. Pour 
off this vinegar into another jug, 
leaving about half the mother, and 
repeat the process. 

To preserve this vinegar, cover the 
mouth of the jug with a piece of 
cloth and store it in a dry, warm 
place. This recipe makes vinegar 
about as cheaply as it can be made, 
and gives a quality that is preferred 
by many to ordinary cider vinegar. 
It is worth trying. 

To Clarify Vinegar. — To clarify 
vinegar for bottling, draw it off into 
a clean cask or other vessel and throw 
into it a handful more or less ot 



VINEGAR, PICKLES, AND PICKLING 



671 



shredded isinglass. Let it stand for 
a few days and filter through a 
cheese cloth. 

Distilled Vinegar. — "Vinegar is dis- 
tilled by heating in an ordinary re- 
tort by means of a sand bath, about 
7 pints being carried over from each 
gallon. No lead or pewter can be 
used in any part of the retort or con- 
denser, as the acetic acid acting upon 
these metals produces a poisonous 
compound. Distilled vinegar is weak- 
er than the ordinary commercial arti- 
cle for the reason that water boils at 
a lower temperature than acetic acid. 
Hence more water than acetic acid 
is carried over. Distilled vinegar is 
used principally by druggists. 

To Decolorize Vinegar. > — Sub- 
stances recommended for this pur- 
pose are ivory black, bone black or 
ordinary charcoal, all of which have 
the property of absorbing the various 
coloring matters so as to reduce 
ordinary cider, red wine, or other 
highly colored vinegar to a limpid and 
transparent whiteness. 

Mix with each gallon of red wine 
or cider vinegar about 6 ounces of 
pure bone charcoal, from which, by 
means of a coarse sieve, all loose dust 
and small grains have been removed. 
Place the whole in a glass or earthen- 
ware vessel and shake or stir from 
time to time until the color has been 
removed. 

Or the charcoal, in the same pro- 
portion, can be thrown into an ordi- 
nary cask, and the contents stirred 
occasionally. 

Or if the cask is bunged up, the 
cask may be rolled or rocked, or 
ended up from time to time, to bring 
the charcoal in contact with all parts 
of the vinegar. 

Or a double bag of any desired size 
may be made of coarse linen and 
lined with a layer of charcoal 2 or 3 
inches in thickness. This should be 
quilted sufficiently to prevent the 
charcoal from settling or bunching 
up. Vinegar may be decolorized by 
straining through this. 

Strength of Vinegar. — The strength 
of vinegar or the amount of acetic 



acid which is contained in different 
specimens, differs greatly. To deter- 
mine the proportion of acetic acid, 
suspend 4 or 3 ounces, by weight, of 
broken pieces of fine marble in 16 
ounces, by weight, of vinegar. The 
acetic acid will attack the marble 
and will be gradually neutralized. 
Let stand overnight. Remove the 
marble, rinse it in cold water, dry it 
thoroughly with gentle heat on top 
of the stove (but take care not to 
melt it), and weigh it carefully, | of 
its loss in weight is the quantity of 
actual acetic acid contained in the 
sample. And from this amount the 
proportion of acetic acid can be read- 
ily obtaiijed. 

Good vinegar should contain about 
5 per cent of absolute acetic acid. 
The commercial test is the num- 
ber of grains of pure carbonate of 
potassium that will exactly neutralize 
1 fluid ounce of vinegar. If 20 grains 
of carbonate of potassium are re- 
quired, the sample is known as 20 
grains' strength. 

Purity of Vinegar. — Various min- 
eral acids, as sulphuric, nitric, hydro- 
chloric and others, are sometimes 
added to vinegar as adulterants to 
increase its acidity, and for other 
pur^joses. Red pepper, mustard, and 
other acrid substances are also used, 
and traces of copper and lead are 
sometimes derived from the vats or 
kettles in which the vinegar is pre- 
pared. 

Test for Sulphuric Acid. — Stir into 
a sample of suspected vinegar a small 
quantity of potato starch and bring 
to a boil. Remove from the fire and 
let stand until entirely cold. Add 
slowly, drop by drop, a solution of 
iodine. If the vinegar is pure, the 
iodine solution will produce the blue 
color of iodide of starch, but if sul- 
phuric acid is present the starch will 
have been converted by boiling into 
dextrin, and the blue color will not 
appear. 

Or dip a piece of writing paper in 
the vinegar and heat it over the 
stove; if the vinegar is pure, the pa- 
per will not be charred, but the pres- 



67^ 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



ence of 2 per cent or more of sul- 
phuric acid will char it. 

Or a more delicate test consists in 
bringing to a boil a solution of ^ 
ounce of sugar in 16 ounces of water 
and when it reaches the boiling point 
clipping into it a china cup or saucer. 
If a drop of vinegar is let fall on this 
china surface while moistened with 
sirup at the temperature of boiling 
water (212° F.) if pure it will pro- 
duce no perceptible effect. But if it 
contains the slightest trace of sul- 
phuric acid it will produce a spot of 
color ranging from pale green to a 
darker brown or black in proportion 
to the quantity of free sulphuric acid 
present. 

Test for Hydrochloric Acid. — To_ 
test for hydrochloric acid use the 
boiled potato-starch and solution-of- 
iodine test for sulphuric acid; the 
reaction will be the same. 

Or add to the suspected sample a 
little silver nitrate, which, if hydro- 
chloric acid is present, wiU produce 
a white precipitate. 

Test for Nitric Acid.— To test for 
nitric acid, add a solution of indigo 
to the sample of vinegar and bring 
to a boil. The nitric acid can be de- 
tected by a yellow color. - 

Tests for Other Adulterants. — To 
discover the presence of red pepper, 
mustard, etc., boil down the vinegar 
until all the water it contains has 
been evaporated, when, if these sub- 
stances are present, the resulting ex- 
tract will have a sharp, biting taste. 

To test for copper, add potassium 
ferrocyanide, which will give a brown 
precipitate. 

To test for lead, add hydrogen sul- 
phide, which will give a black pre- 
cipitate, or potassium iodine, which 
will produce a yellow precipitate. 

To Strengthen Vinegar. — To 
strengthen a quantity of weak vine- 
gar, boil down a gallon of good vine- 
gar to 2 quarts, and let it stand in the 
sun for a week or ten days. Add 
this to about six times its own bulk 
of weak vinegar. The whole will be 
strengthened and given an agreeable 
flavor. 



SPECIAL 7INEGAES 

Aromatic Vinegar. — This is a mix- 
ture or compound of strong acetic 
acid or ordinary vinegar with vari- 
ous essential oils. It is a volatile and 
powerful perfume having a pungent 
odor and is snuffed in the nostrils as 
a stimulant in languor, faintness, ner- 
vous debility, etc. 

To produce the best qualities of 
aromatic vinegar, a glacial or crystal- 
lizable acetic acid is combined with 
various essential oils at the rate of 6 
drops, more or less, of the oils of 
clove, lavender, rosemary, calamus, 
etc., to 1 ounce of glacial acetic acid. 

Aromatic vinegar must be kept 
tightly corked. For use it may be 
dropped on a sponge or snuffed from 
a vinaigrette. It may also be used 
as a caustic for warts, corns, and 
' other callouses. But on account of 
its caustic properties it must be care- 
fully kept from clothing and the skin. 
Treat accidental burns with cooking 
soda. 

Imitation of Aromatic Vinegar. — 
Common vinegar may be boiled down 
with very gentle heat imtil 90 per 
cent to 95 per cent of its bulk has 
been lost by evaporation, and the 
remainder will be almost pure acetic 
acid. To this the essential oils may 
be added in the above proportions, 
and a fairly good grade of aromatic 
vinegar obtained. 

Fruit Vinegars. — The juices of 
most ordinary fruits, as -raspberries, 
currants, gooseberries, and the like, 
contain sufficient sugar to ferment 
and produce an alcoholic liquor from 
which vinegar can be made, either 
with or without the addition of sugar 
sirup or molasses. 

To make vinegar from fruits, ex- 
tract the juice by boiling the fruit 
with about its own quantity of water. 
Squeeze out the juice through several 
thicknesses of cheese cloth. This may 
be done by inserting sticks at either 
end and twisting them. To each gal- 
lon of fruit juice add about a quar- 
ter pint of good yeast, and let stand 
in an open jug or jar with the cover 



VINEGAR, PICKLES, AND PICKLING 



673 



slightly tilted at a temperature of 
70° or 80° F. 

Or the boiled fruit juice may be 
allowed to stand for two or three 
days, to ferment before straining. 
And the yeast may be added after 
the fermented liquor has been freed 
from the fruit pulp. 

Vinegar made from fruit juices is 
of better quality and keeps better 
than that made from malt liquors. 
These juices are often prepared in 
much the same manner before they 
are fully turned into vinegar and 
used as cooling drinks. And ordi- 
nary vinegar is frequently flavored 
with fruit juices for table use. The 
following include miscellaneous rec- 
ipes of these kinds: 

Raspberry Vinegar. — Pick over IJ 
pints of fresh raspberries. Place them 
in an earthenware jar or jug, and 
pour over them 3 pints of pure vine- 
gar. After twenty-four hours strain 
out the liquor, discard the fruit 
pulp, clean the jar, place in it 1^- 
pints of fresh raspberries, and pour 
the liquor over them. After another 
twenty-four hours repeat the process 
for the third time, thus using, all told, 
4-i pints of fresh raspberries. Decant 
the clear liquor through two or three 
thicknesses of cheese cloth, without 
squeezing, into a double boiler of 
graniteware, porcelain, or tia. But 
do not use a graniteware kettle that 
is chipped so as to expose the iron. 
Stir in until dissolved 1 pound of 
crushed loaf sugar for each pint of 
liquor. Boil for one hour, taking off 
the scum with a skimmer as fast as 
it appears. Bottle, cork, and seal. 

Gooseberry Vinegar. — Mash in a 
suitable vessel half a bushel of ripe 
gooseberries. Using for this purpose 
the end of a stick of hard wood. 
Add 6 gallons of lukewarm rain wa- 
ter, and let stand twenty-four hours. 
Strain through several thicknesses 
of cheese cloth, stir in 12 pounds of 
coarse brown sugar, and pour the 
whole into a 9-gallon cask, filling it 
up Mdth warm rain water. Let stand 
three or four days, stirring several 
times a day to dissolve the sugar, 



which settles at the bottom. Head 
up the cask, pack two or three thick- 
nesses of cheese cloth over the bxing- 
hole, and place the cask in a warm 
place, near the kitchen stove indoors, 
but not in the sun. It will be turned 
into vinegar in from nine to twelve 
months. It may then be strained and 
bottled for use. When so made 
gooseberry vinegar is superior to tha 
best white-wine vinegar, and will 
make a better quality of pickles 
than the most expensive vinegar of 
commerce, preserving the ingredients 
better, whereas the cost is next to 
nothing. 

Or for each quart of ripe gooseber- 
ries, add 3 quarts of water, ferment 
forty-eight hours, strain, stir in 1| 
pounds of sugar, and let stand in a 
warm place ten months or more, when 
it will be ready for use. 

Raspberry, corn, and other fruit 
vinegars may be made by the same 
plan, and substantially the same pro- 
portions may be observed. 

Horse-Radish Vinegar. — Mix IJ 
oimces of horse-radish, J ounce of 
minced shallot, ^ ounce of Cayenne 
pepper or paprika, and pour over it 
a pint of vinegar. Let stand a week 
or ten days, strain through cheese 
cloth and bottle for use. 

Cucumber Vinegar. — Place in a 
large stone jar about 1^ dozen large 
cucumbers, pared and sliced, 4 large 
onions, pared and sliced, 2 or 3 pieces 
of garlic and shallots, 2 tablespoon- 
fuls of salt, 3 tablespoonfuls of black 
or white pepper, and | teaspoonful 
of paprika or Cayenne. Let stand 
four or five days, bring to a boil, cool 
and strain, or filter through linen 
cloth or filter paper, and bottle for 
table use. 

Chili Vinegar. — Chop fine 25 chili 
peppers and pour over them J pint 
or more of pure vinegar. Let stand 
about- ten days or two weeks, strain 
through cheese cloth and preserve in 
small bottles tightly corked for table 
use. 

Cayenne Vinegar. — Place J ounce 
of Cayenne pepper or paprika in a 
glass bottle and pour over it a pint 



674 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



of pure vinegar. Let stand a month 
or more, shaking frequently. Strain 
into small bottles and cork tightly. 

Shallot Vinegar. — Chop fine i doz- 
en shallots, put them in a glass bot- 
tle, pour over them a pint of pure 
vinegar. Cork tightly. Let stand a 
month or more, strain and preserve 
in small bottles tightly corked. 

Gamp Vinegar. — Chop together J 
dozen anchovies, 1 shallot, 1 clove of 
garlic, and stir in i saltspoonful of 
Cayenne and 2 ounces of walnut cat- 
sup. Place in a glass bottle and pour 
over it ^ pint pure vinegar. Let stand 
a week or ten days, strain and bottle 
for use. 

Garlic Vinegar. — Place in a glass 
bottle 1 ounce of finely chopped gar- 
lic, pour over it a pint of strong vine- 
gar. Let stand ten days, shaking fre- 
quently, strain and bottle for use. 

Curry Vinegar. — Place 3 ounces of 
curry powder in a glass bottle, add 
3 pints of strong vinegar. Let stand 
a week or ten days in a warm place, 
strain and bottle for use. 

PICKLES ANB PICKLING 

Pickling Vegetables. — Almost 
every sort of esculent may be pre- 
served for table use by means of 
spiced vinegar. The objects to be 
obtained are to secure firmness or 
hardness of texture, to impart a fine 
bright green or other color, to kill all 
germs of decay that may be present, 
and to protect from the air. 

Firmness of texture is secured by 
steeping the vegetable in strong brine 
for a number of days, and by picking 
them over at intervals to discard all 
doubtful specimens. This may be 
done by lifting them from the brine, 
rinsing them and after they have been 
picked over, covering them with brine 
that is freshly made. The excess of 
brine may then be removed by fresh- 
ening them in pure salt water for 
twenty-four hours or more. 

A fine green is imparted by lining 
a kettle with fresh vine leaves and 
packing the pickles with these in al- 
ternate layers. The addition of pow- 



dered alum sprinkled among the lay- 
ers assists in setting or fixing the 
color. They are then covered with 
cold water and boiled for two hours 
or more until the color is satisfac- 




" Pickles and Pickling. 



tory. Cooking, of course, softens 
them, but their freshness may be re- 
stored by dropping them into iced 
water for an hour or two. 

Finally, scalding hot pickling liq- 
uid is poured over them both to kill 
the germs of decay and exclude the 
air. And this process may be re- 
peated by pouring off the pickling 
liquid, bringing it to a boil and again 
pouring it over them at intervals of 
every two or three days for a fort- 
night. The jars may then be sealed, 
or a layer of cotton batting tied over 
them to exclude the germs that float 
in the air, and thus they may be pre- 
served for years. 

To Select Cucumbers for Pickling. 
— Plant for pickles a variety of cu- 
cumbers that bears a large number 
of small cucumbers, only 2 or 3 inches 
long when ripe. These are small, 
compact, and make firm, crisp pickles 
that are preferred by most persons 
to the large cucumber pickles, which, 
when ripe, are 5 to 7 inches long, 2 
to 3 inches thick, and full of seeds. 

Or use the small, unripe specimens 
of the large varieties. Cut the cu- 
cumbers from the vines carefully. 
Leave part of the stem on. And take 



VINEGAR, PICKLES, AND PICKLING 



675 



care to handle them gently. If 
bruised they will become soft and de- 
cay. Pick the vines clean each morn- 
ing of all that are of a suitable size. 
This keeps the vines bearing. Pick 
them over carefully. Throw out any 
that are bruised or spotted in any 
way. And, if an A 1 quality of pickles 
is desired, either for home use or for 
sale, sort them into lots of uniform 
size and shape. 

To Preserve Cucumliers for Pickles. 
-Have ready two or more stout 
wooden tubs or earthenware jars, and 
in ihese each morning as fast as they 
are gathered pack the pickles in lay- 
ers. First put on the bottom of the 
vessel a layer of salt J inch thick, 
then a layer of cucumbers. Over 
them put a layer of salt about | inch 
thick. When about 30 cucumbers 
have been packed in this way, add a 
large cupful of water. This will dis- 
solve the salt and make brine enough 
to cover the cucumbers. Put a stout 
board, with a stone on top, over the 
cucumbers to press them down in the 
brine. Continue to add more cucum- 
bers from time to time as they are 
ready, picking them if possible in the 
morning before the dew is off. Add 
salt and water until the keg is full. 
Weigh down the cucumbers securely 
under the brine and until ready to do 
them up store the keg in a cold cel- 
lar. Look at them now and then to 
be sure that they are kept under the 
brine, and add more brine, if neces- 
sary, to replace the water lost by 
evaporation. Let stand in brine ten 
days to two weeks, or until they be- 
come yellow. But they will not be in- 
jured if allowed to stand longer, pro- 
vided the brine covers them. 

Or after standing in cold brine for 
one week, lift them carefully from 
the brine with the hands, so as not to 
bruise them. Place the brine over the 
fire and bring it to a boil. Immerse 
the cucumbers in the brine while boil- 
ing hot. 

Or som8 authorities recommend 
that the brine be poured ofF, heated, 
and again poured over the pickles 
each day for a week or more, or every 



two or three days. But the better 
opinion seems to be in favor of steep- 
ing or immersing them in cold brine 
for a longer period to draw out the 
rank juices that occur in all crude 
fruit rather than to pour scalding 
brine over them. Scalding is thought 
by many to be unnecessary, and to 
tend to make the pickles soft. 

To Store Pickles. — ^Wooden tubs or 
casks are to be preferred for storing 
pickles in large quantities, or glass 
bottles or fruit jars for the finer 
qualities. There is an advantage in 
small bottles, crocks, or jars as only 
a small quantity need be opened at a 
time. 

Porcelain, graniteware, aluminum, 
or new tinware are the most suitable 
vessels in which to heat the vinegar 
and the brine. Anything that has 
held grease will spoil pickles. 

If packed in wide-mouthed glass 
bottles or fruit jars, seal tightly, or 
cork and cover the corks with melted 
paraifin or other bottle wax. But if 
the pickles are laid down in jars or 
kegs they should be looked over occa- 
sionally, and if any of them are soft 
they should be removed, the vinegar 
turned out, scalded, and again poured 
over the pickles. There must be suffi- 
cient vinegar to cover the pickles 
thoroughly, and it must be of at least 
medium strength. If the vinegar be- 
comes weak, pour out and replace 
with fresh vinegar scalding hot. The 
addition of a little sugar when the 
pickles are looked over helps to keep 
them and improves their flavor. By 
the blending of the flavors of the va- 
rious ingredients, pickles, if properly 
laid down, should improve with age. 

Store pickles in a cold place, as if 
they are kept too warm they may be 
attacked by the small fly so ^amiliar 
in autumn. 

Or to lay down pickles permanently 
in brine, cover them with boiling 
water and let stand until they are 
cold. Drain thoroughly. Put a layer 
of dry salt in the bottom of the bar- 
rel, put down a layer of pickles, cover 
with dry salt, and so continue. Add 
no water. Put a weight above them 



676 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



and their juice will furnish the neces- 
sary moisture to dissohe the salt and 
make sufficient brine to cover them. 
A small quantity can be freshened 
from time to time and freshly pickled 
as required for use. But this method 
of laying down pickles is not the one 
commonly preferred. 

To Freshen Cucumbers. — After 
cucumbers have been steeped in brine 
until they are entirely yellow, and 
about three days before they are to 
be done up, lift them carefully from 
thfc brine into a clean vessel, cover 
them with clean cold water and let 
stand three or four days, changing 
the water each day or oftener to 
freshen them. 

To Pickle Cucumbers. — Pack the 
freshened cucumbers in wide-mouthed 
bottles or jars and pour over them 
either pure vinegar boiling hot or any 
desired pickle of spiced vinegar and 
seal. 

Or first pour over them pure vine- 
gar scalding hot and let stand in a 
warm place until they become green. 
Every two or three days pour off the 
vinegar, reheat it and again pour 
it over the cucumbers scalding hot; 
when the color is satisfactory pour 
off the pure vinegar and cover them 
with the spiced pickle if desired. But 
while the above is recommended as a 
thorough method designed to prepare 
a high-grade quality of pickles, rec- 
ommendations of authorities differ 
very widely and good practice doubt- 
less varies equally as much or more. 
One authority recommends merely 
Mashing cucumbers in salt and water, 
and immediately bottling and cover- 
ing them with boiling hot pickle. 
Another, scalding fresh-picked cu- 
cumbers with boiling brine, and when 
cold draining and at once covering 
them with boiling vinegar. Another 
would cover fresh-picked cucumbers 
at once with boiling vinegar contain- 
ing a handful of salt, reheating the 
vinegar every two or three days until 
they become green, then pickling and 
sealing. Hence it may be inferred 
that preserving in brine before pic- 
kling is not necesssary, but we prefer 



to recommend it for reasons already 
stated. 

Authorities also differ as to whether 
the brine should be cold or heated, 
and the length of time the cucumbers 
should be immersed in brine, and also 
as to whether it is sufficient to cover 
the cucumbers with scalding vinegar 
and immediately seal, or preferable 
to let them stand, reheating the vine- 
gar occasionally to green them. All 
of these questions must be decided by 
each person for himself according to 
the grade of pickles desired, and his 
willingness to take the necessary 
pains. In general, it is believed that 
the slower and more painstaking tha 
process, the better will be the quality 
of the product. 

TTtensils for Pickling. — It was for- 
merly customary to make pickles in 
kettles of brass or bell metal in order 
, to give them a bright green color, 
and also to add more or less alum for 
the same purpose. But the action of 
the acetic acid contained in vinegar 
upon brass and similar metals is to 
produce a poisonous compound, es- 
pecially if the pickles are allowed to 
stand in them until they become cold. 
The use of alum is also injurious, 
and for the same reason cheap earth- 
enware, which is frequently glazed 
with lead, should not be emj^loyed. 

Many people have a prejudice 
against deep green pickles found on 
the market, on account of the fear 
that poisonous substances may have 
been used in the manufacture. Hence 
homemade pickles of a good color 
and flavor usually find a ready and 
profitable local market. 

To Test Pickles for Copper. — To 
find out if pickles are poisonous from 
having been cooked in brass or cop- 
per kettles, chop a sample of the 
pickle fine, place it in a glass bottle 
with a few drams of liquid ammonia 
diluted with about half as much water. 
Shake thoroughly, and if there are 
any traces of copper in the pickles 
the contents will be of a deep blue 
color. 

Vinegar for Pickles. — ^White-wine 
or sugar vinegar is perhaps the most 



VINEGAR, PICKLES, AND PICKLING 



677 



suitable for a fine grade of pickles. 
But any good quality of vinegar that 
is fully ripened and has been pre- 
viously clarified may be used. The 
vinegar should be boiled and freed 
from mother or sediment that would 
cause the pickles to ferment. 

To Clarify Vinegar. — Throw an 
ounce or so of shredded isinglass into 
each gallon of vinegar and let stand 
a few days to clear. Strain through 
cheese cloth. 

To Keep Vinegar Free from Mold. 
— Lay a small bag of thin muslin 
containing mustard on top of the 
pickles. If the vinegar has been 
properly boiled and clarified, it will 
tend to prevent the formation of 
mold. 

To Strengthen Weak Vinegar. — 
Pour it off the pickles, bring it to a 
boil, pour it back over them and 
add about -I teaspoonful of alum and 
spread over the top layer a piece of 
b^o^^'n paper soaked in New Orleans 
molasses. 

Or boil down the vinegar with very 
gentle heat so as to allow it to lose 
its surplus water by evaporation. 

Or allow it to freeze, and remove the 
ice before it melts. Acetic acid does 
not readily freeze. Hence the quan- 
tity of acid in proportion to the bulk 
of water becomes greater. 

Spiced Pickle. — The following reci- 
pes are recommended for pickling 
liquids for cucumbers and other vege- 
tables, mixed pickles, etc., including 
mushrooms, onions, walnuts, cucum- 
bers, cauliflowers, samphires, green 
gooseberries, barberries, radish pods, 
melons, French beans, tomatoes, lem- 
ons, peaches, garlic, peas, codlins, 
beet root, and red cabbage without 
brine and with cold vinegar. The 
smaller and more delicate vegetables 
should not be soaked in brine as long 
as the larger and the coarser sorts, 
and may in some cases be pickled 
cold by pouring over them strong 
pickling vinegar without scalding. 
Spices for pickles should not be 
ground, and should be slightly bruised 
or crushed in a mortar, which may be 
improvised by using a wooden bowl 



and a potato masher as a pestle, or 
the end of a hard piece of wood. 
When ground spices are used they 
should be tied up in bags of thin 
muslin. To make spiced pickle add 
to 1 gallon of vinegar 1 cup of salt, 
1 cup of sugar, 1 handful of horse- 
radish, 2 tablespoonfuls of mustard, 

1 green pepper. 

Or to every 2 quarts of vinegar add 
^ ounce of mace, 1 ounce of gin- 
ger sliced, 1 dozen cloves, 1 ounce of 
black pepper, 1 handful of salt. Boil 
all together for not more than five 
minutes, and pour over the pickles 
scalding hot. 

Or add to the above if desired 3 or 
4 cloves of garlic and shallots. 

Or to 3 quarts of pure white-wine 
or other strong vinegar add 2 ounces 
of ginger, | ounce of mace, ^ pound 
of salt, ^ tablespoonful of Cayenne 
pepper, 1 ounce of white or black 
pepper unground, 1 ounce of mustard 
seed, 4 ounces of shallots. Boil to- 
gether not more than five minutes 
and pour over cucumbers and other 
hard, firm vegetables scalding hot, 
or over small and delicate vegetables 
cold. 

Or crush together in a mortar 4 
ounces of unground black pepper, 2 
ounces of ginger root, 1 ounce of all- 
spice and 4 ounces of salt. Cayenne, 
paprika, or garlic may be added in 
small quantities if desired. Place a 
quart of vinegar in an enameled 
saucepan, and bring to a boil. Stir 
in these spices. Let boil not more 
than five minutes and pour over the 
pickles scalding hot for cucumbers, 
walnuts, and the like, or cold for cab- 
bage or fancy mixed pickles. 

Or place these spices in a glass 
bottle or stone jar, cover with a 
quart of green vinegar, seal and let 
stand in a warm place three or four 
days, shaking frequently. Pour over 
the pickles either hot or cold. 

Or to 1 gallon of vinegar add 6 
ounces of salt, 1 ounce of spice, 1 
ounce of mustard, | ounce of mace, 
^ ounce of cloves, | ounce of nutmeg, 

2 ounces of sliced horse-radish. Bruise 
these spices in water, mix, cover with 



678 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



cold water and boil not over five min- 
utes. Pour over the pickles hot or 
cold, and if desired, after letting them 
stand twenty-four hours, place the 
whole in a porcelain saucepan and 
simmer until the color is satisfactory. 
Bottle and seal. 

Or to every 3 quarts of vinegar add 
1 teaspoonful of black pepper, 1 tea- 
spoonful of mace, J cupful of sugar. 
Let the mixture boil up not to exceed 
five minutes. They may be bottled 
hot or cold and will be at once ready 
for use. 

Or heat the vinegar and pour it 
boiling hot over the pickles. 

Or place in a porcelain kettle 100 
small cucumbers previously soaked in 
brine and freshened, cover with vine- 
gar, add a handful of pepper corns, 
a handfiil of horse-radish, 1 ounce of 
cloves, 1 ounce of white mustard seed, 
a small quantity of Cayenne or pa- 
prika, and let the whole boil not to 
exceed five minutes. 

Or heat the vinegar and spice and 
pour it hot over the pickles. The 
addition of horse-radish helps to keep 
the pickles sweet and sound. Old- 
time housewives used often to add to 
the pickles a little dill from the herb 
bed. 

Or to each gallon of vinegar add 

1 pound of good quality brown su- 
gar, 1 tablespoonful of olive oil, 1 
tablespoonful of mustard seed, 1 ta- 
blespoonful of green pepper pods, 

2 ounces of horse-radish, ^ ounce of 
cloves, i ounce of mace, 1 ounce of 
ginger, 1 ounce of allspice. 

To Pickle Large Cucumbers. — Pare 
7 pounds of large cucimibers, remove 
the seeds and cut into inch pieces. 
Cover with vinegar and water, half 
and half, and add a large pinch of 
salt. Boil until clear but not over- 
done. Drain in a colander. 

To one pint of good vinegar add 3^ 
pounds of brown sugar; as soon as it 
comes to the boiling point put the cu- 
cumbers back into the kettle and let 
the whole boil up. Again drain 
through the colander, and when cold 
put them in layers hi a jar, sprinkle 
between the layers stick cinnamon, 



cloves, allspice, a few kernels of black 
pepper, a little mace, and a handful 
of raisins. Cover with the pickling 
liquid and seal. 

Or cut a piece from the large end 
of each cucumber, leaving it attached 
by a piece of the skin. Scoop out the 
seeds and steep in strong brine for 
a week until entirely yellow. Stuff 
with equal parts mustard seed, 
ground ginger, and pepper, with the 
addition of small onions, shallots, or 
garlic if desired. Sew on the tops 
and cover with pickling liquid as for 
gherkins. 

To Pickle Melons and Mangoes. — 
Prepare as for large cucumbers, cut- 
ting off the top and stufiing the in- 
side with the same mixture. Or 
pickle as for gherkins. First steep 
in strong brine for a week or more, 
then freshen in clear water and pickle 
Jn pure vinegar or spiced pickling 
liquid, as preferred. 

Sweet Pickles — Cucumbers and 
Melons. — Prepare as for gherkins by 
steeping in strong brine for a week 
or more. Quarter them, take out the 
seed and pulp, freshen in clear water 
for three or four days, and cover with 
a sirup prepared of sugar, ginger, 
and lemon as follows: 

Dip 1 pound of loaf sugar lump by 
lump in clear, soft water and place 
dripping wet in a porcelain saucepan. 
Stir in i ounce of bruised ginger and 
boil to the thread, stirring in the 
juice and grated rind of one lemon. 
Pour over the melons cold.. 

To Green Pickles. — If fresh grape- 
vine leaves are obtainable, line a ket- 
tle with these and pack into it the 
cucumbers, etc., in alternate layers 
with vine leaves, and put a thick 
layer of vine leaves on top. In addi- 
tion, sprinkle powdered alum, if de- 
sired, among the layers and over the 
top. Fill up the kettle with cold water 
and cook or steam the contents over 
a slow fire for two hours, or until 
the color is satisfactory. Drain off 
the hot water through a colander, im- 
merse the vegetables immediately in 
iced water, and let stand for an hour 
or more to harden. Then pack in a 



VINEGAR, PICKLES, AND PICKLING 



679 



suitable vessel and pour scalding hot 
pickling liquid over them. 

Or the vine leaves may be used 
without the alum and will assist in 
giving a fine green color to the 
pickles. 

MIXED FICELES 

To make cheap mixed pickles have 
at hand a keg containing vinegar and 
put into it from time to time odds 
and ends of vegetables, as small green 
beans, young cucumbers, small onions, 
radish pods, bits of cauliflower, and 
the like, adding vinegar from time to 
time to keep the vegetables covered. 
Thus any odd vegetables can be pre- 
served without expense except for the 
vinegar, spice, etc., and with very lit- 
tle trouble. When the keg is nearly 
full place the contents in a suitable 
kettle with vine leaves and boil them 
about two hours. 

Drain off the hot vinegar, immerse 
the vegetables in cold water for an 
hour or more to harden, add spices 
to the vinegar, boil for five minutes, 
drain the vegetables thoroughly, place 
them in a suitable keg or jar and 
pour the scalding hot pickling liquid 
over them. 

Or take any assortment of succu- 
lent vegetables, as small French beans 
of uniform size, small select gherkins 
2 or 3 inches long, small cucumbers 
sliced, and prepare them as for ordi- 
nary cucumber pickles. 

Prepare separately such vegeta- 
bles as broccoli, cauliflower stripped 
into branches, small pickling onions 
peeled, small red peppers, capsicums, 
radish pods, small fruit, white and 
red cabbage, celery, nasturtium seeds 
and the like by steeping for a short 
time, say two or three days, in brine 
and slightly freshening them. Now 
pack the gherkins and sliced cucum- 
bers with the other vegetables in 
wide-mouthed glass bottles or jars in 
such a way as to show the greatest 
variety of color and display the con- 
tents to the best advantage. Much 
of the attractiveness and consequent 
salability of mixed pickles is due to 



skillful packing. Cover with any of 
the above spiced liquids recommend- 
ed for cucumber pickles. 

Or prepare a special pickle con- 
taining turmeric, v/hich will improve 
the color. For each gallon of vinegar 
mix 4 o-jnces of ginger, 4 ounces of 
turmeric, 3 ounces of white pepper, 

2 ounces of chili pepper, 2 ounces of 
allspice, 1 ounce of garlic, l ounce of 
shallots, i pound of bay salt. Bruise 
together in a mortar and boil in the 
vinegar not to exceed five minutes. 
Pour this liquid scalding hot over the 
vegetables and when cold slice in i 
pound of horse-radish and stir in 1 
pound of mustard seed. 

Or for each gallon of vinegar mix 

3 ounces of bay salt, J pound of mus- 
tard, 2 ounces of turmeric, 3 ounces 
of ginger, 1 ounce of cloves, J ounce 
of black pepper, Cayenne, or paprika 
to taste. Brioise the spices in a mor- 
tar, mix all together and boil in the 
vinegar not more than five minutes. 

Mustard Pickles. — Steep in a weak 
brine for twenty-four hours about 
2 quarts of gherkins, 1 quart of 
pickling onions, 2 quarts of small 
green tomatoes, 1 small cabbage 
head chopped fine, or one large cau- 
liflower pulled into branches with 3 
or 4 green peppers and boil. Then 
stir together in a mixing bowl 1 cup 
of flour, 6 tablespoonfuls of mustard, 
1 heaping teaspoonful of turmeric, 1 
quart of sugar. Rub up with a little 
cold vinegar and stir in the addi- 
tional vinegar to make 2 quarts in all. 
Cook over a brisk fire, stirring con- 
stantly until it thickens. Pour over 
the pickles scalding hot and seal. 

Cut into small pieces 1 quart of 
large green cucumbers, 1 quart of 
very small gherkins, 2 inches in length 
or less, 1 quart of white button 
onions, 1 quart of green tomatoes 
sliced and cut in cubes, 1 large cauli- 
flower pulled into tiny flowerets, and 
4 peppers sliced and cut into cubes. 
Do not chop the ingredients, but cut 
into cubes or chunks ^ to J inch 
in thickness. Soak for twenty-four 
hours in a weak brine of about 1 
cupful of salt in a gallon of water. 



680 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Place the whole on the fire, bring to 
a boil and pour into a colander to 
drain. Mix together in a bowl 6 ta- 
blespoonfuls of ground mustard, 1 of 
turmeric, 1 cupful of flour, 1 cupful 
of brown sugar, mix dry, rub into a 
smooth cream with a little vinegar, 
and dilute with additional vinegar, 3 
quarts being used in all. Pour the 
mixture into a preserving kettle and 
let it boil until it thickens, then stir 
in the pickles, let them boil up. Pour 
into suitable cans or jars, and Sc-J. 

Or for sweet chowchow, cut into 
inch cubes 3 dozen small cucumbers, 
6 green peppers, or 3 green and 3 red 
peppers, and 2 quarts of green toma- 
toes. Add 3 quarts of small button 
onions, 2 heads of cauliflower picked 
into pieces. Place these in a preserv- 
ing kettle, and pour over them a 
sauce composed as follows: 

Mix together in a bowl 4 teaspoon- 
fuls of celery seed, 1 cupful of mus- 
tard, i ounce of turmeric, 4 cupfuls 
of sugar. Rub to a smooth paste with 
a little of the vinegar and dilute with 
the remainder of the vinegar, using 
2 quarts in all. Pour over the 
strained pickles, bring them to a boil, 
pour out and seal. 

India Pickle. — Chop together 1 
peck of green tomatoes, 1 small head 
of cabbage, 6 or 8 large green pep- 
pers and 8 large onions. Mix and 
cover with vinegar and boil until they 
are tender. Salt to taste. Drain in 
a colander. Add a dressing composed 
of i pound of mustard with 2 table- 
spoonfuls of curry powder stirred to 
the consistency of cream with vine- 
gar. Mix well and seal in glass jars 
or wide-mouthed bottles. 

Spanish Peppers. — Steep in brine 
for three days i dozen good-sized cu- 
cumbers. On the second day slice J 
dozen onions and chop fine ^ peck of 
green tomatoes and 2 heads of cab- 
bage. Sprinkle these with salt and 
let stand overnight. Now drain the 
cucumbers from the brine, cut in 
slices, place all in a preserving kettle 
and cover with vinegar. Add 2 ounces 
of white mustard seed, ^ ounce of 
celery seed, 1 heaping tablespoonful 



of turmeric, | cup of mustard, 1 
pound of brown sugar. Mix and sim- 
mer with gentle heat for half an houf. 
Pour into wide-mouthed glass bottles 
or jars, seal, and keep in a cool place. 

Piccalilli, or Indian Pickle. — This 
consists of a great variety of succu- 
lent vegetables (the more varied the 
better) mixed and pickled together. 
To make piccalilli slice 1 hard white 
cabbage head, remove the outer leaves, 
pull to pieces 2 cauliflowers, add 30 
selected French beans, 1 root of horse- 
radish, sliced fine, 2 dozen pickling 
onions, 1 dozen green gherkins of uni- 
form size. Let stand in brine three 
or four days, drain through a colan- 
der, and place in a preserving kettle. 
Add 2 ounces of curry powder, 1 ounce 
of garlic, 1 ounce of ginger, 1 ounce of 
white mustard seed, i ounce of cap- 
sicum or paprika. Cover with vine- 
gar and bring to a boil. Preserve in 
glasses tightly sealed. 

Or pull apart the branches of a 
large head of cauliflower, cut a hard 
white cabbage head in quarters, re- 
move the outer leaves, chop it fine or 
shred it as for cold slaw. Slice a 
number of cucumbers and pickling 
onions, French beans, radish pods, 
nasturtiums, samphire, and any other 
vegetables at hand. Place these in 
a large sieve, sprinkle them with salt 
and lay them out in the sun for tliree 
or four days to dry. Now place them 
in a preserving kettle, cover with 
cold vinegar, and bring to a boil. Let 
them boil up once. Pack in, glass and 
seal. 

Or if it is desired to make an extra 
quality, keep all the ingredients sepa- 
rate and scald them separately in hot 
vinegar, but do not put them together 
until they are cold. Bruise together 
in a mortar 4 ounces of ginger, 2 
ounces of whole white pepper, 2 
ounces of allspice, J ounce of chilis, 
4 ounces of turmeric. Add J pound of 
shallots, 1 ounce of garlic, i pound of 
bay salt. Cover with 1 gallon of vine- 
gar and boil thirty minutes. Strain 
through cheese cloth and add 1 pound 
of mustard rubbed up free from 
lumps with a small quantity of cold 



VINEGAR, PICKLES, AND PICKLING 



681 



■Tinegar. Then dilute with more vine- 
gar to the consistency of milk and 
3tir into the pickling liquid. When 
the pickling liquid is cold pour it 
over the pickles. Mix well and pack 
in glass bottles or a large jar corked 
or sealed to exclude the air. 

Piccalilli if well prepared should 
improve with age. 

Chowchow. — Chowchow is the Chi- 
nese name for a kind of mixed pickles 
originally imported from that coun- 
try and similar to piccalilli or Indian 
pickle, except that the ingredients 
are minced fine and mixed together. 
Chowchow is frequently used to stuff 
pickled peppers. It is sometimes 
known as English chowchow on ac- 
count of its popularity in that coun- 
try. French chowchow is a name 
sometimes applied to mustard pickles. 

To make Chinese or " English " 
chowchow chop fine 2 medium-sized 
heads of firm, white cabbage, J peck 
of green tomatoes, 2 quarts of firm 
ripe tomatoes, J dozen of green pep- 
pers, and 2 red peppers. Mix all to- 
gether and pack in a bag of coarse 
burlap or linen in layers of 2 or 3 
inches deep, mixed between with lay- 
ers of salt. Improvise a rack of slats 
of wood laid over the top of the bar- 
rel or keg into which it can drain. 
Place the chowchow on this and put 
over it a heavy weight. Let stand 
twenty-four hours imder this pres- 
sure. Remove, pour out into a large 
pan and add IJ pints of sugar, J cup- 
ful of grated horse-radish, ^ tea- 
spoonful of ground mustard, 1 ounce 
of white mustard seed, 1 ounce of 
celery seed, 1 tablespoonful of mace, 

1 gill of Dutch mustard. Stir well, 
pack in glass or wood and seal. 

Or for another sort of chowchow 
slice or chop fine, as preferred, ^ peck 
of tomatoes, 1 quart of green peppers, 

2 quarts of onions, 1 medium-sized 
cabbage head shredded as for cold 
slaw, and 1 quart of white mustard 
seed. Keep these ingredients sepa- 
rate and pack in layers in a jar or 
tub, first tomatoes, next peppers, next 
onions, next cabbage. Sprinkle over 
this part of the mustard seed, and so 



continue, repeating the layers again 
and again until all has been packed. 
Pour over this any strong liquid de- 
sired, scalding hot. Let stand twenty- 
four hours, pour the whole into the 
preserving kettle, bring to a boil and 
let boil not more than five minutes. 
Pack down in suitable jars or tubs 
and seal. 

Bengal Chutney. — To make this 
celebrated Indian condiment, mix to- 
gether 1 pound of tamarind pulp, 1 
pound of sultana raisins, 1 pound of 
ripe tomato pulp, 1 pound of sweet 
apples minced fine; extract and add 
the juice of 12 lemons, grate and stir 
in the rinds; add 4 ounces of garlic, 
6 onions chopped fine, | pound of red 
chilis, 12 ounces of powdered ginger, 
1 pound of brown sugar. Place all 
together in a tub or jar, cover with 
a gallon of strong vinegar, and let 
stand for a month or more in a warm 
place, stirring occasionally until it 
is well fermented. Pack in small, 
wide-mouthed glass bottles and seal 
tightly. 

Cucumber and Onion Pickles. — Cut 
into thick slices 3 large onions to 
each dozen cucumbers. Place in a col- 
ander or sieve, sprinkle with salt and 
let stand tweuty-four hours. Place 
in a suitable keg or jar, cover with 
boiling vinegar. Cover tightly and 
let stand overnight. Boil up the vine- 
gar each day, pour over them scald- 
ing hot, and at once cover tightly to 
exclude the air. When the color is 
satisfactory pour over them spiced 
pickling liquid and seal. 

PICKLED VEGETABLES, NUTS, AND 
FRUITS 

To Pickle Tomatoes. — Slice ^ peck 
green tomatoes, bring to a boil ^ gal- 
lon of any good spiced pickling liq- 
uid, and put the tomatoes to boil in 
this for a quarter of an hour. When 
cold pack away in tubs or jars and 
seal. 

Or slice 1 peck of green tomatoes; 
sprinkle with salt. Let stand two 
days. Slice and salt separately 13 
medimu-sized onions. Mix in a bowj 



682 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



4 ounces of mustard, J ounce of mus- 
tard seed; 1 ounce of cloves, 2 ounces 
of turmeric, and add garlic, capsi- 
cum, or paprika to flavor if desired. 
Put in a preserving kettle a layer of 
onions, sprinkle with mixed spice, 
then a layer of tomatoes and spice, 
and so on. When all are packed pour 
over them boiling vinegar and sim- 
mer for about two hours until the 
color is satisfactoi-y. 

Or slice green pickles and place 
them in a colander. Steam in a ket- 
tle of boiling water until they are 
soft, place in jars, cover with any 
good pickling liquid cold. Let stand 
twenty-four hours, draw oflf the liq- 
uor, bring it to a boil and pour over 
the pickles scalding hot. 

Or gather the tomatoes when they 
are turning red, but before they are 
dead ripe. Pack them in jars whole 
and without peeling, sprinkle mixed 
spices with a little bay salt at the 
rate of about a cupful to a gallon. 
Pour over them cold cider vinegar 
and seal. 

Or pour over 1 bushel of whole to- 
matoes a quantity of boiling water. 
Let stand until cold, pOur oflf the 
water, skin the tomatoes, place them 
in a preserving kettle and boil until 
they are soft. Stir in mixed spices. 
Lay down the tomatoes in jars and 
seal to Exclude the air. 

Pickled Onions.— To prepare onions 
for pickling, " top and tail " them, 
remove the outer skins and steep 
them in brine for a period of two or 
three days, to two weeks or more. 
Afterwards freshen them in clear 
water for a period of one to three 
days. 

Or if preferred, boil them in clear 
water or brine for ten or fifteen min- 
utes. Afterwards pack them in wide- 
mouthed glass bottles or jars, and 
cover with pure vinegar or spiced 
pickling liquid scalding hot or cold. 
When cold seal for use. The addition 
<af a spoonful of olive oil to each bot- 
tle is said to keep the onions white. 
Cork tightly and cover tlie corks with 
bottle wax or melted paraffin. Seal 
with cotton batting. 



To Select Pickling Onions. — Choose 
for pickling small silver-skin button 
onions, preferably of uniform size. 
Gather them when they are quite dry 
and ripe and pick them over care- 
fully, rejecting any that are soft, un- 
ripe, or spotted. 

To Pickle Onions Cold. — Place the 
onions in a clean, dry glass bottle or 
jar, cover them with cold vinegar and 
add mixed spices as preferred. Add 
a little mustard seed, mace, and cap- 
sicum, or allspice and black pepper 
ungroimd or grated, or sliced horse- 
radish or garlic, capsicum and pa- 
prika, if desired. Seal the bottle and 
let stand two or three weeks before 
using. Onions are very easily pickled 
in this way and have an exquisite 
flavor, but will not keep more than 
about six or eight months. 

To Pickle Onions with Brine. — 
Cover the onions with cold brine and 
let stand two weeks or more, or steep 
in strong brine for one week, then 
heat the brine and pour it over them 
scalding hot. 

Or pour over them at once strong 
and hot brine and let stand two or 
three days. After steeping in brine 
drain through a colander, freshen 
in clear water for twenty-four hours, 
pour oflf the water and lay them on a 
dry cloth to drain. Pack them in 
jars or bottles and cover with spiced 
pickling liquid boiling hot. Cork 
tightly and seal. 

Or pour over them cold pickling 
liquid or cold vinegar and seal. 

Pickled Cabbage. — Select -firm, ripe 
heads of either white or red cabbage, 
or mix the two. Quarter them, re- 
move the outside leaves, and let them 
dry. Shred them as for cold slaw 
and lay them down in a suitable jar 
between layers of salt. Cover with 
strong spiced pickling liquid and 
seal. 

Or shred the cabbage, place it in a 
preserving kettle or suitable jars, 
and cover with boiling water. Let 
stand until cold. Drain. Add mixed 
spices and cover with cold vinegar, or. 
cover with spiced pickling liquid. 

Or boil the cabbage in salted water 



VINEGAR, PICKLES, AND PICKLING 



683 



until it is tender. The pickling liquid 
may be poured on cold or scalding 
hot. In the latter case let stand un- 
til perfectly cold. Seal air tight and 
store in a cool, dry place. 

Or if the jars are not air tight, 
after a few days open them, fill up 
with vinegar and again seal. 

Pickled Cauliflower. — Cut the cau- 
liflowers on a dry, hot day, after the 
dew has evaporated and before they 
are fully blown. Slice and sprinkle 
them with salt, and let stand for two 
or three days. 

Or boil in salt and water Txntil they 
are tender. Drain off the water or 
juices, spread upon a dry cloth, cov- 
ering with another cloth, and let 
stand in a warm place for twenty- 
four hours. Pack in jars, cover with 
cold spiced pickling liquid and seal. 

Or place the cauliflowers in cold 
salt and water at the rate of 4 ounces 
of salt to 1 quart of water, and bring 
to a boil over a slow fire. Remove 
immediately and cover with cold 
spiced vinegar. 

Pickled Green Corn. — Pull the ears 
of corn when slightly overripe but 
not too hard. Take off the outer 
husks, leaving the corn well covered 
with the inner husks, and tie the lat- 
ter tightly at the top end. Pack the 
ears of corn thus prepared in a clean 
firkin or cask and cover with strong 
brine. When wanted for use soak in 
fresh water twelve hours or more, 
changing the water occasionally. 

Pickled Walnuts. — Pick small green, 
walnuts about the first week in July 
or before the middle of the month, 
after which they are likely to become 
hard and woody. Test them by 
thrusting a strong pin through them, 
and discard all that are too old and 
hard. Scald them slightly in boiling 
water. Rub off the outer skin be- 
tween cloths (or this may be omitted 
if preferred), and put them into cold 
brine strong enough to bear up an 
egg. Thrusting* a pin through them 
also allows the pickle to penetrate 
more thoroughly and quickly than 
would otherwise be the case. Let 
them stand a week or two, changing 



the brine every two or three days. 
Pour them out in a sieve or into a 
cloth strainer to dry and let them 
stand a day or two or until they turn 
black. Pack them in bottles or jars 
and pour over them spiced pickling 
liquid scalding hot. Let stand until 
cold and seal. 

Or if they are not to be sealed air 
tight, pour off the pickle each day 
for three or four days, bring it to a 
boil, take off the scum and pour over 
the walnuts scalding hot. 

Or instead of steeping in cold brine, 
place the walnuts in a strong brine 
and simmer for an hour or two. Ex- 
pose in a sieve or cloth strainer 
twenty-four hours or more, or until 
they turn black. Pack and cover with 
scalding hot spiced pickling liquid. 
Two to six months will be required 
before they are fit to eat. During 
this time they must be kept covered 
from the air either by sealing the 
jars or keeping them covered with 
vinegar. 

To Pickle White Walnuts. — Pick 
small green walnuts as above and 
pare them very thin, or until the 
whites appear. Place in cold brine 
strong enough to bear up an egg and 
simmer for five or ten minutes, but 
do not let them come to a boil. Drain 
and cover them with cold brine for 
twenty-four hours or more. Pour out 
in a sieve or cloth strainer, cover them 
with a cloth, dry them carefully be- 
tween clean, soft pieces of cloth and 
pack them down with blades of mace, 
nutmeg, and horse-radish. Cover with 
cold or hot vinegar and when cold 
seal tightly to exclude the air. 

Pickled Lemons. — Slice * dozen 
lemons, sprinkle them with salt, lay 
ther I down in a large glass j ar and 
sprinkle among them 2 oimces of 
spice, 2 ounces of white pepper, i 
ounce of mace, | ounce of cloves, all 
bruised together in a mortar with J 
ounce of Cayenne, 3 ounces of horse- 
radish, 2 ounces of mustard seed. 
Pour over them 2 quarts of vinegar 
scalding hot. This pickle is for im- 
mediate use, and will be ready in 
three days to a week. Red peppers. 



684 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



paprika, or garlic and sliallots may 
be added if desired. 

Or cut i dozen lemons into six or 
eight pieces, cover with the mixed 
spices, as in the first recipe, place in 
a preserving kettle, cover with 2 
quarts of vinegar and boil a quarter 
of an hour. 

Or pack the lemons in a jar, set 
the jar in boiling water and boil for 
fifteen or twenty minutes. Let the 
jar stand in a warm place stirring 
daily for several weeks. Finally, 
bring to a boil, pack in small jars or 
bottles and seal. 

Or to pickle whole lemons, select 
small fruit and slit the rinds as if to 
take off the peel in quarters, but do 
not cut through the pulp. Cover the 
lemons with salt, and pack it down 
hard to fill these slits. Pack them on 
end in a dripping pan three or four 
days, or until the salt melts, and let 
them stand, turning them end for end 
in the liquor two or three times a 
day until the rinds are tender. To 
this liquor add sufficient spiced vine- 
gar to cover the lemons. Pack them 
in jars with mustard seed and garlic. 
Cover with any prepared pickling 
liquid and seal. 

Or pare a dozen lemons very thiii, 
taking off so little of the outer por- 
tion of the rind that the white will 
not be seen. Cut a gash in each end 
and rub them thoroughly with salt, 
rubbing it into the gashes. Cover 
with salt and let stand for three or 
four days. As the salt dissolves rub 
more into them and especially fill the 
gashes at the end. Now cover with 
dry salt, place them in a very slow 
oven with a dozen cloves of garlic and 
half a teacupful of scraped horse- 
radish, and let them dry, taking care 
that they are not burned, or even 
browned. They should be thoroughly 
dried out — as dry as paper. Now 
pour over them a gallon of spiced 
pickling liquid cold. Place the whole 
in a suitable jar, and let stand in a 
warm place for two or three weeks, 
stirring or shaking frequently. Shake 
well and strain off a little of the 
liquid from time to time for table use 



in soups and sauces. Shred the lem- 
ons fine when required for made 
dishes, soups, sauces, etc. 

Pickled Peaches. ^ — Look over the 
peaches carefully, selecting the ripe 
fruit and discarding all that are soft 
or specked. Rub clean with a soft, 
dry cloth and stick into each large 
peach 4 or 5 cloves without the heads, 
and into each small one 2 or 3 cloves. 
Place in a preserving kettle 1 gallon 
of vinegar. Stir in 6 pounds of brown 
sugar and bring to a boil, removing 
the scum as fast as it appears. Pack 
the peaches in suitable bottles or 
jars. Pour the boiling sirup over 
them scalding hot and cover tightly. 
Let stand overnight, pour off the 
sirup once more, bring to a boil and 
again pour over the peaches. Do this 
for three or four days. Finally, pack 
in cans or bottles and seal while hot. 
, Or for sweet-pickled peaches, allow 
^ pound of sugar by weight to each 
pound of fruit. Put the sugar and 
peaches in layers in a preserving ket- 
tle and bring to a boil. Add for each 
6 pounds of fruit a pint of vinegar 
and in the vinegar place a thin mus- 
lin bag containing a tablespoonful 
each of cinnamon, cloves, and mace. 
Pour the spiced vinegar into the 
peaches and sirup with the bag of 
spices, and boil for not more than 
five minutes. Take out the peaches 
with a skimmer, lay them on blotters 
to cool and continue boiling the sirup 
until it thickens. Pack the peaches 
in jars, fill to overflowing .with boil- 
ing sirup, and seal at once. 

Or for sour pickled peaches, select 
full-grown peaches before they are 
ripe. Salt them in strong brine for 
a week or two, change the brine every 
two or three days, dry them on a 
cloth strainer, wipe them with a cloth 
and cover with hot, spiced, pickling 
liquid containing garlic, mustard, gin- 
ger, cloves, and the like. Seal and 
store for four or five months before 
bringing them to the table. 

Pickled Pears. — The above recipes 
for pickled peaches may also be ap- 
plied to pickled pears. 

Or pack in a preserving kettle in 



VINEGAR, PICKLES, AND PICKLING 



685 



alternate layers 10 pounds of ripe 
pears and 3 pounds of coffee sugar. 
Pour over them 1 quart of vinegar 
containing, in a thin muslin bag, 1 
ounce of cinnamon, 1 ounce of cloves, 
i ounce of mace. Slice and stir in 4 
ounces of citron and boil until the 
pears are tender. Take out the pears 
vv^ith a skimmer, boil the sirup half 
an hour or more until it is thick. Fill 
the jars or cans to overflowing and 
seal at once. 

Or prepare a sirup of IJ pints of 
vinegar and 3 pounds of fine sugar. 
Bring this to a boil. Place in a pre- 
serving kettle a peck of ripe fruit, 
peeled and cored, pour the sirup over 
it and boil until the fruit is tender, 
but not soft. Remove the fruit with 
the skimmer and pack it in jars. 
Preserve the sirup, which may be 
used again, and prepare a fresh sirup 
of 1^ pints of vinegar and 3 pounds 
of coffee sugar. Place in this sirup 
a thin muslin bag containing an ounce 
each of any kind of mixed spices 
preferred. Bring to a boil, fill the 
jars to overflowing, and seal. 

Pickled Cherries. — Fill a wide- 
mouthed glass bottle or jar with nice 
firm and medium ripe cherries. Add 
2 tablespoon fuls of salt, and fill the 
jars with cold vinegar. Seal and let 
stand six or eight weeks before using. 

Pickled Peppers. — Soak fresh bell 
peppers, either green or red, in strong 
brine for a week or two, changing 
every two or three days. Pack in 
suitable jars and cover with cold 
vinegar. The seeds tend to make the 
peppers very strong, and may be re- 
moved if less strength is desired. A 
few peppers added to pickled cucum- 
bers improves them very much, as the 
heat of the peppers is taken out by 
the vinegar and becomes blended with 
the cucumbers, giving them an agree- 
able flavor. 

Pickled Beets. — Select small red 
beets having the roots on and wash 
them carefully so as not to break the 
roots or the skin. Place in a large 
kettle, cover with plenty of water and 
boil three or four hours. Take them 
up carefully with a skimmer so as not 



to break the skins. Place them on a 
cloth strainer to cool and dry. When 
cold, quarter them or pack them in 
suitable jars, cover with pure or 
pickled cold vinegar, and seal so as 
to exclude the air. If not sealed it 
wiU be necessary to pour off the vine- 
gar occasionally, bring it to a boil 
and pour it scalding hot over the 
beets. 

Or after the beets have been boiled, 
pack them in jars and cover with hot 
brine strong enough to float an egg. 
When cool put the jars in a sauce- 
pan full of cold water, place it on 
the stove, and boil half an hour or 
more. Seal air tight while hot and 
store in a cool place. 

Nasturtiums. — Collect the seeds 
while young and tender. Place them 
in a double boiler, cover with strong 
cold brine. Let stand for an hour, 
then place on the stove and bring to 
a boil. When they boil up take them 
out of the skimmer, put them into a 
suitable jar, and cover them with 
boiling hot spiced pickling liquid. 

Or have at hand a jar of sweetened 
spice vinegar and into this drop nas- 
turtium seeds picked as they accu- 
mulate during the season before they 
become hard and woody. They make 
an excellent substitute for capers and 
an agreeable addition to salads or 
sandwiches. 

Pickled Barberries. — To pickle bar- 
berries for a garnish, especially for 
cold meats, salads, and the like, se- 
lect the large, firm bunches of berries 
of a fine deep red. Remove the leaves 
and the discolored berries. Place 
them in jars and cover with brine 
strong enough to float an egg. Seal 
to exclude the air, or cover with par- 
affin or waxed paper. If any scum 
or mold appears upon the surface 
pour out the barberries on a cloth 
strainer, dry them between two 
cloths, and cover them with fresh 
brine. 

To Pickle Mushrooins, — Select 
small button mushrooms, remove the 
stems, rub off the skins with a piece 
of flannel moistened in salt water and 
throw them into weak brine of about 



686 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



a cupful of salt to a gallon of water. 
Let stand three or four hours. Pour 
them out on a cloth strainer to drain 
and dry. 

Or after cleaning them with salt 
and water, put them over a slow fire 
until the juice from them has dis- 
solved the salt. Then pour them out 
to drain on a cloth strainer. Finally, 
pack in suitable jars or bottles and 
cover with spiced pickling liquid, 
scalding hot, or place the mushrooms 
in the spiced liquid and boil for ten 
minutes. Pack in bottles, cover with 
the scalding liquid. Let stand until 
cold, and seal. 

Pickled Melons. — Take hard musk- 
melons that are late in ripening, cut 
out a circular piece around the stem 
about 3 inches across and through 
this opening remove the seeds and 
scrape out any part that may be soft 
or ripe. Pack the melons in a wood- 
en tub, fill them inside, and cover 
them with salt and let stand until the 
salt is melted. Remove them from 
the salt, rinse with pure water and 
fill with a mixture of chopped pep- 
pers and onions with a few shallots, 
a little garlic, and a quantity a 
bruised mustard seed. Close the 
opening with the plug, and fasten it 
with thread or with skewers made of 
toothpicks. Pack the melons in a tub 
or earthen jar and cover with spiced 
pickling liquid boiling hot. Remove 
and scald the spiced liquid every day 
for four or five days, pour it back 
over the melons, and finally seal up 
the jars. 

Or stuff the melons with a picca- 
lilli or chowchow or any sort of 
mixed pickles, as desired. 

Pickled Citron. — Cut the citron 
into inch cubes, cover with weak 
brine. Let stand twenty-four hours 
and pour out on a cloth strainer to 
dry. For every gallon of spiced vine- 
gar add 4 ounces of coffee sugar, 
bring to a boil and pour over the 
citron boiling hot. Let stand three 
or four days, each day pouring off the 
pickling liquid from the citron, scald- 
ing it and pouring it back. Finally, 
bring the whole to a boil and cook 



until the citron is very tender. Pack 
in suitable jars. Seal and store in a 
cool, dry place. 

Peach Mangoes. — Select large free- 
stone peaches and take out the stone 
through a slit in the side. Cover 
with weak brine scalding hot. Let 
stand until cool enough to handle. 
Lift out the peaches on a cloth 
strainer, and wipe dry with a clean, 
soft cloth. Now fill the cavity with 
mixed spices to taste, as white mus- 
tard seed, cloves, mace, cinnamon, 
grated horse-radish, ginger root, etc., 
softened by placing all together in a 
thin muslin bag and immersing for a 
few minutes in boiling water. Re- 
move the bag from the water, let the 
spices drip dry, fill the peaches, sew 
them up, pack them in jars, and fill 
to overflowing with a scalding hot 
sirup made of 1 pint of sugar in 3 
pints of vinegar. Seal while hot. Let 
stand a week or two before bringing 
to the table. 

Tomato Catsup. — Wash \ bushel 
fine ripe red tomatoes. Quarter them, 
place them in a preserving kettle, 
Hnd bring them to a boil. Remove 
from the fire and let cool until they 
will bear the hands. Then rub them 
through a wire sieve and add to the 
strained juice 3 teacupfuls of salt, 3 
teacupfuls of n^iixed spices, 1 quart 
of vinegar. Boil over a slow fire for 
an hour or more, stirring constantly 
to prevent burning. Fill the bottles 
to overflowing with the hot liquid 
and seal at once. Thin for use, if 
necessary, with a little vinegar. Wrap 
in colored paper to exclude the light. 

Or boil the tomatoes until they are 
soft. Squeeze them through a fine 
sieve, and to the juice add 1 pint of 
salt, ^ ounce of Cayenne pepper, a 
few cloves of garlic or shallots. Mix 
and boil until reduced one half. Bot- 
tle and seal. 

Or cut up the tomatoes, place 
them in a preserving kettle in layers 
sprinkled with salt, using about 2 
teacupfuls of salt to \ bushel of fruit. 
Let stand three or four hours before 
boiling. Strain and add to the juice 
horse-radish, onions, or garlic, mus- 



VINEGAR, PICKLES, AND PICKLING 



687 



tard seed, and mixed spices. Let 
stand twenty-four hours or more. 
Boil down to the right consistency. 
Bottle and seal. 

Select firm, ripe tomatoes, gash 
them on two or three sides and place 
them in a porcelain saucepan. BoU 
them to a pulp. Rub the pulp 
through a colander or coarse sieve, 
and afterwards through a hair or 
other fine sieve, and for each peck of 
fruit add 1 ounce of salt, 1 table- 
spoonful of black pepper, 1 teaspoon- 
ful of Cayenne, 1 ounce of mace, 1 
ounce of ground cloves, 6 ounces of 
ground mustard and 1 ounce each of 
celery seed and mustard seed tied in 
a cheese-cloth bag. Boil the whole 
for four or five hours, stirring fre- 
quently, especially toward the last. 
When the catsup is of the right con- 
sistency, remove from the fire and let 
stand overnight to cool. For each 
peck of fruit stir in 1 pint of pure 
white wine or cider vinegar. Remove 
the bag of celery and mustard seed. 
Bottle and cork tightly. Store in a 
cool, dark place. 

Or cut the tomatoes in half and 
boil to a pulp. Press through a 
coarse, and afterwards a fine sieve, 
and for each peck of fruit add sea- 
soning as follows: I ounce of Cayenne 
pepper, i ounce of black pepper, ^ 
ounce each of mace, allspice, cloves, 
2 ounces of mustard. Salt to taste 
and add ginger or essence of celery 
if desired. Boil as above. When cool, 
stir in 1 pint of vinegar for each peck 
of fruit. Bottle and seal as above. 

Or cut the tomatoes into quarters, 
place them in a porcelain saucepan 
and boil to a pulp. Run through a 
coarse, and afterwards a fine sieve, 
and boil down for three or four 
hours, or until as thick as jelly, stir- 
ring constantly especially toward the 
last to prevent burning. Stir in for 
each peck of fruit, 3 ounces of salt, 3 
drams of allspice, | ounce of yellow 
mustard, IJ ounces of black pepper, 4 
drams of cloves, i ounce of Cayenne 
pepper, 2 quarts of pure white-wine 
or cider vinegar. Stir in the ground 
spices and the vinegar. Bring the 



whole to a boil for not more than five 
minutes and bottle when cold. 

Canning Tomatoes. — Select firm, 
ripe tomatoes, place them in a colan- 
der and dip them into boiling water 
just long enough to loosen the skin. 
Remove from the water, place them 
where they will drain, and carefully 
pull o.ff the skin without injuring the 
fruit. Once more place in colander 
to drain and pack carefully in large 
glass jars or cans as fuU as they will 
hold. Place these in hot water, bring 
to a boil and seal. 

Or if tin cans are used, first apply 
with a soft brush fresh butter or un- 
salted lard to the inside of the can 
and its cover. This will prevent the 
fruit acid from attacking the tin and 
forming a poisonous compound. Seal 
with a bit of solder or putty, or lay 
over the top a cloth dampened with al- 
cohol, run paraffin over this and draw 
over the top a piece of cotton batting. 

Currant Catsup. — Pick over care- 
fully 2 pounds of ripe red currants 
and place them in a preserving kettle 
with I of a pound of granulated 
sugar. Cook until of the consistency 
of thick cream. Boil in a separate 
saucepan for not more than five min- 
utes I of a pint of vinegar, in whi*h 
place a muslin bag containing J table- 
spoonful of ground pepper, and any 
other spices desired. Pour the spiced 
vinegar into the currants and sugar 
and bottle for use. 

Mushroom Catsup. — There is a 
prejudice against mushrooms due to 
the existence of certain poisonous 
species. Those who are not thor- 
oughly conversant with the difference 
between the edible and poisonous va- 
rieties should buy mushrooms from a 
reliable dealer or buy the spawn and 
grow the mushrooms rather than at- 
tempt to gather the native varieties 
growing wild. As there is a possibil- 
ity that poisonous mushrooms may be 
offered for sale by careless or igno- 
rant persons, we give the following 
rules for distinguishing mushrooms 
from poisonous toadstools. The great- 
est caution should, however, be used 
where there is the slightest doubt, as 



688 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



no matter how good a rule may be, 
there can be no assurance that it will 
be imderstood or intelligently applied 
by an inexperienced person. 

As a rule, the false mushrooms 
grow in tufts or clusters in woods or 
on the stumps of trees. They are 
likely to have a cap covered with 
Warts or fragments of membrane 
growing on the upper surface, and to 
be heavy and irregular in shape. 
They have a disagreeable taste, like 
alum, turn blue when cut, are moist 
on top and usually of a rose or orange 
color. 

The true mushroom, on the other 
hand, has under parts or gills of a 
pinky red, changing to a liver color. 
The flesh is pure white, and the stem 
is long, white, and round. 

The best rule is to sprinkle a little 
salt on the spongy parts or gills of 
one of the mushrooms and let it stand 
for some minutes. Be sure to aUow 
plenty of time. If it turns yellow the 
mushrooms are poisonous. If black, 
they are edible. 

To make mushroom catsup pack 2 
pounds of mushrooms in layers with 
I pound of salt in a saucepan, and let 
stand until the salt is fully dissolved. 
Squeeze through cheese cloth and add 
to the juice 3 ounces of white pepper, 
^ ounce ,of cloves, or any other mixed 
spices desired. Boil with gentle heat 
to the consistency desired. Strain 
and bottle for use. Add more salt to 
the mushrooms from which the juice 
has been strained, and if sufficient 
juice has been left in them to dis- 
solve the salt it may be used to make 
an inferior quality of catsup. 

Or add to each pound of mush- 
rooms I pound of salt. Let them 
stand for four days stirring them oc- 
casionallj^ Pour them into a colan- 
der to drain and preserve the juice. 
Now add a little cold water to the 
mushrooms and let them boil half an 
hour or more over a slow fire. 
Squeeze them through cheese cloth. 
Now mix both liquors. Add any de- 
sired mixture of spices. Boil not 
over five minutes. Seal and bottle, 
for use, 



Or squeeze out the juice in a press 
and to each gallon of juice add 1 
pound of salt, li ounces of shallots, 
and any desired mixture of spices to 
the amount of four to six ounces all 
told. Boil for one hour or until of 
the desired consistency. Strain and 
bottle for use. 

To preserve mushroom catsup in 
its full strength it is necessary to re- 
boil it at intervals of a month or six 
weeks, adding fresh spices. By these 
means it can be kept good and fresh 
the year round. 

To Preserve Mushrooms. — Select 
small mushrooms, trim them and rub 
them clean with a soft flannel cloth. 
Drop them immediately into cold 
water to preserve their color. Place 
them in a saucepan and to each quart 
of mushrooms add 3 ounces of but- 
ter, 3 teaspoonf uls of salt, J teaspoon- 
ful of Cayenne, i teaspoonful of 
mace, and cook until tender. Pour 
them into a colander to drain. When 
cold, pack them in glass jelly tum- 
blers or fruit jars and pour clarified 
mutton suet or butter over them. Lay 
over this a thickness of cloth dipped 
in alcohol and tie over the top a layec 
of cotton batting. 

Or trim and clean the mushrooms, 
peel off the skin and dry them in a 
slow oven. Tie up tightly in paper 
bags and hang up in a dry place. 
They will resume their natural size 
when cooked. 

Or season mushrooms with onion, 
cloves, pepper, mace, or otherwise to 
taste. Slice, and dry in a slow oven. 
Rub to a powder and preserve in 
tightly stoppered jars or bottles. 

Preserving Olives.— After opening 
a bottle of olives, if the remainder 
are not required for immediate use, 
pour off the liquid and cover with 
olive oil. This will keep the olives 
good and fresh for several weeks. 

Walnut Catsup. — Pick young green 
walnuts about the first week in July, 
as for pickled walnuts, and squeeze 
the juice out of them under a press. 
Or run them through two or three 
times with a hatiiin. Crush them 
livith a wooden mallet, place in a keg 



VINEGAR, PICKLES, AND PICKLING 



689 



(or jar throwing in a handful of salt 
for each two dozen walnuts. Cover 
v.'ith water and let stand two weeks 
or more, stirring frequently. Squeeze 
out the liquor through cheese cloth 
into a preserving kettle. Moisten the 
walnuts with boiling hot \anegar and 
mash them to a pulpy mass. Pour 
on additional hot \inegar to cover 
them. Mix and squeeze out the vine- 
gar into the juice and brine in a pre- 
serving kettle. Add to each gallon 
of juice 12 or 14 ounces of mixed 
spices as desired, bruising the whole 
spices in a mortar, or placing the 
ground spices in a thin muslin bag. 
Flavor with Cayenne, paprika, garlic, 
or shallots as desired, and boil one 
hour or more, or until reduced about 
one half. Bottle and seal when cold. 

Or bring the walnut juice to a boil 
and skim until it is clear. For each 
quart of walnut juice add | pound 
of anchovies, i pound of shallots and 
1 or 3 ounces of mixed spices. Flavor 
with garlic, Cayenne, paprika, celery, 
etc., as desired. Simmer over a slow 
fire about twenty minutes, salt to 
taste. Strain through cheese cloth. 
Bottle and seal when cold. This cat- 
sup will keep indefinitely and will not 
be at its best under one year after it 
has been made. 

Or crush the green walnut shells 
and to each J peck of shells, dry 
measure, add 1 quart of salt. Mix 
and let stand a week or ten days. 
Squeeze out the juice. Add to each 
gallon of juice about 12 ounces of 
mixed spices, flavoring with garlic, 
etc., if desired, and boil down about 
one half. Bottle when cold. 

Or take 1 gallon of spiced vinegar 
in which walnuts have been pickled 
for six months or a year. Add J 
pound of anchovies, 1 teaspoonful of 
Cayenne. Boil down one half and 
bottle when cold. Thus the spiced 
vinegar from the pickled walnuts may 
be turned into good catsup after the 
walnuts have been used. 

Camp Catsup. — A catsup mixed 
with stale beer and various spices is 
often put up and sold under this 
name for sea stores or persons going 



on exploring and other expeditions 
and likely to be gone a long time. It 
will keep under all conditions for 
many years. 

To 1 gallon of strong stale beer 
add 1 pound of anchovies washed 
and cleaned, 1 quart of mushrooms, 
first rubbing off the skins with salt 
and water, 1 pound of shallots, and 
8 or 10 ounces of mixed spices. Boil 
down one half over a slow fire. Strain 
through cheese cloth and bottle when 
cold. 

Or to 1 gallon of strong stale beer 
add 3 quarts of vinegar, 1^ pounds 
of cleaned and washed ancho^des, li 
pound of shallots, 8 or 10 ounces of 
mixed spices, and 2 quarts of mush- 
rooms. Boil down one half and bot- 
tle when cold. 

Or mix 2 quarts of stale beer to 1 
quart of white wine or white-wine 
vinegar. Add ^ pound of anchovies, 
4 ounces of peeled shallots, 4 ounces 
of mixed spices. Let stand in a warm 
place two or three weeks, stirring 
constantly. Bring to a boil and bot- 
tle when cold. 

Oyster Catsup. — Squeeze through a 
sieve 1 pint of oysters with the juice. 
Add 1 pint of white wine or sherry, 
and salt to taste. Add 2 or 3 ounces 
of mixed spices. Flavor with garlic, 
celery, etc., as desired. Simmer fif- 
teen or twenty minutes. Strain and 
bottle when cold. 

Pepper Catsup. — Place in a preserv- 
ing kettle about 25 large red bell 
peppers without removing the seeds. 
Add 1 pint of vinegar and boil until 
tender, stirring constantly. Rub the 
whole through a sieve. Set aside the 
juice. Pour over the pulp another 
pint of vinegar with 2 tablespoonfuls 
of brown sugar, and 2 or 3 ounces of 
mixed spicks. Stir all together and 
boil down one half. Strain through 
cheese cloth and bottle when cold. 

Gooseberry Catsup. — Select goose- 
berries that are ripe but not soft, 
pick them over carefully, and remove 
the stems and blossoms with a pair 
of small scissors. To each quart of 
gooseberries add 1 pound of brown 
sugar and 1 ounce of mixed spices. 



690 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Place in a preserving kettle and boil 
to a soft pulp or for about 3 or 3 
hours stirring constantly. Add for 
each quart of gooseberries ^ pint of 
vinegar. Bring to a boil. Fill bot- 
tles to overflowing and seal while 
scalding hot. 

Grape Catsup. — Take grapes that 
are ripe but not soft. Pick them over 
carefully and add ^ by weight of 
sugar and to 5 pound of grapes 1 
pint of vinegar, 3 or 3 oimces of 
mixed spices, and salt to taste. Boil 
until it thickens. Bottle when cold. 

To Preserve Horse-Radish. — ^lice 
the horse-radish in November and 
December about -^ of an inch thick. 
Place it in a tin pan, cover and set it 
in a warm place near the stove to 
dry; but do not heat it too much, as 
otherwise it will lose its flavor. When 
bone dry grind it in a mortar, place 
it in suitable jars or bottles, and seal 
for use. k 

Or grate the green roots, cover 
with strong vinegar. Bottle, seal, 
and store in a cool place. 

To Preserve Tomatoes for Soup. — 
Select all the small cracked or faulty- 
shaped ripe tomatoes that are un- 
marketable, wash, trim, and cut them 
up unpeeled in a preserving kettle. 
Stew them well, grind them through a 
flour sim^e so as to remove the seeds 
and skins, reheat and can for soup 
stock. 

Or take the large, sound, ripe to- 
matoes, M'ash and drain, halve them 
crosswise, and pack them with the 
cut side up between layers of salt in 
a jar or wooden firkin. Let stand 
twenty-four hours or until the salt 
melts. Now pour off and discard the 
brine and seeds that escape with it. 
Boil the tomatoes to a pulp, and rub 
through a flour sieve. Season with 
Cayenne pepper or paprika, salt to 
taste and boil to the consistency of 
cream, stirring briskly. Pour out to 
a depth of about ^ inch on large plat- 
ters, and let dry in the sun or a 
slow oven. Before it dries mark in 
3-inch squares with a sharp knife and 
when fully dry pack tightly in hot, 
dry glass jars. Seal closely to ex- 



clude the air, and store in a dry place. 
One of these squares will season 2 or 
3 quarts of soup, or enough for a 
large family. 

Or the squares may be soaked in 
warm \vater and stewed with bread 
crumbs as tomato sauce. 

Or peel large, ripe tomatoes, re- 
move the seeds, pack them in a pre- 
serving can with pepper and salt. 
Let stand tiventy-four hours or until 
the salt is melted, and boil for an 
hour or more, stirring frequently. 
Pour into small jars or bottles, as it 
will not keep well after being opened, 
and seal when cold. 

Curry Powder. — To make curry 
powder mix together the required 
spices, which should be of the best 
quality, and well dried in a slow oven. 
Grind them to powder in a mortar. 
Pack in small bottles, and seal for 
■use. 

Or if preferred, the required spices 
may be mixed whole in the small pep- 
per grinders which are to be had for 
table use, and the powder may be 
freshly ground as required. 

To use curry powder, mix 1 table- 
spoonful of the powder with 1 of 
flour. Add 1 cupful of fresh milk. 
Season with salt and lemon juice, 
and pour into soup or stews and the 
like fifteen or twenty minutes before 
serving. 

The following proportions are rec- 
ommended: 4 oimces of turmeric, 4 
oimces of coriander, 4 ounces of black 
pepper, 3 ounces of fenugreek, 3 
ounces of ginger, 1 ounce of cummin 
seed, 1 ounce of ground rice, | ounce 
of cardemoms, A ounce of paprika. 

Or 4 ounces of turmeric, 4 ounces 
of coriander seed, 3i ounces of pi- 
mento, 1 ounce of ginger, i ounce of 
cinnamon, i ounce of mace, ^ ounce 
of cloves, 3 drams of cummin seed, 
1 ounce of cardemom, 1 ounce of 
Cayenne. 

Or 3 ounces of turmeric, 5 ounces 
of coriander, J ounce of paprika, 3 
ounces of pimento, | ounce of cloves, 
3 odnces of cinnamon, 1 ounce of 
ginger, li ounces of cummin, 1 ounce 
of shallots. 



CHAPTER XXV 

PRESERVATION OF MEAT AND VEGETABLES 

FERMENTATION— FRESH IMEAT AND FISH— SALTING AND PICKLING 
IVIEAT— CURING HAMS, TONGUES, AND BACON— ALAKING AND 
KEEPING SAUSAGE— PRESERVATION OF COOKED IMEAT— TRY- 
ING OUT AND STORING LARD— PRESERVING. TESTING, AND 
PACKING EGGS — STORING AND PRESERVING VEGETABLES, 
FRUIT, NUTS, AND HERBS 



FEEMEISTATION 

Fermentation in the widest sense 
of the term includes all forms of de- 
composition in both vegetable and 
animal substances when exposed to 
air and moisture at temperatures be- 
tween the freezing and boiling point 
of water. But in common language, 
the word fermentation is more often 
confined to those processes by which 
vegetable juices are transformed into 
alcoholic liquors. These processes, 
hov/ever, are entirely similar to pu- 
trefaction, or the decomposition of 
organic matter which sets free foul- 
smelling gases; and decay, or the 
change by which without moisture, 
the trunk of a tree molders into dust. 
Fermentation does not ordinarily take 
place much below 32° F. or much above 
140° F. It usually causes liquids to 
rise in temperature and to give off 
gases with considerable internal mo- 
tion, to' become turbid, to form a 
scimi and to deposit a sediment. 

Among the useful results of fer- 
mentation are the raising of bread 
with yeast; the preparation of al- 
coholic beverages and certain food 
products, as sauerkraut; the curdling 
of milk by means of rennet to form 
cheese; the manufacture of vinegar, 
etc. 

Among the injurious results of fer- 
mentation are the souring of milk 
and vegetables, the putrefaction of 



meat, the becoming rancid of fats 
and the decay of articles of wood or 
textile fabrics. 

Fermentation is caused by the vital 
action of microscopic plants, the 
germs of which may be present in the 
fermenting substance, or may be de- 
posited on their surface from the air 
or from contact with water or other 
substances containing them. Or t!iey 
may be introduced intentionally, as 
when yeast is used for brewing, or 
for making xinegar or bread. These 
small plants feed upon fermentable 
substances and bring about various 
chemical changes. Thus the subject 
of fermentation has two phases: i.e., 
(1) how to induce those forms of fer- 
mentation that are useful, and (2) how 
to prevent those that are injurious. 

The promotion of fermentation 
falls under such various subjects as 
fermented beverages, the making of 
vinegar, cheese, bread, etc. The pre- 
vention of fermentation falls under 
such subjects as the preservation of 
food, the preservation of timber, etc. 

As fermentation occurs from the 
presence and development of germs, 
it is evident that its prevention de- 
pends upon tlie destruction of any 
germs that are present, and keeping 
away others, or the removal of con- 
ditions favorable to germ life. Hence, 
in general, fermentation and putre- 
faction may be prevented by drying 
heat; by cooling below the point at 



691 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



which fermentation takes place; by- 
heating or cooking substances to a 
point sufficient to kill the germs pres- 
ent, and then hermetically sealing 
them to exclude others; and bj^ the 
employment of various antiseptics, as 
alcohol, common salt, saltpeter, sugar, 
sirup, smoke, borax, and many other 
substances. 

Putrefaction. — This change is a 
decomposition of animal or vegetable 
substances with the liberation of ill- 
smelling gases. It can only take 
place at a temperature between the 
freezing point of water (32° F. and 
140° F.), in the presence of moisture 
and after exposure to the air. Gen- 
erally speaking, the more moisture 
and the greater warmth present, the 
more rapid is the process. The germs 
of the bacteria which cause putrefac- 
tion are heavier than the germs of 
yeast and mold, and hence do not 
float in equal numbers, as dust in dry 
air. They are more often communi- 
cated by contact with water or moist 
surfaces. For this reason in dry cli- 
mates meats and vegetables may be 
preserved simply by drying or curing 
them by exposure to sunlight. But 
it is well known that if these sub- 
stances are left out after the dew 
falls, and allowed to become mois- 
tened, Uiey may be covered with a 
coating of mold. Most of the bac- 
teria that cause putrefaction are 
killed by exposure to a temperature 
of 140° F. for a number of hours; to 
a temperature of 213° F., the boiling 
point of water, for ten to fifteen min- 
utes; or to a temperature of 215° F. 
for 4 or 5 minutes. The activity of 
these bacteria ceases at the freezing 
point, but they cannot be killed by 
freezing, and again become active 
when warmed to a temperature of 
40° F. Hence, in general terms, boil- 
ing in water kills bacteria and freez- 
ing suspends their actfvity. 

FRESH MEAT AND FISH 

To Keep Fresh Meat. — Refrigera- 
tion in a dry, well-ventilated air 
chamber cooled to a temperature of 



40° F. or lower by means of ice, is 
the best means of preserving fresh 
meat in summer or in warm climates. 
For this purpose ice may be stored 
in northern climates in homemade ice 
houses, and utilized by means of 
homemade refrigerators as elsewhere 
recommended. 

If ice houses are not available, 
fresh meat may be kept for several 
days by the use of sour milk, vinegar, 
charcoal, or borax, or by immersing 
it in cold running water, or by means 
of a mixture of salt, sugar, and salt- 
peter. 

Or hang up joints of meat, if not 
required for immediate use in any 
dry, shady place where there is good 
ventilation. They will keep fresh 
from 2 to 4 days, and wiU become 
more tender and digestible by hang- 
ing. But in all cases, hang them with 
-the cut end up and knuckle down- 
ward, or the reverse of the usual way. 
Thus the blood remains in the meat 
and keeps it sweet and juicy. In 
summer, if the weather is dry, lamb 
and veal will keep 2 days, and beef 
and mutton 3 to 4 days. In cold 
weather, mutton may be kept for 
twice that length of time. 

Or if running water is available 
from a spring or otherwise, provide 
a covered box or tub in a shady place, 
into and out of which the water can 
flow. Immerse the meat in this. If 
fresh it will sink of its own weight. 
Look at it two or three times a day 
and as soon as it commences to rise 
from the bottom, it must be used. 
The outside will be somewhat whit- 
ened, but the flavor will be uninjured. 
The meat wiU be sound and tender 
after 3 or 4 days in hot summer 
weather, and may then be boiled or 
roasted. 

Or pieces of fresh meat may be 
placed in large stone jars and cov- 
ered with skimmed milk, sour milk, 
or buttermilk. They must be weight- 
ed with a clean stone to keep the 
meat under the surface of the liquid, 
and the jar placed in a cold cellar or 
in the running water from a spring. 
It is not necessary to remove the 



PRESERVATION OF MEAT AND VEGETABLES 693 



bone or fat. Thus fresh meat can be 
preserved for a week or 10 days. The 
milk can afterwards be fed to pigs. 
Before cooking, the meat should be 
washed thoroughly in clear water and 
afterwards soaked 3 to 5 minutes in 
water containing al)out one table- 
spoonful of cooking soda to the gal- 
lon. This neutralizes the acid of the 
milk and makes the meat more 
tender. 

Or fresh meat may be preserved 
by soaking it for 3 to 5 minutes in 
a solution of one tablespoonful of 
borax to a gallon of water, or by rub- 
bing it with powdered borax dry. 
Rinse with clear water when required 
for use. 

Or trim the meat carefully ■with a 
knife, removing any parts that seem 
likely to taint, and wrap it up with 
a cloth moistened with vinegar, or 
equal parts of vinegar and water. 
The acid vapor drives away flies and 
the moisture, by evaporation, keeps 
it cold. 

Or rub meat thoroughly with fresh 
powdered charcoal, which has power- 
ful antiseptic properties. It can be 
readily rinsed off with clear water. 

Or cut the meat in pieces, not ex- 
ceeding 3 or 3 pounds in weight, and 
pack them down between layers of 
dry corn meal or bran. Or cover 
with corn meal or bran as thickly as 
possible and hang in some shady place 
where there is a free circulation of 
air. 

Or when meat can no longer be 
preserved by any of these methods 
and more is on hand than can be im- 
mediately consumed, cook it all, and 
each day place it on the stove and 
bring it to a temperature equal to 
the boiling point of water. Thus the 
germs of putrefaction will be killed 
and the process will be arrested from 
day to day. 

Or fresh meat may be preserved in 
the following manner: by laying it 
down in an earthenware Jar and 
sprinkling with a mixture of salt, 
sugar, and saltpeter. If the meat is 
fresh killed, first hang it up or lay it 
on slats overnight to drain it free 



from blood. Then cut it up in readi- 
ness for the frying pan or the ta- 
ble, separating and trimming chops, 
steaks, scollops, etc. For every pound 
of meat, measure IJ teaspoonfuls 
each of salt and sugar, i teaspoonful 
of saltpeter, and i teaspoonful of 
black or white jiepper. These should 
be dry, mixed, and reduced to pow- 
der in a mortar. Now sprinkle the 
bottom of the jar with a thin layer 
of this mixture and lay down a layer 
of steak or chops of uniform thick- 
ness, packing tightly to cover the 
bottom of the jar. Sprinkle over 
this the mixture of antiseptics so as 
to cover the surface lightly or about 
the same as when seasoning for the 
table. Add another layer of meat, 
and so on, until the j ar is full. Cover 
the top of the jar with a layer of 
cotton batting wet in a solution of 
the same mixture of antiseptics in 
water. Put on the lid of the jar 
tightly and set it in a cellar, spring 
house, or other cold place. When the 
meat is required for use, rinse and 
scald it. Soak the cotton batting in 
the covering solution of antiseptics 
and pack it down closely over vne 
meat as before. 

Or the top of the jar may be cov- 
ered with a layer of melted tallow, 
lard, or paraffin to keep out the air. 

To Preserve Meat from riles. — In 
addition to the germs that cause pu- 
trefaction, fresh meat is liable to be 
visited by flies and other insects for 
the purpose of depositing their eggs, 
and these will, in warm weather, 
quickly hatch and produce maggots. 
A cloth moistened with vinegar pre- 
vents the approach of insects. 

Or the meat may be rubbed with 
ground pepper or ginger. It may 
also be protected by a coating of 
waxed paper. To prepare this paper, 
melt with gentle heat 5 ounces of 
stearic acid. Stir in 2 ounces of car- 
bolic acid and add, in a thin stream, 
5 ounces of melted paraffin, stirring 
constantly. Remove from the fire 
and continue to stir until the mixture 
sets. Again melt with gentle heat, 
and apply with a brush to suitable 



694 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



paper. Wrap up the meat in the 
paper and seal. 

To Preserve Fish. — To keep fish 
fresh without ice for any length of 
time is very difficult. But if ice is 
not available, wash inside and out 
with a solution of equal parts of 
vinegar and water. Lay the fish on 
an earthenware platter on a stone 
floor. Place in the inside of each fish 
a cheese-cloth bag containing fresh 
charcoal in small lumps, about the 
size of small peas or large gravel 
stones, and wrap in a cloth moistened 
with vinegar, or equal parts of vine- 
gar and water. In very hot weather 
remove the cloth and bag of charcoal 
two or three times a day and dip the 
fish into cold salt water. Afterwards 
wrap up as before. 

Or if the fish shows signs of decay, 
immerse in a pickle of vinegar and 
water. 

To Sweeten Tainted Meat. — Apply 
a solution of chloride of soda by means 
of a soft clean brush or sponge. With 
this quickly wash over the tainted 
portions and rinse immediately with 
fresh water. Afterwards broil or 
roast the meat so as to expose the 
tainted portions to a high tempera- 
ture and char them with the heat. 

Or if they are to be boiled, place 
half a dozen lumps of charcoal, the 
size of an egg, in the water. 

Or place a quantity of pulverized 
charcoal in a cheese-cloth bag, and 
place these in the kettle. All odors 
will be absorbed by the charcoal and 
the meat will be sweet and clean. 

Or hang the meat on a nail in a 
box, or suspended inside of an in- 
verted barrel. Place beneath half a 
teacupful of table salt in an earthen- 
ware bowl and add by degrees 2 
ounces of sulphuric acid at the rate 
of J ounce each 15 or 20 minutes, un- 
til all has been added. The resulting 
fumes will disinfect anything with 
which they come in contact. But 
care must be taken not to breathe 
them. Afterwards rinse the meat 
well with a solution of 1 tablespoon- 
ful of baking soda or borax to a gal- 
lon of water. 



To Keep Frozen Meat. — In cold 
climates and in winter, meat may be 
preserved indefinitely by allowing it 
to freeze. But it must not be per- 
mitted to freeze and thaw frequently, 
and must not be thawed out too 
quickly when required for use. To 
preserve meat by freezing, first ex- 
pose it to the weather until thor- 
oughly frozen through and through. 
Wrap in waxed paper or cover with 
a cloth coated with shellac or other 
varnish and pack in an ordinary flour 
barrel between layers of hay, straw, 
or excelsior, pressing the whole as 
tightly and solidly as possible. Place 
the barrel in a bin or packing case, 
and surround it with a layer of 5 or 
6 inches of dry sawdust. 

To thaw frozen meat when re- 
quired for use, place it in a moder- 
ately warm room at a distance from 
ttie fire, and cllow it to thaw gradu- 
ally. 

Or better still, soak it 3 or 3 hours 
in cold water. 

If thawed too quickly it will be rni- 
fit for use. 

SALTING AND PICKLING MEAT 

Curing Meat. — Among the various 
methods of preserving beef, pork, 
mutton, and other meats for consid- 
erable periods of time, are drying, 
canning, pickling, and smoking. Dry- 
ing meat is practiced chiefly in hot 
climates and in localities where the 
air is free from moisture. -It is ac- 
complished by cutting the meat into 
convenient pieces and exposing it 
to direct sunlight on suitable drying 
forms so arranged as to admit of a 
free circulation of air. The canning 
of meat is similar in principle to the 
process of canning fruit and vegeta- 
bles. It consists in cooking the meat 
until tender, placing it while at the 
boiling point in sterilized jars, and 
sealing while hot so as to exclude the 
air. In addition, it is customary to 
pour over the meat the gravy or meat 
jelly in which it has been cooked, in 
the same manner that sirup is poured 
over canned fruits. Pickling consists, 



PRESERVATION OF MEAT AND VEGETABLES 695 



in immersing the meat in a solution 
of antiseptics, usually salt, sugar, and 
saltpeter with soda or potash. Smok- 
ing is accompUshed by suspending 
the meat in a suitable chamber, ex- 
posed to the fumes of smoldering 
corncobs, hickory or beech chips, saw- 
dust, or other substances. The anti- 
septic effect of smoking is due to 
impregnation with pyroligneous acid, 
an impure acetic acid which, together 
with tarry matter is contained in the 
smoke. The effect of smoking is 
therefore similar to that of rubbing 
fresh meat with vinegar, except that 
the admixture of tarry matter pre- 
vents the acetic acid from escaping 
by evaporation. 

Pickling Meat. — The points to be 
observed in pickling are cleanliness 
and sterilization. That is, all foreign 
matter, as blood, dirt, and the like, 
should be removed from the meat, 
and the tubs or casks in which it is 
packed should be sterilized. In addi- 
tion, of course, the pickle must be 
sufficiently strong, and the meat fully 
covered with it and heavily weighted. 
If these precautions are observed, 
there is no reason why meat cannot 
be kept sweet the year round. 

Preparation of Meat for Pickling. 
— The beef, pork, or mutton carcass 
to be pickled should be carefully cut 
into strips of equal thickness, so that 
it can be packed tightly in tubs or 
casks in uniform layers. The carcass 
should be cut up as soon as the ani- 
mal heat is out of it, and the pieces 
to be pickled rubbed thoroughly with 
fine salt or powdered saltpeter or a 
mixture of these dried in a slow oven. 
After the salt and saltpeter have 
been well rubbed over the surface of 
the meat, sprinkle the pieces lightly 
with the same, and lay them on slats 
or boards slanted so that the blood 
will drain off, and let them stand 
from 34 to 48 hours. This wiU re- 
move all the surface blood and leave 
the meat fresh and clean. When the 
necessary tubs or casks and pickling 
liquid are in readiness, rinse off the 
meat by dashing cold water over it 
from a dipper or pail. Wipe dry 



with a clean cloth. It will then be 
perfectly clean and ready to pack. 

Pickling liquid for Meat. — A full 
barrel, if properly packed, wUl con- 
tain about 200 pounds of meat and 
will require from 6 to 8 gallons of 
pickle. The proportions of salt, salt- 
peter, and sugar recommended are 
about as numerous as the various au- 
thorities. But as these antiseptics do 
their work separately, the proportion 
is not essential, provided the pickle is 
strong enough. To prepare a stand- 
ard pickling liquid, place in a large 
kettle 8 gallons of pure soft cold 
water, to which add 14 to 16 pounds 
of pure salt, 4 to 6 ounces of saltpe- 




"Pour Over it the Pickling Liquid." 

ter, about 6 pounds of good brown 
sugar, or about 3 pounds of the sugar 
and an equal bulk of good New Or- 
leans molasses. To which may be 
added 2 to 6 ounces of pure baking 
soda. Place the whole over a slow 
fire and bring to a boil with very gen- 
tle heat, removing the scum as it rises 
so as to have the liquid clear before 
it boils. After the pickle has been 
clarified, remove from the fire. Cover 
to keep out the dust and let stand 
until it becomes cold. 

To Pack Meat. — Scald thoroughly 
the inside of the tubs or barrels by 
pouring into them boiling water and 
washing down the sides with a swab 



696 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



of clean cloth tied to the end of a 
stick or clean mop handle. Cover the 
bottom of the cask with common salt 
^ inch or more in depth. Pack the 
meat in layers as tightly as possible 
with common salt sprinkled between 
them and, when packed, pour over 
it the cold pickling liquid through 
cheese cloth until the barrel is full. 
Place on top a loose cover of wood, 
previously scalded, small enough to 
slip inside of the barrel and rest on 
the meat. Lay on this a stone or 
other heavy weight, to keep it below 
the surface of the pickle, and be sure 
that the pickle does not evaporate so 
as to leave the meat exposed to the 
air. Otherwise it will rust. The 
above is a general inethod to which 
the following favorite recipes may be 
added to show the manner in which 
the proportions may be changed ac- 
cording to the experience of different 
individuals. But all of these are 
tested recipes. 

Pickle for Beef. — Dissolve in 8 gal- 
ions of soft water 30 pounds of 
coarse fine salt, 8 ounces of saltpeter, 
and 4 pounds of coarse brown sugar. 
Bring to a boil with very gentle heat, 
skimming constantly. This quantity 
is sufficient for one full barrel, or 200 
pounds of beef, if properly packed. 

Or prepare in a similar manner a 
pickle containing 14 pounds of coarse 
fine salt, 3 ounces of saltpeter, 3 
ounces of Cayenne pepper, 3 pints of 
New Orleans molasses, 3 pounds of 
brown sugar, and 13 gallons of soft 
water. 

Or 10 pounds of salt, 1 ounce of 
saltpeter, 3 pounds of brown sugar, 
and 6 gallons of soft water. 

Or 13 pounds of salt, 4 pounds of 
brown sugar, 4 ounces of saltpeter, 8 
gallons of soft water, and 4 ounces 
of potash. 

Or 3 quarts of coarse fine salt 3| 
quarts of molasses, 3 teaspoonfuls of 
saltpeter, and 8 gallons of soft water. 

Pickle for Beef. — Any of the above 
pickles may be used. 

Or for a full barrel of beef, or 200 
pounds, dissolve in 8 gallons of pure 
soft water 10 ounces of coarse fine 



salt, 4 ounces of saltpeter, 3 pints of 
New Orleans molasses, and 3 pounds 
of brown sugar. Place over a slow 
fire and bring to a boil, skimming 
constantly. 

Or 15 pounds of salt, 3 pounds of 
sugar, 6 ounces of saltpeter, and 2 
ounces of baking soda in 8 gallons of 
soft water. 

Salting Meat. — Another method of 
curing meat is to rub or pack it with 
a mixture of salt, sugar, and salt- 
peter, but without water, thus allow- 
ing the meat to form a brine by 
means of its own juices. If the brine 
which forms is allowed to drain from 
the meat, it is said to be dry-salted. 
Or if the meat is packed in a tight 
receptacle, and the brine is allowed 
to remain over it, it is said to be wet- 
salted. 

To salt beef or pork, first remove 
all bones. Rub the pieces, especially 
the cut surfaces, with a mixture of 
1 pound of salt, 1 ounce of saltpeter, 
and 1 ounce of sugar. Use pressure 
enough to rub the salt thoroughly 
into the grain of the meat. Let stand 
34 to 48 hours. Again rub with the 
same mixture, sprinkling common salt 
freely between the layers. Cover also 
the top thickly with salt, and put 
over all a heavy weight — ^the heavier 
the better. 

Or for i a barrel, or 100 pounds of 
beef, prepare a mixture of 4 quarts 
of coarse fine salt, 4 pounds of brown 
sugar, and 4 ounces of saltpeter. 
Rub thoroughly into the meat. Let 
stand 48 hours to drain, turning oc- 
casionally, and pack in layers under 
a heavy weight, sprinkling the above 
mixture between but without the ad- 
dition of water. If a scimi rises it 
should be taken off with a skimmer 
and a little fine salt sprinkled over 
the surface. 

Or for the same quantity of beef, 
prepare a mixture of 6 quarts of 
coarse fine salt, 4 pounds of light 
" A " or coffee sugar, 6 ounces of 
soda, and 4 ounces of saltpeter. Cure 
in all respects as above. 

Busty or Tainted Meat. — If meat 
has been properl}' drained to free it 



PRESERVATION OF MEAT AND VEGETABLES 697 



from blood, the pickle boiled and 
clarified, the barrels scalded, and the 
meat kept under the pickle by means 
of a suitable weight, it should keep 
indefinitely. But it is quite custo- 
mary, as a precaution, to pour off the 
pickling liquid on the approach of 
summer, say in April, in temperate 
climates. Again bring it to a boil, 
with the addition of about | pound 
of salt to each gallon of pickling 
liquid, and when cold, once more pour 
it over the meat through a cheese- 
cloth strainer. But this is said to 
harden the beef and injure its flavor. 
It is believed that if the meat is prop- 
erly cured, this will not usually be 
found necessary. 

If the meat should become tainted, 
pour off the tainted pickle and dis- 
card it. Rinse the meat with clear 
water and wash out the barrel with 
a strong solution of lime water or 
wood ashes. If the barrel is much 
tainted, it may be well to fill it with 
this solution and let stand overnight. 
Afterwards scald with boiling water. 

Rub the meat in a mixture of salt- 
peter and sugar, and pack it between 
layers of charcoal. Finally, pour over 
it fresh pickling liquid, prepared as 
above, strong enough to float an egg. 

Or mix 12 pounds of powdered 
charcoal, 10 pounds of common salt, 
and 4 pounds of saltpeter. Cover the 
bottom of the cask with a layer of 
this mixture, rub each piece with the 
same, and sprinkle it freely between 
the layers of meat. By either of 
these methods all traces of taint can 
be removed. The charcoal can be 
rinsed off with clear water. 

Red Pickling Liquid for Meat. — 
To impart a fine red color to meat 
and to improve its flavor, dissolve in 
8 gallons of pure soft water 8 pounds 
of bay salt, 8 pounds of common salt, 
6 pounds of brown sugar, 1 pound 
of saltpeter, 8 ounces of bruised pi- 
mento, 5 ounces of bruised black pep- 
per, and 2 ounces of grated nutmeg. 

To Improve Corned Beef. — The 
quality of corned beef can be im- 
proved by immersing the pieces for 
half a minute by the watch, in boil- 



ing water before pickling. This is in 
accordance with the well-known prac- 
tice of immersing beef that is to be 
boiled for the table in hot water in 
order to harden the surface, and 
cause the meat to retain its natural 
juices. Similarly this method tends 
to make corned beef more tender and 
juicy than otherwise. To effect this 
result first drain the meat to free it 
from blood, rinse it in clear water. 
Bring to a boil a solution of 2 ounces 
of saltpeter in 4 gallons of water and 
with a large fork having a long 
wooden handle, or a piece of wire 
having a hook at the end, immerse 
the pieces of meat for half a minute 
each in the boiling solution. 

Or the same result may be ob- 
tained by pouring the pickling liquid 
while scalding hot over the meat; but 
the former method is to be preferred. 

CURING HAMS, TONGUES, AND 
BACON 

Pickling Mutton Hams. — First rub 
the hams with a mixture of 1 pound 
of salt, 1 ounce of saltpeter, and 1 
ounce of sugar. Hang up for 24 or 
48 hours to drain. Cover with a so- 
lution of about i pound of salt to 2 
gallons of water, and let stand for 3 
or 3 weeks. Pack closely in tubs or 
barrels and for each i barrel, or 100 
pounds, prepare a pickle by dissolv- 
ing 6 pounds of coarse fine salt, 3 
ounces of saltpeter, 2 ounces of soda, 
1 pint of molasses, and 1 pound of 
brown sugar in 6 gallons of pure soft 
water. 

Pickling Tongues. — After trim- 
ming off the roots, with the exception 
of a little of the fat, rub the cut sur- 
face with a mixture of 1 pound of 
salt and 1 ounce of saltpeter. Sprin- 
kle with the same and let drain for 
48 hours. Now prepare a pickle by 
dissolving in 1 gallon of soft water 
2i pounds of bay salt, 2 ounces of 
saltpeter, and 1 pound of brown 
sugar. Bring to a boil over a slow 
fire, skimming constantly, and im- 
merse the tongues in this. 

Or mix 1 tablespoonful of salt, I 



698 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



tablespoonful of brown sugar and 2 
tablespoonfuls of saltpeter to each 
tongue. Rub this well into the 
tongues twice a day for a week and 
let them stand in the brine. At the 
end of this time, add 1 additional ta- 
blespoonful of salt for each tongue 
and rub the pickle into them once a 
day for a week or 10 days. 

Curing Pork Hams. — Pork hams 
may be cured either by dry- or wet- 
salting or pickling. It is then custom- 
ary to smoke them, both to impart 
a smoky flavor and as a protection 
against insects. And they may be 
further protected by wrapping or 
sealing in cloth or paper cases. 

To dry-salt hams for smoking, but 
without pickle, which is the English 
method, rub the fleshy parts thor- 
oughly each day with fine table salt 
and hang up the hams for 3 or 4 days 
where they can drain. On the fourth 
day, rub well into the hams, using 
plenty of " elbow grease," a mixture 
of 1 pound of common salt, 1 pound 
of bay salt, 4 ounces of saltpeter, and 
?j pound of brown sugar. Lay the 
hams on a board or shelf, rind side 
down, and each day apply to the 
fleshy side with a soft brush, a mix- 
ture of 1 pound of brown sugar and 
1 pound of molasses. At the end of 
a fortnight, smoke with hickory wood 
or corncobs. 

Or for each 100 pounds of pork, 
mix IJ ounces of saltpeter, 1 ounce of 
black pepper, 5 ounces of brown 
sugar and 1 quart of common or bay 
salt. Add just enough hot water to 
dissolve. Mix all together and rub 
thoroughly into the meat. A wom- 
an's hands are not heavy enough to 
do this work properly. It is advisable 
to take out the bone and rub the in- 
side of the ham where the bone is re- 
moved in the same manner. But if 
this is not done, the bone may be 
loosened slightly with a knife and the 
mixture forced into the cut for a few 
inches. Lay the hams with the fleshy 
side up and rub them over with this 
mixture every day for 10 days or 3 
weeks, after which smoke them with 
hickory chips or corncobs. 



Or for a wet-salting process, mix 
1 pound of common salt, 1 pound of 
bay salt, 3 ounces of saltpeter, and i 
pound of brown sugar. Dissolve the 
saltpeter in a little boiling water, 
using no more than is necessary to 
dissolve it. Mix the other ingredients 
and rub the whole thoroughly into 
the fleshy side of the ham. Place 
them in a firkin or other tight recep- 
tacle and add for each ham 2 table- 
spoonfuls of pure vinegar. Each day 
turn the hams, and rub the brine into 
them thoroughly for a week or 10 
days. Then let stand 3 or 4 days in 
the pickle, basting them occasionally 
with a large wooden spoon. 

Or for each ham of 16 or 18 pounds' 
weight, mix 3 tablespoonfuls of salt- 
peter, and 4 ounces of brown sugar 
and rub it thoroughly into the fleshy 
side. After which cover the fleshy 
side with a layer of fine salt i inch 
thick, and lay the hams down in the 
tubs for 4 or 5 weeks. 

Or mix 1 pound of bay salt, J 
pound of saltpeter, | pound of com- 
mon salt, and ^ pound of brown 
sugar. Heat to dryness, and rub 
well into the fleshy side of the ham. 
Lay it in a tub, barrel, or firkin, 
the rind side down. Cover the fleshy 
parts with a layer of this mixture 
and each day turn the hams, and 
rub the brine into them for a week 
or 10 days. Afterwards let stand for 
a month basting the pickle over them 
daily with a large wooden spoon. 
Hang up to dry for 2 or 3 days and 
smoke. 

Or protect against insects, and 
store without smoking. A small ham 
will require about 2 weeks, and a 
large one 3 to 4 weeks to cure by the 
above method. A tongue will require 
about 12 days. They may then be 
used at once without drying, or may 
be dried and smoked. 

Or if the weather is hot, and the 
hams show signs of rusting, make 
a pickle of common salt and water 
strong enough to float an egg, and 
pour it over them. 

Or to pickle pork hams, first rub 
them with a mixture of 1 pound of 



PEESERVATION OF MEAT AND VEGETABLES 699 



pure salt and 1 ounce of saltpeter. 
Sprinkle with same and let them 
drain on slats for 48 hours. Rub into 
each ham a mixture of i teaspoonful 
of saltpeter, ^ teaspoonful of brown 
sugar, and 1 salt spoon of Cayenne 
jiepper. Scald a suitable tub or bar- 
rel. Cover the bottom with a layer 
of pure salt. Pack the hams in this, 
rind side down, sprinkling salt freely 
over the fleshy side of each, and let 
stand for a week. Prepare a pick- 
ling liquid by dissolving in 6 gallons 
of soft water 10 pounds of salt, 4 
pounds of brown sugar, 4 ounces 
of saltpeter, and 2 ounces of soda. 
Bring to a boil with very gentle heat, 
skimming constantly. Set aside until 
cool, and pour into the cask through 
a cheese-cloth strainer. The hams 
should remain in this pickle from 6 
weeks to 3 months, according to their 
size. 

Or for 100 pounds of meat, dissolve 
in 4 gallons of soft water, 8 pounds 
of coarse fine salt, 1 ounce of baking 
soda, 2 ounces of saltpeter, and 3 
pounds of brown sugar. Prepare in 
all respects as above. 

Or for 100 pounds of meat, dissolve 
in 4 gallons of soft water 7 pounds 
of coarse fine salt, 2J pounds of 
brown sugar, 2 ounces of saltpeter, 
and 2 ounces of soda. Immerse the 
hams and pickle for 2 or 3 months, 
according to their size. 

Or rub the hams with a mixture of 
1 pound of salt, 1 ounce of saltpeter, 
and let drain 3 or 4 days. Immerse 
in brine strong enough to float an 
egg, and for each i barrel or 100 
pounds of meat, add 2 quarts of mo- 
lasses, 4 ounces of saltpeter, 2 ounces 
of baking soda, and pickle 6 to 8 
weeks. 

Smoking Pork Hams. — Remove the 
hams from the pickling liquid and 
hang them up to drain and dry. 
When they have drained sufficiently, 
wipe them cg.refuJly with a sponge or 
clean clotli, and rub thoroughly into 
the fleshy side a mixture of equal 
parts of Cayenne and black pepper, 
especially about the bone and hock. 
This will prevent flies lighting upon 



them. Now sew up each ham in a 
bag of cheese cloth or scrim to pro- 
tect it from soot, and hang up in the 
smoke house under a barrel or any 
suitable receptacle and smoke — the 
longer the better. Chips or sawdust 
from hickory or beech wood or corn- 
cobs are the most suitable fuel with 
which to smoke hams. After being- 
lighted they must be kept smoldering 
by sprinkling them lightly with water 




" Hang up Under a Barrel." 

whenever they commence to blaze. 
And the process may be continued 
for 8 or 10 hours or for several weeks, 
according to convenience or the qual- 
ity desired. Some persons who burn 
wood exclusively as fuel, smoke hams 
by sewing them up in a coarse cloth 
and hanging them up in the chimney, 
but this method is not suitable if 
coal is used as fuel in any part of 
the house. When hams are smoked 
properly the pyroligneous acid of the 
smoke permeates the meat. It also 
dries slowly at the same time. Quick 
smoking merely coats the outside of 
the ham, but does not penetrate its 
fiber. 

Or an imitation of smoking may 
be had by immersing the ham in di- 



700 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



luted pyroligneous acid for 3 or 3 
hours, or giving it 2 or 3 coatings 
witii a brush. But this method tends 
to harden and toughen the meat and 
is therefore not to be recommended 
for domestic use. 

To Store Smoked Ham. — After re- 
moving hams from the smoke house, 
they may be rinsed in cold water, or 
better still, immersed for 3 or 3 min- 
utes in boiling water, the effect of 
which is to cover them with a coating 
of grease and also to kill any germs 
or eggs of insects tliat may be pres- 
ent. Next, coat them with flour paste 
prepared by rubbing up 3 teaspoon- 
fuls of flour in a little cold water, 
bringing to a boil, and stirring in 1 
teaspoonful or more of Cayenne pep- 
per. Cover the hams thickly with 
this paste by means of a soft brush, 
and liang them up in the direct sun- 
light until the paste dries. When 
dry, sew them up in coarse cloth, and 
give the cloth a coating of shellac or 
other varnish. 

Or suspend them in a loose bag 
surrounded by finely chopped straw 
to the thickness of 2 or 3 inches. 

Or place them in ordinary paper 
flour sacks. Tie tightly to exclude 
the air and insects and hang up in a 
cool, dark, well-ventilated place. 

Or \Vrap each ham in ordinary 
brown butcher's wrapping paper, seal- 
with paste containing Cayenne pep- 
per, and tie with twine. Pack in 
packing cases or barrels in finely 
chopped straw. A coating of pyro- 
ligneous acid, if carefully applied, so 
as to cover the entire surface and 
penetrate all crevices, will effectually 
prevent contamination of insects. 

Curing Bacon. — The process of 
curing bacon is similar to dry-smok- 
ing pork hams. Rub the flitches of 
bacon with 1 ounce of common salt, 
1 ounce of saltpeter, and 1 ounce of 
brown sugar. I>ay them on slats or 
slanting boards to drain for 48 hours, 
turning frequently. Next lay the 
flitches in a deep dripping pan, and 
cover with the same mixture. Turn 
and rub the pickle into them 2 or 3 
times a day for a week or 10 days. 



Let stand in the pickle for about 3 
weeks in all, basting them frequently 
with a large wooden spoon. Remove 
and smoke as for hams. Place in 
paper flour sacks and tie tightly to 
exclude the air and preserve from 
insects. 

MAKING AND KEEPING SAUSAGE 

Sausage. — Fresh pork, beef, and 
other meats may be preserved in the 
same manner as sausage meat by 
seasoning them highly with spices 
and packing them in air-tight cases, 
or in earthenware or other tight re- 
ceptacles, and running over them a 
layer of melted lard or tallow to ex- 
clude the air. 

Intestine Cases for Sausage. — 
Remove from the pig's intestines 
the loose fat and outer membranes. 
"Turn them inside out and cleanse 
them thoroughly in borax water. 
Bleach by letting them soak for 24 
hours or more in water containing 1 
ounce of chloride of lime to the gal- 
lon. Rinse thoroughly in clear soft 
water and scrape or tear off a part 
of the inner lining until they are as 
thin as may be without tearing or 
puncturing them. Finally, wash them 
thoroughly several times in warm 
water. 

Seasoning for Sausage. — Salt, pep- 
per, and sage, according to taste, 
are ordinarily used for seasoning 
sausage. Summer savory is also fre- 
quently used, and other spices, as all- 
spice, cloves, ginger, etc., are some- 
times recommended. But, as a rule, 
salt, pepper, and sage are sufficient, 
and will be preferred by most per- 
sons. The proportion of seasoning 
recommended varies,, and it is a good 
plan in mixing sausage meat, to fry 
a little of the meat after seasoning 
and add more of the ground meat or 
seasoning, as desired, until the flavor 
is satisfactory. The following are all 
tested recipes, and by comparison, a 
selection may be made according to 
whether it is desired to have the sau- 
sage highly seasoned or not: 

For 10 pounds of ground sausage 



PRESERVATION OF MEAT AND VEGETABLES 701 



meat, use 4 ounces of salt, J ounce of 
pepper, and f ounce of sage. 

Or for the same quantity, 5 table- 
spoonfuls of sage, 4 tablespoonfuls of 
salt, and 2 tablespoonfuls of pepper. 

Or for each pound of meat, 1 heap- 
ing teaspoonful of salt, 1 of pepper, 
and 1 of sage, with the addition to 
each 3 pounds of meat, if desired, 1 
teaspoonful each of allspice, ginger, 
and summer savory. 

Or for over 25 pounds of meat, 12 
ounces of salt, 2 ounces of sage, and 
2 ounces of pepper. 

Or for 10 pounds of meat, 4 ounces 
of salt, 1 ounce of sage, and 1 ounce 
of pepper. 

Grinding Sausage Meat. — The 
trimmings of the hog's carcass are 
ordinarily ground into sausage meat, 
the proportion of fat and lean being 
varied according to taste. Some pre- 
fer J fat meat to | lean. Others i 
fat to I lean. 

To Prepare Sausage. — To prepare 
good sausage, it is desirable to have 
a sausage grinder or suitable meat 
cutter, although the sausage meat can 
be chopped in a wooden tray with a 




*'A Coat of Melted Lard." 

chopping knife or on a block by 
means of a heavy knife or cleaver. It 
will be found easier in mixing the 
spices thoroughly into the meat to 
dry and pulverize them as finely as 
possible, cut the meat into rather 
small pieces and sprinkle the spices 



over it before it is ground. It will 
thus become thoroughly incorporated 
with the meat in grinding. The sau- 
sage grinder is ordinarily fitted with 
a device for filling the cases. If link 
sausage is to be made, care must be 
taken not to fill the sausage cases too 
full, but to pinch and twist them at 
intervals to make them link properly. 

Or sausages may be packed in 
cases of muslin or other clean white 
goods about 2^ or 3 inches thick, 
forced in by means of a clean round 
stick of hard wood, laid down in jars, 
and covered with brine or melted lard. 

Or the cloth cases may be dipped 
in melted lard and hung up to dry, 
care being taken that they have a uni- 
form coating of lard to exclude the 
air. 

Or the sausage meat may be laid 
down in earthenware pans 4 or 5 
inches deep, and a coat of melted 
lard I to I inch deep poured over 
them to exclude the air. As long as 
the coating of lard is not broken, the 
sausage meat will keep indefinitely. 
Or if the dish is not too large, it will 
usually keep after being opened un- 
til required for family use. Or after 
slices have been removed for use, the 
open end can be covered with a coat- 
ing of melted lard until more is 
needed. 

Or large earthenware jars may be 
used for this purpose, although, in 
most cases, they are not as convenient. 

To Improve Sausage Meat. — The 
addition of about -^g by weight of 
ground beef to pork sausage, is pre- 
ferred by many, as it makes the sau- 
sage less greasy and firmer in tex- 
ture. 

Or for immediate use, powdered 
bread crumbs at the same rate may 
be added for this purpose. But this 
should not be used if the sausage 
meat is to be laid down for a long 
time as it will not keep so well. 

Bologna Sausage. — The so-called 
bologna sausage is a mixture of ap- 
proximately equal parts of pork and 
beef or other meats highly seasoned 
and packed in large cases, 3 to 6 
inches in diameter, obtained from the 



702 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



intestines of beeves. The following 
mixtures are recommended: 

Grind up together in a sausage ma- 
chine or meat cutter 4 pounds of beef 
and 2 pounds of pork free from fat 
or gristle, to which add 6 pounds of 
fresh fat pork cut in thin strips and 
chopped on a block by means of a 
heavy knife or cleaver into pieces 
about i of an inch square or less. 
Season this quantity vith 8 ounces of 
salt, ^ ounce of saltpeter, 8 ounces of 
coffee sugar, and | ounce of bruised 
pimento. To exclude the air, the 
cases must be packed with as much 
pressure as they will stand without 
bursting, and this may be done by 
tying them at the bottom and press- 
ing in the meat with a round block 
of wood or pestle, nearly but not 
quite large enough to fill the inside 
of the case. If the meat is not 
packed tightly enough, the sausage 
will not keep. 

Rub the outside of the cases with 
salt butter. Tie them tightly at both 
ends and hang up to dry for 3 weeks, 
then smoke as for hams or bacon. 

Or cut into small pieces an inch or 
two square 3 pounds of pork, 1| 
pounds of beef free from fat or 
gristle, and 1 pound of clean fresh 
beef suet. Sprinkle with a mixture 
of spices consisting of 3 ounces of 
salt, 3 feblespoonfuls of black pep- 
per, 2 teaspoonfuls of Cayenne, 1 tea- 
spoonful each of cloves and allspice, 
and a small onion chopped fine. If 
the meat cutter is coarse, run through 
a second time and pack tightly in 
cases 4 or 5 inches in diameter. Knot 
both ends and cover with strong 
brine for a week or 10 days. Change 
the brine and let stand another week. 
After which dry and smoke them as 
for hams or bacon. Rub the cases 
with butter and store them in a cool 
dark place. 

Mixed Sausage. — Cut in small 
pieces equal parts of fat pork, leaii 
pork, lean veal, and beef suet. For 
each 6 pounds of meat add the rind 
of a lemon grated, a small nutmeg 
grated, I ounce of powdered sage, 3 
teaspoonfuls of butter, 4 teaspooftf ul§. 



of salt, and 1 teaspoonful of summer 
savory. Pack in cases or lay down 
in jars and cover with lard. 

Beef Sausage. — In summer, when 
fresh pork is not obtainable, raw beef 
may be ground up with beef suet in 
the proportion of about 1 part of 
suet, 2 parts of lean beef, and the 
whole seasoned with 1 teaspoonful 
each of pepper, salt, sage, and sum- 
mer savory ground through the meat 
cutter or sausage grinder, and made 
into cakes to be fried, or laid down 
in earthenware pans under a coating 
of lard until required for use. 

Pickled Tripe. — Empty the paunch 
by turning it wrong side out, taking 
care not to let any of the contents 
get on the outside. Rinse with cold 
water. Tie or sew up the openings 
tightly with strong cord so that the 
lime water cannot get inside, and im- 
merse it in a tub of cold fresh slaked 
lime about as thick as whitewash. 
Let it stand 15 or 20 minutes, or until 
the dark outside skin is loosened 
and can be readily pulled off. Pass 
through 3 or 4 rinsing waters. Tack 
up on a board and with a dull knife 
scrape off the dark surface until it 
looks clean and has no offensive odor. 
Soak for half an hour in hot water, 
then scrape with a dull knife and re- 
peat until perfectly white and clean. 
Immerse in strong brine and let 
stand 3 or 4 days, changing the 
water each day. Cut into pieces a 
foot long and 6 inches wide, and im- 
merse in buttermilk for 3 or 4 days 
to whiten. Rinse and lay down in a 
suitable cask. Cover with pure white 
wine or cider vinegar, or spiced pic- 
kling liquid as preferred. 

PRESERVATION OF COOKED MEAT 

In addition to the preservation of 
fresh meat in various ways, cooked 
or partially cooked meats may be 
preserved for considerable periods of 
time by canning or taking other 
means to exclude the air. Meats to 
be canned are first cut into suit- 
able pieces, boiled until tender and 
packed in glass jars surroimded bv 



PRESERVATION OF MEAT AND VEGETABLES 703 



boiling water. The meat jelly, or 
" aspic," in which they have been 
cooked, is then seasoned to taste and 
poured over them, boiling hot, until 
the jar is filled to the brim, and they 
are then sealed while hot. The addi- 
tion of the aspic, which is, of course, 
melted when the cans are sealed, but 
which solidifies on cooling, not only 
assists in preserving the meat, but 
also improves its flavor. 

Or suitable tin cans may be used. 
The cans, surrounded with hot water, 
are packed with the cooked meat, and 
the meat jelly poured over them. 
The cover is then soldered in place, 
a small hole is punctured in it and 
the water surrounding the can is 
boiled until steam escapes from the 
aperture. The opening is then closed 
with solder. The condensation of 
the steam inside the can on cool- 
ing produces a vacuum by which the 
sides of the can are made slightly 
concave. And if at any time this 
concavity disappears, or the sides of 
the can swell so as to become convex, 
it is a sure indication that the con- 
tents were not properly preserved and 
have become putrid. 

Or to preserve pork chops or sliced 
ham for summer frying, pickle fresh 
pork about 10 days or 2 weeks and 
fry it until about half done. 

Or remove the hams from the brine 
in April, slice, trim, and fry them 
until half done. Pack the chops or 
hams separately in solid layers in 
stone jars. Let them cool, and when 
entirely cold, pour over them their 
own fat with the addition of a little 
melted lard, so as to cover the sur- 
face with a layer ^ inch or more 
thick. Place over the top of the jar 
a layer of cotton batting. Put on the 
lid tightly and store in a cool place 
until required for use. After taking 
out a portion of the meat for use, re- 
melt the lard and pour back over the 
meat to exclude the air. Lamb or 
veal chops, beefsteak or sausage meat 
may be laid down in the same man- 
ner. 

Preserving Cooked Sausage. — Pack 
sausage in cases, or sausage meat, 



into a small crock or bean pot about 
g full. Place in a baking oven and 
bake about fifteen minutes for each 
pound Of sausage, i. e., for 6 pounds 
of sausage bake an hour and a half. 
Remove from the oven and set aside 
to cool. When cold, fill the crock 
with melted lard. Throw over the top 
a layer of cotton batting, put on the 
lid, and store in a dark, cool place 
until required for use. 

Or fried sausage can be laid down 
in the same manner and covered with 
its own grease. 

Or for cooked bologna sausage, 
grind together 2 pounds each -of pork, 
bacon, beef, and veal free from fat or 
gristle, and 3 pounds of beef suet. 
First cut in small pieces and sprinkle 
over it before grinding 4 ounces of 
salt, 6 tablespoonfuls of black pep- 
per, 1 tablespoonful of Cayenne, and 
pack tightly into beef cases 4 or 5 
inches in diameter. Form links about 
12 or 15 inches in length, tying at 
both ends. Prick the skins and boil 
for about an hour. Hang up to dry 
for 2 or 3 days and afterwards smoke 
with hickory wood or corncobs. 

Or grind up together with suitable 
seasoning equal quantities of ham, 
veal, or pork; or J pork and g beef. 
Cook and smoke as above. 

Potted Beef. — Cut 3 pounds of lean 
beef into pieces weighing about | of 
a pound each and sprinkle over them 
a mixture of | pound of table salt 
and ^ ounce of powdered saltpeter. 
Let the beef lie in this pickle 2 or 3 
days, turning the pieces occasionally. 
Remove the meat from the pickle, 
place it in a stone jar or pan cov- 
ered, if convenient, with a little beef 
gravy or just enough cold water to 
prevent burning. Put an earthen- 
ware plate over it and bake in a 
slow oven for about 4 hours, or un- 
til the meat is very tender and falls 
away from the bones. Remove the 
meat from the gravy. Shred or chop 
it fine, moisten it with the gravy 
and pound it in a marble mortar or 
otherwise with a little fresh butter to 
a very fine paste. Season to taste 
with pepper, allspice, nutmeg, macC; 



704 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



or cloves. Or add, if desired, Cay- 
enne, Tabasco, curry powder, or an- 
chovies, mustard, or other condiment, 
according to taste. Press tightly in 
small crocks or jars, or in fruit jars. 
When cold, pour over the tops of the 
jars melted lard or butter to a thick- 
ness of i inch, and cover with a layer 
of cotton batting tied tightly on any 
cover that will exclude the air. 

Pressed Beef. — Or select about 5 
pounds of cheap beef that would 
otherwise be too tough to cook, in- 
cluding about I of a pound of beef 
fat. Cover with a mixture of | pound 
of salt and J ounce of saltpeter and 
let stand for a couple of days turn- 
ing it now and then, and rubbing 
brine into it. Rinse in clear water 
and boil until it falls from the bones, 
taking care that when boiled down, 
the gravy will be as thick as possible. 
Remove the beef from the gravy with 
a skimmer and chop fine. Allow the 
gravy to cool. Take off the cake of 
fat, and dissolve J ounce of gelatin 
in the gravy with gentle heat. Spice 
to taste. Stir in the chopped meat. 
Pack in j ars under a weight and pour 
melted lard or butter over the top to 
the depth of J inch or more. If care- 
fully preserved from the air, this will 
keep for a considerable time at ordi- 
nary temperatures, and may be sliced 
and egtten cold without further cook- 
ing. 

TEYING OUT AND STORING LARD 

lard. — ^The leaf fat which adheres 
to the ribs and belly of the hog make 
the so-called " leaf lard," which is of 
the best quality. Hence it is a good 
plan to try out the leaves separately. 
But any part of the hog fat not used 
for other purposes may be tried out 
to make an ordinary quality of lard. 
A set kettle, or other large kettle, 
held over a camp fire by means of 
a tripod out of doors on a clear, 
calm day, is the best utensil for this 
purpose. Cut the fat into small 
pieces 1 or 2 inches square, and add 
i ounce of soda for each 25 pounds 
of meat. Stir frequently as soon as 



the fat melts and the scraps begin to 
brown. Melt with very gentle heat, 
taking care not to allow the fat to 
smoke or burn. Toward the last, the 
lard must be stirred constantly to 
prevent burning. The lard will be 
done when the steam ceases to rise. 
When the scraps are brown and 
shriveled, throw in a little salt to set- 
tle the sediment, and strain through 
a cheese-cloth strainer into tubs or 
jars. Tie over the tops a layer of cot- 
ton batting to exclude the air. Lard 
will keep better in small jars than 
in large ones. Good lard should be 
white and solid without any offensive 
odor. Store in a cool, dry place. 
The lard from the intestines will not 
keep as well as leaf lard, hence 
should be rendered separately. It 
wiU keep better if soaked for 3 or 4 
days in strong brine changed each 
day. 

Bleaching lard. — The addition of 
about 1 pint of boiled white lye from 
hickory ashes, strained through cheese 
cloth into the fat before boiling, tends 
to bleach it. 

Adulteration of Lard with Water. 
■ — The addition of 3 to 5 per cent 
milk of lime, allows about 25 per cent 
of water to be mixed with lard while 
cooling, thus greatly increasing its 
weight and volume. The 'presence of 
water may be perceived by the sput- 
tering made in melting the lard. 
Also, the water will collect in the bot- 
tom of the vessel and the lard will 
float on its surface. This test will 
often show that the purchaser is pay- 
ing for a considerable percentage of 
water instead of lard. 

Cod Fat. — The suet taken from "the 
beef flank is called cod fat. It makes 
a much softer and better fat than 
the common suet. Obtain the best 
looking pieces of cod fat from the 
butcher, free them from veins or 
spots and melt with very gentle heat. 
Pour the melted suet into clear cold 
water, iced water, if convenient, to 
harden. Pour off the water, remove 
all dampness with a clean dry cloth. 
Wrap up the fat in waxed paper and 
store in a cool, dry place. 




Ribs of Beef — "Roas 



PRESERVATION OF MEAT AND VEGETABLES 705 



Cottolene. — This substitute for 
lard or suet consists of 6 parts cot- 
ton oil, 4 parts oleostearine. Melt to- 
gether with very gentle heat and run 
through a filter in jars. This is pre- 
ferred by many to animal fat, being 
purer as well as cheaper. 



PRESERVING, TESTING, AND PACK- 
ING EGGS 

Preservation of Eggs. — More hens' 
eggs are laid during the months of 
March, April, May, and June than 
during the other 8 months of the 
year. Hence the bulk of the con- 
sumption of eggs during the fall and 
winter months is of eggs that are not 
fresh laid. The commercial method 
of preserving eggs is by means of 
cold storage in vaults kept at a tem- 
perature of 40° F. or less. Eggs are 
collected all over the United States 
and stored in the largest cities, 
whence they are distributed at whole- 
sale and often times sold in the win- 
ter months to farmers and others 
who keep hens, but who are not, at 
that season, getting enough eggs for 
their own consumption. The whole- 
sale market recognizes seventeen 
grades of eggs according to their size, 
weight, and freshness and the locali- 
ties from which they come. But the 
ordinary buyer of eggs is unable to 
distinguish among them, and often 
gets a very much cheaper grade of 
cold-storage egg than she pays for. 
Hence on all grounds, it is much 
better and cheaper for those who 
keep chickens to preserve, in the sea- 
son when eggs are plentiful, all that 
are not required for inunediate use. 
If care is taken, eggs if perfectly 
fresh when preserved will be nearly, 
if not quite equal to new. But at 
all events, home-stored eggs, if prop- 
erly preserved, will be superior to 
cold-storage ones, which are often far 
from fresh when gathered and placed 
in storage. 

Testing Eggs. — Eggshells are por- 
ous or perforated right through by 
minute holes for the admission of air 
needed by the chick for breatliing. 



Hence in time a part of the liquid 
contents of the egg evaporates. The 
white and yolk shrink and the result- 
ing emptied space is filled with air. 
This space is normally at the broad 
end. And this is the reason why, in 




^Look Through them at the Light.'' 



storing eggs, the point should always 
be downward. To test eggs take a 
candle or electric light or lamp in an 
otherwise dark room and fit it with a 
candling chimney, which may be ob- 
tained at any poultry store or may 
be readily made from a piece of card- 
board. This is merely a cylinder of 
cardboard large enough to surround 
the candle or the lamp chimney, and 
having a tube inserted at right angles 
somewhat smaller in diameter than 
an ordinary egg, and about the level 
of the flame. Through this the egg 
can be observed against the light. 

To test eggs, hold each one up 
against the opening of this cylinder, 
broad end upward, and look through 
them at the light. If the contents do 
not fill the shell, the egg is not per- 
fectly fresh, and the larger the air 
space the older is the egg. The yolk 
should be perfectly clear and round 
in outline. If, besides the air space, 
there i3 a dark haze or cloud in the 
egg, it has become spoiled. If the 
cloud contains a black spot, the egg 
:s bad. All storage eggs show some 
shrinkage, and eggs shipped by; 



706 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



freight from distant points to a 
wholesale market, will shrink on the 
way even if not afterwards preserved 
in cold storage. 

Methods of Preserving Eggs. — The 
object to be sccm-ed in preserving 
eggs is to prevent the evaporation of 
their contents, and thus prevent the 
air coming in to fill the space. This 
may be accomplished by any method 
of filling the pores of the shell so as 
to effectually prevent the passage of 
air. Among the substances recom- 
mended for this purpose are mucilage 
made of gum arable or gum traga- 
canth dissolved in water; albumen, or 
the white of egg; collodion, linseed 
oil, paraffin; shellac, or other varnish; 
saltpeter, lard, sugar sirup; finely 
powdered gj^psum, or plaster of Paris, 
dry salt, and various solutions, as 
lime, soda, saltpeter, salt, etc., in 
water. 

As the object of all these methods 
is the same, it becomes merely a ques- 
tion of selecting whatever substance 
is most readily obtainable and what- 
ever method is most convenient under 
the circumstances. Hence to preserve 
eggs, dissolve with gentle heat 1 
OTuice of gum arable or gum traga- 
canth in 1 pint of water, and if too 
thick, thin with boiling water to the 
consistency of common mucilage. Re- 
move 'the mucilage from the fire, al- 
low it to cool and apply it with a soft 
brush. Have at hand large sheets of 
blotting paper or a bed of diy sand 
on which to rest the eggs while the 
mucilage is drying. If laid on wood 
or any other hard substance, the 
mucilage will cause them to stick and 
they cannot be removed without chip- 
ping the shell. After laying down 
the eggs talce care to cover the fin- 
ger marks where the egg was held. 
When dry, pack, with the small ends 
down, in pails, tubs, or cases in dry 
bran, meal, or flour. Do not use salt 
with gum arabic or tragacanth as, 
by attracting moisture, it may cause 
them to dissolve. If a little of the 
blotting paper or sand adheres to the 
egg it will do no harm. When the 
eggs are required for use, the muci- 



lage can be removed with cold water, 
taking any foreign substances with it. 

Or beat up the white of an egg 
with a saltspoonful of salt, and apply 
in the same manner. 

Or apply shellac or copal varnish. 

Or apply by the same method a 
thick coating of collodion dissolved 
in alcohol, or a coating of jiaraffin or 
of linseed oil. 

Or place in the palm of the hand a 
little salt butter or pure salted lard, 
and turn the egg about until every 
portion of the surface has been cov- 
ered with the grease. Thus a small 
amount of lard or butter will cover 
a large number of eggs. Pack with 
the small ends down in bran or other 
substance as described above. 

Or pack eggs, greased with salted 
lard or butter, between layers of 
common salt. Take care to store in 
a perfectly dry, well-ventilated place 
' where the eggs will not freeze. Eggs 
thus stored can be preserved for sev- 
eral months. 

Or for home use, dip the egg for 
10 or 20 seconds into boiling water. 
This forms a thin coating of albumen 
inside of the shell that partially closes 
the pores. Remove from the boiling 
water and dip into a thin sugar 
sirup made by dissolving 5 pounds 
of brown sugar in a gallon of water, 
and set aside to dry. Small quanti- 
ties of eggs may be dipped in these 
liquids by means of a colander or 
suspended in a wire or wicker basket. 
But take care to shake them slightly 
so that every part of the -shell will be 
exposed to the solutions. When dry, 
pack as above. 

Or to preserve eggs for a longer 
period of time, they may be immersed 
in a solution of lime with other sub- 
stances, in water. The celebrated 
English patent of Jayne consisted in 
slaking fresh stone lime in a wooden 
tub or barrel with just enough water 
to dissolve it, and afterwards thin- 
ning with cold water to a point that 
will just float a fresh egg. Then, for 
each bushel of lime, stir in 2 pounds 
of salt and J pound of cream of tar- 
tar. Immerse the eggs and keep them 



PRESERVATION OF MEAT AND VEGETABLES 707 



below the surface by means of a 
floating cover of wood weighted just 
enough to rest upon the eggs without 
crushing them. 

Or for a small quantity of eggs, the 
same recipe would require about 1 
ounce of salt, | ounce of cream of 
tartar, and 1 quart of lime. 

Or a standard American recipe 
consists in packing the eggs with the 
small ends down, in a crock or firkin, 
and covering them with a cold solu- 
tion of 1 pound of lime, 2 ounces of 
salt, and | ounce of saltpeter, dis- 
solved by stirring in boiling water 
and allowed to stand overnight be- 
fore using. 

Or to 3 gallons of water, add 1 
pint of fresh slaked lime, J pint of 
common salt, and 3 ounces of salt- 
peter. 

Or a more elaborate recipe calls 
for 4 pounds of fresh stone lime to 
be slaked in 12 gallons of water. Stir 
in 2 pounds of salt and let stand for 
24 hours. Decant the pure lime water 
without disturbing the sediment. Dis- 
solve separately in one gallon of 
boiling water 2i ounces of soda, 2i 
ounces of cream of tartar, 2J ounces 
of saltpeter, 2| ounces of borax, and 
1 ounce of alum. Mix this solution 
with 10 gallons of the pure lime wa- 
ter. Pack the eggs, point down, in 
suitable tubs or casks, and cover with 
this liquid. They must be kept be- 
low the surface by means of a cloth 
or wooden cover and suitable weights. 
This quantity is sufficient for about 
75 dozen eggs. The same proportions 
may be observed for smaller quan- 
tities. 

Or pack the eggs in stone crocks, 
points down, and pour over them 
melted lard as cool as it will blow, or 
just before it sets, and allow it to 
harden about them. 

Packing Eggs. — To pack eggs for 
transportation, layers of newspaper 
or any soft, cheap paper that may be 
available will be found safer than 
oats or bran. Crumple a number of 
newspapers, and lay them in the bot- 
tom of the box or basket, and bring 
them up well around the sides. Pack 



the eggs close together so that they 
cannot roll against each other. Lay 
over them 2 or 3 thicknesses of paper, 
on this another layer of eggs, and so 
on. Throw over the top 2 or 3 thick- 
nesses of coarse burlap and fasten it 
around the outside of the package 
with cord. Eggs packed in this way 
in a clothes basket may be driven 
in a wagon over the roughest roads 
without breaking. 

Or to pack for market, obtain an 
egg case, manufactured for this pur- 
pose, which will serve as a model for 
making cases at home. Or they can 
be made at trifling expense by the 
local carpenter. It will be found that 
the cost of these cases will be more 
than repaid in convenience and in 
preventing breakage. 

Pickling Eggs. — Prepare a spiced 
pickling liquid the same as for spiced 
cucumber or other pickles. 

Or boil in a cheese-cloth bag for 
15 or 20 minutes in 1 quart of white 
wine or pure cider vinegar, 1 ounce 
of raw ginger, 1 ounce of allspice, 2 
blades of mace, 1 ounce of pepper, 1 
ounce of salt, 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, 
and 1 ounce of mustard seed. Boil 
for this quantity of pickle, a dozen 
eggs for 10 minutes. Place to cool 
in a pan of cold water. Remove the 
shells, pack them in a crock, and 
when perfectly cold, pour the pic- 
kling liquid over them. Lay over the 
top a folded cloth to keep the eggs 
under the pickling liquid, and tie 
over the top of the jar a thickness of 
cotton batting. They will be ready 
to use in about 4 weeks. 

Dried Eggs. — Break any quantity 
of eggs in a suitable receptacle, and 
beat them well with an egg beater. 
Spread out in a thin layer on a clean 
earthenware platter, and let them dry 
into a paste. Pack closely in glass 
jars and seal. 

Or pour the beaten eggs into glass 
jars and set the jar in a pan of hot 
water at about a temperature of 125° 
F. until the moisture is evaporated 
and the egg becomes hard. Seal un- 
til required for use. They can then 
be dissolved with about 3 times their 



708 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



own bulk of cold water, and beaten 
up together, when they will be found 
to have retained much of their origi- 
nal flavor. 

STOEING AND PRESERVTITG YEGE- 
TABLES, FRUIT, NUTS, AND HERBS 

Conditions that cause vegetables to 
decay are moisture and heat, or fre- 
quent and extreme changes of tem- 
perature, as alternate freezing and 
thawing. These conditions are also 
favorable to the attacks of insects. 
Cold storage in a dry vault, with a 
temperature near or below the freez- 
ing point, is, of course, the best 
method. Cooperative cold storage 
plants, both large and small, the bene- 
fits of which may be shared by a 
group of neighbors or an entire com- 
munity, are likely in time to come to 
be very numerous. But if cold stor- 
age is out of the question, a cool, dry 
place, where the temperature is likely 
to be as even as possible, should be 
sought for most vegetables. 

Vegetable Pits. — To preserve root 
crops — as beets, turnips, and par- 
snips, also cabbages — dig a trench on 
the north side of a sandy slope or 
ridge where the drainage is as per- 
fect as possible, so that after a storm 
no water will stand in the trench. 
Dig a ^ trench two or three feet deep 
about the same in width, and any 
desired length. Pack the vegetables 
carefully in this. Pile them up in a 
pyramid like the ridge of the roof of 
a house. Cover with a layer about a 
foot thick of meadow hay or straw 
and throw enough earth lightly over 
the straw to keep it in place. After 
the first frosts in the fall cover with 
a layer of earth 5 or 6 inches thick, 
and in the latter part of November 
or about the 1st of December, cover 
solidly with earth to the depth of a 
foot or more. Remove the vegetables 
from one end as required for use and 
cover the opening with hay or straw 
and keep it in place with boards, or 
shovel snow over it. 

Ventilate these pits by means of 
6-inch tile drains or square boxes of 



6-inch boards nailed together. Insert 
these ventilators at intervals of 35 or 
50 feet in large pits and plug the 
opening with loose straw to keep out 
the frost. Otherwise there is danger 
of decay from moisture in the event 
of an early thaw. 

Or pull root crops, as turnips, 
beets, and the like on a hot, dry day 
and let them lie in the sun until all 
dirt can be shaken from the roots. 
Twist oif the tops, leaving the tap 
root on. Pack them in clean, dry 
barrels or bins and fill with fine dry 
sand or road dust, shaking it down 
around them until the box or barrel 
is full. Root crops should not be 
packed on the floors of cellars, as 
dampness is likely to cause them to 
decay and furnish breeding places 
for bacteria that cause filth diseases. 

To Keep Celery. — In the latter part 
of October dig a trench 18 inches deep 
,and 12 to 15 inches Made on a dry, 
well-drained ridge. Loosen the earth 
about the roots of the celery and 
draw out the stalks without shaking 
off the soil that adheres to them. 
Stand them upright close together in 
the trench inclining slightly toward 
the middle, and draw the earth 
around them up to the tips. Cover 
with a thick layer of leaves, straw, 
or meadow hay, put a board across 
the top and weight with stones or 
otherwise. If there is any danger of 
standing water from rains or melt- 
ing snow, in winter, dig a ditch 
deeper than the celery trench for 
drainage. 

Vegetable Cellar. — To preserve 
small quantities of vegetables for do- 
mestic use, sink a half hogshead, cask„ 
or large dry-goods box about two- 
thirds of its depth into the ground 
and slope the earth around it on all 
sides to the top. Knock the bottom 
out, and line the space with loose brick 
laid on the earth side by side or with 
a layer of loose stone. Fit it vidth a 
water-tight cover coming down over 
the edge. 

Pack in this such vegetables as cab- 
bage, celery, beets, turnips, etc. They 
wiU keep fresh all winter. 



PRESERVATION OF MEAT AND VEGETABLES 709 



When cold weather comes on, throw 
over the top a large bag of burlap or 
potato sacking made like a mattress 




"Sink a Cask in the Earth." 

and filled loosely with hay or straw. 
This can readily be removed to allow 
access and replaced after required 
vegetables have been taken out for 
use. 

To Store Onions. — Pull the onions 
and let them lie in the field until the 
tops are withered. Spread them un- 
der cover on an open floor or on slats 
untU they are bone dry. 

The best receptacles for onions are 
slat boxes having solid heads of inch 
pine stuff, with sides and bottoms of 
rough laths, the width of one lath 
open between every two. These 
should be made to hold a bushel or 
half a bushel. Stack them one above 
the other, with pieces of inch pine 
stuff between to admit of free circu- 
lation of air. Pack these in a cool 
cellar on a platform raised 8 or 10 
inches from the cellar bottom. 

Or stack them in a shed or out- 
house. Make a bin around them of 
rough boards about 6 inches from the 
outside of the crates, and fill the 
space with chopped straw, chaff, or 
sawdust. Cover over the top with 
sand and throw over the whole any 
old burlap, carpet, or canvas that 
may be at hand. Thus protected it 
will do no harm if the onions freeze, 
as chaff or straw is a nonconducting 



material, and they will not thaw out 
until spring, and then very slowly. 
The same would be true in an ordi- 
nary cellar. 

Or small quantities may be packed 
in barrels or boxes in chaff or saw- 
dust, and stored in a dry attic which 
is not heated in winter. 

To Keep Parsnips. — Parsnips may 
be left in the ground all winter in 
temperate climates, or in very severe 
climates they may be buried in a deep 
pit in the garden. 

Or pull them late in the fall, leave 
the tips on, and lay them side by 
side in rows and cover with 6 or 
8 inches of coarse straw, leaves, or 
chaff. Freezing tends to improve their 
quality. 

Salsify. — Like parsnips, salsify is 
improved by freezing and hence may 
be preserved in the same manner. 

Turnips. — Turnips are not injured 
by freezing. Hence they may be 
packed in small crates, boxes, or bar- 
rels placed in an outhouse and cov- 
ered with straw to exclude the light 
and to prevent their thawing readUy. 
Or they may be buried in trenches or 
packed in boxes or barrels between 
layers of fine earth and allowed to 
freeze. 

Beets. — Beets may be stored as for 
onions, but should be kept in a dry 
place and at as uniform a tempera- 
ture as poscible. In small quantities 
they may be stored in any suitable 
receptacle in sand or dry moss. 

Squashes and Pumpkins. — These 
vegetables are very susceptible to 
frost and moisture. Hence they 
should not be placed in cellars or 
outhouses. Hung by the stem from 
the ceiling in a warm, dry storeroom 
the hard-shelled varieties will Keep 
practically all winter. 

To Store Tomatoes. — Pack green 
tomatoes in lath crates and store in 
a cool, dry storeroom away from the 
frost. 

To Store Potatoes. — Potatoes are 
usually stored in bins or barrels in a 
dark cellar. They should not be left 
in the field any longer than is neces- 
sary to dry them after being dug, as 



710 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



they are injured by exposure to di- 
rect sunshine. It is advisable to cover 
the bottom of the bin or barrel with 
a layer of fine, dry sand, throw over 
the top a piece of burlap and place 
a layer of sand on this. They should 
be examined once or twice a month 
during the winter, and if they com- 
mence to rot shovild be picked over, 
care being taken to handle them care- 
fully so as not to bruise them. 

To Keep Potatoes from Sprouting. 
To keep old potatoes not intended 
for seed from withering and sprout- 
ing, place them in a sack or handled 
basket and lower them into boiling 
water for a minute or two, moving 
them about so that the water will 
reach all parts of the surface. Lay 
them out on a flat surface to dry 
thoroughly before storing them away. 
The boiling water kills the germs. 

Potatoes thus treated will continue 
practically as good as new until new 
potatoes come in. By this process 
old potatoes can be held over until 
the market price is at its height. 

Or they can be preserved for do- 
mestic use when there are only new 
potatoes at high prices on the market. 

To Store Sweet Potatoes. — Pack in 
boxes or barrels on a very hot day in 
summer in clean, dry sand. Take 
care that the potatoes do not touch 
one another, and place in a dry store- 
room where the temperature will 
range between 40° and 60° F. Care 
must be taken not to bruise them, and 
they must be bone dry when packed. 
Small quantities procured from deal- 
ers in winter may be kept in sand 
near the kitchen stove, or in any 
warm, dry place. 

To Store Cabbage. — Cabbages are 
not injured by frost, but wither and 
wilt in a drjing heat. Hence they 
should be kept in a cool, dark, and 
moist place, but must not be kept in 
standing water, as it injures their 
flavor, or packed together, else they 
will heat and rot. 

Cut them before the severe fall 
frosts, leaving about 3 inclies or more 
of the stem attached. Let the out- 
side leaves remain on. Tie a strong 



cord about the stalks, and hang them 
from the timbers of the ceiling of a 
cool, dry cellar, heads downward. 
Several cabbages may be suspended 
on one cord one above another, and 
in this way a large number can be 
stored in an ordinary cellar, just 
enough space being left among them 
to admit of a circulation of air. 

Or pack in sawdust in large casks 
or packing cases. Take care to have 
a layer of several inches of sawdust 
between the cabbages and the box. 
Put them in any outhouse and let 
them freeze. Sawdust being a non- 
conductor, they will not thaw out un- 
til spring, and will not be injured. 

Or cabbages may be stored out of 
doors by loosening the earth about 
the roots and pulling them up with- 
out shaking off the dirt which ad- 
heres. Now set them out in furrows, 
burying the roots just as they grow 
up to the head in soil. Let the heads 
touch. Drive posts in the ground, 
build a shed roof over them of rough 
boards or poles high enough so that 
there will be circulation of air be- 
tween the roof and the cabbages, and 
cover the roof with corn fodder or 
straw. Pack straw or meadow hay 
around the sides to keep out the 
snow, and let them freeze. They will 
keep green and fresh all winter. 

Sauerkraut. — Sauerkraut consists 
of sliced cabbage laid down between 
layers of common salt — at the rate of 
about one pint of salt to a barrel of 
cabbage — ^in a wooden tub or firkin, 
and with the addition of black pep- 
per, anise, mustard, caraway, or cel- 
ery seed if desired. 

Thoroughly scald the tub, firkin, or 
cask. Remove the outer leaves of the 
cabbage and use them to line the 
cask. Slice the heart of the cabbage 
fine by means of a slaw cutter or 
sharp knife. Place a layer of clean 
leaves on the bottom of the cask. 
Sprinkle over them a small handful 
of salt and put in a layer of sliced 
cabbage about 6 inches in depth, 
using the outer leaves as a lining to 
keep the sliced cabbage from the sides 
of the cask. Sprinkle over the cab- 



PRESERVATION OF MEAT AND VEGETABLES 711 



bage a small handful of salt, and by 
means of a wooden beetle or the end 
of a round stick of hard wood, pound 
the cabbage until it is a solid mass, 
or until the juice just makes its ap- 
pearance, but do not pound or salt 
the cabbage too much. Now add an- 
other layer of cabbage and another 
handful of salt, and so continue 
pounding down each layer solidly 
until the cask is nearly full. 

Cover the top over with the loose 
outer leaves, and lay over these sev- 
eral thicknesses of cheese cloth. Lay 
on a loose cover of boards and on this 
a weight of stone equal to 25 or 30 
pounds. Let the cask stand in a 
Warm place for three or four weeks, 
during, which it will ferment and give 
off at first a very disagreeable odor. 
After forty-eight hours, if brine has 
not been formed, add a little salt 
water, about as salt as tears, to cover 
the cabbage. After two days more, 
add more salt water, if necessary, 
until brine forms over the top of the 
board cover and a scum appears. 
Remove the cloth cover, taking the 
brine with it, rinse thoroughly in 
cold water, wring dry, and return to 
its place. Continue to do this every 
■few days until it ceases to ferment. 
This will require four or five weeks. 
It is then ready for use and may be 
stored in any cool, dark place. 

Sauerkraut is usually made in the 
fall for winter use, but if it is desired 
to keep what is left for use in sum- 
mer, squeeze out the brine through 
cheese cloth. Select a suitable earth- 
enware jar, sprinkle the bottom with 
salt and pack the sauerkraut in this. 
Make a brine by dissolving 1 table- 
spoonful of salt to a quart of cold 
water. Bring to a boil over a slow 
fire removing the scum as it rises. Set 
aside to cool and pour over the sauer- 
kraut. Lay over the top several 
thicknesses of cheese cloth, and tie 
over the jar a piece of cotton batting. 
This will keep until the hottest days 
of summer. 

Cauliflower. — In a well-drained 
part of the garden dig a ditch 12 or 
15 inches deep and 12 inches wide. 



Pack the cauliflowers in this with the 
roots down and cover with earth up 
to the heads. Fill the trench with hay 
or straw 6 or 8 inches thick, and 
weight it down with stone, earth, or 
boards. 

Or pack the cauliflowers on the cel- 
lar bottom, burjing the roots and 
stalks in earth. In this way they can 
be kept until the 1st of March or 
later. 

To Store Green Beans. — Pack down 
green string beans in glass jars be- 
tween layers of salt. Seal the jars. 
When required for use, freshen in 
clear water for several hours, chang- 
ing the water frequently. 

To Store Green Peas. — Select 
shelled peas that are full grown but 
not hard and dry them in a dripping 
pan in a very slow oven or on the back 
of the stove. Let them dry slowly, 
stirring them frequently, and do not 
have them too thick in the pan. Con- 
tinue the heat until they are hard 
and dry as bone. Pack in glass or 
stone jars. Seal and keep in a dry 
place. Let soak overnight in cold 
water before boiling. 

To Store Dry Beans. — Dry shelled 
beans should be stored in a dry, cool 
place, and will not require protec- 
tion unless they become infested with 
br^s. In that case place the beans 
in a coarse sack or basket and dip 
them in boiling water for a minute or 
two. Hang up to drip dry and they 
will not only be free from insects but 
will also beep better. 

To Store Lima Beans. — Gather lima 
be?.ns before they ripen, and while 
tn'^y are still tender and green. 
Spread them on cloths in the sun to 
dry. 

To Dry Peas. — Pick over the peas 
and remove any pods that are mil- 
dewed or spotted. Spread the pods 
to dry on cloths in the sun. 

To Store Peas. — Store shelled peas 
in any dry place. They will keep un- 
less they become infested with wee- 
vils. In that case put them in a tin 
dripping pan, cover, place in a slow 
oven and heat until the weevils are 
kiUed. 



* 712 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



To Dry Corn. — Cut the corn raw 
from the cob and dry it thoroughly 
in pans in an oven. This gives a finer 
flavor than when it is partly boiled. 

Or dip green corn on the ear in 
boiling water, remove, and hang up 
the ears until dry in a room where 
there is a free circulation of air. 

Or husk and clean the silk from the 
corn. Place the ears in a colander 
over a kettle of steaming water, and 
steam a half hour or more. Split the 
kernels with a sharp knife, scrape out 
the pulp and dry it on clean tins or 
earthenware platters. Care must be 
taken not to scorch or brown it. 

Or husk and clean the corn, shave 
off the kernels with a sharp knife, 
scrape the remaining pulp from the 
cobs, and lay on earthenware plat- 
ters. Sprinkle ^ teacupful of sugar 
to each 3 quarts of corn, stir well and 
place in a medium hot oven for ten 
minutes, but do not scorch or brown 
it. Remove and spread to dry in a 
drying rack or under a hotbed sash. 
It should be dried as quickly as pos- 
sible as it deteriorates with exposure. 
Store in tight jars or boxes in a dry 
place. When required for use soak 
it in lukewarm water. 

Preserving Green Peas. — Shell and 
pick over the peas. Cover them with 
cold water and bring to a boil. Pour 
them into a sieve or colander to drain. 
Crush the pea pods in a saucepan or 
run them through a meat cutter, and 
pour over them a little of the water 
in which the peas were boiled. Pack 
the peas into glass jars. Salt the 
juice from the pea pods to taste, 
pour it boiling hot over the peas and 
seal. 

Or shell and pick over the peas, 
place them in a kettle of cold water 
and bring to a boil for two or three 
minutes only. Remove from the boil- 
ing water and let them drip dry. 
Now spread them out on a cloth on 
a table or other smooth surface. Lay 
over them another dry cloth to re- 
move all moisture. Pack them in 
jelly tumblers or fruit jars, and pour 
over them clarified butter or mutton 
.suet to the depth of an inch. Tie 



over the top a piece of cotton batting 
and store in a cool place until re- 
quired for use. 

Or shell and pick over the peas 
when full grown, but not hard, and 
dry them in shallow earthenware 
plates in a slow oven. Stir frequently 
and let them dry slowly. When they 
are hard, set them aside to cool and 
pack them in stone jars covered with 
cotton batting. Soak in cold water 
when required for use. 

To Bry Pumpkins. — Prepare the 
ripe fruit, cut into cubes about as 
large as the rind is thick, discarding 
the inner pulp and seeds. Cook until 
soft and squeeze through a colander. 
Dry in a slow oven with the doors 
open, on earthenware plates covered 
to the depth of about an inch. This 
will require eight or ten hours. Store 
the sheets in a dry place and soak 
overnight in milk when required for 
iise. 

To Dry Rhubarb. — To dry the 
stalks of rhubarb, first strip off the 
outer skin with a sharp knife. This 
is a painstaking process, but it pays 
as the rhubarb dries more quickly 
and thoroughly. Spread on cloths in 
the sun, preferably under a hotbed 
sash, and dry as quickly as possible. 

To Cure Hhubarb Root. — Pull up 
the roots from the old rhubarb bed 
when a new bed has been set out. 
Brush off the earth with a dry brush, 
and cut the roots into squares 3 
inches long. Take off the skin with 
a sharp knife. Bore a hole through 
the middle and run a string through 
them, knotting it so as to keep each 
piece of root separate from the 
others. String these between suitable 
posts or pegs upon the ground, and 
expose to the sun to dry. Take them 
indoors at night or when it rains, as 
dampness is apt to cause mold. 

To Dry Parsley. — To have bright, 
crisp parsley, pick it in dry weather. 
Spread it thinly on a platter and 
bake it in a moderate oven with the 
doors open, turning frequently. If 
the oven is not too hot, the leaves will 
become dry and brittle without losing 
their green color. Take care that the 



PRESERVATION OF MEAT AND VEGETABLES 713 



heat is not sufficient to turn the leaves 
brown or they will be spoiled. Now 
rub it to powder between the palms 
of the hands, pick out the stalks, sift 
the poM^der through a coarse sieve, 
place it in a glass bottle or jar and 
cork tightly. Keep in a dry place, A 
peck or more of the parsley should 
be gathered, as it is reduced very 
much in bulk by drying. The dry 
powder is suitable for most purposes 
for which fresh parsley is employed, 
and is much more convenient. 

To Dry Herbs. — Herbs should be 
gathered in dry weather, carefully 
picked over and dried as quickly as 
possible, either in a slow oven or un- 
der a hotbed sash. They should be 
spread out thin on sheets of blotting 
paper and turned occasionally. Fresh 
herbs are, of course, to be preferred, 
but as they are not obtainable in win- 
ter it is necessary to preserve them 
by drying. 

The season at which herbs are best 
fit to be preserved by drying varies 
with different species. Orange flow- 
ers, elder flowers, parsley and chervil 
in May, June, and July; burnet and 
tarragon in June, July, and August; 
knotted marjoram and mint in July; 
summer savory, July and August; 
basil, winter savory, and lemon thyme, 
the end of July and August. 

The aromatic herbs must not be 
exposed to too great heat, as other- 
wise the essential oils which give them 
their flavor will be volatilized. After 
being dried, the herbs should be 
screened through a large sieve to re- 
move dust and other impurities, the 
stems removed, and the leaves stored 
in glass bottles. All of the above 
herbs will be found useful condiments 
in cookery, and several of them have 
medicinal qualities. These and many 
others can also be obtained of drug- 
gists and other dealers. 

To Gather Roots. — Most medicinal 
and other roots should be gathered in 
the spring and are, as a rule, better 
in the fresh than in the dry state. To 
dr}^ them it is only necessary to brush 
off the dust with a dry brush, rinse 
the roots in cold water, string them 



together and expose them to the heat 
of the sun or in a slow oven until 
bone dry. 

Lath Boxes for Vegetables and 
Fruit. — Cut end pieces of inch thick 
pine stuff 14 inches long and 13 
inches deep. Cut laths 17J inches 
long which will give two pieces for 
each lath. Tack these laths to the 
end pieces to form two sides and the 
bottom, having the thickness of one 
lath between every two. Cut holes 
about 3J inches long and 1 inch or 
more deep in the two ends about 3 
or 4 inches from the top as handles, 
and use these boxes for picking up 
apples, potatoes, onions, and other 
vegetables, and storing them for win- 
ter use. 

Packing Fruit. — Carefully pick 
over the fruit and discard all wind- 
falls, and specked or wormy speci- 
mens. For an extra fine quality, 
wrap each fruit in tissue paper. 
Pack in clean, dry, flour barrels and 
pour over the top dry sand or road 
dust, shaking it down until the barrel 
is full. Place the barrels in a cellar 
or other cool place where they will 
not freeze. 

Evaporated Apples. — To dry or 
evaporate apples, peel and core them 
and cut across in thin slices. Let the 
slices fall into cold water to prevent 
their rusting. When all are sliced, 
and in readiness, lay the slices on a 
large piece of cheese cloth and baste 
them to this by means of a darning 
needle and suitable cotton thread, 
taking a stitch through each slice, so 
that it will lie flat and keep in place. 
Suspend the cheese cloth out of doors 
by the four corners to suitable stakes, 
high enough to be out of the reach of 
small animals, spread another thick- 
ness of cheese cloth over the fruit 
and expose to direct sunlight. Be 
sure to take them in before dew 
falls. When sufficiently dry store 
them in a dark place. This is the 
cheapest and most convenient way to 
dry apples, and the color will be 
nearly equal to that of the commer- 
cial article. 

Or thin trays or slats about i of aa 



714 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



inch in width may be tacked together, 
the apples spread on these and cov- 
ered with cheese cloth to prevent the 
fruit turning dark. 

Storing Nuts. — Pack walnuts in 
j ars, boxes, or casks between layert of 
fine dry sand. If they have become 
shriveled, let them stand overnight in 
skimmed milk or a solution of milk 
and water. Chestnuts and filberts 
may also be stored in the same 
manner. 

Almonds. — Buy for domestic use 
the sweet almond, as the bitter al- 



mond contains pi'ussic acid which is 
a deadly poison. To freshen almonds 
place them while still in the shells ie 
a colander set in a basin of cold wa- 
ter and bring to a boil. Lift them 
out, peel them as quickly as possible 
and drop the kernels into cold water. 
Never leave almonds in boiling water 
to cool as it is likely to make them 
bitter. 

To roast almonds for salting or 
bonbons, put them in an ordinary 
corn popper and shake them over a 
brisk fire. 



CHAPTER XXVI 

CANDIES AND CANDY MAKING 

KINDS OF CANDIES— BOILING SIRUP FOR CANDY— THE SEVEN 
DEGREES— CREAM OR FONDANT — CREAM CANDIES — FRUIT 
AND NUT CREAMS— BONBONS— TAFFY AND MOLASSES CANDY 
FOR CANDY PULLS — SIRUP CANDIES — PASTILS OR CANDY 
DROPS — CANDIED FRUITS, FRUIT AND NUT CANDIES— CARA- 
MELS— KISSES AND MARSHMALLOWS — NOUGATS— POPCORN 
CANDY— LOZENGES— COUGH CANDIES— TO COLOR AND FLA- 
VOR CANDY— ICES AND ICING— HONEY AND BEESWAX 



Candy Making should be taught 
and acquired as one of the most use- 
ful of womanly accomplishments. 
lAke every other art that calls for 
skill and intelligence, it has an edu- 
cational value. And the universal 
fondness for sweets renders the 
candy maker a popular favorite. 
Thus the mother who can make good 
candy and is fond of practicing her 
skill, or teaches and encourages her 
daughters to do so, will not only 
make her home attractive to her own 
family, but will also acquire an en- 
viable reputation as an entertainer. 
Then, too, there is a good market in 
all parts of the country for first class 
homemade candies. Even in cities 
where the large confectioners' shops 
seem capable of supplying every de- 
mand, good homemade candies are 
given preference at the highest 
prices; while in small towns and 
rural districts, where cheap candies 
are the rule, the homemade article, 
if of good quality, will always find a 
ready sale. Children may offer a few 
pounds of homemade candies for 
sale at a small booth or table placed, 
in summer weather, on the lawn, and 
in many localities can thus earn a 
good many dollars from passers-by. 
Or after a reputation for the quality 
of the product has been acquired, 



orders may be obtained from local 
merchants or from neighbors. When 
any considerable amount of candy is 
made, the best materials will not cost 
over IS cents a pomnd, and prices 
ranging from 50 cents to $1 a 
pound are the rule for a high grade 
domestic article. A candy booth, 
always providing the contents are of 
the best quality, is usually one of the 
most profitable features at church 
fairs, lawn parties, and other enter- 
tainments for the purpose of raising 
money. 

Utensils for Candy Making. — The 
entire outfit of a professional candy 
maker can be afforded by anyone. 
First in order is a suitable surface 
on which to pour and work fondant 
and other candies. A flat or shal- 
low box or tray, 3 or 4 inches deep 
and of any convenient size, lined with 
tin or zinc, is used by many confec- 
tioners. But a marble slab, such as 
the top of an old-fashioned center 
table or bureau, is ideal for this pur- 
pose. It should be used wrong side 
up. A couple of candy scrapers or 
toy hoes like garden hoes are needed 
to work cream candy. Or have a car- 
penter make a spatula or flat scoop 
of hard wood, 12 or 15 inches long, 
shaped like a snow shovel, but having 
a very thin beveled edge, as shown in 



715 



716 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



the illustration. This is used to lift 
and scrape the fondant. A good 
granite or porcelain double boiler, a 
broad, thin-bladed palette knife, a 
quantity of waxed paper, a two-tined 




" The Entire Outfit of a Candy Maker." 



fork M'ith which to dip creams and 
bonbons; these complete the neces- 
sary outfit. A good pair of scales, a 
suitable measuring cup or graduated 
glass should be at hand in the kitch- 
en. And a small stock of fancy 
molds or starch prints will be found 
convenient. 

Ingredients for Candy. — These are 
of three sorts: sugar, fruit, nuts and 
the like, perfume or flavoring, and 
coloring matter. As to sugar, that 
known as Confectioners' XXX is the 
best and is used by confectioners for 
the finest grades of imcooked can- 
dies. Confectioners' " A " sugar is 
not as»- good, but is sometimes used 
for cooked candies. Pure granulated 
or loaf sugar properly clarified, forms 
a satisfactory substitute. But if 
adulterated sugar is used it will not 
be possible to get satisfactory re- 
sults. The ordinary powdered sugar 
sold by grocers is not usually prop- 
erly refined, and in many cases is 
adulterated. If the scum which rises 
is dirty or if the melted sirup has a 
brownish or purplish tinge, it is not 
fit for the finest grades of candy. 
And even the best granulated sugar 
or ordinary powdered sugar is not 
suitable for uncooked candies. Hence, 
if you expect to make candy for sale 
or are ambitious to secure the best re- 
sults, ask your grocer to make a spe- 
cial order for Confectioners' XXX 
sugar, which can be procured of any 



large dealer in candy or wholesale 
grocery house at a slightly higher 
price than ordinary powdered sugar, 
and use this for uncooked fondant, 
icing, and the better grades of creams 
and bonbons. 

White sugar must be used for all 
light-colored candies. But cofi^ee or 
dark-brown sugar may be used for 
caramel, dark-colored nut candies, 
tafi"y or molasses candy that is to be 
pulled; or for any candy that is to 
be colored in dark shades. 

Measurements for Candy. — One 
pint Confectioners' " A " sugar. Con- 
fectioners' XXX or " powdered " su- 
gar equals | of a pound. 

One teacup or tumbler equals J 
a pound. 

One pint of brown sugar equals 14 
or 15 ounces; 1 teacup of brown su- 
gar equals about 9 or 10 ounces. 

Two tablespoonfuls equal 1 ounce, 
,or 33 tablespoonfuls 1 pound. 

These measures are approximate, 
but are suificiently accurate for prac- 
tical purposes. 

KINDS OF CANDIES 

Among the many sorts of candy 
turned out by professional confec- 
tioners, certain standard makes or 
kinds may be noted which admit of a 
general description. One important 
distinction is between the cooked can- 
dies, the basis of which is the clari- 
fied sirup boiled to the required de- 
gree, and the uncooked candies. 

The secret of uncooked candy con- 
sists in using Confectioners' XXX 
or other very finely powdered sugar. 
Ordinary powdered sugar is not suit- 
able for this purpose, as it will be 
found if tested between the thumb 
and finger to have a rough grain, 
whereas the Confectioners' XXX su- 
gar is as fine as starch. Uncooked 
candies may be made equal to the 
finest French cream. They should be 
allowed to stand twenty-four hours 
or more before being eaten. 

Among the standard sorts of 
cooked candies are fondant or cream, 
which may be clarified sirup boiled 



CANDIES AND CANDY MAKING 



717 



to the soft-ball degree and creamed 
by dipping or working with a 
wooden spoon or paddle, or by beat- 
ing up Confectioners' XXX sugar 
with white of egg and water or milk. 
These fondants are the foundation of 
chocolate and other cream candies, 
and many others. 

Benton is a general name for 
fancy candies, the heart or center of 
which may be made of nuts, fruits, 
or any sort of sweetmeats, and af- 
terwards dipped in mielted fondant 
cither of plain white sugar sirup, or 
sirup containing chocolate, coffee, or 
other flavoring matter, and tinted 
with various coloring matters accord- 
ing to taste. 

Creams and cream candies are 
made of simple fondant with the 
addition of nuts, fruits, or sweet- 
meats stirred in, or having the fon- 
dant poured over them, or other- 
wise. 

Molasses Candy consists of mo- 
lasses in place of sugar sirup boiled 
down with or without a mixture of 
sugar or glucose. 

Butter-scotch and Taffy may con- 
sist of either molasses or sugar sirup 
with the addition of butter and fla- 
voring matter. 

Pastils or Drop Candy usually con- 
sist of simple clariiied sirup with a 
small quantity of water and flavor- 
ing extract. 

Kisses and Marshmallows are sim- 
ple sirup beaten up with the white of 
egg or gum arable. 

Fruit and Nut candies are mixtures 
of various sweetmeats with simple 
fondant. 

Macaroons and Ratafias consist of 
almonds beaten uj. with simple sirup 
and white of egg. 

Pralines or candied almonds are 
blanched almonds coated by immer- 
sion in boiling sirup. 

Candied Fruit and other sweet- 
meats are made by pouring over 
them the clarified sirup boiled to the 
feather degree. This is afterwards 
withdrawn, leaving the sweetmeats 
coated with sugar in a form which 
crystallizes after a while. 



Caramels are made of hard-baked 
candy with the addition of various 
sweetmeats and flavoring extracts. 

Degrees for Kinds of Candy. — 
The following are general rules as to 
the state or degree of sugar boiling 
best adapted to the different sorts of 
candy, but these may be varied more 
or less by particular recipes which 
should, of course, be carefully ob- 
served : 

Ordinary Fondant or French. Cream 
is boiled to the soft ball. 

Sugar, Cream, or Molasses Candy 
for a " candy pull " to the snap or 
crack. 

Taffy and Butter-scotch the same. 

Pastils or Drop Candy. — Boil as 
little as possible; the candy should 
merely be dissolved. 

Kisses, Marshmallows, and Maca- 
roons are not boiled (except French 
kisses, which are boiled to the 
thread), but are beaten up with 
white of egg and browned in a bak- 
ing oven. 

Sirup for Candied Sweetmeats 
boiled to the feather or flake. 

Pralines boiled to the pearl. 

Caramels boiled to the caramel or 
hard-baked degree. 

BOILING SIRUP FOR CANDY 

To Clarify Sugar. — To make good 
candy it is first advisable to clarify 
the sugar by boiling it to a thin sirup 
with half its own bulk or more of 
water and the addition of the white 
of egg, gum arable, or gelatin. This 
precaution will cause the impurities 
to rise in a scum, which may be re- 
moved with a skimmer. The result- 
ing clarified sirup is the basis of all 
high-grade candies. 

Similarly to clarify brown or yel- 
low sugar, add white of egg or a so- 
lution of gelatin, isinglass, or gum 
arable with water, and boil until the 
impurities rise to the surface. Dis- 
solve 4 cupfuls of sugar in 1 of warm 
water and add the white of 1 egg 
beaten up with 1 cupful of cold 
water. Boil with gentle heat, remov- 
ing the scum as fast as it appears. 



718 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Or dissolve 4 cupfuls of sugar in 1 
cupful of warm water; simmer with 
gentle heat, and add i ounce of gum 
arable dissolved in a little boiling 
water. Remove the scum with a 
skimmer as fast as it appears. 

For white sugars, less of the white 
of egg is required, but the same 
quantity of water should be used. 

To clarify loaf sugar, 1 white of 
egg to every 6 pounds of sugar is all 
that will be required. But add, when 
boiling loaf sugar, 1 tablespoonful of 
lemon juice or vinegar to prevent it 
from graining. As the sirup boils, 
add a little cold water to prevent it 
boiling over, and skim as the froth 
subsides. Do this three or four times, 
and strain the whole through cheese 
cloth. Add flavoring matter, if de- 
sired, after the purified sugar has 
been removed from the fire. 

To Clarify Molasses. — To make a 
fine grade of molasses candy or to 
purify molasses so that it may be 
used in place of sugar for candies, 
cooking, and other purposes, take 
equal parts of molasses and water, 
and I part of coarse broken char- 
coal; as, 24 pounds of molasses, 24 
pounds of water, and 6 pounds of 
charcoal. Mix and boil for half an 
hour over a slow fire. Pour into a 
large fla^t pan or vat and let stand 
until the charcoal settles to the bot- 
tom. Strain off the clear molasses 
through a piece of cheese cloth and 
simmer with gentle heat until the 
water is all evaporated and the mo- 
lasses has returned to its proper con- 
sistency. Molasses will lose nothing 
in bulk by this process, as 24 pounds 
of molasses will give 24 pounds of 
clarified sirup, from which the finer 
grades of molasses candy can be 
made. 

To Clarify Maple Siiigar. — To 
weigh, melt, and clarify maple sugar, 
break up the cakes and add enough 
water according to the condition of 
the sugar — whether hard or soft 
grain — to dissolve. Place over a slow 
fire and stir while melting. If the 
sugar was of a soft grain, add 15 
pounds of granulated sugar. Or, if 



a hard grain, add 15 pounds of best 
light coffee sugar. Boil to a medium 
ball. Test by pouring a little in a 
porcelain-lined saucepan until the 
grain is cloudy. Leave a little of the 
grained sirup in the saucepan from 
the last stirring to make the next 
grain quicker. Pour in buttered 
molds, or set the kettle into a tub of 
ice water to cool and harden. But 
observe that maple sugar thus mixed 
with cane sugar must not be offered 
for sale without a statement of the 
fact that it has been thus treated. 

To Boil or to Candy Sugar. — The 
art of candy making is very ancient, 
and the process of boiling sugar for 
candy has been observed and studied 
for many generations. Thus it has 
been observed that the clarified sirup, 
as it gradually loses moisture by 
evaporation in the course of boiling 
down, assumes certain stages in which 
it is best adapted for use in making 
different kinds of candies. For con- 
venience in preparing recipes these 
stages have been named and care- 
fully defined, so that with a little at- 
tention they may be noted by anyone. 
When once observed they will always 
be recognized at a glance, and the 
process of candy making will become 
almost as easy for the amateur as it 
is for the professional confectioner. 

Seven different states or degrees 
are noted, three of which fall into 
two different stages. These are called 
respectively (1) the lisse or the 
thread, which may be large or small; 
(2) the perle or pearl, either large 
or small; (3) the souffle or the blow; 
(4) the plume or feather; (5) the 
boulet or ball, large or small; (6) the 
casse or the crack or snap; and (7) 
the caramel or hard baked. 

To Test Sirup. — The method prac- 
ticed by professional confectioners 
to test the state or " degree " of boil- 
ing sirup is to dip the tip of the 
forefinger and thumb of the right 
hguid into iced water, then into the 
boiling sirup, and quickly back into 
the iced water again. The operation 
is much like that of testing a hot flat- 
iron with a wet finger. If the test is 



CANDIES AND CANDY MAKING 



719 



made quickly enough, the ice water 
will prevent the hot sirup from burn- 
ing the fingers. There is, of course, 
a knack in doing this, but with a lit- 
tle practice it can be readily ac- 
quired. The thumb and forefinger 
are brought together in the iced wa- 
ter, to prevent the sirup from run- 
ning off, and quickly withdrawn, 
holding a pinch of sirup between 
the forefinger and the thumb. By 
spreading them, the state or degree 
of the boiling sirup can be ascer- 
tained. 

Another method of testing, which 
may perhaps be preferred by the be- 
ginner in candy making, is to take 
out a little of the sirup with a spoon, 
lower it in a cup of cold water, and 
let a drop fall from the edge on the 
tip of the forefinger. 

Or, to dip the forefinger and 
thumb in iced water, take out a little 
of the hot sirup on a small stick or 
skewer, and test a drop between the 
thumb and finger. 

Candies that are to be pulled may 
be tested by pouring a spoonful of 
sirup into cold water and obser%ang 
if it is brittle enough to break with- 
out bending, like a pipestem, other- 
wise the boiling must be continued, 

THE SEVEN BEGEEES 

To make the experiment of noting 
the seven degrees in sugar boiling, 
crush 1 pound of fine loaf sugar, 
add 3 gills of water and put it on 
or boil in a clean saucepan o%'er 
a sharp fire. Have at hand a bowl 
full of iced water, a suitable skim- 
mer and if desired a small stick or 
skewer. Remove the scum as fast as 
it rises to the surface, and after 
about 3 minutes by the watch make 
the first test as above suggested 
either by dipping the thumb and 
forefinger, first into the iced water, 
then into the boiling sugar, and 
back into the iced water again, or by 
means of a spoon or skewer. Take 
great care that the sirup does not boil 
over, and stir frequently so that it 
may not burn. 



The lisse or Thread. — If on sepa- 
rating the thumb and forefinger with 
a pinch of sirup between them, a 
thin, short thread is formed which 
quickly snaps, the sugar is in the 
state known as the " small thread." 
In a few seconds more, when the 
thread can be drawn out to double 
its former length without snapping, 
its state is known as the " large 
thread." 

The Perle or Pearl. — After another 
minute or two longer, the sugar in 
boiling will form small round bub- 
bles or globules that look like large 
pearls. This state is known as the 
" small pearl." Soon the pearls will 
cover the entire surface of the sirup, 
and this state is known as the " large 
pearl." In the pearl state a pinch of 
sirup may be drawn out to the full 
extension of the finger and thumb 
without breaking. This is the proper 
degree for most kinds of candy 
making. 

The Souffle or Blow. — After an- 
other minute or two, dip the skim- 
mer in the sirup and jar it sharply 
by striking it on the edge of the pan. 
Blow through the holes, and if the 
sirup forms small bubbles or glob- 
ules on the reverse side, the sirup is 
in the state known as the " blow." 

The Plume or Feather. — Again dip 
in the skimmer, and shake it so as to 
flirt the sirup from the edges. If it 
threads and flies from the skimmer in 
flakes or hangs from the edge in 
strings it is in the state known as 
the " feather." 

The Boulet or Ball. — Make the 
next test with the thumb and finger, 
or by dropping a little sirup into 
cold water. If it can be rolled be- 
tween the finger and thumb into a 
soft, creamy, but not stickj^ ball, the 
state is known as the " soft ball." 
After a few seconds' more boiling, on 
testing in the same manner, it will be 
found t® be in the state known as the 
" hard ball." 

The Casse or the Crack or Snap. 
— The next test is made with the 
thumb and finger, and if the pinch 
of sirup is brittle enough to crack or 



720 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



snap, leaving the parts attached to 
the thumb and finger dry and hard, 
it is in the state known as the 
" crack." In this state it does not 
stick to the teeth, and a spoonful 
dropped into cold water will be hard 
and very brittle. This is the state in 
which candy is ready to be pulled. 

The Caramel or Hard Baked. — 
When the sirup begins to brown, it 
is in the state known as " caramel " 
or " hard baked." It will then give 
off a pungent odor and brown rap- 
idly, when it must be at once re- 
moved from the fire, as otherwise it 
will burn to a black cinder. 

In this state, if a little sirup is 
dropped into cold water it will 
crackle and snap like glass. Care 
must always be taken not to allow 
the fire to burn up against the sides 
of the saucepan, or the sugar may be 
burned and discolored. 

The above are the definitions of 
the different degrees in sugar boiling 
noted by French confectioners, who 
are considered the best in the world. 

By others the distinctions between 
the little and great thread, the small 
and great pearl, and the soft and 
hard ball are less noted; the blow 
and the feather, or the feather and 
the ball are often regarded as iden- 
tical. 

Sirup'- for Candied Sweetmeats. — 
Boil down clarified sirup to the feath- 
er degree, or 35 degrees by a sirup 
tester. Quickly remove the pan from 
the fire and set it into a dish of cold 
water, iced water, if possible, coming 
up all around the sides so as to cool it 
as quickly as possible. Lay over the 
top of the sugar a piece of waxed 
paper cut to fit the inside of the 
saucepan. When entirely cold, stir 
the sirup over the sweetmeats to be 
candied. A special utensil can be 
obtained for this purpose, having 
corrugated tubes at the bottom from 
which the sirup may be drained off. 

Or the sweetmeats may be placed 
in a small basket strainer and put 
in the sirup, which may be placed 
in an earthenware or other round- 
bottomed vessel slightly larger in 



size than the strainer. The whole 
should be covered tightly and placed 
in a refrigerator, cellar, or the cold- 
est place attainable, A temperature 
below the freezing point is desirable. 

After standing over night, or about 
eighteen hours in this temperature, 
the strainer containing sweetmeats 
should be lifted from the sirup 
(which should be drained off), and 
without being removed from the 
strainer should be placed in a clean 
vessel and allowed to dry and com- 
plete the crystallization. 

Sirup for Molds. — To prepare a 
sirup for lead molds or starch prints, 
boil together to the soft ball 2 cup- 
fuls of sugar, 1 large tablespoonful 
of glucose, i cupful of water. 

Or test by tangling a yard or more 
of fine wire in a mass of loops, dip 
this in the sirup, lift and blow 
through them, when, if the sirup is 
■done, bubbles will be formed and the 
sirup will be feathery and fly off in 
flakes. Now pour on a moistened 
molding board or on a marble slab 
to cool. When lukewarm, cream with 
a wooden paddle and set away in an 
earthenware bowl covered with sev- 
eral folds of wet cloth. Let stand 
twenty-four hours or more before 
using. To use this fondant set the 
required quantity in an earthenware 
bowl in a double boiler over a dying 
fire and stir constantly until melted. 
But do not let the fire burn up or 
the sirup approach the boiling point, 
as if it simmers or boils it will grain. 
At this stage add any desired flavor- 
ing or coloring matter. 

Sirup for Crystals. — Boil li 
pounds of sugar with 4 pint of water 
to the fine thread, for small crystals, 
or to the great thread for larger 
crj^stals. Remove from the fire and 
let stand until nearly cold. Sprinkle 
over the top a little water to dissolve 
the film which gathers on it. Lay the 
sweetmeats to be crystallized in shal- 
low pie tins inclined at a slight an- 
gle, and pour over them sirup from 
a ladle until they are covered. Lay 
on the top of the sweetmeats two or 
three folds of damp cloth, to pre- 



CANDIES AND CANDY MAKING 



721 



vent a crust from forming, and let 
stand until the sirup crystallizes, 
which may require several hours. 
Drain off the sirup, which may be 
done by laying on top of the cloth 
another pan of similar size to keep 
the candies in place, and tilting the 
vessel to let the sirup escape at the 
edge. Lay away the candies to dry, 
leaving the cloth over them, and 
sprinkling it with water until it is 
quite damp. The remaining sirup 
may be preserved and used again for 
other sweetmeats. 

When the candies are dry, hold a 
cloth tightly to the edges of the pan, 
turn it upside down on a smooth sur- 
face, and the candies will drop out 
on the cloth. They may then be sepa- 
rated and wrapped in jiaper or 
boxed. They must be kept in a cool, 
dry place. 

CREAM OR FONDAUT 

To prepare fondant or cream, which 
is the foundation of the justly cele- 
brated French creams and bonbons, 
the sirup must be removed from the 
fire at the soft-ball degree, or just 
before it is ready to produce taffy or 
hard candy. 

The sure way to determine the 
right state is by means of the sugar 
thermometer. The " soft ball " oc- 
curs at 238 degrees. The beginner 
who has mastered the art of making 
good cream or fondant is in posses- 
sion of the principal secret of profes- 
sional candy making, and may turn 
his or her skill to good account by 
making saleable sweetmeats. There 
are, of course, many recipes for mak- 
ing fondant both with and without 
glacose. The latter makes a some- 
what cheaper candy, and if it is read- 
ily obtainable, of good quality, its use 
in homemade candy is not objection- 
able. 

To Boil Fondant. — To prepare 
fondant in general, boil the sirup 
rapidly over a quick fire to the soft- 
ball degree. Do not stir the sirup 
while boiling, as this would cause it 
to grain. When a drop of the sirup 



cooled in cold water can be rolled 
into a soft creamy, but not sticky, 
ball it is done and should be re- 
moved immediately from the fire. 
If on rubbing a little of the sirup 
with a wooden spoon against the 
sides of the pan it seems soft and 
creamy it should be allowed to stand 
until lukewarm and then creamed, 
but if by chance it has been boiled 
too hard, add a little boiling water, 
return to the fire, and make a new 
test. 

Cautions on Making Fondant. — 
Never attempt to make fondant when 
the air is humid, as in rain or foggy 
weather, or when there is a high 
wind. Select a clear day with a 
cloudless sky and still air or a gentle 
breeze. Sirup tends to grain in 
windy weather, and fondant cannot 
be worked properly in wet weather, 
since the slightest moisture affects it. 

Do not add more moisture to the 
fondant in the form of flavoring mat- 
ter or otherwise than is absolutely 
necessary. 

After mixing the sugar and water 
for fondant, stir until the sugar is 
thoroughly dissolved, but do not stir 
after it is placed on the stove to boil, 
otherwise the fondant will grain and 
it will be necessary to melt it over 
again. Do not be discouraged if you 
do not at first succeed. 

If the sirup grains or is too soft, 
add boiling water, stir until it is dis- 
solved, place it back on the stove and 
boil as before. This may be done a 
dozen times if necessary. Thus ex- 
periment with your first batch of 
fondant until you acquire the neces- 
sary skill or knack. After that the 
art of candy making will come more 
easily. 

Oil slightly with pure olive oil the 
marble slab, or other surface on 
which you work. But use as little 
oil as possible. 

Do not let the fondant become too 
cold or hard before commencing to 
work it. Pour it out on the slab in a 
rather thin layer so that it will settle 
in uniform tliickness. As soon as it 
hardens enough on the edges to be 



722 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



lifted and rolled, commence to work 
from the edges in toward the center 
of the mass. Do not give the fondant 
time to harden, but work very brisk- 
ly, turning the edges in with the 
scraper or spatula, or working the 
hoes back and forth until the whole 
gathers into a solid mass which can- 
not be readily divided. Then knead 
with the hands like bread. Work 
hard until the fondant acquires the 
proper consistency. 

Store fondant in tightly sealed 
glass fruit jars. Thus it may be 
kept indefinitely. Or to keep it for 
a few days only, place in an earthen- 
ware bowl and cover with two or 
three layers of cloths wrung out so 
as to be moist but not wet. 

Let fondant stand twenty-four 
hours or more before making centers 
for creams or bonbons and let the 
centers themselves stand for twenty- 
four hours or more before dipping. 
Otherwise they will be melted when 
dipping into the hot chocolate or 
other fondant. Again, let the candies 
stand a day or two to set before they 
are packed for use or sale. 

Do not use more coloring or flavor- 
ing matter than is necessary — just 
enough so that the tint or flavor can 
be readily distinguished, is a good 
rule. Do not add flavoring matter to 
fondant' until it has been removed 
from the fire and is nearly cool. 
Sprinkle the flavoring over the sur- 
face in the process of creaming and 
it will be thoroughly worked into the 
mass by kneading. 

To Roll Fondant. — Cut off as 
many pounds of fondant, at least 
34 hours old, as you need to make 
candy. Measure ^ teaspoonful of 
flavoring extract or less to each 
pound of candy and add to the 
flavoring extract 1 drop of the ap- 
propriate coloring matter. Roll the 
fondant out thin on the slab, sprinkle 
the coloring matter over it and thor- 
oughly incorporate it by kneading, 
the same as when working over 
bread. Have ready prepared sheets 
of waxed paper. And have at hand 
nuts, fruit, or decorations for the 



candies you are about to make. Cut 
the fondant into small pieces and roll 
into the desired shape with the fin- 
gers or palms. If fruit or nuts are 
to be used, add them at once while 
the cream is moist. Or if the centers 
are to be dipped, set them in order 
on waxed paper and let stand twenty- 
four hours more to harden. 

To Dip Fondant. — If the chocolate 
for dipping fondants becomes too 
thick, add to it a little cocoanut oil. 
This is the natural oil of chocolate, 
and is, hence, the most appropriate 
substance with which to thin it. Do 
not attempt to thin it with hot water, 
as it will immediately cause the 
chocolate to grain. 

Or use fresh, unsalted butter or 
olive oil. To dip the centers, use a 
slender two-tined fork, turn the coni- 
cal point of the chocolate to the 
right, downward, dip under in a half 
circle, remove it point first and hold 
it upright over the chocolate for a 
moment or two to drip. Then set it 
down gently on the waxed paper. 
Add nuts, fruit, or decorations, if 
any, while the chocolate is still damp. 
Dip bonbons in the same manner. 

To Cream Fondant. — When the 
sirup is done set it away from the 
fire and let it stand until about luke- 
warm. Now commence to stir with a 
wooden paddle. Commence to stir 
round and round, alwsyr, in the same 
direction; keep the sirup away from 
the sides of the kettle so that it will 
not grain or form in lumps. Pres- 
ently the edges will commence to 
show white and dry. The mass must 
now be laid on a marble slab or a 
kneading board, which may be dusted 
with fine flour, cornstarch, or Con- 
fectioners' XXX sugar, and kneaded 
with the hands in the same manner 
as bread dough until it is of a uni- 
form soft and creamy consistency. 

Place the mass of fondant if not 
required for use in an earthenware 
bowl and cover it with several folds 
of a cloth wrung out so as to be moist 
but not wet. It may thus be kept for 
a number of days, and will only re- 
quire to be warmed at the fire or by 



CANDIES AND CANDY MAKING 



723 



setting the bowl in a vessel of boiling 
water or on a hot soapstone, or on 
two or three common bricks pre- 
viously heated in the oven, to be 
ready for immediate use. Any rem- 
nant of the fondant which becomes 
hard and dry, or a batch of fondant 
which has been cooked too much, 
may be softened with hot water and 
reboiled to the proper degree. 

Confectioners' Fondant. — The fol- 
lowing recipe is that of a profes- 
sional confectioner, and the full 
quantities are given for the benefit 
of dealers in candy, grocers, or per- 
sons desiring to make candy in large 
quantities for sale at a fair, church 
bazaar, or otherwise. The quantity of 
candy here described will require a 
large kneading board or vat with low 
sides; but any smooth surface, as a 
clean kitchen table, will answer. As 
the mass will be too large tc be 
worked with the hands it is better to 
take a small garden hoe with a short 
handle, which should, of course, be 
scoured clean for the purpose. 

Boil down 20 pounds of fine granu- 
lated sugar with 2| quarts of water 
to the stiff ball.. Remove from the 
fire and sprinkle on top 6 pounds of 
glucose, but do not stir it in. Set 
back on the fire and let it boil until 
the scirni boils in. 

Note that the glucose must not be 
added until the sugar is boiled to the 
hard ball, and must not be stirred, 
but allowed to boil in of itself. Dust 
the vat or molding board with Con- 
fectioners' XXX sugar, pour out the 
mass on this as soon as the scum has 
boiled in, and let it cool until you 
can lay your hand on it. But it is 
better to begin a little sooner than 
to let it get too cold. Take two short 
garden hoes or cream scrapers, work 
it flat and sprinkle over it rather less 
than i pint of glycerin. Cream thor- 
oughly with the hoes or scrapers, and 
let stand over night before using. 

When this fondant is first made it 
will be rather rough and coarse in 
texture, but standing twelve hours or 
more will give it a uniform fine tex- 
ture and it improves with age, never 



graining or turning stale. If this 
recipe is carefuUy followed, a fine 
quality of cream for chocolate drops, 
cream candies, and other fondants 
can be made at a very satisfactory 
profit. 

Fondant without Glucose. — Boil 
rapidly over a quick fire to the soft- 
ball degree 6 cupfuls of fine granu- 
lated sugar, 3 cupfuls of water, and 
^ teaspoonful of cream of tartar. 

Or 3 pounds of granulated sugar, 
1 pint of water, and i teaspoonful 
of cream of tartar. The addition of 
cream of tartar prevents the sirup 
from graining. Remove from the fire 
as soon as done, let the mass cool 
until lukewarm, and proceed as be- 
fore. 

Chocolate Fondant. — Instead of 
pure melted chocolate, a fondant con- 
taining 2 tablespoonfuls of grated 
chocolate to each pound of cream 
may be used. Place in a bowl, set in 
a vessel of hot water, 2 tablespoon- 
fuls of chocolate and when melted 
add a cupful of clarified sirup and 1 
pound of melted fondant. Stir and 
mix well. In this chocolate fondant 
dip the hearts or centers of creams 
or bonbons by transfixing them with 
a fork or hatpin and dropping them 
on waxed or buttered paper or sheets 
of tin to harden. Fruits, as cherries, 
figs, and the like, are very delicious 
coated in this way, or mixed nuts 
dipped and rolled with French cream 
and thus coated are also excellent. 

Bonbon Fondant. — Prepare any 
ordinary fondant, but cream it with 
a wooden paddle, and do not knead it 
as for ordinary fondant. Let it stand 
twenty-four hours or more in an 
earthenware bowl covered with sev- 
eral thicknesses of wet cloth. To dip 
bonbons heat the fondant by setting 
it on a soapstone or in a pan of hot 
water over the stove and stirring 
constantly, but do not allow it to boil. 
A double boiler may be used for this 
purpose. Dip the centers by trans- 
fixing them with a fork or hatpin, 
and set them to cool on sheets of 
waxed paper. This recipe is suitable 
for all sorts of nuts, fruits, and other 



724 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



sweetmeat centers. The fondant may 
be tinted or colored as desired. 

Uncooked Fondant. — Beat up the 
white of egg and mix with the same 
amount of water by bulk in an earth- 
enware bowl. Whip in Confection- 
ers' XXX sugar to a stiff paste, which 
will stand when molded with the 
fingers to any desired shape. Flavor 
and tint as desired. After molding 
let the pieces stand several hours to 
harden, but make up no more fon- 
dant than is required for immediate 
use, as it soon hardens. This fon- 
dant may be used as centers for 
chocolate creams, or for nut or fruit 
sweetmeats in place of any of the 
cooked fondants as desired. 

CREAM CANDIES 

Chocolate Creams. — Mold French 
cream or any of the fondants into 
cone-shaped balls with the hands or 
fingers. Let them stand over night on 
waxed paper or a marble slab, or 
until they are thoroughly hardened. 
If they are allowed to stand twenty- 
four hours or more all the better. 

Coating for Chocolate Creams. — ■ 
Melt a cake of chocolate in a double 
boiler, but do not let it boil. When 
melted add a limip of paraffin as big 
as a sm^U walnut, half as much but- 
ter, and a few drops of vanilla. 

Or melt in a double boiler a piece 
of paraffin the size of a hickory nut, 
a teaspoonful of lard, and add i 
pound of chocolate. Stir until melt- 
ed. If a thicker coat of chocolate is 
desired, add to the melted chocolate 
to thicken it a little glycerin or a few 
drops of linseed oil. 

Do not attempt to thin dipping 
chocolate with water or else it will 
immediately grain and harden. 

To Coat Chocolate Creams. — Place 
the pan of melted chocolate in a 
larger pan of boiling water on a very 
hot soapstone. This keeps the choco- 
late melted. Place the creams on 
waxed paper at the left, and a sheet 
of waxed paper to receive the coated 
chocolates at the right. Take up the 
creams by thrusting them through 



with a fork or a hatpin, dip them 
quickly in the chocolate, and slip 
them off on the waxed paper. 

Or, holding the cream on a fork or 




"Dip Them Quickly in the Chocolate. 



hatpin, pour the melted chocolate 
over them from a teaspoon. Let 
the creams stand twenty-four hours 
i)r more to harden. 

Chocolate-cream Candy. — Melt to- 
gether in a double boiler ^ ounce of 
chocolate scraped fine, 3 ounces of 
powdered loaf sugar, 1 pint of sweet 
cream. Bring these nearly to a boil 
but remove before they simmer and 
beat them up with an egg beater. 
Let cool, adding the whites of 4 or 5 
eggs. Again beat up the whole with 
an egg beater, remove the froth with 
a sieve, and serve in glasses deco- 
rated with the froth on top. 

Or dissolve in 6 glasses of fresh 
milk 1 ounce of grated chocolate 
and 3 ounces of white sugar. Beat 
up the yolks of 3 eggs and stir into 
these the milk and chocolate, stirring 
slowly one way. Add a few drops of 
vanilla boiled with milk. Mix well, 
place in cups in a pan of water, and 
boil for an hour. Serve cold. 

French Cream. — Place in a clean 
saucepan 2 cupfuls of white sugar, ^ 
cupful of hot water. Boil 8 min- 
utes without stirring. When done 
it should fall in threads from the 
stirrer, and when rubbed against the 
side of the pan should be of a creamy 
consistency. A few drops in cold 
water should roll into a soft ball be- 
tween the fingers. 

It is better to remove from the fire 



CANDIES AND CANDY MAKING 



725 



too soon than to cook too much, as if 
necessary it can be returned to the 
fire and the cooking continued. 

When done pour into a bowl and 
beat with an egg beater. When cool 
add any desired flavoring matter. 
This is a fondant which may be 
molded or cut into any desired shape, 
tinted and colored as desired, or 
made into bonbons by molding into 
various shapes and decorating with 
almonds or other nuts pressed into 
the top or side. Place the pan con- 
taining the cream in hot water or on 
a warm soapstone while molding it to 
prevent its getting too cold. 

Or place in a clean saucepan 3 
cupfuls of granulated sugar, ^ cup- 
ful of milk. Bring to a boil over 
a slow fire and boil for 5 minutes. 
Remove and set the saucepan in a 
pan of cold water. Beat up with an 
egg beater until it creams. Mold into 
balls with the hands, and arrange in 
layers with figs, dates, or nuts be- 
tween, and cut into squares. 

Or mold into any desired shape 
and place the nuts on top. This 
is suitable fondant for chocolate 
creams. 

French Cream, with Glucose. — 
Pour over 2 tablespoonfuls of glu- 
cose § cupful of boiling water. Stir 
in Confectioners' XXX sugar to 
make a stiff paste. After standing 
half an hour knead thoroughly with 
the hands. Color and flavor to taste. 

French Vanilla Cream. — Take the 
whites of any desired number of 
eggs and an equal quantity of cold 
water or milk. Stir in Confectioners' 
XXX sugar to make a stiff paste, 
tint and flavor to taste. Form iii 
fancy shapes and place on waxed pa- 
per to dry. This is suitable fondant 
for all bonbons and chocolate drops. 
About 1^ pounds oi confectioners' 
sugar will be required for the white 
of 1 egg. 

Cream Candy. — Boil together to 
the hard snap 1 pound of white su- 
gar, 1 cupful of water, I teaspoon- 
ful of cream of tartar, 2 teaspoonfuls 
of best white vinegar, 2 teaspoonfuls 
of vanilla, butter the size of an egg. 



When it hardens on being dropped 
in water pour into a buttered pan 
and when nearly cold pull. 

Or boil to the hard snap, or about 
half an hour over a slow fire, 3 
pounds of loaf sugar, -J pint of water, 
add 1 teaspoonful of fine pickled gum 
arable dissolved in 2 tablespoonfuls 
of boiling water and 1 tablespoon- 
ful of vinegar. Boil until it hardens 
on being dropped in water, remove 
and flavor as desired. Rub the hands 
with unsalted butter and pull until 
the candy is white. Twist or break 
it, stretch into ribbons, cut to any 
desired size, and lay on buttered 
plates or waxed paper to harden. 

Maple Creams. — Beat up together 
with an egg beater or otherwise the 
white of 1 egg and 1 cup of pure 
maple sirup. Stir in Confectioners' 
XXX sugar to make a stiff paste, 
mold to any desired shape, and coat 
with chocolate or fondant. 

Or boil to the soft-ball state 1 
pound of maple sugar with I tea- 
spoonful of cream of tartar and i 
cup of water. Let stand in the 
saucepan until nearly cold, and stir 
until it clouds or becomes creamy. 
Pour into a shallow tin greased with 
oil of sweet almonds or unsalted but- 
ter to cool. When cold cut to any 
desired shape. 

Or mix grated maple sugar with 
French cream, and stir in dry con- 
fectioners' sugar to make a stiff 
paste. 

Peppermint Creams. — Flavor 
French cream freely with essence of 
peppermint and shape into round, 
flat creams. 

Wintergreen Creams. — Flavor 
French cream freely with winter- 
green essence and color pink. Shape 
into round, flat forms or mold as de- 
sired. 

Neapolitan Creams. — Divide 
French cream into a number of parts. 
Tint and flavor these differently, and 
arrange on waxed paper or a marble 
slab in the same fashion as layer 
cake or marble cake. Roll out the 
mass with a rolling pin or by pres- 
sure with the hand to any desired 



726 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



thickness, and the parts will be found 
to keep their relative positions. Cut 
to any desired shape. 

FKTFIT AND NUT CREAMS 

Fruit Creams. — Chop up any de- 
sired fruit as citron, currants, figs, 
or seedless raisins very fine and mix 
with French cream while the sugar is 
being stirred in. Roll the mass on a 
suitable slab with a rolling pin, and 
cut or mold to any desired shape. 

Fig Creams. — Quarter small figs 
with a sharp knife so as to leave the 
quarters connected at the stem. Col- 
or and flavor French cream or fon- 
dant as desired, roll flat, cut into 
strips of the thickness of the little 
finger, cut off pieces somewhat short- 
er than the fig and place one in each 
fig, closing the quarters about it. 
Dip the whole in French cream or 
fondant. 

Or cut dry figs in strips and wrap 
the inner seed side around a piece of 
fondant. Cut to any desired shape. 
Chop any desired nut or mixture of 
nuts very fine, and stir with the sugar 
into French cream. Mold to fancy 
shapes and tint or flavor as desired. 

Date Creams. — Remove the pits 
from the dates, split open the end, 
insert a ball of cream with a clove 
stuck in ,the end. 

Almond Creams. — Chop the alm- 
onds fine and stir with the sugar 
into French cream, or mold the 
French cream to fancy shapes and 
press the almond meat into the side. 

English Walnut Creams. — Mold 
French cream in any desired size and 
place half an English walnut meat 
on the top or on either side. 

Walnut Creams. — Boil to the hard 
snap stage 1 cupful of grated choco- 
late, 1 cupful of brown sugar, 1 cup- 
ful of molasses, i cupful of sweet 
milk. When it hardens on being 
dropped in water stir in butter the 
size of an egg, 1 cupful of chopped 
walnuts, or add, in place of milk, 
pure cream. 

Or boil together to the hard snap 
it cupfuls of granulated sugar, 3 



tablespoonfuls of glucose, 1 cupful of 
boiling water. Now add a cupful of 
cream, J cupful of butter, and stir 
until done; before removing from the 
fire add 3 cupfuls of finely chopped 
hickory nuts, stir thoroughly, and 
pour out to cool. Other nut cara- 
mels can be prepared from the same 
recipe. 

BONBONS 

To prepare bonbons it is necessary 
to have suitable lead molds oiled with 
the oil of sweet almonds, or starch 
prints of various shapes and sizes. 
These are filled by means of a suit- 
able funnel with sirup in the state 
known as the blow. 

To test the sugar, dip the skimmer, 
strike it against the sides of the pan, 
and blow through the holes. If small 
bubbles and gleams of light may be 
seen, it is in the right condition. Add 
a few drops of any desired flavoring 
matter, and if coloring matter is de- 
sired add the color just as the sugar 
is taken from the fire. If the bon- 
bons are to be white, let the sugar 
cool a little, and stir it in the pan 
until it grains and shines on the sur- 
face. 

Allow the molds to cool, and let 
stand two or three days. As soon as 
the molds are cold remove the bon- 
bons on waxed paper, and let stand 
two or three days to dry. 

Chocolate and Vanilla Cream Bon- 
bons. — Strain through a piece of 
muslin 1 ounce of fine picked gum 
arabic, soaked in i gill of hot wa- 
ter. Add a few drops essence of va- 
nilla, and stir in as much icing sugar 
as it will take, working it into a stiff 
but soft and yielding paste. About 
1 pound of sugar will be required. 
Dissolve 2 ounces of French choco- 
late with a tablespoonful of water in 
an oven. Beat up the mixture, and 
work smooth, and add to it the white 
of 1 egg beaten as for icing. 

Mold suitable drops of vanilla 
cream fondant; place these on a 
sheet of waxed paper or plain pafier 
brushed with fine sugar, and let 



CANDIES AND CANDY MAKING 



72? 



stand until hard. Dip these creams 
in the chocolate coating in the usual 
way. 

Almond Bonbons. — Mold almond 
paste into any desired shape, and dip 
them into melted fondant. 

Cocoauut Marshmallow Bonbons. 
— Cut fresh marshmallows into quar- 
ters or anj^ desired shape, dip in 
melted fondant, roll in grated cocoa- 
nut, and set on waxed paper to hard- 
en. The fondant may be of various 
tints and flavors for variety. Use if 
possible fresh coarsely grated cocoa- 
nut, as if too fine it will not adhere 
well to the fondant. Or desiccated 
cocoanut may be used, if necessary, 
but is not equally good. 

Cocoanut Maple Bonbons. — Grate 
fine 1 fresh cocoanut and stir it into 
a poimd of soft maple cream or fon- 
dant. Mix the mass with the hands 
until thoroughly incorporated. Roll 
and cut out with a small candy cut- 
ter, roll into round balls with the 
palms, let stand to harden slightly, 
and dip in cream fondant or choco- 
late as preferred. 

Cocoanut Strawberry Bonbons. — 
To 1 freshly grated cocoanut add 
about four times as much, by bulk, 
stiff fondant, mix thoroughly with 
the hands, and mold into conical 
shapes the size of strawberries. 
When dry dip into melted fondant 
flavored with strawberry and tinted 
pink. Afterwards roll in red sugar 
sand. 

Maple Bonbons. — Use maple sugar 
instead of granulated to make a 
cream or fondant in the usual mian- 
ner. 

Or use part maple sugar and part 
granulated sugar. Form this fon- 
dant, when of a soft and creamy con- 
sistency, into any desired shape, let 
stand to harden, dip in melted cream 
or fondant, and place on waxed pa- 
per to harden. 

Jelly Cream Bonbons. — Obtain a 
starch tray having molds with two 
sections, one smaller than the other. 
Cook a suitable quantity of apple 
jelly to a stiif consistency, and with 
this by means of a funnel fill one half 



of the mold. Let cool and fill the re- 
mainder of the mold with the melted 
fondant of the consistency of ordi- 
nary cream. A variety of different 
tints and flavors and molds of differ- 
ent shapes and sizes may be used to 
produce different effects. 

Pineapple Bonbons. — Dip in melt- 
ed fondant pineapples cut into fancy 
shapes and place on waxed paper to 
harden. 

Walnut Bonbons. — Mix equal parts 
of chopped black walnuts with a soft 
fondant, mold to any desired shape, 
dip in chocolate, maple or cream fon- 
dant and arrange on waxed paper to 
harden. 

TAFFY AND MOLASSES CANDY FOR 
CANDY PTJLLS 

Taffy is a simple candy, which may 
be made of either granulated, light- 
or dark-brown sugar or molasses. 
Or both sugar and molasses, with 
the addition of butter and vinegar, 
lemop jUice or other flavoring sub- 
stance, as desired. 

The ingredients may be boiled to- 
gether, or the butter may be added 
when the sirup is nearly done. Lemon 
juice or other flavoring matter should 
not be added until the boiling is 
nearly finished, as otherwise the fla- 
vor will be partly lost. Taffy is a 
good candy for children to make, as 
it is simple and easily handled. It 
may also be worked into various de- 
signs, twisted, braided, formed into 
horseshoes, baskets, and the like. 
Two or more strands of different col- 
ors may be braided together. Bas- 
kets in different shapes may be 
formed by winding strands around 
the bottom or outside of cups or 
other dishes, which should be but- 
tered on the outside, adding a suit- 
able handle and setting the whole 
away to cool. When cold it may be 
easily removed. 

Candy canes may be rolled and 
twisted on a sheet of waxed paper; 
or strips of party-colored taffy may 
be twisted or braided and cut into 
sticks with scissors. The work must 



728 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



be done quickly as soon as the candy- 
is cool enough to bear the hands, as 
after it sets it cannot be worked to 
advantage. When taffy is poured 
from the kettle use only the quantity 
that will run freely. Keep the scrap- 
ings by themselves, as if they are 
added to the candy they may cause 
it to harden and grain. 

Molasses Taffy. — BoU in a buttered 
kettle for 3 hours over a slow fire, 
or until the sirup ceases to boil, 1 
quart of Porto Rico molasses and J 
pound of light-brown sugar. Stir 
frequently to prevent burning or 
boiling over. When nearly done stir 
in the juice of a large lemon. When 
it hardens in water pour into but- 
tered pans. 

Or boil over a slow fire to the ball 
1 quart of Porto Rico molasses and 
1 gill of cold water. Now stir in 1 
tablespoonful of butter, 1 teaspoon- 
ful of brown sugar. Boil until it 
hardens in water and pour in a but- 
tered pan to cool. 

Or boil together 1 cupful of mo- 
lasses, 1 cupful of sugar, butter the 
size of an egg, until it will harden in 
cold water. Cool in a buttered pan. 

Everton Taffy. — To make this cele- 
brated taffy extract the juice of a 
large lemon and grate -^ the rind. Mix 
1^ poinds of coffee sugar, 3-^ ounces 
of butter, 1-^ cupfuls of water, and 
the grated lemon rind. Boil together 
over a quick fire, stirring constantly 
until it becomes hard and brittle in 
cold water. Remove from the fire, 
stir in the lemon juice and pour in 
buttered tins to cool. 

Buttercups. — Slake any desired 
quantity of taffy and pour out about 
I inch deep to cool on a smooth but- 
tered surface. Warm a similar quan- 
tity of stiff fondant, and work it 
near the fire until it is creamy and 
soft. Pull the taffy as soon as it 
will bear the hands imtil it is white, 
stretch it out in broad, flat strips, lay 
a roll of fondant in the center of 
each strip, roll the fondant in the 
taffy and cut the strips crosswise 
with a sharp scissors to any desired 
length. 



To Pull Candy. — The best way to 
pull candy is to grease the hands 
thoroughly with butter to prevent 
sticking, or they may be covered with 
flour. The work should commence as 
soon as the candy is cool enough to 
bear the hands. Work with the tips 
of the fingers until it grows cool. 




Pull Smartly.' 



Continue to pull until it is of a light 
golden color, or white, according to 
the recipe. Pull smartly, either by 
the help of another person or over a 
hook. Finally, draw out in sticks on 
waxed paper, or other smooth sur- 
face, which may be dusted with flour 
and cut with shears into sticks. 

Pulled Taffy for a Taffy Pull.— 
Either sugar or molasses taffy may 
be pulled. For sugar taffy, boil to- 
gether to the soft ball 3 cupfuls of 
granulated sugar, J cupful of vine- 
gar, ^ cupful of water; now add 1 
tablespoonful of butter stirred in 
quickly, and boil until it hardens and 
becomes brittle in cold water. Add 
any flavoring extract desired just 
before removing from the fire. Pour 
on a buttered platter to cool, turn in 
the edges as fast as it cools, and 
when cold enough to handle pull un- 
til white and brittle. 

Or for molasses taffy boil to the 
soft bail 1 quart of New Orleans mo- 
lasses, 1 tablespoonfid of granulated 
sugar. Now stir in 2 tablespoonfuls 
of vinegar, i pound of butter, and 
boU until it becomes hard and brittle 
in cold water. Just before removing 
from the fire stir in ^ teaspoonful 



CANDIES AND CANDY MAKING 



729 



of soda dissolved in hot water and 
pull. 

Or boil together to the hard snap 
2 cupfuls of brown sugar, 1 cupful 
of molasses, ^ cupful of water, 1 
tabiespoonful of vinegar. Just be- 
fore removing from the fire stir in ^ 
teaspoonful of soda dissolved in hot 
water. Test in cold water. Add 
flavoring matter and pull until the 
color becomes a rich gold. 

To Make Molasses Candy. — The 
simplest way to make old-fashioned 
molasses candy for a candy pull is to 
boil the best Porto Rico molasses 
over a slow fire imtil it is done, 
which will require 3 hours or more. 
Butter a large saucepan which will 
hold about four times the quantity 
of molasses to be used. Stir fre- 
quently, especially when nearly done, 
to keep it from burning or boiling 
over. To test it, pour a spoonful into 
cold water; if it is hard, brittle, and 
snaps like a pipestem without bend- 
ing, it is done, otherwise the boiling 
must continue. It is, however, quite 
customary to mix with molasses 
about I as much brown sugar to 
make it boil more quickly, and some 
persons add a little butter or glyc- 
erin to make it pull easier. Others 
stir in ^ teaspoonful of baking soda 
dissolved in an equal amount of 
water or a little vinegar when the 
candy is nearly done to make it more 
brittle. The flavoring matter, if any, 
should be added just before the 
candy is taken from the fire and may 
be quickly stirred in or merely 
dropped on the top of the mass. 
Nuts of all kinds may be stirred into 
the candy just before removing it 
from the stove, or they may be placed 
in the buttered pan and the candy 
poured over them. The flavoring 
matter will be worked in when the 
candy is pulled. When done it should 
be poured out on a large buttered 
platter or pan so as to be about i 
inch thick to cool. As the edges cool 
they should be turned in and as soon 
as it will bear the hands the pulling 
should commence. 

Or boil together in a buttered 



saucepan over a slow fire for 3 
hours, stirring frequently, 1 quart 
of molasses and li pounds of light- 
brown sugar. Now stir in the juice 
of a large lemon and 13 drops oil 
of lemon, and continue the heat un- 
til the sirup ceases to boil. Test 
by dropping a little in water, when, 
if done, it should be crisp and 
brittle. Pour in a buttered pan to 
cool. 

Or 2 quarts of Porto Rico mo- 
lasses, 1 pound of brown sugar, the 
juice of 2 large lemons or a tea- 
spoonful of strong essence of lemon. 

Or 3 cupfuls of molasses, 1 cupful 
of sugar, butter the size of an egg, 1 
tabiespoonful of glycerin. Test by 
letting a few drops fall in cold water. 
If they keep their shape and are brit- 
tle it is done, but do not boil too 
much. Stir in 1 teaspoonful cream 
of tartar or soda just before remov- 
ing from the fire. 

Butter-scotch. — To make butter- 
scotch the ingredients may all be 
boiled together, or the butter and 
flavoring matter may be added to the 
sirup after it has boiled about twenty 
minutes, or when nearly ready to 
take from the fire. The sirup should 
boil to the hard-snap stage. To test 
when it is done, either use the con- 
fectioners' test with the fingers, or 
test by dropping in cold water or on 
a cold plate, when it will harden if 
boiled sufficiently. 

The following recipes are recom- 
mended : 

Boil to a hard snap ^ cupful of 
sugar, J cupful of molasses, i cupful 
of butter, J tabiespoonful of vinegar, 
J teaspoonful of soda, stirring suf- 
ficiently to prevent burning. 

Flavor to taste, after removing 
from the fire. Butter a tin and pour 
out the sirup in a thin layer, which 
may be checked off in any desired 
shape when nearly cold with a sharp 
knife. Wrap in a piece of waxed 
paper. This is among the best reci- 
pes and very easy to make. 

Or boil 1 pound of sugar in 1 pint 
of water to the soft ball, stir in 1 ta- 
biespoonful of butter, boil to the hard 



730 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



snap, remove from the fire and flavor 
to taste. 

Boil to the soft ball 2 pounds of 
light-brown sugar, 2 pints of water. 
When done it should be crisp and not 
hard when dropped in water. Now 
stir in 3 tablespoonfuls of butter, 
boil to the hard snap, remove and 
flavor to taste. 

Boil to the soft ball 1 pound of 
" soft A " or " coffee " sugar, 1 tea- 
cupful of water, stir in 2 ounces of 
butter, boil to the hard snap and 
flavor with lemon juice and oil of 
lemon or otherwise, as desired. 

Or boil about 20 minutes or to 
the hard-snap stage 1 cupful of 
brown sugar, ^ cupful of water, 1 
teaspoonful of vinegar, and a piece 
of butter the size of a walnut. When 
it will harden in water pour out to 
cool. 

SIRTJP CAUDIES 

Sirup candies may be made of any 
desired flavor by boiling a sirup the 
same as for molasses candy. Clarify 
it by adding a little carefully picked 
gum arable dissolved in hot water. 
The impurities which are taken up 
by the gum rise to the surface and 
can be removed with the skimmer. 
Continue to boil and skim until the 
sirup becomes perfectly clear and is 
hard and brittle when dropped into 
cold water. This will require half an 
hour or more steady boiling over a 
slow fire. Remove from the fire and 
as soon as the boiling subsides stir 
in vanilla, wintergreen, hoarhound, 
peppermint, rose, or any other fla- 
voring matter as desired. Pour out 
in buttered tins to cool, and when 
nearly cold mark into squares or 
any desired shape with a sharp 
knife. 

The following recipes are recom- 
mended : 

To 3 pounds of dark-brown sugar 
add IJ pints of water and i ounce 
of gum arable dissolved in a little hot 
water. 

Or boil together 1 quart of sirup, 
1 pound of granulated sugar, 1 tea- 



spoonful of butter, 1 tablespoonful 
of glycerin. 

Or 2 pounds of granulated sugar, 
§ cupful of water, J cupful of vine- 
gar, butter the size of an egg, 1 ta- 
blespoonful of glycerin. Just be- 
fore taking from the fire stir in 1 
level teaspoonful of soda and pour 3 
teaspoonfuls of vanilla, wintergreen, 
or any other flavoring matter over 
the top. Pull until white and glis- 
tening, and cut to any desired shape 
with sharp scissors. 

Maple Sirup Candy. — Boil down 
any desired quantity of maple sirup 
until it will harden and crack if 
dropped into cold water. When it is 
done, and just before removing from 
the fire, stir in a teaspoonful of but- 
ter for each cupful of sirup. This 
gives a hard candy. 

Or it may be made soft and waxy 
by less boiling. 

' Or melt down 2 pounds of maple 
sugar in rather less than a pint of 
warm water. Boil until it hard- 
ens in cold water, and stir in 3 or 
4 tablespoonfuls of pure cider vine- 
gar. In both cases pour in but- 
tered pans t© the depth of about ^ 
inch to cool. 

Tv^ist Candy. — Boil without skim- 
ming over a slow fire 1| pounds 
of granulated sugar and i pint of 
water, for half an hour. Hemove 
from the fire and as soon as the 
hands will bear it pull it the same as 
molasses candy until it is white and 
glossy. Work it into fancy shapes 
and cut it to any desired size with a 
sharp scissors. 

Sugar Candy. — Boil together with- 
out stirring 2 cupfuls of white coffee 
sugar, J cupful of good cider vine- 
gar, and § cupful of water, until it 
hardens in cold water. Pour over it 
any desired flavoring matter, cool on 
a smooth buttered surface and pull 
until it is white and glossy, but with- 
out twisting. Do not use butter on 
the hands, but have them clean and 
dry. 

To make nut candy, place the nuts 
or popcorn in the dish, and pour this 
fondant over them. 



CANDIES AND CANDY MAKING 



731 



Rock Candy. — A special kettle is 
required to make fine rock candy. 
This kettle should be broad and shal- 
low, the width being three or four 
times the depth. Place in the bottom 
of the kettle a circular rim of smooth 
tin about 3 inches high and closely 
fitting to the inside of the kettle all 
around. Near the top of this make 
ten or twelve holes in a circle all 
around at equal distances from each 
other, and string across threads from 
one side to the other on which the 
candy may crystallize. 

Prepare the sirup in a separate 
vessel, and when it is done pour it 
into the kettle so that it will reach an 
inch above the threads. Place the 
kettle on the stove at a moderate 
heat and leave it to crystallize, shak- 
ing it from time to time. It will re- 
quire about six days. When the crys- 
tals have formed pour off the remain- 
ing sirup and dash in a little cold 
water to clean the crystals from the 
sediment left in the bottom of the 
kettle. Remove the rim with the 
rock candy adhering to the threads, 
and set it in a clean vessel in a hot 
oven until it is dry and fit for use. 

To prepare the sirup clarify re- 
fined granulated sugar, filter and boil 
until it is ready to crystallize, which 
will be at 35 degrees on the sirup 
test. 

PASTILS OR CANDY DROPS 

Special utensils are required for 
this pui'pose — namely, a round-bot- 
tom sugar boiler with pointed spout 
and a large piece of wrought iron or 
other metal with a hole in the center 
large enough to receive the bottom 
of the sugar boiler. The object is to 
prevent the heat from reaching the 
sides of the boiler and burning or 
discoloring the paste. The sugar for 
drop candy is not boiled but heated 
or baked, hence only a very small 
quantity of water is to be used. 

As a general rule, 2 ounces of wa- 
ter with the necessary liquid flavoring 
will take up about 15 ounces of sugar, 
or 2 ounces of fruit juice or pulp 



will be required for 15 ounces of su- 
gar without the addition of any other 
liquid. Small quantities only should 
be made at a time, to facilitate mak- 
ing the whole into drops before it 
hardens. 

Pound the best quality of lump 
sugar and sift first through coarse 
and afterwards through a fine sieve. 
Place a little over 3J ounces of su- 
gar in an earthen vessel and add i 
ounce of water, to which the neces- 
sary flavoring matter has been added. 
If the sirup is too liquid, the drops 
will not form properly, and if too 
thick the sirup will not pour easily. 
Mix the sugar to a stiff paste and 
place it over a moderate fire. As 
soon as the sides begin to bubble, 
showing that the sirup is melting on 
the bottom, stir it a minute or two 
in the middle, and the moment it will 
run remove it from the fire, stirring 
constantly, and drop pastils the size 
of large peas in close rows upon a 
sheet of tin. To cut off the pastils 
the right size, hold the pan in the 
left hand and use a curved wire sim- 
ilar in shape to a hairpin. 

Let stand for two hours, then hold 
the sheet over the stove, moving it 
back and forth to finish drying. But 
do not have the heat strong enough 
to remelt the candy, and remove 
them as soon as they are hard and 
brilliant, as otherwise they will lose 
their flavor. 

Or pastils may be dropped on a 
sheet of stiff paper and left two 
hours to set firmly. Then the paper 
may be turned over a sieve and the 
bottom moistened with a soft brush 
dipped in water. Loosen the drops 
if necessary with a knife, and let them 
fall in the sieve. Then move the 
sieve gently back and forth, over a 
slow fire, until they are dry. Pas- 
tils may be kept in closely stop- 
pered glass bottles or fruit jars to 
exclude air and moisture. Use the 
above directions for all of the follow- 
ing recipes: 

Peppermint Pastils. — Four drops 
of essence of peppermint, % ounce of 
water, 3^ ounces of sugar. 



n^ 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Raspberry Pastils. — Half an ounce 
of raspberry juice, 3^ ounces of su- 
gar. Or a little less of the raspberry 
juice may be found sufficient in some 
cases. ^ 

Currant Pastils. — Half an ounce 
of red currant juice, 4 ounces of 
sugar. 

Rose Pastils. — Four drops of es- 
sence of roses, 4 drops of prepared 
cochineal, J ounce of water, 3^ ounces 
of sugar. 

Orange Pastils. — The juice of 2 or- 
anges strained, J ounce of orange 
sugar, 3J ounces of sugar. 

Ginger Pastils. — One teaspoonf ul 
Jamaica ginger, | ounce of lemon 
juice, 3 J ounces of sugar. 

Clove Pastils. — Four ounces of oil 
of cloves, ^ ounce of water, | ounce 
of sugar. 

Candy Drops. — In addition to the 
regular pastils, the following reci- 
pes for candy drops are recom- 
mended : 

Orange Drops. — Extract and strain 
the juice of 1 orange, grate up the 
rind, stir in a pinch of tartaric acid 
and thicken with confectioners' sugar 
to a stiff paste; roll into balls the 
size of marbles. These may be coated 
with chocolate if desired. 

Acid Drops. — To 8 ounces of 
pounded and sifted sugar add 2J 
ounces bf water. Place in pastil su- 
gar boiler and proceed as for pastil 
drops. When ready to remove from 
the fire stir in i ounce of tartaric 
acid. As soon as this is stirred in 
form into drops as for pastils. 

Cinnamon Drops. — Four drops of 
oil of cinnamon, | ounce of water, 
3^ ounces of sifted sugar. Add a few 
drops of prepared cochineal to color 
rose pink. '^ 

Coffee Pastils. — Extract the 
strength of 1 ounce of coffee by boil- 
ing down in | pint of water for 6 
minutes, strain and use J ounce of 
this liquid to 31 ounces of sugar. 

Cocoanut Drops. — Beat up 1 pound 
of fresh grated cocoanut and i pound 
of white sugar with the whites of 6 
or more eggs to a stiff froth. There 
must be sufficient white of egg to 



moisten the whole. Dro^' on buttered 
plates in pieces the size of maca- 
roons. 

Currant and Raspberry Paste 
Drops. — Use 1 pound of currants or 
raspberries, or equal parts of each, 
boil and sift the pulp. Add an equal 
bulk of coarse sifted sugar. Boil 
down until it will harden in water. 
Drop on clean tin from a pastil 
sugar boiler in wafers the size of 
macaroons. Let sand for 2 hours 
to dry, and wrap up each piece in 
waxed paper, or pack between layers 
of paper and keep in a dry place. 

Ginger Drops. — Pound and sift Chi- 
nese ginger and stir in ^ ounce of 
water in quantity according to taste. 
To this add 3;^ ounces of sifted sugar 
and make into pastils. 

Lemon Cream Drops. — Extract and 
strain the juice of 1 lemon and grate 
the rind. Stir in a pinch of tartaric 
'acid, thicken with confectioners' su- 
gar to a stiff paste, and form into 
balls as large as marbles. 

CANDIED FRUITS, FRUIT AND NUT 
CANDIES 

To Candy Fruits. — Use for this 
purpose fine white loaf sugar in any 
quantity desired. Dip each lump 
into clear soft water and drop the 
moistened lumps into a porcelain or 
other saucepan. Boil to the caramel 
state, removing the scum as fast as 
it appears. Remove the saucepan 
from the fire and place it in a vessel 
of hot water. As soon as" the sirup 
ceases to boil, dip the fruit to be 
candied, one by one, into the hot 
sirup, and place it to dry and harden 
in a cool place. Almost any kind of 
ripe fruit may be candied in this 
manner, as ripe grapes, plums, cher- 
ries, sections of orange, lemon, or 
pineapple, etc. 

Or make a sirup of 3^ pounds of 
granulated sugar and 1 pint of soft 
water or distilled water by boiling 
3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the 
fire, immerse the fruit, and let stand 
2 or 3 hours. Strain off the sirup, 
iwhich may be used for other can- 



CANDIES AND CANDY MAKINO 



733 



dies, and let the fruit stand in front 
of a baking oven with the door open 
until the moisture is dried out, when 
the sugar will crystallize. 

Candied Peel. — To candy grange 
or lemon peel, first soak peel in salt 
and water 4 or 5 days, changing 
the water frequently as it becomes 
bitter. When the bitterness has been 
removed, rinse them in clear warm 
water and boil in soft water until 
they are tender. Make a sirup at 
the rate of 3 pounds of loaf sugar 
to a pint of water, stir in the peels 
and boil to the caramel stage. Put 
them to drain in a sieve, powder 
them with Confectioners' XXX su- 
gar, and let them dry on the edge of 
a cool oven with the door open. 
Store in a cool place to harden. 

Candied Orange Marmalade. — Re- 
move the juice and pulp of sweet 
Florida or navel oranges, taking care 
to pick out the seeds and inside skin. 
For bitter marmalade, boU the rinds 
at once until they become tender. 
Or, if the bitterness is not desired, 
use peels that have been soaked four 
or five days in advance in salt water, 
but the pulp must be freshly ex- 
tracted. 

Finally, in either case boil the peel 
until it is tender. Chop or crush it 
fine, stir in the pulp and juice, add 
double the weight of moist loaf sugar 
and boil over a slow fire to the cara- 
mel stage, which will take about half 
an hour. Preserve in small jars cov- 
ered with waxed paper. 

Fruit Sweetmeats. — Make a clari- 
fied sirup of i pound of coffee or 
brown sugar by stirring in the white 
of an egg and skimming it out as the 
sirup boils. Stir in 1 pound of sliced 
fruit, as peaches, pears, or sweet ap- 
ples, etc., and boil to the thickness 
of jelly. Or, if desired, place the 
whole peaches in cold water with- 
out peeling them, and bring them 
to a boil. Remove and dry them on 
a towel, and immerse them in boil- 
ing sirup. 

Or dip small fruit, as cherries, 
raspberries, plums, etc., in white of 
eggj place them in a sieve, dust with 



XXX powdered sugar, and shake 
until well coated. 

Orange Straws. — Boil orange peel 
in soft water in a large saucepan un- 
til it is tender, using plenty of water, 
and changing it frequently as it 
grows bitter. Place in a sieve to 
drain, and when cold enough to han- 
dle cut into narrow strips with a 
sharp, thin knife blade. Boil in sirup 
to the caramel stage and dry in a 
warm place. 

Fig Candy. — Boil to the hard ball 
over a slow fire 1 pound of granu- 
lated sugar in 1 pint of water. Stir 
in i teaspoonful of vinegar, a lump 
of butter the size of an English wal- 
nut, and pour over split figs pre- 
\aously prepared in a buttered pan. 

Date Candy. — Remove the pits 
from any desired quantity of dates, 
and lay them in rows side by side 
in the bottom of a buttered pan 
about i inch apart. Pour over these 
a sirup prepared as for fig candy. 
Let stand luitil cold. When nearly 
cold mark between the rows of dates 
with a sharp knife blade. When the 
candy is set cut along these lines and 
wrap the bars in waxed or buttered 
paper. 

Uaisin Candy. — Prepare the sirup 
as for fig and date candy, cover the 
bottom of a buttered pan with a 
layer of seeded raisins, pour on this 
a thin layer of sirup, add more rai- 
sins, and so continue until the candy 
is of any desired thickness. Mark in 
squares when nearly cold. 

Fig Bars. — Boil to the soft thread 
4 cupfuls of granulated sugar and 1 
cupful of water to which ^ tea- 
spoonful of cream of tartar has been 
added. Now stir in a pound of 
finely chopped figs, boil to the hard 
thread, take off the fire and sift in a 
half cupful of powdered sugar. 
Work the whole with a wooden spoon 
or paddle to a thick, smooth mass, 
using additional sugar, if necessary. 
Pour out on a smooth surface, lay 
over it a sheet of waxed paper and 
press down smooth with the bottom 
of a tin pan or any smooth, hard sur- 
face. Melt with gentle heat 1 pound 



734 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



of fondant in ah earthenware bowl,- 
set on a hot soapstone or in a pan of 
boiling water. Flavor to taste. Re- 
move the waxed paper from tl 3 
fig paste, pour over it a layer of the 
fondant, let the whole harden, reverse 
if desired, and pour a layer of fon- 
dant on the other side, and when 
hard cut it into bars and wrap in 
waxed tissue paper. 

Ginger Candy. — Boil over a quick 
fire 1 pound of granulated sugar 
with I pint of spring water. When 
dissolved mix a spoonful of finely 
powdered Chinese ginger with 2 or 3 
ounces of the sirup and stir it into 
the whole. Boil to the blow and at 
this stage stir in the rind of a large 
lemon, grated, and continue to stir 
until a spoonful dropped on a cold 
plate remains stiff without falling. 
Remove at once and drop from a 
pan having a lip or spout, on but- 
tered tins in pieces the size of maca- 
roons. 

Fruit Rolls. — Mix seeded raisins, 
lemons, figs, dates, citron, or any de- 
sired sweetmeats, and chop theni to- 
gether. Knead the whole with enough 
fondant to give consistency to the 
mass, which should be very iich and 
nearly all fruit. Roll this on a mold- 
ing board dusted with flour or con- 
fectioners' sugar into a roll J inch 
thick an,d 1 inch or more in width. 
Roll out plain white fondant ^ inch 
thick and 4 inches in width, and roll 
up the fruit roll in the plain fondant 
as a cover. Let stand over night to 
harden, cut into 4-inch lengths, cover 
with melted chocolate, and lay on 
waxed paper to cool. 

Jelly Rolls. — Make crab - apple, 
currant, or any other jelly as stiff as 
possible, and pour out on a buttered 
tin pan to the depth of l inch. 
Roll out on a molding board dusted 
with Confectioners' XXX sugar, corn- 
starch, or flour a layer of plain 
French cream or fondant J inch 
thick, turn over the pan so that the 
sheet of jelly will lie upon this, and 
roll up the two in the same fashion 
as jelly cake. Let stand to harden, 
cut into slices. 



Fruit Tarts.— Lay ripe small fruit, 
as raspberries, cherries, plums, and 
the like, in glass fruit jars and cover 
each pound of fruit with 6 oimces of 
powdered loaf sugar. Seal the jar, 
set it in boiling water up to the 
neck, and boil for 3 hours. The jars 
must be kept sealed until required 
for use. 

Fruit Lozenges. — Place any small 
fruits, as currants, raspberries, cher- 
ries, and plums, in glass or earthen- 
ware jars set in boiling water. Scald 
and strain the fruit through a sieve. 
Add to each pint of juice an equal 
weight of finely sifted sugar and the 
white of an egg. Whip the whole to 
a stiff froth, drop on buttered paper, 
and place in a slow oven. As soon as 
they will loosen from the paper turn 
them and let stand in the oven until 
quite dry. Cut to any desired shape, 
pack between waxed papers, and keep 
in a dry place. 

Macaroons. — These popular con- 
fections are usually made of sweet or 
bitter almonds with sugar and the 
white of eggs, but sometimes with 
other substances, as nuts, flavoring 
matter, and the like. To make maca- 
roons blanch and pulverize a pound 
of almonds, adding a little rose wa-. 
ter to form a moist elastic mass. 
Beat to a stiff froth the whites of 7 
eggs, stir in the almonds and a 
pound of Confectioners' XXX sugar. 
Drop the macaroons in the desired 
size on buttered paper from a spoon, 
and brown on tin plates in a slow 
baking oven. Set them aside in the 
pan in which they were baked until 
cold. 

Or pound 4 ounces of blanched 
sweet almonds with 4 tablespoonfuls 
of orange flower or rose water. Beat 
up the whites of 4 eggs to a stiff 
froth and stir all together with 1 
pound of Confectioners' XXX sugar. 
Brown in a slow oven. 

Or to 1 pound of sweet almonds, 
blanched and bruised with a little 
water, add 1^ pounds of sugar, the 
whites of 6 eggs and 2 grated lemon 
peels. Brown in a slow oven. 

Or, for pistachio macaroons, beat 



CANDIES AND CANDY MAKING 



735 



lip with the whites of 2 eggs 4 ounces 
of pounded bitter almonds, 12 ounces 
of Confectioners' XXX sugar, 6 
ounces of shelled pistachio kernels, 1 
tablespoonful of orange or vanilla 
sugar. Brown in a slow oven. 

Ratafias. — Scald 4 ounces of Jor- 
dan almonds in a colander with boil- 
ing water. Remove the skins, rinse 
with cold water, and dry on a nap- 
kin. Prepare also 3 ounces of bitter 
almonds in the same manner. Place 
the whole in a sieve and dry thor- 
oughly by moving backward and for- 
ward over the fire. Pound the alm- 
onds very fine with a little water 
and whip in the whites of 2 eggs to 
form a stiff froth. To this add | 
pound of Confectioners' XXX su- 
gar and work the whole to a firm 
paste. Drop these on buttered paper 
in a tin pan, moisten the surface 
slightly with water and brown lightly 
in a very slow oven. 

Cocoanut Candies. — To make the 
best quality of cocoanut candy the 
fresh grated cocoanuts should be 
used, but where these are not avail- 
able place the desiccated cocoanut in 
a sieve or colander and steam a few 
minutes over a saucepan of boiling 
water so as to soften the cocoanut 
slightly before it is stirred in. Pre- 
pare a fondant or French cream and 
stir into the melted fondant J by 
bulk of freshly grated or desiccated 
cocoanut, mixing thoroughly. Roll 
the mixture into round rolls 1| or 3 
inches in diameter, cut off into pieces 
of the same length, and roll into 
balls. Sprinkle these with freshly 
grated or desiccated cocoanut until 
well covered, and let stand to harden 
and cool. 

Cocoanut Squares. — Bring to a 
boil a pound of sugar with -J cup- 
ful of water and stir in a small fresh- 
ly grated cocoanut. Boil to the hard 
thread, remove from the fire, add a 
drop of blue to give a clearer white, 
and cream with a wooden spoon or 
paddle against the sides of the sauce- 
pan. Pour out in a tin pan dusted 
with powdered sugar, and when cold 
cut into blocks with a sharp knife. 



Or to f pound of white sugar 
add I cupful of fresh milk. Bring 
to a boil and stir in ^ a small cocoa- 
nut freshly grated. Boil to the soft 
ball and pour out in a tin pan dusted 
M'ith confectioners' sugar. When 
cold cut into squares. 

Nut Loaf Candy. — Boil to the soft 
ball 1 pint of light coffee sugar with 
-J pint of sweet fresh milk or cream 
and a lump of butter the size of an 
English walnut. Stir in 1 teacupful 
of assorted nut meats, and pour into 
a small cake tin or other mold, 

Nut Cups. — Lay a pound of fon- 
dant on a warm soapstone or in an 
earthenware bowl, set in a pan of 
boiling water. When it is sufficiently 
warm stir in a cupful of finely 
chopped hickory-nut meats, which 
can be assorted or of any single kind 
desired, and work the whole with a 
wooden paddle until the fondant be- 
comes soft and warm. Pour on a 
molding board with Confectioners' 
XXX sugar, and roll into a strip i 
inch or more in thickness and ^ 
to 2 inches in width. Lay this aside 
in a warm place. Meantime boil to 
a hard crack 2 pounds of granulated 
sugar, 2 tablespoonfuls of glucose, 1 
pint of water, and pour into a tin 
buttered dish. Pull this taffy over a 
hook and roll out in a wide, flat 
sheet, and in this roll up the fondant. 
Let cool and cut crosswise into small 
pieces or bars as desired. 

Chocolate Walnuts. — Dip half 
meats of English walnuts in melted 
sweet chocolate and lay aside on 
paraffin paper to dry. 

Cream Walnuts. — Boil to the me- 
dium thread 2 cupfuls of sugar, f 
cupful of hot water, 1 tablespoonful 
of glucose, ^ spoonful of cream of 
tartar. Remove from the fire, beat 
up until it thickens, stir in chopped 
walnut meats, and pour into a but- 
tered tin. 

Sugared Almonds. — These bonbons 
are of two sorts: burnt almonds, 
sometimes called pralines, and sug- 
ared almonds, sometimes called 
dragees. They consist of whole alm- 
onds coated with sugar, which is 



(736 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



often colored in various delicate 
tints. 

To make burnt almonds, bring to a 
boil over a moderate fire ^ pound 
of finely granulated sugar in ^ 
pint of water in a round-bottomed 
Vessel, stirring constantly with a 
wooden spoon until dissolved. Then 
throw in 1 pound of fine Jordan alm- 
onds shelled and sifted, to remove 
dust and dirt. Stir in the almonds 
gently in the sirup until they are 
heard to crackle slightly. Take them 
off the fire and stir vigorously so that 
the sugar grains and becomes almost 
a powder, and each almond has a 
complete coat. Pick out the almonds, 
shake them gently in a coarse sieve 
to remove the loose sugar, and cover 
them with a folded flannel cloth to 
keep them warm. Replace the sugar, 
add ^ pound of Confectioners' XXX 
sugar and i pint of water with a 
teaspoonful of any desired coloring 
matter. 

Boil to the soft ball, remove from 
the fire and stir in the almonds as 
before. Again sift out the loose sug- 
ar and repeat the process until the 
candies are of the desired size. 

Or blanch any desired quantity of 
almonds and fry them to a light- 
brown color in butter. Roll them 
in a napkin to remove the excess 
of butter, and pour over them a 
sirup of white sugar boiled to a 
thread, stirring until they are quite 
cold. This is a celebrated Indian 
sweetmeat. 

To Gloss Burnt Almonds. — Dis- 
solve 2 tablespoonfuls of guutn arable 
in 4 tablespoonfuls of water in a 
double boiler. Drop the burnt alm- 
onds in this after they have become 
cold and hardened, stir them gently 
and turn them out in a sieve. After 
the gummed water has dripped away 
shake the sieve gently over a slow fire 
until they are dry. 

Or pour over a little clean white 
gum shellac sufficient alcohol to cover 
it, and let stand over night. Pour off 
the clear solution from the sediment, 
dilute with alcohol, and apply to the 
burnt almonds with a brush. 



CABAMELS 

To make caramels in general boil 
clarified sugar until it is very brittle 
or to the point where it begins to 
gain more or less color and give off 
an acrid smell. But care must be 
taken not to burn the sugar or dark- 
en it beyond a light-brown shade. 
Then pour the sirup on an oiled mar- 
ble slab or tin, let cool until nearly 
hard, mark in small squares or cut 
out with a mold and lay away on 
waxed paper to harden. 

If no suitable mold is at hand mark 
off the slab | inch deep or more with 
the back of a case knife and sprinkle 
slightly with powdered sugar to keep 
the marks open. 

Chocolate Caramels. — Boil in a 
double boiler 1 cupful of grated 
chocolate, 1 cupful of brown sugar, 
1 cupful of molasses, i cupful of 
sweet milk, until it hardens when 
dropped in cold water. Now stir in 
a piece of butter as large as an egg 
and 1 cupful of chopped nuts of any 
kind, or any desired mixture of nuts. 
Pour into a buttered tin pan and cut 
into squares or mold when nearly 
cold. 

Or boil 1 pound of sugar to the 
hard snap and stir in 4 ounces of 
grated chocolate dissolved in a table- 
spoonful of hot water. Boil until the 
sirup caramels. 

Or boil over a hot fire, stirring 
constantly, 4 ounces of grated choco- 
late, 1^ pounds of dark-brown sugar, 
6 ounces of butter, and i • teacupf ul 
of milk. Remove from the fire as 
soon as it becomes hard on being 
dropped in water, and if wanted 
hard, pour immediately into buttered 
) dishes. Or stir for a few minutes to 
give a sugary consistency. Flavor 
after removal from the fire with 
lemon, orange, or vanilla either in the 
form of essences or grated lemon or 
orange peel. 

Coffee Caramels. — Boil to the hard 
snap 1 pound of sugar, stir in black 
coffee made from 3 ounces of coffee 
with as little water as possible. 
Strain through cheese cloth. CJon- 



CANDIES AND CANDY MAKIJ^G 



737 



tinue to boil until the sirup cara- 
mels. 

Maple Caramels. — Boil together in 
a double boiler or buttered sauce- 
pan i cupful of boiling water, 3 
cupfuls of pure maple sirup, 2 cup- 
fuls of coffee sugar, 3 tablespoonfuls 
of glucose, until the sirup threads or 
hardens in cold water. Then stir in 
a cupful of pure cream, ^ cupful of 
butter, and boil until it caramels. 
When it hardens on dropping in 
cold water pour out to cool. 

Lemon Caramels. — Stir into the 
boiled sirup at the hard-snap stage 
the yellow rind of a lemon grated and 
mixed with a lump of sugar dissolved 
in lemon juice and water. Stir well 
imtil the mixture hardens in water, 
then pour out to cool. 

Strawberry Caramels. — Boil to the 
hard-snap stage 3 cupfuls of granu- 
lated sugar, 2 tablespoonfuls of glu- 
cose, i cupful of boiling water, stir- 
ring constantly. Now stir in a cupful 
of cream and butter the size of an 
egg. Stir well until it hardens in wa- 
ter, pour out to cool, and while hot 
sprinkle thickly with grated cocoa- 
nut. When cold cut to any desired 
size. Use for this purpose preferably 
freshly grated cocoanut, but desiccated 
cocoanut may be used if necessary. 

KISSES AND MAESHMALLOWS 

These are made of Confectioners' 
XXX or powdered sugar, stiffened 
with the white of egg or gum arabic 
and browned in a baking oven. Bak- 
ing powder or cream of tartar is 
sometimes added to make them light- 
er. To make plain kisses, beat the 
whites of 4 eggs to a stiff broth and 
whip in i pound of powdered su- 
gar. The harder the mass is beaten 
the stiffer the candy will be. Lay on 
wet paper on a piece of hard wood 
and bake in a moderate oven. 

Cocoanut Kisses. — Beat up togeth- 
er the whites of 3 eggs and whip in 
2 cupfuls of powdered sugar, 2 cup- 
fuls of freshly grated cocoanut, and 
2 teaspoonfuls of baking powder. 
Brown slightly in a qxiick oven. 



Chocolate Kisses. — Beat up 2 
whites of eggs and whip in 2 ounces 
of grated chocolate, 1 pound of Con- 
fectioners' XXX sugar. Bake in a 
slow oven on wet or buttered paper 
spread on a piece of hard wood. 

French Kisses. — Dissolve 3 cupfuls 
of granulated sugar in water, using 
no more water than is necessary, and 
add a pinch of cream of tartar. 
Bring to a boil, stir in a freshly 
grated cocoanut of medium size and 
boil to the thread. Add a drop or 
two of blue color and work to a 
cream with a wooden spoon or pad- 
dle. Drop the kisses upon sheets of 
clean tin from a pan having a lip 
or spout, cutting them to the size of 
macaroons with a sharp knife or 
wire. 

Nut Kisses. — Beat up the white of 
3 eggs and whip in 30 teaspoonfuls 
of pulverized sugar, 3 tablespoonfuls 
of brandy, and li cupfuls of finely 
chopped nuts. Flavor as desired. 
Beat all together to a stiff mass and 
drop on wet or buttered paper the 
size of large macaroons. Brown in a 
moderate oven. 

Wintergreen Kisses. — Beat up the 
whites of 3 eggs to a stiff froth and 
whip in gradually i jiound of Con- 
fectioners' XXX sugar, and flavor 
with essence of wintergreen to taste. 
Beat the whole very light, drop on 
wet or buttered paper, and bake on 
a piece of hai-d wood in a moderate 
oven to a light-brown color. 

Psyche's Kisses. — Boil the sugar 
to the crack, stir in 2 ounces of ap- 
ple juice while boiling, remove from 
the fire and stir in gradually about 
I its bulk of fruit juice, coffee, 
diluted chocolate, or any kind of 
liqueur or flavoring matter desired, 
and set aside to cool. When cool beat 
up with a wooden paddle, stirring 
the mass vigorously from the sides 
and bottom until it becomes soft and 
clastic. This will be hard work at 
first, but gradually becomes easier. 
The longer it is worked the better 
the kisses will be. Let stand over 
night and warm with gentle heat 3 
or 4 ounces at a time in a sugar 



738 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



boiler with a spout, such as is 
used for pastils. Stir carefully and 
avoid burning or overheating. When 
the mass will pour readily drop 
from the spout on wet or but- 
tered paper in pieces the size of 
macaroons. 

Marshmallows. — Cover an ounce 
of carefully picked gum arable with 
4 tablespoonfuls of water, and let 
stand for an hour. Heat the gum 
in a double boiler until it is dissolved. 
Strain through cheese cloth and whip 
in about 3^ ounces of Confectioners' 
XXX sugar. Place on a moder- 
ate fire and beat for f of an hour, 
or until it comes to a stiff froth. 
Remove from the fire, beat 2 or 
3 minutes while cooling and stir 
in i teaspoonful of vanilla. Dust a 
tin pan with cornstarch, pour in 
the marshmallow, dust cornstarch 
over the top and set aside to cool. 
When cold cut into squares with a 
knife dipped in cornstarch, roll the 
squares in the starch and pack away 
in tin or other tight boxes. 

NOTJGATS 

Nougats. — Nougat is made by 
melting in a copper sugar boiler 
granulated sugar with the addition of 
lemon juice at the rate of a dessert- 
spoonfuJL to each pound of sugar end 
twice the weight of the sugar in alm- 
onds or other nuts, as filberts, pis- 
tachios, and the like, with a little 
sweet liqueur. The almonds and other 
nuts should be blanched, drained, 
and skinned, and allowed to stand 
for some hours before being used. 
They should then be placed just in- 
side the oven door to heat them thor- 
oughly, as they must be hot when put 
into the sirup. Nougat is used either 
to line molds or in the form of bars 
protected by layers of white wafer. 
For lining molds the nougat should 
be pressed into the mold with a lem- 
on until the inside is covered, and the 
edge of the mold should be trimmed 
with a sharp knife before it hardens, 
as it will then be brittle and likely 
to break. The mold should be oiled 



slightly and the nougat turned out as 
soon as it hardens. 

To Make Ordinary Nougat.— 
Blanch, drain, and skin 1 pound of 
almonds, and let stand until thor- 
oughly dry before chopping or shred- 
ding them. Place the shredded alm- 
onds on a pie plate just inside an 
open oven door and dissolve in a cop- 
per sugar boiler 10 ounces of granu- 
lated sugar, stirring with a wooden 
spoon until it begins to melt. Stir 
constantly until the sugar comes to 
the pearl degree. Now add the alm- 
onds and stir them in. Have ready 
suitable molds oiled thinly with olive 
oil by means of a camel's-hair brush 
and pressing small pieces of the nou- 
gat into the mold with a piece of 
lemon until they are well coated. 
Trim the edge of the mold with a 
sharp knife. Turn out the nougat as 
soon as it hardens. 

, Marseilles Nougat. — Melt 8 ounces 
of honey and remove the scum with a 
skimmer as fast as it appears. Boil 
to the crack degree 8 ounces of gran- 
ulated sugar, stir in the melted honey 
and I gill of orange-flower watery 
have ready in an egg bowl the whites 
of 3 eggs beaten to a stiff froth and 
pour into the egg bowl in a thin 
stream the melted honey and sirup, 
stirring constantly. Place the mix- 
ture over a slow fire and continue to 
stir. 

While the paste is baking, which 
will require about 3 hours' constant 
attention, test by dropping a spoon- 
ful of the paste in cold water. If 
it is brittle enough to be broken 
across without bending, it is done. 
Now stir in the almonds, lay out the 
white wafer on a molding board, and 
on this spread the nougat about 1 
inch deep. Cover with additional 
sheets of white wafer, lay a clean 
piece of white paper on top, and on 
this place a weight having a smooth 
surface, as a large weighted pan, to 
level it up. Let stand to cool and 
harden. Cut into any desired size, 
strips or bars, for use. 

Parisian Nougats. — Boil to the 
crack 6 ounces of granulated sugar. 



CANDIES AND CANDY MAKING 



.739 



stir in 8 ounces of chopped pista- 
chio liernels, a few drops of cochi- 
neal, and coloring and flavoring mat- 
ter as desired. Spread out on a 
sheet of waxed paper, and while hot 
cut to any desired shapes and sizes 
with a sharp knife. This nougat may 
be dusted with granite sugar and 
cleaned currants if desired. 

Peanut Nougat. — Boil to the crack 
1 pound of granulated sugar, and 
stir in 1 quart of peanuts shelled, 
screened, and chopped fine, and sprin- 
kled with J teaspoonful of salt. 
Pour out on waxed paper or in a 
buttered tin and cut into bars for 



POPCORN CANDY 

Popcorn is used as an ingredient of 
candies in several forms, including 
the ordinary popcorn balls, popcorn 
cakes, bars, or nougats, and crystal- 
lized popcorn. 

Choose for this purpose a quality 
of popcorn which pops light and ten- 
der, and select only the kernels 
that are fully open, discarding 
burned or partially opened kernels. 
Shake the corn in a coarse sieve to 
free it from dust and chaff. It will 
be found a great aid in popping corn 
to swing a wire from a hook in the 
ceiling having a loop at the right 
height above the stove through which 
the handle of the popper can be 
passed. Thus the popper may be held 
over an open coal fire with less labor. 

To roll popcorn balls, dip the 
hands into very cold water before 
forming each ball and work quickly 
before the candy hardens. To im- 
prove the appearance of the balls, 
and also to prevent them sticking to 
the fingers, cut out a piece of tissue 
or waxed paper in circular form by 
cutting around the edge of a large 
pie plate, lay the ball on this, bring 
the edges together and twist them 
up at the top. Store popcorn balls 
in a cold place to prevent the pop- 
corn from becoming tough. 

To Make Popconi Balls. — Boil to 
the thread about 2J pounds of sugar 



with f pound of glucose and 1 pint 
of water. Place the popcorn in 
an earthenware bowl, pour the sirup 
over it, mix with 2 wooden paddles 
and form into balls with the wet 
hands. 

Or boil J pint of molasses about 
12 minutes to the stiff-ball degree. 
Place 2 quarts of popcorn in a wet 
earthenware bowl, pour the boiling 
molasses over it, mix with paddles, 
and roll with the wet hands. 

Or for a better quality of popcorn 
balls for home use, add to the above 
a good-sized piece of butter and 
flavor with lemon extract or other- 
wise as desired. 

Or boil to the hard snap 1 pint 
of sugar, i teaspoonful of butter, 
1 tablespoonful of vinegar with 
about i teacupful of soft water. 
Have ready about 1 peck of freshly 
popped corn in a wet pan or tub, dip 
the boiling sirup over it, mix with 
wooden paddles, roll with the wet 
hands. 

Popcorn Cakes. — Prepare sirup 
according to any of the above rules, 
but crush the corn with a rolling-pin. 
Stir the corn into the kettle when the 
sirup is at the hard-snap stage, and 
pour into buttered tins. Lay over 
the top a piece of buttered or waxed 
paper, and let stand under pressure 
to harden. When cold and hard cut 
into cakes with a thin, sharp knife 
blade. 

Crystallized Popcorn. — Place in an 
iron kettle or frying pan 1 teacup- 
ful of granulated sugar, 1 table- 
spoonful of butter, or less, 3 table- 
spoonfuls of water. Boil to the hard 
snap, stir in 2 or 3 quarts of popcorn 
and continue stirring until it is en- 
tirely dry. This amount of sirup will 
give a heavy coating of sugar to 2 
quarts, or a lighter coat to 3 quarts. 
A beginner is apt to think that the 
sirup is not suflScient for the quan- 
tity of corn, but with constant stir- 
ring it will come out all right. Con- 
tinue to stir until the corn is dry, but 
take care that the fire is not hot 
enough to scorch it. Nuts may be 
crystallized in a similar wa^. 



740 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



LOZENGES 

Peppermint Lozenges. — Place 1 
ounce of picked gum tragacanth in 
an earthenware vessel covered with 5 
ounces of warm water and let stand 
over night. Squeeze it through a 
cheese cloth, pour it out on a marble 
or other hard, smooth surface, and 
knead it with the palms of the hands 
until it becomes white and springy. 
Knead in gradually enough Confec- 
tioners' XXX sugar to make a stiff 
paste. About 1| pounds will be re- 
quired. Hollow the top of the mass, 
sprinkle over it ^ teaspoonful of 
essence of peppermint and 2 or 3 
drops of strong cobalt blue to make 
a brilliant white. Knead this in thor- 
oughly, flatten out the mass, sprinkle 
top and bottom with Confectioners' 
XXX sugar, and roll out to ^ inch 
or less in thickness. Stamp out the 
lozenges with a suitable cutter, and 
place them on sheets of paper dusted 
with confectioners' sugar to dry and 
harden. 

Or stir together J pound of pure 
starch, 3| pounds of Confectioners' 
XXX sugar, and flavor with oil of 
peppermint. Mix to a stiff paste 
with dissolved gum arable. Roll out 
and cut to any desired shape. 

LicQTice Lozenges. — Stir up 3 
pounds of Confectioners' XXX sugar 
with 1 pound of pure concentrated 
extract of licorice, knead to a stiff 
paste with the aid of a little dis- 
solved gum arable, and mold or 
stamp to any desired shape. 

Or mix 10 ounces of Confectioners' 
XXX sugar, 3 ounces of powdered 
gum tragacanth, with 10 ounces of 
pure concentrated essence of licorice. 
Knead to a stiff paste with the aid 
of a little rose water, and form into 
drops or lozenges. The refined ex- 
tract of licorice comes in solid form 
and after being dried for a few days 
in a warm place can be easily re- 
duced to powder and mixed with the 
other ingredients. 

Ginger Lozenges. — Place J ounce 
of gum arable in an earthenware 
bowl, pour over it 1 gill of hot wa- 



ter, and let stand to cool. Stir to 
a stiff paste with Confectioners' 
XXX sugar, of which about 14 ounces 
will be required, and flavor with J 
spoonful of powdered ginger. Knead 
to a stiff paste, roll out, and cut or 
mold to any desired form. 

Sweet Almond Lozenges. — Knead 
together to a stiff paste IJ poimds 
of Confectioners' XXX sugar, ^ 
pound of wheat or cornstarch, 1 
pound of powdered blanched alm- 
onds. Flavor with essence of orange 
or lemon if desired. 

COUGH CANDIES 

Hoarhound Candy. — Boil the hoar- 
hound in a little water until the juice 
is extracted, and strain through 
cheese cloth. Boil any desired quan- 
tity of sugar with ' j ust enough water 
to dissolve it and stir in the juice. 
Work the sugar with a spoon against 
the sides of the pan until it grows 
thick and creamy. Pour out in a 
buttered pan. When nearly cold 
mark into squares and let dry. 

Or boil the sugar until candied 
and stir in dry and powdered hoar- 
hound. Pour out in buttered tins to 
cool. 

Pine-tree Tar Cough Candy. — To 
10 pounds of granulated sugar add 3 
pints of water. Boil to the hard 
snap, pour out and while cooling 
spread on top 10 drops of tar (made 
by dissolving 1 tablespoonful of tar 
in 2 tablespoonfuls of alcohol), 1 ta- 
blespoonful of oil of capsicum, 1| ta- 
blespoonfuls of oil of wintergreen. 
Work together with the hands or a 
wooden paddle until these substances 
are thoroughly worked in, keeping 
the mass warm before the fire, or by 
means of a soapstone. Roll into 
round sticks and keep rolling until 
cold. 

TO COLOR AND FLAVOR CANDY 

Colorings for Candy. — Coloring 
matter for candies can be purchased 
in small jars for a few cents each. 
These are so intense that a drop will 



CANDIES AND CANDY MAKING 



741 



tint a pound of candy. Hence they 
will last a long time. Red, yellow, 
orange, light green, violet, mara- 
schino, constitute a good assortment. 
Some knowledge of color is necessary 
to a tasteful effect. White cream 
may, of course, be coated with any 
other color, but colored cream should 
be coated only with tints or shades 
of the same color. Otherwise the 
center will show through and pro- 
duce an unsatisfactory effect. The 
center should usually be of a lighter 
tint than the coating. A good rule 
when coating bonbons is, after hav- 
ing formed the centers, to set the 
fondant away for twenty-four hours. 
Then melt it with a little added 
coloring matter to give a deeper 
shade and coat the centers in this. 
Thus maple cream may be coat- 
ed with maple fondant, chocolate 
cream with chocolate fondant, and 
the like. 

It is customary with confectioners 
to associate certain coloring with cer- 
tain flavoring. Almond or pistachio 
cream are usually tinted green. Or- 
ange or lemon flavoring are tinted 
with those colors. Rose is tinted 
pink. A good way to obtain sugges- 
tions for producing tasteful and ar- 
tistic effects i^ to study the display 
in a good candy shop and imitate 
what you like best. 

To Color Confectionery. — Care 
must, of course, be taken in coloring 
confectionery not to use aniline dyes, 
mineral pigments, lakes, or any other 
substance of a poisonous nature. 
The animal and vegetable dyestuffs 
are usually harmless in small quanti- 
ties, but the following combinations 
are especially recommended: 

To Color Red. — Cover 1 ounce of 
cochineal with J pint of boiling wa- 
ter and boil about 5 minutes. Stir 
in 1 ounce of cream of tartar, | 
ounce of powdered alum, and con- 
tinue boiling about 10 minutes. 
Test by letting a few drops fall on a 
piece of clean white paper. If the 
color is not sufficiently clear and 
bright, boil a little longer. When 
done, stir in 2 ounces of granulated 



sugar and put up in a stoppered 
glass bottle for use. 

To Color Blue. — Dissolve a little 
indigo stone in warm M-ater and test 
with a few drops on a piece of white 
paper. Continue to add more indigo 
until the color is bright and clear. 

To Color Yellow. — Dissolve a little 
gamboge in warm water, or the heart 
of a yellow lily with warm water, un- 
til the bright tint is produced. 

Or steep J ounce of saffron in soft 
water for 34 hours or more until the 
proper tint is obtained. 

Or for small quantities, a good 
pinch of saffron in a spoonful of wa- 
ter may be boiled until the water is 
nearly evaporated. Squeeze out the 
juice through cheese cloth. This col- 
or is an orange yellow, and a few 
drops will go a long way. 

To Color Green. — Cover fresh spin- 
ach leaves with boiling water and let 
stand two or three minutes, or until 
the color is as strong as desired. 
Cork tightly to exclude the air. 

Or steep ^ ounce of saffron in soft 
water for 24 hours and steep sepa- 
rately I ounce of indigo carmine for 
the same length of time. Mix the 
two for use. This mixture can be 
preserved for a considerable time 
by adding clarified sirup and pre- 
serving in a closely stoppered glass 
vessel. 

Or for a larger quantity, wash a 
peck of fresh green spinach very 
carefully in several waters to remove 
all grit, and while dripping wet 
pound it with a suitable mallet or 
any piece of hard wood, to a soft 
pulp. Place this pulp in several 
thicknesses of cheese cloth and wring 
out the juice, which may be done by 
twisting the ends of the cloth by 
means of short sticks or rods. Place 
the juice over a gentle fire until it be- 
gins to curdle or thicken. Strain off 
the water through a piece of cheese 
cloth, leaving the thick part of the 
spinach juice on the cloth. This is 
the vegetable green or spinach green 
for confectioners. Care must be 
taken in drying substances colored 
with this material, as if the heat is 



742 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



too strong it is likely to take on a 
yellowish cast. 

To Color Pink. — Use a little car- 
mine moistened with rose water. 

Granite Sugar. — Crush by crack- 
ing it with a hammer a pound of fine 
loaf sugar into small lumps. Place 
these on a hard, smooth surface and 
break them up fine with a wooden 
mallet or any smooth piece of hard 
wood. Shake first through a coarse 
sieve to remove the lumps, and after- 
wards through a very fine sieve to re- 
move the powdered sugar. The re- 
sult will be in grains of intermediate 
size, like coarse sand or gravel, 
known by confectioners as granite 
sugar. 

To Color Granite Sugar. — Any of 
the above coloring matters may be 
used to tint granite sugar to any de- 
sired stage. Pour a few drops of the 
coloring matter on a plate, spread 
the sugar over this, and dry on a 
screen with very moderate heat. 
WhUe drying, rub the sugar fre- 
quently between the hands to prevent 
the corners sticking together. Pre- 
serve in a closely stoppered glass 
bottle in a warm, dry place for use. 

riavorings for Candy. — Buy only 
the most expensive grades of flavor- 
ing extracts for candies. Every first- 
class dealer has the better qualities 
or canr- obtain them on request. This 
is important for two reasons: the 
flavor of the candy will be improved 
and a few drops only will be re- 
quired. The less moisture added to 
fondant the easier it is to work. 

Or buy the essential oils of rose, 
Avintergreen, peppermint, cloves, and 
others, drop them on lump sugar, 
pulverize the sugar with a rolling- 
pin and carefully preserve in tightly 
stoppered bottles until required for 
use. 

To Plavor Sugar. — As a matter of 
convenience in flavoring candies, it is 
customary with confectioners to fla- 
vor in advance a quantity of loaf or 
other sugar and have it in readiness 
to be mixed with sirup to impart any 
flavoring that may be desired. Fla- 
voring matter should not be added to 



sirup until the process of boiling is 
at an end and the sirup is ready to be 
taken from the fire, otherwise the 
flavor, which is usually imparted by 
one of the volatile essential oils, will 
be evaporated and lost. 

To Flavor Orange. — Grate the rind 
of 1 or more oranges on a suitable 
quantity of lump sugar and place 
the whole in a tightly stoppered bot- 
tle until the sugar has been thor- 
oughly impregnated and the rind 
dries and can be readily scraped off. 
Remove the rind and preserve the 
sugar for future use. 

To Prepare Lemon Sugar. — Grate 
the rind of 1 or more lemons and 
prepare in the same manner as or- 
ange sugar. 

Cinnamon Sugar. — Dry i ounce of 
cinnamon and pulverize with | pound 
of loaf sugar by grinding in a mor- 
tar or with a suitable piece of hard 
wood. Cork tightly and preserve for 
use. 

Clove Sugar. — Pulverize 1 ounce of 
cloves to ^ pound of loaf sugar and 
preserve in the same manner as cin- 
namon sugar. 

Ginger Sugar. — Preserve ^ ounce 
of pulverized ginger in the manner 
described above for cinnamon su- 
gar. » 

Vanilla Sugar. — Pulverize 4 sticks 
of vanilla with i pound of loaf sugar 
and preserve for use. 

ICES AND ICING 

Icings for Candy anff- Cake. — 
Icing, as ordinarily made, consists of 
powdered sugar beaten up to a stiif 
froth with white of egg- Gum ara- 
ble is frequently used to give addi- 
tional stiffness. The addition of but- 
ter or cream improves the flavor and 
prevents the icing from drying rap- 
idly or cracking when cut, and va- 
rious flavoring and coloring matters 
are added as desired. Icing may be 
of two sorts, either boiled or un- 
cooked. 

TTncooked Icing. — Beat up the 
whites of any required number of 
eggs to a stiff froth and whip into 



CANDIES AND CANDY MAKING 



743 



them Confectioners' XXX sugar un- 
til the icing is of the desired con- 
sistency. Generally speaking, the 
white of 1 egg will make sufficient 
icing for a small cake or 2 eggs for 
a large one. And the white of 1 egg 
will require ^ pound of sugar, more 
or less. Some prefer to add the 
sugar gradually, while the white of 
egg is being beaten. The addition of 
a little lemon juice, while beating, 
will improve the color and flavor. 
The following recipe is recommended: 

Beat up the whites of 2 eggs to a 
stiff froth, whip in ^ pound of Con- 
fectioners' XXX or powdered su- 
gar, i tablespoonful of starch, ^ 
ounce of pulverized gum arable or 
less, and 1 teaspoonful of lemon 
juice. Mix the sugar, starch, and 
gum arable together, and sift them 
into the white of egg. The longer 
the mixture is whipped or beaten the 
better the icing will be. 

Boiled Icing. — For an ordinary 
eake, boil a cupful of sugar to the 
thread. Beat in the white of 1 egg, 
1 tablespoonful of cream or 1 tea- 
spoonful of butter. Now stir in, if 
convenient, 3 or 4 marshmallows and 
^ teaspoonful of cream of tartar. 
Beat the whole until cold. 

To Apply Icing. — To ice the top of 
a cake, but not the sides, dust the top 
with a little flour to kill the grease, 
which prevents the icing from run- 
ning, brush, blow, or dust off the ex- 
cess of flour and cut a band of white 
paper long enough to go around the 
cake and IJ inches wide, grease the 
inside with butter, dust it with flour, 
and pin it around the cake so that 
the upper edge will be ^ inch or 
more above the top. Pour on the 
frosting evenly, when if thin enough 
it will settle in a perfectly smooth 
and even surface. Let stand until it 
hardens, run a thin-bladed knife be- 
tween the cake and the paper, and 
take off the paper. 

Or, after dusting the cake with 
flour, spread the icing with a broad 
knife blade or thin wooden paddle 
dipped in iced water, and set it on 
the edge of an oven to harden, taking 



care that the oven is not hot enough 
to brown it. 

Or a second coat of fresh icing 
may be added the following day or 
after the first layer is hardened. Any 
ornamentation must be added while 
the icing is wet, as otherwise it will 
not adhere. 

To Ornament Icing. — For this pur- 
pose prepare a special icing by beat- 
ing slightly the white of 1 egg and 
stirring in gradually 3 cups of Con- 
fectioners' XXX sugar. Add the 
juice of J a lemon and beat the 
whole until the mixture is stiff and 
elastic. Now make a paper cone of 
stiff white writing paper, pinning the 
side and clipping off the point, so 
that the icing can come through in a 
pencil or point of any desired thick- 
ness. Small tin cones are provided 
which may be used for this purpose, 
but the paper cone will answer. Fill 
this with the icing J or § full, fold in 
the top and press on it with the 
thumbs to force the icing through the 
small end of the funnel. 

Ice the cake as above, let it stand 
for fifteen or twenty minutes until 
the icing is " tacky " but not hard, 
trace the design on the cake lightly 
with a lead pencil and follow it with 
the icing forced through the paper 
funnel. The icing may be flavored 
and tinted as desired. 

Chocolate Icing. — A quick way to 
make chocolate icing for cake is to 
place a few good chocolate creams 
in a saucepan, add a tablespoonful or 
less of hot water or milk, and place 
it in a pan of hot water or over the 
steam of a teakettle until the choco- 
lates are dissolved. Stir thoroughly 
and apply. 

Or add to 1 pint of boiled icing 
prepared in the usual way 1 ounce of 
grated chocolates and the yolks of 2 
eggs. Mix and apply. 

Or beat up the white of an egg 
in a bowl, dissolve i pound of grated 
chocolate in 1 cup of milk in a double 
boiler, stir in a cupful of powdered 
sugar and 1 teaspoonful of vanilla. 
Pour the mixture over the white of 
egg and beat to ^ stiff frptji, 



744 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Coffee Icing. — To 1 pint of icing 
prepared in the usual way add 2 
ounces of strong black coffee, J ounce 
of confectioners' sugar, and the yolks 

of 3 eggs. 

HONEY AND BEESWAX 

Honey. — Honey is not, as some 
suppose, produced by bees, but is the 
sweet material collected from flowers 
by the honeybee and stored by them 
as food for themselves and their pro- 
geny, hence the aroma and flavor of 
honey varies with its source, that 
from white clover or buckwheat usu- 
ally being regarded as the best. In 
Turkey and some other countries 
honey produced by certain plants is 
poisonous, and that of others is in- 
jurious to health. Honey is fre- 
quently adulterated with glycerin 
and glucose, and various imitations 
of honey can be made of other mate- 
rials suitably flavored with various 
essential oils. 

Honey is deposited by bees in wax 
cells known as honeycomb. When 
pure it consists partly of a sirup of 
sugar that will not crystallize, and 
partly of crystallized grains some- 
what like grape sugar. The finest 
quality, called virgin honey, is that 
which drips freely from the comb. 
The ordinary quality is obtained by 
melting the comb and extracting the 
honey by pressure. It should be 
noted that if honey is heated in iron 
or copper utensils it takes on a dark- 
er color, hence porcelain, earthen- 
ware, or tinware should be employed 
for this purpose. The proper pro- 
portion of water to be added in ex- 
tracting or purifying honey is equal 
parts by weight. 

To Extract Honey. — First strain 
the comb through a sieve to free the 
honey from the wax. Melt it with gen- 
tle heat in a double boiler and take off 
the scum with a skimmer as fast as it 
appears. Let cool, pour into j ars and 
seal with paraffin, waxed tops, or 
otherwise, so as to be air-tight. 

To Preserve Honey in the Comb.— 
Set aside for this purpose combs that 



do not contain pollen, stand them 
edgewise in earthenware jars or tin 
cans, and cover them with extracted 
honey. Cover the tops with paraflBn 
or otherwise to exclude the air. 

To Clarify Honey. — Melt down 
the pure honey in a double boiler of 
porcelain or earthenware, and strain 
while hot through a flannel cloth 
dipped in hot water. This dissolves 
the crystals and converts the honey 
into a uniform thick sirup. The test 
is not as acceptable, but the honey 
keeps better and is more wholesome. 

Or beat up the white of an egg to 
a stiff froth and whip it into 4 or 5 
pounds of honey. Stir in pure water 
to make a sirup of the consistency of 
cream, and boil until the white of egg 
can be removed with a skimmer. 
Pour out the honey into a milk can 
or other receptacle having a spigot or 
iaucet at the bottom, and let stand 
for about a month. Then draw off 
the clarified honey from the spigot. 

Or melt down the honey in a dou- 
ble boiler with clear water to a sirup 
of the consistency of cream, and stir 
in 6 ounces of purified animal char- 
coal to 8 pounds of honey. Simmer 
with gentle heat for 20 minutes. 
If the sirup is sour, stir in a little 
prepared chalk to sweeten it, strain 
through a flannel cloth dipped in hot 
water, and let stand over a slow fire 
until the excess of water it contains 
is removed by evaporation. 

Or dissolve the honey with water 
in a double boiler, and let it boil up 
briskly, stirring four or five times at 
intervals, but not skimming. Re- 
move from the fire, let cool and pour 
on cloth strainers covered with an 
inch or more of fresh white sand. 
After the honey has run through, 
pour on gradually clear water, to 
rinse the strainer, and finally with 
gentle heat evaporate the excess of 
water from the honey. 

Or to clarify on a large scale, mix 
9 large fresh eggs with 2i gallons of 
water for each half barrel of honey, 
in a tin-lined vat. Simmer with gen- 
tle heat, skim and filter through 
strong linen strainers covered with 



CANDIES AND CANDY MAKING 



74^ 



about 1 inch of clear white sand. 
Afterwards evaporate the excess of 
water with gentle heat. 

To Make Artificial Honey. — The 
cost of pure honey is so great that 
various artificial preparations are 
manufactured, and these may be put 
up if desired for home use in place 
of honey and maple sirup at less ex- 
pense. 

Dissolve in 1 pint of boiling water 
i ounce of alum. Remove from the 
fire, stir in 4- pounds of granulated 
sugar, bring to a boil and stir until 
dissolved. Remove quickly, strain 
through cheese cloth, and when near- 
ly com itir in 1 teaspoonful of arti- 
ficial honey-flavoring extract com* 
posed as follows: 

^To i pint of 98 per cent alcohol 
add J ounce of Jamaica ginger, 3 
drops of attar of roses and shake 
well before using. This extract must 
be prepared in small quantities only 
as required for use. This was for- 
merly closely guarded as a trade se- 
cret, and a great deal of artificial 
honey made from this recipe has be^n 
placed upon the market. 

Or to make so-called French honey, 
break into a bowl 4 large fresh eggs 
and add the yolks of 2 more. Stir 
in 1 pound of granulated sugar, add 
the juice of 4 lemons and the grated 
rind of 2, and stir in i pound of 
butter. Melt over a slow fire to the 
consistency of honey. 

In addition to the above are nu- 
merous recipes for diluting or adul- 
terating pure honey with sugar sirup 
and various flavoring substances. 

Dissolve 8 pounds of white sugar 
in 2 quarts of water, boil 4 min- 
utes, stir in 1 pound of pure honey 
and while hot strain through a flan- 
nel cloth dipped in hot water. When 
nearly cool add 1 or 2 drops of oil of 
peppermint and a drop of attar of 
roses. 

A standard recipe consists of a mix- 
ture of 5 pounds of clear light-brown 
or coffee sugar, IJ pounds of bee- 
bred honey, IJ pounds of soft water, 
20 grains of pure cream of tartar, 11 
ounces of gum arable. Boil these in- 



gredients in a porcelain or tinware 
utensil for 5 minutes. Then add an 
infusion of 1 teaspoonful of pulver- 
ized slippery elm bark in 8 ounces of 
water, straining it into the mixture 
through a piece of cheese cloth. 

Now stir in the whites of 2 eggs 
beaten to a stiff froth, boil 2 min- 
utes, remove the white of egg with a 
skimmer as it rises, remove and when 
lukewarm flavor with 1 drop of at- 
tar of roses, 6 drops of oil of pepper- 
mint, and add J pound or more of 
pure honey. This is an old standard 
recipe that perhaps can hardly be 
improved upon. The decoction of 
slippery elm should, however, be 
omitted in warm weather, as other- 
wise it will ferment and cause a 
scum on the surface. The larger the 
quantity of pure honey the better 
wiU be the flavor and value of the 
product. 

Or 1 pound of honey will impart 
its natural flavor to about double the 
weight of pure white sugar, thus 
making a useful sirup for domestic 
purposes, nearly equal in value to the 
pure honey, and less likely to disa- 
gree with those who are unable to use 
the pure article. To make this sirup 
dissolve 2 poimds of pure granulated 
sugar in about 12 or 15 ounces of 
boiling water, and add 1 ounce of 
gum arable dissolved in a little boil- 
ing water, or the white of 1 egg. 
Bring to a boil and remove the scum 
with a skimmer as it appears. Re- 
move this clarified sugar sirup from 
the fire and stir in 8 ounces of pure 
bee honey. When partially cool, stir 
in 4 ounces more, and when luke- 
warm stir in the remaining 4 ounces, 
making 1 pound all told. Flavor 
when nearly cold with a few drops of 
essence of peppermint and a drop or 
two of attar of roses. The quality 
can be improved by the use of a little 
less water and the addition of a some- 
what larger proportion of honey. 

To Prepare Beeswax. — To prepare 
beeswax melt the honeycomb in boil- 
ing water. Let cool, when the wax 
will form a cake on the surface. Re- 
mote the cake, scrape off any im- 



746 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



purities from the bottom, and repeat, 
if necessary. 

To Refine Beeswax. — Add about 5 
per cent water to crude beeswax and 
melt with gentle heat. Raise to a 
boil, let boil for a few minutes, and 
add about 1 per cent concentrated 
nitric acid. Use for this purpose an 
earthenware vessel set in boiling wa- 
ter, and continue to boil until the 
fumes of the acid cease to be evolved. 

Or when the melted wax has boiled 
for a few minutes scatter 5 or 6 
per cent of sulphuric acid over the 
surface of the melted wax. It must 
be done with care. If the vessel is 
not suflSciently deep the wax will 
froth up and run over the sides. Af- 
ter adding the acid cover the mix- 
ture, remove it from the fire, and be- 
fore it is quite cool skim it off with 
a heated ladle. Take care not to dis- 
turb the sediment. Scrape the im- 
purities from the inside of the cake. 
Remelt and strain through cheese 
cloth. The addition of a little an- 
notto will improve the color of the wax. 

To Whiten Beeswax.- — Melt up the 
wax with gentle heat and dip into it 
thin hard-wood boards, plates, or 
any suitable flat articles previously 
dipped in water to prevent the wax 
sticking. When these are removed 
they will be covered with a thin plate 
of wax. Loosen this film of wax with 
a knife fend strip it off. Spread these 
thin sheets upon a white cloth upon 
the grass and expose them to the sun 
and air to bleach. Afterwards re- 
melt and form into cakes. 

Or melt the wax with hot water 
and squeeze through a fine linen 
cloth. Pour in shallow molds and 
when hard expose to the air, sprink- 
ling frequently with water,and turning 
from time to time until quite white. 

To Color Beeswax. — To color bees- 
wax, add bright palm oil. Or as a 
sufficient quantity of palm oil to col- 
or adulterates the wax, color with 
annotto in the proportion of about 4 
ounces to 100 pounds of wax, accord- 
ing to the color required. Shave the 
annotto in 3 to 4 ;g[uarts of soft wa- 



ter, to which add about 1 pound of 
wax, let boil until the water is evapo- 
rated and the wax is of a deep- 
orange color. Melt the remainder of 
the wax, and stir in the colored wax 
until the proper shade is produced. 
Test from time to time by cooling a 
little on a glass plate. 

Bottle Wax. — To make wax for 
sealing corked bottles and similar 
purposes, melt together 6J ounces of 
black rosin, i ounce of beeswax, and 
li ounces of fine ivory black. 

Or for red wax, substitute 1^ 
ounces of Venetian red or red lead 
for the ivory black. 

Or mix 1 pound of beeswax, 1 
pound of rosin, J pound of tallow. 
Color with red or yellow ocher or 
other coloring matter. Melt and stir 
together. 

Or for white wax, substitute 
bleached wax for beeswax and color 
with Spanish white. 

To Test Adulterated Wax.— Bees- 
wax is sometimes adulterated with 
spermaceti or Japanese wax. To test 
for Japanese wax, cover a sample 
with concentrated solution of borax 
and bring it to a boil. Beeswax is 
insoluble in this solution, but Japa- 
nese wax dissolves and forms on 
cooling a milky-white sticky coating. 

Imitation of Beeswax. — Melt to- 
gether 14 pounds of yellow rosin, 7 
pounds of suet, 1 pound of turmeric, 
2 pounds of potato flour and mix and 
form into cakes before it cools. If 
the color is too bright, add a little 
ivory black. Rub each cake when 
cold with flour. 

Or 8 pounds of yellow rosin, 4 
pounds of pure mutton tallow or 
stearin, and 1| pounds of palm oil. 

Or substitute i pound of turmeric 
in place of palm oil. 

Or place 1 ounce of pure annotto in 
1 quart of water. Bring to a boil, 
stir in 5 pounds of mutton suet or 
stearin, 10 pounds of yellow rosin, 
stir and boil until well mixed and 
colored. Pour into molds to cool. 
Dust the cakes when cold with corn- 
starch. 



CHAPTER XXVII 

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES— LINEAR OR LONG MEASURE— SQUARE 
OR SUPERFICIAL MEASURE — SURVEYORS' AND LAND MEAS- 
URE—CUBIC OR CAPACITY MEASURE — WOOD, LUMBER AND 
BOARD MEASURE — MEASUREMENT OF STONE AND BRICK — 
DRY AND LIQUID MEASURE— MEASURES OF WEIGHT— COOKS' 
TABLE OF PROPORTIONS— CIRCULAR MEASURE— LONGITUDE 
AND TIME— MEASURES OF VALUE-UNITED STATES MONEY- 
ENGLISH OR STERLING MONEY— METRIC SYSTEM OF WEIGHTS 
AND MEASURES. 



WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 

There are four principal classes of 
weights and measures, namely: Meas- 
ures of Length, of Surface, of Vol- 
ume, and of Weight. In addition to 
these are measures of value as ap- 
plied to money and coinage — meas- 
urement of time, temperature, and 
others. The principle underlying the 
use of weights and measures is that 
of reference to an agreed unit as 
standard. Some distinct means of de- 
termining quantity is essential to the 
most primitive forms of human so- 
ciety. Hence, the use of weights and 
measures is very ancient. As the ap- 
plications of this principle have in- 
creased in number and importance 
with advancing civilization, a great 
variety of different units as standards 
of measurement, adapted to different 
purposes, have been introduced. The 
result is a great degree of confusion 
in the common mind on this subject 
which entails enormous loss and ex- 
pense in all commercial business. An 
attempt has been made by scientific 
men to remedy this condition by the 
introduction of the metric system, 
but thus far this system has not 
come into general use in the English- 
speaicing world. 

At present the units in general use 
in the United States are as follows: 
of measures of length, the unit for 



carpentry and mechanics is the foot. 
This is subdivided into inches and 
lines, or inches, halves, quarters, and 
so on. The unit for textile fabrics is 
the yard divided into quarters and 
nails. For field surveying, the chain 
divided into links and decimals. For 
road measure, the mile divided into 
furlongs and rods. The units of 
square or superficial measure are the 
squares of these with the addition as 
a unit for land measure of the acre. 
Of capacity measures, the units for 
liquids are the gallon, quart, pint, and 
gill. For cereals and other dry sub- 
stances, the bushel and peck. For fire 
wood, the cord. The unit of weight 
for ordinary commerce is the avoir- 
dupois pound, divided into halves, 
quarters, and so on; or, for large 
masses, into the quarter, hundred, 
and ton. The unit for bullion, plate, 
and coin, or jewelers' measure, is the 
pound troy which is irregularly di- 
vided. The unit for drugs and medl. 
cines, or apothecaries' measure, is a 
pound equal to the pound troy but 
differently subdivided. Jewelers also 
make use of a unit for the measure- 
ment of gems called the carat. 

Origin of Standards. — The deriva- 
tion of the original imits of linear 
measurement appears to have been 
from comparison with various parts 
of the human body. The use of the 
foot seems to have originated iq 



747 



748 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Greece, the standard, according to tra- 
dition, having been taken from the 
foot of Hercules. The natural mode 
of measuring various distances by 
counting one's steps, which is still oc- 
casionally made use of for rough 
measures, early gave rise to the pace 
as a unit or standard. Hence, the 
Roman rnille passuum, 1,000 paces, 
from which has been derived the mile 
of the present day. The ancient cubit 
is taken from the length of the fore- 
arm. This is still a standard of meas- 
urement in many Eastern countries.^ 
The ell, a term used in Europe down 
to our own time for cloth measure, is 
also derived from the forearm. The 
English yard, from an old English 
term meaning to gird, signifies the 
girdle or circumference of the body. 
The fathom is from an old English 
word meaning to embrace and signi- 
fies the length of two arms. The 
breadth of the hand or palm is still 
used as a standard in the measure- 
ment of the height of horses. The 
nail and the thumb's breadth have 
also been frequently made use of. 

Measurements of weight were a 
much later introduction. The wheat- 
corn or grain of wheat, required by 
law to be taken from the middle of 
the ear, was used in England as a 
standard of weight until within mod- 
ern times. With the introduction of 
modern science, the length of a pen- 
dulum measuring seconds under cer- 
tain prescribed conditions has been 
taken as a linear standard. And the 
weight of a prescribed quantity of 
water under certain conditions has 
been taken as a standard of weight. 
The standard of solid measure has 
also been similarly determined. 

The unit of the metric system is the 
meter, intended to be one ten mil- 
lionth of the distance from the equa- 
tor to the pole. This unit has been 
agreed upon as a standard by the 
principal European nations and has 
been accepted by Great Britain and 



* Among the Israelites the cubit was divided 
into two spans, the spans into three palms, the 

Ealms into four digits, the order of nature 
eing adhered to throughout. 



the United States, although its use is 
not compulsory in either of those 
countries. The standard units em- 
ployed by the United States Govern- 
ment at Washington are themselves 
corrected by reference to the interna- 
tional meter. Hence, the metric sys- 
tem is actually the ultimate standard 
in the United States. It is to be very 
much regretted that the use of the 
metric system has not become univer- 
sal. At present, it is employed by 
somewhat more than half the popula- 
tion of the civilized world. 

LINEAR OR LONG MEASURE 

linear Measure. — The standard of 
linear, or long measure, is the length 
of a pendulum that will vibrate in a 
vacuum, at the sea level in London, 
at 62° F., once in a second. Scientists 
Jiave determined that such a pendu- 
lum is nearly 39.1393 inches in length; 
f-| of this is taken as a standard yard. 
The standard yard of the United 
States Is a metal bar kept at Wash- 
ington. It is identical with the Eng- 
lish imperial yard. Subdivisions and 
multiples of this are shown in the fol- 
lowing table: 

12 inches 1 foo*. 

3 feet 1 yard. 

6J yards 1 rod, pole, or 

perch. 

40 poles 1 furlong. 

8 furlongs 1 mile. 

320 rods 1 mile. 

1760 yards 1 mile. 

6280 feet 1 mile. 

3 miles 1 league. 

69i"s miles 1 degree of a great 

circle of the earth 

The mile is commonly divided into 
halves, fourths, eighths, etc. The fur- 
long (% of a mile) is seldom used. 

A league is 3 miles, but its length 
is variable, for it is, strictly speak- 
ing, a nautical term, and should be 
3 geographical miles, equal to 3.45 
statute miles ; but when used on land, 
3 statute miles are said to be a 
league. 

The length of a degree of latitude 
varies; 69.16 miles is the average 
length, and is that adopted by the 
United States Coast Survey. 



WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 



749 



Less Common linear Measures. — 
Additional linear measures less com- 
monly used are the following: 

48 hair's breadths 1 inch. 

3 barley corns 1 inch. 

3 inches 1 palm. 

4 inches 1 hand. 

18 inches 1 English cubit. 

21.888 inches 1 Bible cubit. 

2i feet 1 mihtary pace. 

3 feet 1 common pace. 

3.28 feet 1 meter. 

11 feet 1 great cubit. 

In biblical and other old measure- 
ments, the term span is sometimes 
used, which is a length of 9 inches. 

The sacred cubit of the Jews was 
24.024 inches in length. 

The common cubit of the Jews was 
21.704 inches in length. 

Horses are measured directlj over 
the forefeet, and the standard of 
measure is 4 inches — called a hand. 

Subdivisions of the Inch. — Tool 
cutters and other machinists engaged 
in fine metal work, scientists, revenue 
officers, and some others, divide the 
inch decimally, i. e., into tenths, hun- 
dredths, etc. Carpenters and mechan- 
ics engaged in rough work divide the 
inch into eighths or sixteenths. 

The former custom of dividing the 
inch into twelve parts, called lines, has 
gone out of use. 

Following are equivalents of the 
decimal parts of a foot in inches: 



Decimal 


Fractions 


Decimal 


Fractions 


value 


of a foot 


value 


of a foot 


in feet. 


in inches. 


in feet. 


Ln inches. 


.01041 


I 




.25 


3 


.02083 






.3333 


4 


.03125 


i 




.4166 


5 


.04166 


i 




.5 


6 


.05208 






.5833 


7 


.0025 






.6666 


8 


.07291 




r 


.75 


9 


.0833 


1 


.8333 


10 


.1666 


2 


.9166 


11 



Nautical Measure. — In addition to 
the above a distinct table of measure- 
ments is used by geographers and 
mariners as follows: 

6 feet 1 fathom. 

110 ■ fathoms, or 660 feet. . . 1 furlong. 

120 fathoms 1 cable's length. 

6086.7 feet 1 nautical mile. 

3 nautical miles 1 league. 

20 lea., or 60 naut. miles. 1 degree. 
360 degrees The earth's cir- 
cumference = 
24,855J miles 
nearly. 



The nautical mile is also called the 
geographical mile or for brevity the 
knot. It is 795f feet longer than 
the common mile. 

Cloth Measure. — Another mode of 
measurement formerly much used by 
merchants on the continent of Europe 
and in colonial times in this country 
is as follows: 

2 J inches 1 nail. 

4 nails 1 quarter of a yd. 

4 quarters 1 yard. 

1 aunze li yard. 

Forei'jn Cloth Measure 

2i- quarters 1 ell Hamburg. 

3 quarters 1 ell Flemish. 

5 quarters 1 ell English. 

6 quarters 1 ell French. 

4iV quarters 1 ell Scotch. 

An Amsterdam ell is equal to 26.796 inches. 
A Trieste ell is equal to 25.284 inches. 
A Brabant ell is equal to 27.116 inches. 

In measuring cloth, ribbon, etc., the 
width is not considered, and the yard 
is now usually divided into halves, 
fourths, eighths, and sixteenths. In 
the United States custom house the 
yard is divided into tenths and hun- 
dredtlis. 

Scales for linear Measure. — The 
many occasions that a standard of 
linear measure is required suggest 
the utility of having always at hand 
a scale from which a yardstick or 
other measure can be constructed. 
Carpenters, mechanics, and farmers 
frequently make it a practice to carry 
a jointed yardstick in the pocket. It 
is convenient to glue a yard measure 
on the edge of a carpenter's bench or 
a sewing table, or to indicate the di- 
vision into inches or fractions of an 
inch by means of small brass brads 
driven in flush with the surface and 
rubbed to a polish with emery pa- 
per. Sailors not infrequently tattoo a 
yard measure on the outer side of the 
left arm beginning at the point of the 
little finger, the subdivisions being 
pricked into the skin in India ink. 
This device will be found useful to 
farmers, mechanics, and others. 
Builders, pajier hangers, and others, 
engaged in the building trades, find a 
narrow steel measure, a rod or more 
in lengths winding up in a suitable 



f50 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



circular case by means of a spring 
or crank, a very convenient contriv- 
ance. 

SQUARE OR STTPERFICIAL MEASURE 

Square Measure. — Square or super- 
ficial measure is employed by carpen- 
ters, masons, and others, in the build- 
ing trades, in house furnishing and 
decoration, and notably in surveying 
and the measurement of land. 

The ordinary square measure for 
carpenters, masons, and others is as 
follows: 

144 sq. inches 1 sq. foot. 

9 sq. feet, or 1,296 sq. 

inches 1 sq. yard. 

100 sq. feet 1 sq. of flooring, 

roofing, etc. 
36 sq. yards Iroodof building 

Carpenters, architects, and mechan- 
ics often write 8" for 8 inches, and 5' 
for 5 feet. They also use sq." and sq.' 
for square inches and square feet. 

Plastering, ceiling, etc., are com- 
monly estimated by the square yard; 
paving, glazing, and stone cutting by 
the square foot; roofing, flooring, and 
slating by the square 100 feet. 

Cost of lathing. — Laths are 4 feet 
long, li inches wide, and are laid | 
inch apart at the sides, and close 
together at the ends. A bunch of lath 
containS^ 100 pieces, and is estimated 
to cover 5 square yards of surface. 

Cost of Clapboarding and Shing- 
ling. — Clapboards are usually cut 4 
feet long and 6 inches wide, and are 
put up in bundles of twenty-five each. 

Shingles are estimated at 9 shingles, 
laid 4 inches to the weather, to the 
square foot. Allowing for waste and 
c^'^fects, 1,000 shingles are estimated 
to cover 100 square feet, called a 
square. In practice, 1,000 shingles of 
the best quality will cover 125 square 
feet. 

Or to find the number of shingles 
required in a roof: multiply the num- 
ber of square feet in the roof by 9 if 
the shingles are exposed 4 inches, by 
8 if exposed 4i inches, or by 7^ if ex- 
posed 5 inches. 

To find the number of square feet. 



multiply the lengtK of the roof by 
twice the length of the rafters. 

To find the length of the rafters at 
i pitch, multiply the width of the 
building by .56 (hundredths) ; at J 
pitch by .6 (tenths) ; at f pitch by 
.64 (hundredths) ; at | pitch by .71 
(hundredths). This gives the length 
of the rafters from the apex to the 
end of the wall, and whatever they are 
to project must be taken into consid- 
eration. 

By i or ^ pitch is meant that the 
apex or comb of the roof is to be i 
to i the width of the building higher 
than the walls or base of the rafters. 

Measurement of Wall Surfaces. — 
A common application of square 
measure in the household is in esti- 
mating material and labor for the 
treatment of wall surfaces by paper 
hanging, plastering, painting, or cal- 
cimining. All of these are usually 
'computed by the square yard. 

Wall paper is sold by the roll, 
which is usually 18 inches wide and 8 
yards in length. Or in double rolls 
of the same width, 16 yards long. 
These are counted as 2 rolls each. 
They economize waste in cutting. 

These are the dimensions of most 
wall papers made in America, and 
may be taken for granted unless 
otherwise specified. Imported papers 
differ as to the length and width of 
the roll. 

Borders or friezes are sold by the 
yard. They vary in width from 3 
inches upward. 

Cost of Hanging Wall -Paper. — It 
is not possible, as a rule, to find in 
advance the exact cost of papering a 
room. The measurement of the room 
will, however, assist in making an es- 
timate of the number of rolls re- 
quired. The actual number to be paid 
for can be determined only after the 
papering has been done. Then all 
rolls that have been cut jjiust be paid 
for, the uncut rolls being, as a rule, 
allowed to be returned. 

When estimating the number of 
rolls of paper required for papering 
a room of ordinary height (i. e., if 
the distance from the baseboard to 



WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 



751 



the border is not mare than 8 feet), 
first measure around the room, leaving 
out the widths of the doors and win- 
dows; then allow one double roll or 
two single rolls for every 7 feet. 

Or by another method, measure 
around the room in yards. The num- 
ber of strips required will be just 
about double the number of yards. 
Find how many strips can be cut 
from a roll and divide the number of 
strips required to go around the room 
by the number that can be cut from 
a roll. The result will be the number 
of rolls. 

Cost of Plastering', Papering, and 
Calcimining. — These are measured 
by the square yard. Allowances are 
sometimes made either in whole or 
part for the area of openings, for 
baseboards, and the like. But there 
is no uniform rule respecting these 
allowances. Custom varies so greatly 
that it is better to make a written 
contract to govern the final settle- 
ment. The surfaces of the walls of a 
room may be found by multiplying 
the sum of the lengths of the four 
sides changed to square units by the 
height. 

Cost of Carpeting Rooms. — Car- 
peting and matting is in various 
widths, commonly 1 yard or f of a 
yard in width, and is sold by the yard. 
Oilcloth and linoleum come in various 
widths and are sold by the square 
yard. 

The number of yards of carpeting 
required for a room depends on the 
size of the room, the directions in 
which the strips run, and the loss 
caused by matching the figures. 
Hence it is necessary to decide first 
whether the strips shall run length- 
wise or across the room; next, how 
much will be wasted in matching the 
pattern; and finally the number of 
strips required. The number of yards 
in a strip, including the waste in 
matching the pattern, multiplied by 
the number of strips, will give the 
number of yards required. In large 
carpet stores, loss in matching the 
figures is sometimes avoided by cut- 
ting strips from different rolls. Waste 



may also occur from turning under 
carpets that are too wide, and from 
borders. If borders are put all 
around the carpet, the corners must 
be counted twice, because one half of 
each corner is wasted in the making. 

SURVEYORS' AND LAND MEASURE 

Land Measure. — The same table 
with certain additions as follows is 




16 14 FT = IROD 

" Ordinary Land i ' ensure." 

used for ordinary land or surface 
measure : 

144 sq. inches 1 sq. foot. 

9 sq. feet 1 sq. yard. 

30J sq. yards 1 sq. rod or perch, 

40 sq. perches 1 rood. 

4 roods 1 acre. 

640 acres 1 sq. mile. 

Surveyors' Measure. — In addition, 
the following table based upon Gun- 
ter's Chain, which is 4 rods or Q6 feet, 
is employed for land surveying. An 
engineer's chain, used by civil engi- 
neers, is 100 feet long, and consists of 
100 links. 

7.92 inches. 1 lint. 

25 links 1 rod. 

100 links 1 chain. 

66 feet 1 chain, 

4 rods 1 chain. 

10 sq. chains — 160 sq. rods. ... 1 acre. 

80 chains. 1 mile. 

640 acres. ..,.,... 1 sq. mile. 

625 sq. links 1 sq. pole. 

16 sq. poles. 1 sq. chain. 

10 sq. chains 1 acre. 

sq. mi. A. sq. rd. sq. yd. sq. ft. 

1 = 640 = 102400 = 3097600 = 27878400 

sq. in. 

4014489600 

Scale.— 640, 160. 30i, 9, 144. 

The term perch or pole is some- 
times used instead of square rod. 
The rood, 40 perches, or ^ acre, is 
found in old title deeds and surveys. 

Rules for land Measure. — The fol- 
lowing rules and suggestions may 
be of assistance in measuring land. 



752 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Measure 909 feet on each side and the 
result will be a square acre within 
an inch. 

To find the number of acres in any 
plot of land when the number of rods 
is given, divide the number of rods by 
8, multiply the quotient by 5, and re- 
move the decimal point two places to 
the left. To find how many rods in 
length will make an acre when the 
width in rods is given, divide 160 by 
the width in rods and the quotient 
will be the answer. 

To find the number of acres in a 
body of land having square corners 
and parallel sides, ascertain the length 
and the width in rods, multiply these 
numbers and divide the product by 
160, the number of square rods in an 
acre. If there is a remainder, carry 
out to two decimal places. The result 
will be the answer in acres and hun- 
dredths. If opposite sides of a piece 
of land are of unequal length add 
them together and take | as the mean 
length or width. 

To measure a triangular field, mul- 
tiply the length of the longest side in 
rods by the greatest width in rods; 
take ^ the product and divide by 
160. To measure any field of irregu- 
lar outline, provided the sides are 
straight, divide the field into triangles 
and measure each triangle by this 
rule. But if the sides are crooked 
make a number of parallel measure- 
ments across the field at places equal 
distances apart, add them, and divide 
the total by the number of measure- 
ments made ; this will give the -mean 
length; similar measurements in the 
opposite direction will give the mean 
width. Multiply the two results and 
divide by 160. 

To find the surface of a circular 
field, measure the diameter in rods, 
multiply the diameter by itself and 
the result by 7.854 and divide by 160. 

To Lay Out an Acre. — An acre of 
land contains 160 square rods or 
43,560 square feet. To lay out an acre 
at right angles, i. e., square corners, 
one side being known, divide the 
square contents of an acre by the 
length of the known side, taking care 



that both are expressed in the same 
kind of units. For example: if one 
side is known to be 4 rods, divide 
160, the number of square rods in 
an acre, by 4 and the quotient will 
be 40 rods or the depth of the acre 
plot. 

Or, if the length of the known side 
is 180 feet, divide 43,560, the number 
of square feet in an acre, by 180 and 
the result will be 342 or the depth of 
the acre plot in feet. 

The following table will be found 
convenient for reference: 

A. R. Rds. Sq. Yds. Sq. Ft. Sq. In. 

1 = 4=160=4840 =43560 =6272640 

1= 40=1210 =10890 =1568160 

1= 30i= 272i= 39204 

1 = 9 = 1296 

1 = 144 

Estimate of Waste land. — A 
standard English mile, which is the 
measure that we use, is 5,280 feet in 
length, 1,760 yards, or 320 rods. A 
strip 1 rod wide and 1 mile long is 
2 acres. By this it is easy to calcu- 
late the quantity of land taken up by 
roads, and also how much is wasted 
by fences. 

United States Government Land 
Measure. — Government surveys in 
this country are made with references 
to a principal meridian running north 
and south, of which there are 24 in 
the United States. A base line is run 
east aild west at right angles with 
the meridian. The land is then di- 
vided by means of lines running par- 
allel with these into sections 6 miles 
on each side. These are called town- 
ships. A line of townships running 
north and south is called a range. It 
is designated by a number east or 
west from the principal meridian. 
Each township is divided into 36 
sections. These are each 1 mile 
square and contain 640 acres. The 
sections are all numbered from 1 to 
36, commencing at the northeast cor- 
ner. They are further subdivided 
into quarters, which are named by 
the cardinal points, and the quarters 
are again subdivided in the same way. 
The following table will be foimd 
convenient for reference: 



WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 



753 



i township, 6 miles square 36 sections. 

1 section, 1 mile square. ... 640 acres. 

1 quarter section, I mile square . . 160 acres. 

I eighth section, i mile long, 

north and south, i mile wide.. . 80 acres. 
js section, i mile square 40 acres. 

Most of the Western States have 
been laid out on this plan by the 
Government. All titles, except city- 
lots, are established under this survey. 

Comparative Land Measure. — The 
standard acre varies in the different 
countries of the world and allowance 
must be made for this difference in 
statements of the products of the 
land per acre in various countries. 
The same land measure is used in this 
country as in England. The com- 
parative size of the different units of 
land measure of different countries, in 
square yards, is given as follows: 

English acre 4,840 sq. yards. 

Scotch acre. 6,150 sq. yards. 

Irish acre 7,840 sq. yards. 

Hamburg acre 11,545 sq. yards. 

Amsterdam acre 9,722 sq. yards. 

Dantzic acre 6,650 sq. yards. 

France (hectare) acre 11,960 sq. yards. 

Prussia (morgen) acre. ..... 3,053 sq. yards. 

This difference should be borne in 
mind in reading of the products per 
acre in different countries. Our land 
measure is that of England. 

In Texas, New Mexico, and other 
Spanish sections of the United States, 
the Spanish land measures are still in 
use. The unit of length is the vara, 
equal in Texas to 33J inches, in Cali- 
fornia to 33 inches, and in Mexico to 
33.9927 inches. Counting 33J inches 
to the vara, 108 varas = 100 yards, 
and 1900.8 varas = 1 mile. 

Land is measured in square varas, 
labors, and square leagues. 

1,000,000 sq. varas = 1 labor = 177.136 acres. 
25 labors = 1 sq.lea. = 4428.4 acres. 
1 acre = 5645.376 sq. varas. 

Dimensions of Acre Plots. — The 
following are approximate measures 
of an acre plot: 

3 by 531 rods is 1 acre. 

4 by 40 rods is 1 acre. 

6 by 32 rods is 1 acre. 

6 by 26f rods is 1 acre. 

7 by 22? rods is 1 acre. 

8 by 20 rods is 1 acre. 

9 by 17-J rods is 1 aero. 

10 by 16 rods is. , 1 acre. 

I I by 14ft rods is 1 acre. 

12 by 13J rods is 1 acre. 



Twelve rods 10 feet and 81 inches 
square make an acre. 

Dimensions of Small Lots. — The 
following are approximate measures 
of plots less than an acre: 



Fraction 
of an acre. 


Square feet. 


Feet square. 


^ 


2722i 


52i 


i 


5445 


73i 




10890 


104i 


14520 


120i 


i 


21780 


147i 


1 


43560 


208 i 


2 


87120 


295 i 



CUBIC OE CAPACITY MEASUEE 

Capacity Measure. — Measures of 
capacity are principally of three sorts: 
solid, liquid, and dry measure. In 
practical application of capacity 
measure, however, a number of differ- 
ent units are employed for different 
purposes. Among these is cubic 
measure used by scientists and also 
in the building trades for the meas- 




,3 FEET = I YARD 

" The Ultimate Measure is the Yard." 

urement of stone, lumber, and for 
many other purposes. The ultimate 
unit is the cube of the standard yard 
with the cubes of its subdivisions into 
feet and inches. Other common units 
are the cord and the cord foot used 
in the measurement of wood for fuel, 
and the perch used in the measure- 
ment of stone for masonry. The bushel 
with its subdivisions is the unit of dry 
measure and is used for grain, vege- 
tables, and the like; but there is an 



754 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



increasing tendencj to determine the 
measurement of these articles by 
weight. The gallon is the unit of 
measurement for liquids, with the ex- 
ception of medicine, for which a spe- 
cial unit is provided. The following 
is a table of solid or cubic measure: 

1728 cu. inches 1 cu. foot. 

27 cu. feet 1 cu. yard. 

40 cu. feet of round timber or 
50 cu. feet of hewn tim- 
ber 1 ton or load. 

42 cu. feet 1 ton shipping. 

16 cu. feet 1 cord-foot OS 

wood. 

8 cord feet 1 cord of wood. 

128 cu. feet 1 cord of wood. 

24| cu. feet 1 perch of stone or 

masonry. 

2150.42 cu. inches 1 standard bushel. 

268.8 cu. inches. , 1 standard gallon. 

1 cu. foot I bushel. 

A perch of stone or masonry is 16 J 
feet long, 1 ^ feet thick, and 1 foot 
high, and contains 24| cubic feet. 

A cubic yard of earth is considered 
a load. 



WOOD, XTJMBEE AND BOARD 

MEASUEE 

Measurement of Wood and lum- 
ber. — Among the most frequent ap- 
plications of cubic or capacity meas- 




"A Cord-Foot is One-eight of this Pile." 

ure is the measurement of cord wood 
for fuel and of round timber or sawed 
lumber for building and other pur- 
poses. 

Wood is usually cut for fuel into 4 
feet sticks. A cord of wood is a pile 
8 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 4 feet 
high. It contains 138 cubic feet. A 
cord-foot is | of this pile or a pile of 
wood 4 feet long, 4 feet high, and 1 
foot wide. 

To obtain the number of cords in a 
pile of wood, multiply the length of 



the wood by the height of the pile ex- 
pressed in feet and that result by the 
length of the pile in feet. Divide the 
product by 128 and the quotient will 
be the number of cords. 

Board Measure. — Lumber is sold at 
so much " per M," meaning per thou- 
sand feet B. M. or board measure. 
Board measure is used in measuring 
lumber sawed into boards, planks, 
joists, scantling, etc. The unit of 
board measure is the board foot, 
which is 1 foot long, 1 foot wide, and 
1 inch thick, and hence is equal to-Jg 
of a cubic foot. Hence to find the 
number of board feet in a board or 
other piece of lumber having square 
edges and parallel sides, first find the 
surface of the board in square feet 
and multiply the product by the 
thickness in inches. Boards 1 inch 
in thickness or less are sold by the 
'Square foot, surface measure. 

Thus a board 1 foot wide and 16 
feet long, if 1 inch or less in thick- 
ness, would contain 16 square feet or 
16 feet board measure. A board 18 
feet long, 6 inches wide, and 1 inch or 
less thick would contain 18 X i foot 
B. M. or 9 feet B. M. A joist 12 feet 
X 6 inches X 2 inches contains 12 X 3 
X i feet B. M. or 12 feet B. M. 

The width of a board that tapers 
uniformly is averaged by taking one 
half the smn of the two ends, or, in 
practice, by measuring across the 
middle. In practice the width of a 
board is reckoned to the next smaller 
half inch. Thus, a width of 6| inches 
is taken as 6 inches, and the width of 
6| inches is taken as 6^ inches. 

To Measure Inch Boards. — Multi- 
ply the length in feet by the width 
in inches, and divide the product by 
12. The quotient will be the contents 
in feet. For lumber 1^ inches thick, 
add I to the quotient. If 1^ inches 
thick, add i. If 1| inches thick, add 
f . If 2 inches thick, divide by 6 in- 
stead of by 12. If 21 inches thick, 
add i to the quotient and so on. If 
3 inches thick, divide by 4. If 4 
inches thick, divide by 3. Or to as- 
certain the contents (board measure) 
of timber, including scantling, joist, 



WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 



755 



planks, sills, rafters, etc., multiply 
the width in inches b,y the thickness in 
inches, and that by the length in feet 
and divide the product by 13. The 
result will be the number of feet. 

The measurement of round logs is 
intended to give the amount of lum- 
ber in board measure that can be 
sawed from them. Logs not over 15 
feet in length are measured by means 
of a table stamped on calipers, the 
length and diameter of the small end 
being given. In the case of logs 
over 16 feet in length, the average di- 
ameter is taken. 

Or to measure round timber take 
the girth in inches at both the large 
and the small ends, add them, and di- 
vide by 2, which gives the mean girth. 
The square of i of the mean girth 
multiplied by the length of the tim- 
ber in feet will give the contents in 
cubic feet. This is the common prac- 
tice based on the estimate that round 
timber when squared loses ^. The 
result gives f of the actual contents, 
the remaining ^ being allowed for 
waste in sawing. 

Or, by another rule, subtract 4 
from the diameter of the log in inches, 
multiply the square of i the remain- 
der by the length of the log in feet. 
These two rules should give approxi- 
mately the same result. 

Or to find how many solid feet a 
roxmd stick of timber, if of the same 
thickness throughout, will contain 
when squared, square half the diame- 
ter in inches, multiply by 2 and mul- 
tiply this product by the length in 
feet. Finally, divide by 144; the re- 
sult v/ill be the contents of the 
squared timber in solid feet. 

Or to find the number of feet in 
timber having the bark on, square ^ 
of the circumference in inches and 
multiply the product by twice the 
length in feet. Then divide by 144. 
Subtract -^^ to i\ of the total, accord- 
ing, to the thickness of the bark. As 
a general rule, to find the solid con- 
tents of sawn lumber multiply the 
depth in inches by the breadth in 
inches and multiply the product by 
the length in feet and divide by 144. 



To determine how large a tree must 
be cut to get out a stick of timber a 
given number of inches square, divide 
the side of the required square by 
.225. The quotient will be the circum- 
ference of the timber required. 

MEASTJEEMENT OF STONE AND BRICZ 

Cost of Brick and Stone Work. — 
A common application of capacity 
measure is in preparing estimates for 
brick and stone work. Masons com- 
monly measure stone work by the 
perch, 161 feet long, 1 J feet wide, and 
1 foot thick, or 24| cubic feet. Brick 
work is commonly estimated by the 
thousand bricks. It is, however, cus- 
tomary in many localities to reckon 
stone work by the cubic foot instead 
of by the perch. Usually a deduction 
is made by bricklayers, masons, and 
joiners, for one half of all openings. 
But this should be clearly established 
in each case in the contract. 

In computing the capacity of walls 
of cellars and buildings, masons and 
bricklayers multiply the entire dis- 
tance around the outside of the wall 
(the girth) by the height and thick- 
ness. Thus the corners are measured 
twice. But this measurement applies 
only to the labor and not to the quan- 
tity of material to be paid for. 

Measurement of Stone and Brick 
T7alls. — A perch of stone is 24.75 cu- 
bic feet. When built in the wall, 22 
cubic feet are allowed for the mortar 
and filling; hence 22 cubic feet of 
stone makes one perch of wall. 

Masons estimate 3 pecks of lime 
and 4 bushels of sand to a perch of 
wall. 

To find the number of perches of 
stone in a wall, multiply together the 
length, height, and thickness in feet 
and divide by 22. 

Measurement of Brick Work. — The 
size of bricks varies, and rules for es- 
timating the number of bricks re- 
quired must be modified accordingly. 
Bricks are now usually made 8 inches 
long, 4 inches wide, and 2 inches thick. 
Hence 27 bricks are required to make 
a cubic foot without mortar. But 



756 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



it is assumed that mortar fills J of 
the space. The first step is to find 
the number of cubic feet in the wall 
by multiplying the length, height, and 
thickness together in feet, and if the 
bricks are of this size multiply the 
number of cubic feet by 221. 

Formerlj^ however, and to some ex- 
tent at the present time, bricks were 
made of two sorts and sizes — common 
brick, 7| inches to 8 inches long by 
4^ inches wide and 2| inches thick, 
and front brick, J inch longer and 
wider. Of common brick 20 are re- 
quired to lay one cubic foot or 15 
common brick will lay one square 
foot of wall 8 inches thick. Hence to es- 
timate the number of bricks required 
for a wall 12 inches or more in thick- 
ness, multiply together the length, 
height, and thickness in feet, and that 
product by 20; or for an 8-inch wall 
multiply the length by the height and 
that by 15. An allowance of one half 
should be made for doors, windows, 
and other openings. Multiply their 
length by their width and that by the 
thickness of the wall in feet. Deduct 
one half the result from the cubic 
contents of the wall before multiply- 
ing by 20 or by 15, as above. 

DRY ANE LIQUID MEASURE 

Dry JiCeasure. — The standard unit 
of dry measure is the English or 
Winchester bushel, containing 2150.43 
cubic inches or 77.627 pounds avoir- 
dupois of distilled water at its great- 
est density. The standard measure is 
circular in form, its diameter inside 
being 18^ inches, and its depth 8 
inches. Dry measure is used in meas- 
uring grain, coal, fruit, vegetables, 
etc. The following is a table of dry 
measure commonly used in the United 
States : 

4 gills 1 pt. = 34f cu. in. nearly. 

2 pints 1 qt. = 69i cu. in. 

4 quarts 1 gal. = 277 i cu. in. 

8 quarts 1 pk. 

2 gallons 1 pk. = 554J cu. in. 

4 pks. or 8 gal. 1 bu. =2150i cu. in. 

8 bushels ' 1 qr. = lOJ cu. ft. nearly. 

36 bushels 1 chaldron. 

When articles usually measured by 
the above table are sold by weight, 



the bushel is taken as the unit. The 
number of avoirdupois pounds in a 
bushel varies in different States and 
with diflFerent articles. 

In measuring grain, seeds, or small 
fruit, the measure must be even 
or " stricken." In measuring large 
fruits or coarse vegetables, corn in 
the ear, etc., and also meal and bran, 
the measure should be heaped at least 
6 inches. 

Five stricken bushels are considered 
equal to 4 heaped bushels. The strick- 
en bushel is now little used, except to 
ascertain capacities. 

All the denominations are used in 
trade, the peck being the least in use. 



Ljquid Meas. 
Dry Measure 



Cu. in. 

in 
one gal. 



231 
2681 



Cu. in. 

in 
one qt. 



67f 
67J 



Cu. in. 

in 
onept. 



28 J 
33f 



Cu. in. 



English Dry Measure. — In addition 
to the above the following terms for 
units of dry measure are still cus- 
tomary to some extent in the British 
Empire: 

2 quarts 1 pottle. 

2 bushels 1 strike. 

2 strikes 1 coomb. 

2 coombs 1 quarter. 

6 quarters 1 load. 

3 bushels 1 sack. 

36 bushels 1 chaldron. 

Thirty - two British or Imperial 
bushels are equal to 38 of our bushels. 

Capacity of Boxes, Cribs, Wagon 
Bodies, etc. — The most convenient 
mode of ascertaining the capacity of 
boxes, bins, cribs, and the like, and 
also of measuring their contents, is by 
ascertaining the number of cubic feet 
which they contain; f of this amount 
will be the number of bushels, 1 cu- 
bic foot being f of a bushel nearly. 
Hence, to find the number of bushels 
in any receptacle which has parallel 
sides and square corners, first find 
the number of cubic feet by multiply- 
ing the height, lengtli, and width in 
feet and deduct ^; the result will be 
the contents in bushels. Or for an 



WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 



757 



approximate answer multiply the num- 
ber of cubic feet by 8 and point off 
one decimal place. 

These rules wiU give the number of 
bushels of apples, potatoes, and other 
vegetables or the capacity of any size 
bin or crib or wagon body. 

In estimating corn on the cob, its 
quality and condition must be taken 
into account. Corn shrinks consider- 
ably during the winter and spring 
months. But, as a general rule, 2 
heaping bushels of corn on the cob at 
the time it is put into the crib will 
make from 1 to IJ struck bushels of 
shelled corn. In buying or selling it 
is advisable to make a test from a fair 
sample taken from the crib at the 
time of sale. To measure corn in the 
crib, multiply together the length, 
width, and height of the crib in inches, 
divide by 2,748, and tlie result will be 
the number of heaped bushels of ears. 
Or divide by 3,150 for the number of 
struck bushels. The quotient in each 
case will be the corresponding num- 
ber of bushels contained in the bin. 

If the sides of the crib flare, ascer- 
tain the mean width by measuring the 
width at both top and bottom, add 
the two amounts and divide by 2. 

Or, it is estimated that 2 cubic feet 
of sound dry corn on the ear will 
make 1 bushel shelled. Hence mul- 
tiply together the length, breadth, and 
height of the crib in feet and divide 
by 2. This should give the number 
of bushels of shelled corn in the crib. 
The corn should, of course, be uni- 
formly level so as to be of equal 
depth throughout. 

Capacity of Boxes. — The following 
is a table showing the principal units 
of dry measurement with the inside 
dimensions of boxes or bins having 
square corners and parallel sides that 
will contain the quantities stated. 

One convenient form of making 
boxes in small sizes for the storage of 
vegetables and numerous other pur- 
p-oses about the household, farm, and 
garden, is to cut the two ends of inch 
pine stuif to the proper size and form 
the bottom and two sides of laths. 
Saw these to the right length and 



tack them to the ends, with the thick- 
ness of a lath between each two. Such 
boxes are light, strong, and service- 
able. Larger bins or crates of heavier 
materials can be prepared on the 
same principle. 



Capacity. 


Length. 


Breadth. 


Depth. 


1 pint 


Sin. 


Sin. 


35 in. 


1 quart. . . 


4 in. 


4 in. 


4} in. 


i gallon.. . 


Tin. 


7 in. 


24 in. 
4Jin. 


Gallon.... 


Sin. 


Sin. 


1 peck. . , . 


8§in. 


Sin. 


Sin. 


J bushel.. . 


12 in. 


llHn. 


9 in. 


1 bushel... 


20 in. 


15^ in. 


Sin. 


1 barrel. . . 


24 in. 


16+ in. 


2Sin. 


20busliela.. 


4ft. Sin. 


2 ft. 4 in. 


2 ft. 4 in. 


24 bushels.. 


5 ft. 


Sft. 


2 ft. 


36 bushels.. 


5 ft. 


3 ft. 


Sft. 


48 bushels.. 


5 ft. 


Sft. 


4 ft. 


100 bushels.. 


7 ft. 


5 ft. 


3 ft. 9 in. 


216 bushels.. 


9 ft. 


6 ft. 


Sft. 


500 bushels.. 


13 ft. 


Sft. 


6 ft. 



liquid Measure. — The measurement 
of wine and other liquors, molasses, 
vinegar, and the like, has been the oc- 
casion of great confusion due to vari- 




" Liquid Measure." 

ations of the standard unit of liquid 
capacity, the gallon. The gallon was 
originally a standard unit of weight. 
But as an equal bulk of various sub- 
stances diifers in weight, early usage 
led to the adoption of two diiferent 
gallons, wet and dry, and the gallon 
is still used as a unit of both wet and 
dry measure in Great Britain. The 
gallon at present the standard in the 
United States had its origin in an 
English statute passed shortly after 
the discovery of America by Colum- 
bus. A new standard gallon measure 
was constructed capable of holding 8 
pounds of wheat of 12 ounces troy 
each. This was afterwards detejv 



758 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



mined by statute to contain 368.8 cubic 
inches of water at a temperature of 
62° F. The Winchester gallon, as this 
standard was called, having been gen- 
erally adopted in the United States, 
it became ultimately necessary to es- 
tablish a national standard for cus- 
tomhouse purposes. Accordingly, by 
resolution of the United States Sen- 
ate, on May 1, 1830, the Secretary of 
the Treasury procured the construc- 
tion of a set of uniform standard 
weights and measures to be supplied 
to all the customhouses. For this 
purpose a Winchester gallon of waten 
at a temperature of 39.83° F., was 
taken as the standard, and this was 
afterwards legalized by Congress. 
Hence the legal caf)acity of the gal- 
lon, the present United States stand- 
ard, was fixed at 231 cubic inches of 
water. As a result there is a consid- 
erable discrepancy between the Brit- 
ish Winchester and the so-called 
American Winchester gallon, the pres- 
ent United States standard. 

In the meantime, by an act of 
English Parliament, which went into 
effect January 1, 1826, the capacity of 
the British gallon was made such as 
to contain 10 jiounds avoirdupois of 
distilled water at the temperature of 
62° F. or 377^ cubic inches nearly. 
This i»- the so-called Imperial gallon, 
and since its introduction has been 
the only legal gallon in Great Britain 
for either wet or dry measure. 

The reason that it is necessary to 
state these facts in detail is that 
works of reference in the English 
language circulate quite generally 
through all English speaking coun- 
tries, and it is quite customary to 
copy reference tables from one to an- 
other on the assumption that stand- 
ard units of weights and measures are 
invariable. This, however, as has been 
seen, is not the case. Hence it is nec- 
essary in making use of any published 
recipes or similar information where 
great accuracy is required, to ascer- 
tain whether the British Winchester, 
the American Winchester, or the 
British Imperial gallon is referred 
to. The onljr standards that are of 



universal application throughout the 
civilized world are those of the metric 
system. 

Tables of liquid Measure. — ^The 
following is the United States stand- 
ard of liquid or wine measure: 

4 gills „....lpmt(pt.)28|cu.in. 

2 pints 1 quart (qt.) 575 cu. in. 

4 quarts. 1 gallon (.gal.) 231 cu. in. 

31 J gallons. ...„„..! barrel (bbl.) 

2 barrels. „ . , » . . . 1 hogshead (hhd.) 
63 gallons 1 hogshead (hhd.) 

2 hogsheads 1 pipe or butt (pi.) 

2 pipes. ........ 1 tun. 

282 cu. in o ... 1 beer gallon. 

36 beer gallons. ... 1 barrel. 

The following is a table of the 
measure of capacity based upon the 
British Imperial gallon, which is in 
general use throughout the British 
Empire : 

Measure of Capacity for All Liquids. 
6 ounces avoirdupois of water make 1 ^U. 

, 4 gills 1 pint = 34§ cu. in. nearly. 

2 pints 1 quart = 69^ cu. in. nearly. 

4 quarts 1 gallon = 277i cu. in. nearly. 

31§ gallons 1 barrel. 

42 gallons 1 tierce. 

63 gallons or 2 bbls 1 hogshead. 

2 hogsheads 1 pipe or butt. 

2 pipes 1 tun. 

The British Imperial gallon must 
contain exactly 10 pounds avoirdupois 
of pure water at a temperature of 62° 
F., the barometer being at 30 inches. 
It is the standard unit of measure of 
capacity for liquids and dry goods of 
every description, and is I larger than 
the old wine measure, ^^ larger than 
the old dry measure, and ^ less than 
the old ale measure. 

The following are terms in wine 
measure — more frequently used in 
England than in this country — vf'iih 
comparative capacity in British and 
American gallons: 

18 U. S. gallons 1 rundlet. 

25 Eng. gallons or 42 U. S. 

gallons 1 tierce. 

2 tierces 1 puncheon. 

62J Eng. gollons or 63 U. S. 

gallons 1 hogshead. 

2 hogsheads 1 pipe. 

2 pipes 1 tun. 

74 Eng. gallons 1 firkin of beer. 

4 firkins 1 barrel of beer. 

Comparison of liquid and Dry 
Measure. — The capacity of bins for 
grain is usually measured in bushels, 
and the capacity of casks, cisternsj 



^VEIGHTS AND MEASURES 



759 



and the like, in gallons or barrels. In 
determining the capacity of cisterns 
and reservoirs, 31^ gallons are consid- 
ered a barrel, and 2 barrels or 63 gal- 
lons a hogshead. 

In commerce the size of casks for 
liquids is variable, barrels being made 
to contain from 30 to 40 gallons or 
more. Casks of large size called 
tierces, pipes, butts, tuns, etc, do not 
now hold any fixed quantity. Their 
capacity is usually marked upon them. 
While the standard liquid gallon con- 
tains 231 cubic inches in approximate 
measurements, 7J gallons are allowed 
to the cubic foot. As compared with 
the weight of water, a gallon will hold 
a little over 8J pounds, which is near 
enough for practical purposes. 

In comparison with dry measure, 
the United States standard bushel 
contains 2150.4 cubic inches, the liq- 
uid gallon 231 cubic inches, and the 
dry gallon (the former British Win- 
chester standard — ^ bushel) 263.8 cu- 
bic inches. Hence 6 dry gallons equal 
nearly 7 liquid gallons. -The British 
Imperial gallon contains 277.274 cu- 
bic inches or 10 pounds of distilled 
v/ater, temperature 62° F., barometer 
30 inches. The beer gallon contains 
282 cubic inches, but it is not now in 
use. Hence the following rules to 
find the capacity of bins, cisterns, etc. 

To find the number of bushels, di- 
vide the volume in cubic inches by 
2150.4. To find the number of gallons, 
divide the volume in cubic inciies by 
231. 

Apothecaries' Fluid Measure. — In. 
addition to the above is tlie apotheca- 
ries' fluid measure, used in compound- 
ing medicines which are in fluid form 
as follows: 

60 drops (gtt.) or minims (Til) = 1 fluid dram (f Z ) 
8 fluid drams = 1 fluid ounce(f 5 ) 

16 fluid ounces =lpint (fO) 

8 pints =1 gallon... .Cong. 

Cong. I = 08=f?128=f3 1024= 11161440. 

Scale: 8, 16, 8, 60. 

(1) Cong., from the Latin congius, 
means gallon. 

(3) O, from the Latin octarius, 
means I. 

(3) The minim is about equal to a 
drop of water. 



Comparison of the Measures of 
Capacity. — The following is a com- 
parison of measures of capacity: 

1 gal. or 4 qt. -wine measure contains 231 cu. 
in. 
i pk. or 4 qt. dry measure contains 268# cu.in. 
I gal. or 4 qt. beer measure contains 282 cu.in- 

The gallon containing 231 cubic 
inches is the standard unit of wine 
measure. The British gallon Calle< 
the Imperial gallon contains 277.274! 
cubic inches. 

Measurement of Tanks, Casks, and 
Cisterns. — To find the capacity of 
cylindrical tanks of any size in United 
States gallons, multiply the square of 
the diameter in inches by the length 
in inches and that product by .0034; 
the result will be the contents or ca- 
pacity in wine gallons and decimals 
of a gallon. For beer gallons, multi- 
ply by .0028 instead of .0034. To as- 
certain the diameter, measure at the 
bung and also at the head; add to- 
gether and divide the same by 2 for 
the mean diameter. To ascertain the 
actual contents if the cask is only 
partially filled, multiply the height of 
the liquid in inches instead of the 
height of the cask. 

To ascertain the contents.of a square 
cistern or watering trough, multiply 
together tlie length, width, and depth 
in inches and divide by 231, the num- 
ber of cubic inches in a gallon. This 
will give the contents in gallons. 

To ascertain the contents of a cir- 
cular cistern, multiply the square of 
the diameter in feet by the depth in 
feet, and that product by 5J. The re- 
sult will be the contents in gallons. 

MEASURES OF WEIGHT 

Origin of Standards.™ The use of 
■weights depends upon the principle 
of balance. Hence they were proba- 
bly not introduced until some time 
after measures of length, surface, and 
capacity. The first English statute 
on the subject founded measures of 
weigiit upon a given quantity of 
wheat corns. The language of the 
ancient statute is interesting and sug- 
gestive. 



760 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



"An English penny, called a ster- 
ling, round and withoul any clipping, 
shall weigh 33 wheat corns in the 
midst of the ear, and 20 pence do 
make an ounce, and 12 ounces 1 
pound, and 8 pounds do make a gal- 
lon of wine, and 8 gallons of wine do 
make a London bushel, which is the 
eighth part of a quarter." 

The pound weight provided by this 
statute known as the tower pound, or 
the easterling or sterling pound 
(whence our word sterling as applied 
to silverware and otherwise), con- 
tinued in use until about the time of 
Columbus, when the pound troy was 
substituted in its place. By a later 
statute a brass 1-pound weight was 
established as the imperial standard 
troy pound. It was declared to con- 
tain 12 ounces of 20 pennyweights, 
each pennyweight containing 24 
grains, so that 5,760 such grains shall 
be a troy pound, and 7,000 such grains 
a pound avoirdupois. It was further 
provided that 1 cubic inch of water 
weighed by brass weights in air, at a 
temperature of 62° F., and 30 inches 
barometic pressure, is the equivalent 
of 252.458 grains. This standard be- 
came quite^ generally adopted in the 
United States, and in 183G the Secre- 
tary of the Treasury caused a uni- 
form set of weights to be delivered to 
the governor of each State for local 
use. Thus a pound is practically the 
same in all parts of the English- 
speaking world. There is still, how- 
ever, greaft confusion in comparisons 
between weight and capacity meas- 
ures, and the legislation of different 
States and countries in defining the 
number of pounds in a bushel of va- 
rious grains, fruits, and vegetables, 
differs widely. 

Systems of Weight. — There are 
three principal sj'stems of weights in 
general use: avoirdupois weight, the 
universal standard, except as to the 
weight of the precious metals, jewels, 
and drugs; troy weight used in coin- 
age and by jewelers (who also make 
use of a standard unit in weighing 
jewels called the carat) ; and apothe- 
caries' weight, used by druggists and 



physicians. Avoirdupois weight, SO 
called from the Norman Avon du 
poids, " goods of weight," is derived 
from the imperial standard pound 
above mentioned, equal to 700 troy 
grains. The grain is the same in both 
avoirdupois and troy weight. For- 
merly the ton consisted of 2,240 
pounds, and the hundredweight of 
112 pounds, divided into four quar- 
ters of 28 pounds each. And this 
practice continues in Great Britain 
and in the United States custom- 
house. In the ordinary commerce of 
the United States, however, it has 
become customarj^, as a matter of 
convenience, to reckon 100 pounds to 
the hundredweight, and 2,000 pounds 
to the ton; and this practice has 
been legalized in some of the States. 
By act of Congress, however, when 
not specified to the contrary, the ton 
is to be construed as meaning 2,240 



OOOCDtEOOO . 




"American Avoirdvpois Weight.' 

pounds. This is commonly called the 
long ton; that of 2,000 pounds the 
short ton. The long ton is most often 
used for weighing coal and iron at 
the mines, and for plaster, and in 
some other wholesale transactions in 
mining products. The shipping ton 
is 40 cubic feet, known as actual ton- 
nage. The registered shipning ton is 
100 cubic feet. The word ton is sup- 
posed to have been derived from the 
tun, an old British liquid measure lor 
ale or beer. A tun of water weighs a 



WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 



761 



iittle over 9,'300 pounds. Hence the 
ton weight seems to have been taken 
from the tun measure, of which it is a 
rough equivalent. 

Avoirdupois Weight. — The follow- 
ing are English and American avoir- 
dupois tables: 

American 

16 drams 1 ounce (oz.). 

16 ounces 1 pound (lb.). 

25 pounds 1 quarter (qr.). 

4 quarters 1 hundred (cwt.). 

20 hundred 1 ton (T.). 

English 

275i grains 1 dram (dr.). 

16 drams 1 ounce (oz.). 

16 ounces 1 pound (lb.). 

28 pounds 1 quarter (qr.). 

4 quarters 1 hundred (cwt.). 

20 hundred 1 ton (T.). 

The weight of 22.79+ cubic inches 
of distilled water at its greatest den- 
sity, with the barometer at 30 inches, 
is equal nearly to 1 pound troy. This 
is taken as a standard by which to 
find any number of greater or less 
units of weight. 

English Old Measures of Weight. 
— Tlie following are English units of 
weights not commonly employed in 
the United States: 

3 pounds 1 stone, butchers' meat. 

7 pounds. . 1 clove. 

2 cloves 1 stone common articles. 

2 stone 1 tod of wool. 

6^ tods. 1 weyof wool. 

2 weys 1 sack of wool. 

12 sacks 1 last of wool. 

240 pounds.... 1 pack of wool. 

Troy Weight. — By this scale sil- 
ver, platinum, and precious stones 
(excepting diamonds) are weighed. 
The name is derived from Troyes, a 
town in France, where this weight was 
first used in Europe. It was intro- 
duced from Cairo, Egypt, during 
the crusades of the twelfth century. 
The term grain originated in the use 
of grains of wheat to determine the 
pennyweight or weight of the old sil- 
ver penny of England. At first 33, 
and afterwards 24, grains of wheat 
were called a pennyweight. The sym- 
bol oz. is from the Spanish word 
onza meaning ounce; lb. is from the 
Latin libra meaning pound. 

As a unit of measure the troy 
pound of 5,760 grains is equal to 



S3.794423 cubic inches of distilled 
water at the temperature of 39.8, 30" 
barometic pressure. The following is 
the table of troy weights 

20 mites 1 gram. 

24 gi-ains (gr.)... . 1 pennyweight (pwt., dwt.). 

20 dwt 1 ounce (oz.). 

12 oz 1 pound (lb.). 

3i grains 1 carat (diamond wt.) (k.). 

The avoirdupois pound contains 
7,000 grains, the troy pound 5,760 
grains. Therefore 1 pound of iron is 
heavier than 1 pound of gold. The 
troy pound is accordingly less than 
the avoirdupois pound in the propor- 
tion of 14 to 17 nearly. The troy 
ounce is greater than the avoirdupois 
ounce in the proportion of 79 to 72 
nearly. 

Carat Weight. — The term carat is 
used in two ways: as a unit of 
weight used by jewelers in weighing 
diamonds, the carat in the United 
States is 3J grains troy nearly, a 
carat grain being | of this. In assay- 
ing gold the term is equivalent to^f 
part. Its use is to designate the pro- 
portion of pure gold in an alloy. 
Pure gold is said to be 24 carats fine ; 
18 carats gold contains 18 parts of 
pure gold and six parts of alloy, and 
so on. 

Apothecaries' Weight. — The units 
of weight in use by physicians in pre- 
scribing, and by druggists in mixing 
and compounding medicines, are the 
same as the troy weight as to the 
pound, ounce, and grain. The ounce, 
however, is differently divided. They 
are shown by the following table: 

20 grains (gr. xx) 1 scruple (sc.) 3. 

3 scruples (sc. iij)...l dram (dr.) 3 . 

8drams(3 viij). ... 1 ounce troy (oz.) 5, 

12 ounces ( 1 xij) 1 pound troy (lb.) lb. 

1 lb. avoirdupois 7,000 gr. 

1 oz. avoirdupois 437J gr, 

1 lb. troy and apothecaries' 5,760 gr. 

1 oz. troy and apothecaries' 480 gr. 

Physicians in writing prescriptions 
use Roman numerals (the small let- 
ters only) instead of figures. They 
write j for i when it terminates a 
number. They also employ the sym- 
bols above indicated writing the sym- 
bol first, thus ?vij, meaning 7 ounces. 
This practice is a survival of the me- 
diaeval custom of surrounding all 



7G2 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



knowledge of drugs and medicines 
with an air of mystery. Ilenoe the 
names of medicines written in Latin 
and arbitrary symbols employed to 
express quantity. These symbols have 
been thought by some to be modifica- 
tions of the figure 3 (derived from 
the fact that there are three scruples 
in the dram), but it is more probable 
that they are inherited from ancient 
Egypt. There is an increasing ten- 
dency among physicians to do away 
with this air of mystery, and it is not 
improbable that prescriptions in time 
to come may be written in English 
and (]uantities expressed in ordinary 
fashion. 

Medicines are bought and sold 
by avoirdupois weight, apothecaries' 
weight being used only in mixing and 
compovuiding them. 

Druggists' Abbreviations. — The 
following are abbreviations frequently 
used by druggists and physicians, and 
freely made use of in this volume, es- 
pecially in the department of toilet 
recipes : 

31 is an abbreviation for recipe, or take. 

P " " " particula, or little 

part. 
Q. S. " " " quantity sufficient. 

P. £B. " " '* equal parts. 

Q. p. " " ** a.3 much as you 

please. 
Gr. •' " " grain. 

Ss. " ' " semi. 

A, aa " '" " • equal quantities. 

II " " " 2. 

Gt. " " " drop. 

Cong. " " " congius, the Latin 

for gallon. 
O " * " pint from octariua, 

Latin for J. 
TU, minim, equal to a drop of water. 

Comparison of Measures. — The fol- 
lowing table of compai-ative weights 
will be found convenient for refer- 
ence: 

1 U. S. lb. troy 5,760 gra. troy. 

1 Eng. lb. troy . 5,700 grs. troy. 

1 lb. apoth . , 5,760 grs. troy. 

1 U. S. lb. av 7,000 grs. troy. 

1 Eng. lb. av 7,000 grs. troy. 

144 lb. av 175 lb. troy. 

1 French gram 15.433 grs. troy. 

1 U. S. yard , 36 inches. 

1 lOng. yard 36 inches. 

1 French meter 39.368+ inclies. 

1 U. S. buslirl 2,150.42 + -u. in. 

1 Eng. bushel 2,218.19 + cu. in. 

1 U. S. gallon 231 cu. in. 

1 Eng. gallon 277.26 + cu. in. 

1 French liter 91.533+ cu. in. 

1 French are 119.664 sq. .yds. 



Weight of Cattle.— To estimate the 
weight of live cattle or carcasses un- 
dressed, first measure in inches the 
girth behind the shoulders, next the 
length from the forc))art or point of 
the shoulder blade along the back to 
the bone at the tail in a vertical line 
with the buttocks. Multiply the girth 
in inches by the length in inches, and 
divide the product by 144. This will 
give the number of superficial feet. 
If the girth of the animal is from 3 
to 5 feet, multiply the number of 
superficial feet by 16; the result will 
be the animal's weight. Or if the girth 
is from 5 to 7 feet, multiply by 33, 
If from 7 to 9 feet, multiply by 31, 
If less than 3 feet, as in the case of 
small calves, hogs, sheep, etc., multi- 
ply by 11. Of course, individual ani- 
mals will vary. But these rules will 
give approximate results. 
, Or multiply the square of the girtli 
in feet by 5 times the length in feet. 
For average stock divide the product 
by 1,5; for fat cattle by 1.425; for 
lean by 1,575, The quotient will be 
the dressed weight of the quarters, or 
net weight of the steer after dressing. 

Or for a short method, multiply the 
square of the animal's girth by 17.5, 
which will give the weight of the ani- 
mal nearly. 

In estimating the weight and price 
of hogs, it is usually considered that 
about \ is lost in dressing the animal. 
Hence the gross weight diminished 
by ^, or by 20 per cent, gives the net 
weight. Or the net weight increased 
by i, or 25 per cent of itself, gives tho 
gross weight. 

Measurement of Hay, — Hay is or- 
dinarily and properly sold by weight, 
and this is the only exact mode of 
measurement. But experience has 
shown the following rules to be suffi- 
ciently correct for ordinary practical 
purposes. If the hay is loosely packed, 
as in windrows, multiply the length, 
breadth, and height in yards, and di- 
vide the product by 25. The quotient 
will be the number of tons in the 
windrow. If the hay has been re- 
cently placed in the mow, or if the 
mow is shallow, multi})ly together the 



iWEIGHTS AND MEASURES 



763 



length, height, and width in yards, 
and divide by 18. Or if the hay is 
well packed, divide by 15 or divide by 
any number between 15 and 18, ac- 
cording to the way in which the hay 
is packed or settled in the mow. 

Or if the h.vy is in square or long 
stacks witli flat tops, well settled, 
multiply the lengtli of the base in 
yards by the widtli in yards, and that 
product by A the height in yards, and 
divide by 15. 

Or if the hay is in a load, multiply 
the length, widtli, and height in yards, 
and divide the product by 30. 

Or, by another method, it is esti- 
mated that old hay well packed in a 
mow will run about 530 cubic feet to 
the ton, clover 720 cubic feet, timothy 
and clover mixed 600 cubic feet. 
Hence ascertain the number of cubic 
feet in the mow and divide by one of 
these figures, according to the quality 
of the hay. 

Or to ascertain the number of cu- 
bic feet in a round pointed stack, 
multiply the area of the base in 
square feet by J of the height in feet. 
'J'his will give the number of cubic 
feet in a stack, or if the stack is built 
up square with pointed eaves, like a 
house, first measure the height from 
the ground to the eaves and to this 
add i of the height from the eaves 
to the top. Take tiiis figure as the 
me.'in height, and multiply together 
the mean height, length, and breadth 
in feet, and divide the result by 520, 
600, or 720, according to the quality 
of the hay. 

To ascertain the value of a given 
amount of hay, straw, or other com- 
modity sold by the ton, when the 
price per ton is given, multij)ly the 
number of pounds by A the j)rice per 
ton and point off three figures from 
the right. The result will be the price 
of the article. 

Weights of Trade Packages. — The 
following is a table showing the style 
of package in use in ordinary com- 
mercial practice in the sale of various 
kinds of commodities, and the cor- 
responding weight as ordinarily X'cc- 
ognized in the trade: 



Article. 



Beef 

Butter 

Corn , 

Corn 

Cotton 

Cotton, Sea Islancl. 

I'eatliers 

l"'ish, (Iry 

J'iMli in brine 

Hour 

I'loiir 

Grain 

Hay 

Hay 

Hay 

Hay 

Honey 

Iron 

]-oa(I 

Moat 

Molasses 

Nails 

I'ork.., 

Powder. .... , . . . 

Kaisins 

Raisins 

Rice. . „ 



Salt. 



Soap 

Soap . 

Straw, . . . 
SuKar. . . 
Tea. . , . . . 
'I'obacco. . 

Wood 

Wool 

Wool 

Wool 



Fackago. 



Barrel, 
Firkin, 
Barrel,' 
Barrel,^ 
lialc.a 
S.auk, 
lialo. 
Quintal, 
Barrel, 
Barrel, 
Ocnfal, 
( "ental. 
Bale, 
Load, 
Truss, 
Truss, 
Gallon, 
Stone, 
Stone, 
Stone, 
llogsliead, 
Keg, 
Barrel, 
Barrel, 
Barrel, 
Cask, 
Barrel, 
Barrel, ) 
(atN.Y. V 
works) ) 
Barrel, 
Box, 
Truss, 
Barrel, 
Ciiest, 
HoRshead, 
Tod, 
Pack, 
Sack, 
Pack load 
forahorse, 



Weight. 



200 Ills. 
60 or 100 lbs. 



400 Iba, 
■M)l) lbs. 
I DO lbs. 
100 lbs. 
.'00 lbs. 
lOGIbs. 
100 lbs. 
100 lbs. 
.■{00 lbs. 

'M'l trusses. 

(iO lbs., new. 

50 lbs., oiii. 

12 lbs. 

14 lbs. 

Mlbs. 

SO lbs. 
l.-iOtol.TOgaS. 
100 lbs. 
200 lbs. 

25 lbs. 
112 lbs. 
100 lbs. 
000 lbs. 

280 lbs. 

50 lbs. 

50 lbs. 

40 lbs. 
200 to 250 lbs. 

00 to 84 lbs. 
168 lbs. 

28 lbs. 

17 stono. 

22 stono. 

240 lbs. 



1 As bouRlit and sold at New Orleans, a 
flour barrel full of ears. 

^ As bought and sold in Kentucky and 
Tennessee, 5 bu. of shelled corn. 

3 Varies in different States from 280 to 
720 lbs. 

Comparative Table of Weight of 
Commodities per Bushel. — While the 
standard units of weight and of ca- 
pacity arc now practically uniform 
throughout the United States, legisla- 
tion in the various States differs 
widely as to the standard of weight 
for a bushel of various kinds of prod- 
uce. The law in each State usually 
specifies the weight of a bushel, re- 
quiring it to weigh at least the 
amount specified. The following ta- 
bic sliows the range in the standard 
weights as prescribed by statute in 
the. various States, and also the stand- 
ard or minimum jircscribed by the 
laws of the United States and in ef- 
fect wherever there is no State statute 



764 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



to the contrary. The majority of the 
States have adopted the United States 
standard, and there is an increasing 
tendency in this direction. Eventu- 
ally, it is to be hoped that uniformity 
will prevail throughout the country: 



Article. 



Apples, dried 

Apples, green ; . . . . 

Barley 

Beans, castor 

Beans, white 

Beets 

Bran 

Buckwheat 

Carrots 

Charcoal (hardwood) . . . . 

Clover seed 

Coal, anthracite 

Corn, Indian (in car) 

Corn meal 

Corn, shelled. 

Cranberries. 

Flax seed 

Grass seed (blue) 

Grass seed (Hungarian). . 
Grass seed (timothy)... . . 

Hemp seed 

Hickory nuts 

Lime, quick. 

Malt... 

Millet seed 

Oats 

Onions. 

Peaches, dried 

Peas 

Peas, ground 

Peas, in pod 

Plastering hair, dry 

Popcorn, i: 

Pototoes 

Potatoes, Irish 

Rye 

Rye, meal 

Salt, coarse 

Salt, fine. 

Turnips 

Wheat 



Range in 

different 

States 

Lbs. per 

bu. 



22-28 
50-56 
43-50 

60-70 
50-60 

40-56 

60-55 

22-30 

60-64 

76-80 

68-72 

48-50 

52-60 

33 

44-56 

45-50 
42-60 

60 

80 

34-38 

45-50 

26-36 

48-57 

28-33 

46-60 

32 

8 
70 

46-56 
66-60 
32-56 
50-56 
60-85 
65-66 
42-60 



U.S. 

stand- 
ard. 

Lbs. per 
bu. 



26 

48 
46 
60 

20 
48 



60 
80 
70 
48 
56 

56 

44 
50 
45 
44 



34 
50 
32 
57 
33 
60 
24 



55 
60 
56 



55 
60 



Weight of Commodities by State 
Law. — The following are the excep- 
tions to the United States standard: 

Barley, 48 lb., except in Oregon, 46 lb. ; in 
Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, 
47 lb. ; in California, 50 lb. ; in Louisiana, 32 lb. 

Beans, 60 lb., except in Maine, 62 lb.: in 
Massachusetts, 70 lb. 

Buckwheat, 52 lb., except in California, 40 
lb.; in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, 
Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylva- 
nia, Vermont, Wisconsin, 48 lb.; in Idaho, 
North Dakota, Oldahoma, Oregon, South 
Dakota, Texas, Washington, 42 lb.; in Kan- 
sas, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, 
Ohio, Tennessee, 50 lb. ; in Kentucky, 56 lb. 

Clover seed, 60 lb., except in New Jersey, 
64 lb. 



Coal, 80 lb., except in Kentucky, Pennsyl- 
vania, 76 lb. 

Com in the ear, 70 lb., except in Mississippi, 
72 lb. ; in Ohio, 68 lb. ; in Indiana after Decem- 
ber 1st, and in Kentucky after May 1st, fol- 
lowing the time of husking it, 68 lb. 

Corn meal, 50 lb., except in Alabama, Ar- 
kansas, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, North 
Carohna, Tennessee, 48 lb. 

Corn, shelled, 56 lb., except in California, 
52 1b. 

Grass seed, 45 lb., except in Arkansas, 60 
lb. ; in North Dakota, South Dakota, 42 lb. 

Oats, 32 lb., except in Louisiana and (Dre- 
gon, 36 lb. ; in Maryland, 26 lb. ; in New Jersey 
and Virginia, 30 lb. . 

Potatoes, 60 lb., except in Maryland, Penn- 
sylvania, Virginia, 56 lb. 

Rye, 56 lb., except in California, 54 lb.; in 
Louisiana, 32 lb. 

Table of Weight of Commodities 
per Cubic Toot. — The following is a 
table of the weight per cubic foot of 
various metals and other commodi- 
ties: 

Brass 634i lbs. 

Bricks 125 lbs. 

Charcoal (hardwood) 18-J lbs. 

Charcoal (pinewood) 18 lbs. 

Clay 135 lbs. 

Clay and stones 160 lbs. 

Coal, anthracite 50 to 55 IbS; 

Coal, bituminous 45 to 661bfiii 

Copper 555 lbs. 

Cork ISlbs. 

Earth, loose 95 lbs. 

Granite. l66 lbs. 

Iron, wrought 486i lbs. 

Lead 708f lbs. 

Marble 171 lbs. 

Sea water 64i% lbs. 

Soil, common 124 lbs. 

Soil, strong 127 lbs. 

Tallow 69 lbs. 

Water , 1,000 oz. 

Wood, oak. 65 lbs. 

Wood, red pine 42 lbs. 

Wood, white pine 30 lbs. 

To find the weight of any of these 
commodities, arrange loose materials 
in square bins, or pack such commodi- 
ties as bricks in piles having straight 
sides and square corners;, multiply 
the length, width, and depth together 
in feet and multiply this result by the 
number of cubic pounds in a cubic 
foot, as shown by the above table. 
The result can then be turned into 
quarters, hundredweight, or tons by 
reference to the table of cubic 
measure. 

Household Weights and Measures. 
— The uniform accuracy of results ob- 
tained by professional cooks, bakers, 
and caterers is due, in great degree, 
to the fact that the measurement of 
ingredients called for by their recipes 
is accurately determined by weight. 



"WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 



765 



and the temperature of their ovens 
is definitely ascertained by means of 
the thermometer. Thus the condi- 
tions surrounding each batch of food 
cooked are made identical, and uni- 
formity in the product necessarily 
follows. Any cook can obtain similar 
results by like means, and a good 
pair of scales in the kitchen may be 
regarded as one of the marks of a 
good housekeeper. There are numer- 
ous occasions when the use of scales 
is necessary, and there is no ques- 
tion but that measurement by weight 
could be advantageously made use of 
far oftener than is usually done at 
present. 

Capacity measures, or measurement 
by bulk, in comparison to measure- 
ment by weight, is always more or less 
inaccurate. But steps can and should 
be taken to insure as great a degree 
of accuracy as possible. Hence all 
dry ingredients, such as flour, meal, 
confectioners' and powdered sugar, 
should be sifted before using. Mus- 
tard, baking powder, cream of tartar, 
soda, salt, and spices should be stirred 
before measuring to lighten and free 
them from lumps. To dip a measur- 
ing cup into flour or other dry mate- 
rial in order to fill it and to then 
shake the cup to level its contents, 
condenses or packs the flour and 
causes the cup to contain more than 
the recipe calls for. Instead, the 
sifted material should be lifted into 
the measuring cup by spoonfuls, the 
contents rounded slightly, and leveled 
with the back of a case knife, care 
being taken not to shake the cup. 

A cupful is measured level with the 
brim; a heaping cupful rounding, not 
as much as will stand upon the cup; 
a scant cupful level, with two table- 
spoonfuls taken out. 

All ingredients, measured by the 
tablespoonful or teaspoonful, are 
measured level unless otherwise 
stated. To measure a spoonful, fill 
the spoon and level it with the back 
of a case knife. For a half spoonful, 
first measure a spoonful, then divide 
it in halves, lengthwise, with a thin 
knife blade. To measure a quarter 



spoonful, first measure a half spoonful 
and divide it crosswise, a little nearer 
the back than the point of the spoon, 
to allow for its curvature. This is 
equivalent to one saltspoonful. A 
speck is a little less than one half a 
saltspoonful or one eighth of a tea- 
spoonful. Butter, lard, and other 
solid fats are measured by packing 
them solidly into the spoon or cup 
and leveling with a knife. Butter 
should be measured before melting, 
unless melted butter is slated in the 
recipe, in which case it should be 
measured after melting. 

The ordinary coffee cup, which 
holds half a pint, is the common 
standard of domestic measure. A 
common-sized tumbler holds the same 
amount. Cups and tumblers, however, 
vary more or less in the size, and are 
not well adapted for use as measures 
on account of their curvature. A cup 
is smaller at the bottom than at the 
top. Hence to measure half a cup- 
ful in a coffee cup it must be filled 
a little more than halfway up. The 
ideal utensil for this purpose is a 
standard measuring cup, having 
straight sides divided into fourths 
and thirds, and containing half a 
pint. Measuring cups of glass are the 
most convenient, as it is easier with 
them to see when the measurements 
of small quantities are level. Also 
they do not rust and can be more eas- 
ily kept clean. A common tin meas- 
uring cup is, however, useful and 
convenient. Either of these can be 
obtained at any good 5- and 10-cent 
store or mail-order establishment. 

Spoons also vary in size. Hence it 
is well to use the same spoon in meas- 
uring or to use the small measuring 
scoop spoons, which are obtainable 
in different sizes. The use of the 
same spoon throughout in making up 
any recipe will keep the proportions 
correct. A heaping spoonful is all 
the spoon will hold. To get a rounded 
spoonful, fill the spoon and shake it 
until it is slightly rounded on top. 

Tables of Domestic Measure. — The 
following are tables of domestic liq- 
uid and dry measure with compara- 



766 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



tive measurements by spoonfuls, cup- 
fuls, and the weight of distilled water. 
It will be noted that a tablespoonfui, 
liquid measure, is divided into four 
teaspoonfuls, but that the tablespoon- 
fui, dry measure, is divided into three 
teaspoonfuls only: 

Domestic Liquid Measure 

10 drops 1 saltspoon. 

4 saltspoons. . , 1 teaspoon. 

4 teaspoons 1 tablespoon. 

4 tablespoons „ 1 basting sfwon. 

2 basting spoons. , 1 gill. 

2 gills 1 cup, 

2 cups o 1 pint. 

2 pints ..,.„..... 1 quart. 

4auarta. . . „ 1 gallon. 

Domestic Dry Measure 

4 saltspoons. 1 teaspoon. 

3 teaspoons 1 tablespoon. 

12 tablespoons. ....... ^ ... . 1 cup. 

5 tablespoons, heaping. ... 1 cup. 

Measurement by Water 

§ oa , o . . . 1 teaspoon. 

^ oz. . „ o 1 tablespoon. 

2 oz o 1 basting spoon. 

4 oz. ........ o .... = ... . 1 gill. 

8 oz.. ....,.,„.. .o..... 1 pint. 

16 Qa ^ 1 quart. 



Measurement by Spoons 

10 drops 1 saltspoon. 

4 saltspoons 1 teaspoon. 

4 teaspoons 1 tablespoon. 

^ oz. water 1 tablespoon. 

1 basting spoon 4 tablespoons. 

1 gill 8 tablespoons. 

1 gill 32 teaspoons. 

1 cup 64 teaspoons. 

1 cup , 16 tablespoons. 

1 cup. . . , 4 basting spoons 

Measurement by Coffee Cup or Common 
Tu?n,bler 

64 teaspoons 1 cup. 

16 tablespoons , 1 cupk 

4 basting spoons 1 cup. 

2 gills 1 cup. 

*pint 1 cup. 

8 fluid oz 1 cup, 

1 pint 2 cups, 

1 quart 4 cups. 

Weight of Food Stuffs Tsed in 
Cookery. — The following is a com- 
parative list of the bulk and weight 
of different articles of common do- 
mestic use. These will be found to 
vary slightly, but are as accurate as 
can be given and have been proved 
by universal experience to be suffi- 
ciently correct for all practical pur- 
poses : 



AhTICIiB. 

Almonds, shelled, c I 

Barley „ 1 

Barley ...,.,.„.., 1 

Bread crumbs, grated , ... 1 

Bread crumbs 1 

Butter 1 

Butter, hard 1 

Butter, melted 1 

Butter, packed ,,......, 2 

Butter, soft 

Butter, soft. 1 

Butter, soft, well packed. 2 

Citron, chopped. ...... — 1 

Coffee 2 

Coffee 1 

Coffee, ground 2 

Coffee, ground. 4 

Corn meal 1 

Corn meal 1 

Corn meal ... 3 

Corn meal „ 1 

Cream..... 1 

Currants, cleaned and dried 1 

Dates 1 

Eggs. 

Eggs 

Eggs, average size 10, 

Eggs, large 9, 

Figs 1 

Flour 1 

Flour 1 

Flour 2 

Flour, 1 

Flour 1 

Flour 4 

Flour 4 

Flour, dry 4 

Flour, well sifted 1 

Juice of an ordinary lemon 

Lard 1 

Lard „ 



QuANTiTT. Weight. 

cup, 7 oz. 

tablespoon, heaped. ^oz. 

cup, 4 oz. 

cup, 2 oz. 
breakfast cup,we!l pressed, abt. 4 oz. 

tablespoon, rounded, 1 oz, 

cup, even, 7 oz. 

cup, 7 oz. 

cups, scant, 1 lb. 

size of an egg, 2 oz. 

quart, 1 lb. 

cups, 1 lb. 

cup, 7 oz. 

tablespoons, rounded, 1 oz. 

cup, 4 oz. 

tablespoons, heaped, 1 oz, 

cups, 1 lb. 

tablespoon, heaped, ^"oz. • 

cup, even, 4|oz. 

cups, 1 lb. 

quart, 1 lb. 2oz. 

cup (J pint). 7 oz. 

cup, 6 oz. 

cuf), J lb. 
white of, about 1 oz. 
yolk of, about 1 oz. 

1 lb. 

1 lb. 

cup, i lb. 

teaspoon, heaped. | oz. 

tablespoon, heaped, 1 oz. 

tablespoons, 1 oz. 

cup, level, 4 oz, 

cup, heaped, 6 oz. 

cups, 1 lb. 

cups, • 1 quart, 

cups, even, 1 lb. 

quart, heaped, 1 lb. 

about 1 tablespooc 

tablespoon, rounded, 1 oz. 

size of an egg, 2 oz. 



WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 



767 



AeticijE. QuAWTiTS. 

Lard 2 cups 

Lard, hard. 1 cup, even. 

Lard, melted 1 cup, even. 

Lard, soft 1 quart. 

Liquid 1 generous pints 

Meal, Indian 3 cups, even. 

Meat, chopped 1 cup, solid, 

Meat, chopped fine, well packed 1 pint, 

MUk 1 tablespoon. 

Milk 1 cup a pint). 

Milk. , 2 cups. 

Molasses 1 cup(ipint). 

Nutmegs 6 medium sized. 

Prunes 1 cup. 

Raisins 1 cup. 

Raisins, stoned 1 breakfast cup, heaped. 

Rice 1 tablespoon, heaped. 

Rice o 1 cup, heaped. 

Sago 1 tablespoon, heaped. 

Sago 1 cup. 

Spice, ground o.o. 1 tablespoon, heaped. 

Sugar, brown » . • 1 tablespoon, well heaped. 

Sugar, brown 1 cup, heaped. 

Sugar, brown 2^ teacups, level. 

Sugar, coffee, A 2 teacups, well heaped. 

Sugar, granulated 1 tablespoon, heaped. 

Sugar, granulated 1 tablespoon, well heaped. 

Sugar, granulated 2 teacups, level. 

Sugar, granulated 1 pint, heaped. 

Sugar, powdered. . „ 2 tablespoons, heaped, 

Sugar, powdered. . = • = 2 tablespoons. 

Sugar, powdered. . . = IS pints. 

Sugar, powdered. . „ 2i cups, even. 

Sugar, powdered. „ » • 2 J cups. 

Sugar, powdered .,...:... 2i cups, level. 

Tea 1 tablespoon, heaped. 

Tea o o 1 teaspoon, heaped 

Tea 1 cup, heaped. 

Vinegar 1 cup (i pint). 

Walnuts, shelled. . , 1 cup, , 

Water 1 cup (ipmt). 

Water 2 cups. 



Weight. 



1 


lb. 


7 


oz. 


V 


oz. 


1 


lb. 


1 


lb. 


1 


lb. 


X 


oz. 


1 


lb. 


^ 


oz. 


8 


oz. 


1 


lb. 


12 


oz. 


1 


oz. 


41b. 


8 


oz. 


Uh. 




• oz. 


a 


oz. 


1 


oz. 


» 


oz. 


Joz. 


1 


o«. 


ilb. 


1 


lb. 


1 


lb. 


1 


oz. 


.1 


oz. 


1 


lb. 


14 


oz. 


1 


oz. 


1 


oz. 


1 


lb. 


I 


lb. 


] 


Ih. 


1 


lb. 


^ 


[OZ. 


; 


^oz. 


2 


oz. 


S 


oz. 


7 


oz. 


-S 


oz. 


1 


lb. 



Cooks' Complete Time Table. — The ent articles of food, and the like. It 
question which is frequently asked by is not possible to answer all these 
housekeepers. How long is it necessary questions exactly without a knowledge 
to cook this article or that? is not of all the conditions surrounding the 
easily answered. Several factors enter individual case. Hence it is always 
into the calculation. Among these necessary for the housekeeper to use 
•are size, especially as to thickness; good judgment. But the following 
age, as effecting the tenderness or ta.ble is based upon the practical ex- 
toughness of meat and the softness or perience of the best cooks and other 
hardness of vegetables; temperature, authorities, and will at least afford a 
and others. Closely allied questions basis of comparison. The various con- 
are the degrees of temperature at ditions likely to be met with in prac- 
which different substances cook, tem- tical experience are, as far as possi- 
perature produced by different kinds ble, indicated: 
of fuel, time required to digest differ- 

Article. How Cooked, Time. 

Artichokes, globe , BoUed,* 30 m.-l h. 

Artichokes, Jerusalem Boiled,^ 15 m.-30 m. 

Asparagus Boiled, 15 m.-25 m. 

Au Gratin dishes Baked, ^ 10 m.-20 m. 

Bacon Boiled gently, 15 m. 

Bacon Broiled, 4 m.-8 m. 

Bacon. Fried, 3 m.-5 m. 

Bacon Fried (in its own fat), 2 m.-3 m. 

Beans Baked,^ 8-10 h. 

Beans, Lima Boiled, 30 m.-40 m. 

Beans, old Boiled, 2 h.-4 h. 

Beans, string Boiled,* 1 h.-3 h. 

Beans, with pork Baked. 6h.-8h. 



768 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



AHTiciiE. How Cooked. ^ Timb. 

Beans, jroung - Boiled, about 1 h. 

Beef, brisket of , Boiled gently, about 30 m. 

Beef, corned ,.. Boiled gently» about 31 m. 

Beef, corned, fancy brisket . . . , Boiled, 6 h.-8 h. 

Beef, corned, rib or flank Boiled, 4 h.-6 h. 

Beer, fillet of.. . . ., Rare, 20 m.-30 m. 

Beef, fillet of , Rare,* 45 m.-l h. 

Beef, fresh , .Boiled. 4 h.-6 h. 

Beef, long or short fillet of Baked, 20 m.-30 m. 

Beef, rib roast, rolled Rare,* 10 m. 

Beef, ribs or loin Rare, 8 m.-lO m. 

Beef, ribs or loin .Well done^ 12 m.-16 m. 

Beef, rolled rib or rump Baked, 12 m.-15 m. 

Beef, sirloin Baked (rare), 8 m.-lO m. 

Beef, sirloin. Roasted (rare), 9 m. 

Beef, sirloin Baked (well donc)^ 12 m.-15 m. 

Beets, new BoUed, 45 m.-l h. 

Beets, old.... Boiled, 4 h.-6 h. 

Biscuit Baked, 10 m.-20 m. 

Bread, brick loaf Baked, 40 m.-l h. 

Brocoii. . . , » Boiled, (about 30 m. 

Brown bread . — Steamed, 3 h. 

Brussels sprouts Boiled, 15 m.-25 m. 

Brussels sprouts • Boiled, 10 m.-20 m. 

Cabbage .Boiled, 30 m.-80 m 

Cabbage, sliced. .,...,.... Boiled, 40 m. 

Cabbage, winter Boiled, 1 h. or more 

Cabbage, young, quartered. Boiled, 30 m.-45 m. 

Cake, fruit Baked, 2 h.-3 h. 

Cake, layer Baked, 15 m.-20 m. 

Cake, loaf, plain .Baked, 30 m.-lj h. 

Cake, sponge, loaf Baked.l 46 m.-l h. 

Cake, thick Baked, 30 m.-40 m. 

Cake, thin ,.-:... Baked, 15 m.-20 m. 

Carrots, old • Boiled, 1 h. or more. 

Carrots, young. .... Boiled, 20 m.-30 m. 

Cauliflower. Boiled, 15 m.-35 m. 

Celery. Boiled, 20 m.-30 m. 

Chicken. Broiled, _ 20 m. 

Chicken Roasted (in ovenV 20 m. 

Chicken, fall Boiled, 1 h.-l J h. 

Chicken, prairie - Broiled, 4 m.-6 m 

Chicken, spring Boiled gently, 20 m. 

Chicken 3 to 4 lbs Baked, 1 h.-l J h. 

Chops BroUed, 8 m. 

Chops, breaded Fried, 4 m.-lO m. 

Chops, lamb Broiled, 8 m.-lO m. 

Chops, mutton Broiled, 8 m.-lO m. 

Clams Boiled, ' 3 m.-5 m. 

Cookiest.- Baked, 10 m.-15 m. 

Corn Boiled. 10 m.-20 m. 

Corn, green Boiled, 20 m.-25 m. 

Croquettes Fried, 1 m.-2 m. 

Cucumbers. , Boiled, 12 m.-15 m. 

Custards Baked,' 20 m.-30 ro. 

Doughnuts Fried, 3 m.-5 m. 

Duck Baked,** 20 m.-30 m. 

Duck, domestic Roasted, 1 h. or mora. 

Duck, full growth Roasted, 45 m.-l h. 

Duck, tame Baked, 40 m.-l h. 

Duck, wild Roasted, 12 m. 

Duckling, Roasted, 25 m.-35 m. 

Endive , Stewed, 5 m.-lO m. 

Fish Broiledt 5 m.— 15 a. 

Fish balls Fried, 1 m. 

Fish, bass Boiled, lO m. 

Fish, blue Boiled, 10 m. 

Fish, blue Broilei 15 m.-20 m. 

Fish, cod Boiled. 10 m. 

Fish, fillets of Fried, 4 m.-6 m. 

Fish, haddock Boiled, 10 m. 

Fish, halibut, whole or thick piece . . Boiled, 15 m. 

Fish, salmon, whole or thick piece Boiled, 10 m.-20 m> 

Fish, shad . Broiled, 15 m.-30 m. 

Fish, slices of ,. Broileda 12 m.-15 m. 

Fish, small. Fried, 1 m.-3 m. 

Fish, small Boiled, 6 m.-8 m. 

Fish, small and fillets Baked, 20 m.-30 SO, 

Fish, smelts . Fried, 1 m. 

Pish, whole. Baked, 30 m. 

JMi, 6 to 8 lbs Baked, ,Xh. 



WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 



769 



Aeticlb, How Cooked. Timb. " 

Fowl, old Boiled gently, 20 m.-30 m. 

Fowl, old , Roasted, 20 m.-30 m. 

Fowl, tender. ..„.,.„,„,...,.. Boiled, - 15 m. 

Fritters „.,.<> o. ,. Fried, 3 m.-5 m. 

Gingerbread. ,.,... ,..o „..,..„ o,. ^ ....... , Baked, 20 m.-30 m. 

Goose „...,<,. o o . . „ . « Roasted, 2 1 h.-lf h. 

Goose, 8 to 10 lbs. . , . . > = > . . „ • . Roasted, 2 h. or more, 

Graham gems. ............. o ............. Baked, 30 m. 

Grouse Roasted (in oven), 30 m.-35 m. 

Grouse .,,......, Roasted, 25 m.-30 m. 

Ham , ,,....,..,.„ Boiled gently, 20 m. 

Ham..., , Boiled, 4 h.-6 h. 

Ham Roasted, 15 m. 

Kohl-rabi Boiled, 15 m.-20 m. 

Lamb Roasted (well done), 15 m.-18 m. 

Lamb .....,.,.„ Baked (well done), 16 m. 

Lentils Boiled, 2 h. or more. 

Lettuce'. , Steamed, 10 m.-15 m. 

Liver. Broiled, 4 m.-8 m. 

Liver Roasted^ (wel! done), 2 h. in all. 

Liver, whole Baked, 12 m. 

Loaf bread. ^ Baked, 40 m.-l h. 

Lobster. Boiled, 30 m.-40 m. 

Macaroni Boiled, 20 m.-50 m. 

Meat, for bouillon Simmer gently, 35 m. 

MufRns Fried, 3 m.-5 m. 

Muffins, baking powder. . „ „ Baked, 20 m.-25 m. 

Muffins, yeast, Baked, about 50 m. 

Mushrooms, ,.....„...,,.,, Stewed, about 15 m. 

Mutton. Boiled, 15 m. 

Mutton .:„.,.,,.........„... Baked (rare) , 10 m. 

Mutton . . ..,.,.„..„„ Baked (well done), 16 m. 

Mutton, leg of.. .... , Roasted (rare), 10 ro. 

Mutton, leg of Boiled gently, 17 m. 

Mutton, leg of ....„...„ , Roasted (well done), 15 m. 

Mutton, loin of Roasted (rare), 9 m. 

Mutton, saddle of . . „ Roasted (rare), 10 m. 

Mutton, shoulder, stuffed Roasted, 15 m.-25 m. 

Mutton, shoulder, stuffed Roasted (well done), 16 m. 

Okra Boiled, 30 m. or more,, 

Onions Boiled, 45 m.-2 h. 

Onions, old , Boiled, 2 h. or more. 

Onions, young Boiled, 30 m.-l h. 

Oyster plant Boiled, 45 m.-l h. 

Oysters Boiled, 3 m.-5 m. 

Parsnips Boiled, 30 m.-45 m. 

Parsnips, large Boiled, 1 h.-l J h. 

Parsnips, small Boiled, 30 m.-l h. 

Partridge Roasted, 35 m.-40 m. 

Peas , Boiled, 20 m.-50 m. 

Peas, green Boiled*, 15 m. or more^ 

Pie crust Baked, 30 m.-45 m. 

Pies ■ Baked, 30 m.-45 m. 

Pigeons Roasted, 20 m.-30 m. 

Pork Baked (well done), 30 m. 

Pork. Roasted (well done), 20 m. 

Pork, leg of Roasted^ (well done), 20 m. 

Pork, loin of Roasted^ (well done), 18 m. 

Pork, shoulder of Roasted^ (well done), 20 m. 

Potatoes , Baked, . 30 m.-45 m. 

Potatoes Baked, 45 m.-l h. 

Potatoes Baked, 25 m.-40 m. 

Potatoes Boiled, 20 m.-30 m. 

Potatoes Boiled, 25 m.-35 m. 

Potatoes Fried, 2 m.-5 m. 

Potatoes, sweet Baked, 1 h.— 1} h. 

Potatoes, sweet Boiled, 15 iii.~25 m. 

Potatoes, sweet Boiled, 45 m.— 1 h. 

Pudding, 1 quart or more Steamed, 2 h.-3 h. 

Puddings, bread; : . Baked, 45 m.-l h. 

Puddings, plum Baked, 2 h.-3 h. 

Puddings, rice , Baked, 45 m.-l h. 

Puddings, tapioca Baked, 45 m.-l h. 

Pumpkin Stewed, 4 h.-5 h. 

Quail Broiled, 10 m.-15 m. 

Quail, in paper cases Broiled, 10 m.-12 m. 

Rabbit Roasted (in oven), 30 m.-45 m. 

Rice Boiled, 20 m.-30 m. 

Rice. Steamed, 40 m.-l h. 

Rolls Baked, 10 m.-15 m. 

Rolls, biscuits. Baked, 10 ia.-30 U* 



770 HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 

Article. How Cooked. TtMB, 

Salsify Boiled, about 1 h. 

Scalloped dishes Baked.^ 10 m.-20 m. 

Sea kale. Boiled, 15 in.-20 m. 

Sorrel Scalded, 10 m.-15 m. 

Spinach Boiled, 20 m.-30 m. 

Spinach, covered closely Boiled, about 1 h. 

Squabs Broiled, 10 m.-15 m. 

Squash Boiled. 20 m.-30 m. 

Steak Broiled, 4 m.-8 m. 

Steak, 1 inch thick Broiled, 8 m.-12 m. 

Steak, 1 J inch thick Broiled, 9 m.-15 m. 

Timbales Baked, about 20 m. 

Tomatoes Baked, 30 m.-45 m. 

Tomatoes Stewed, 15 m.-20 m. 

Tomatoes Stewed, 30 m.-45 m. 

Tongue, corned Boiled, 3 h.-4 h. 

Tongue, salted. . . , = Boiled, 3 h.-4 h. 

Tripe Boiled gently, 20 m. 

Turkey Boiled, 15 m.-18 m. 

Turkey Boiled gently, 20 m. 

Turkey, 8 lbs Roasted (in oven), 3 h. 

Turkey, 8 lbs Baked, 3 h. 

Turkey, 8 to 10 lbs Roasted, 12 m. 

Turnips Boiled, 35 m.-45 m. 

Turnips, old Boiled, 46 m.-75 m. 

Turnips, young Boiled, 15 m.-20 m- 

Veal Baked (well done), 20 m. 

Veal Roasted (well done), 18 m.-20 m. 

Veal, fillet of Roasted* (well done), 20 m. 

Veal, loin of Roasted* (well done), 17 m. 

Veal, shoulder, stuffed Roasted* (well done), 20 m. 

Venison Roasted (rare), 10 ra. 

Venison, haunch of Roasted (rare), 10 m. 

Venison, saddle of ' .Roasted (rare), 10 m. 

^ According to age. * According to size. ' In moderate oven, 

* In hot oven. ' In slow oven. 

COOKS' TABLE OF PEOPORT'ONS 

Baking powder, for bread 1 teaspoon to 1 cup flour. 

Baking powder, for cake 1 teaspoon to 2 cups flour. 

Batters 1 scant cup liquid to 1 cup flour. 

Bread 1 scant cup liquid to 3 cups flour. 

Bread 1 ter spoon baking powder to 1 cup flour. 

Bread 4 teaspoons baking powder, (even) to 1 quart floufo 

Cake 1 saltspoon spice to 1 loaf. 

Cake, plain! 1 teaspoon baking powder to 2 cups flour. 

Cake, plain 1 teaspoon extract to 1 loaf. 

Cake, plaiS 1 saltspoon salt to 1 loaf. 

Cloves, for soup 4 to 1 quart soup. 

Cream tartar 2 teaspoons to 1 teaspoon soda (level). 

Custard „ 1 teaspoon extract to 1 quart. 

Custard 1 saltspoon salt to 4 cups milk. 

Extract, for cake 1 teaspoon to 1 loaf. 

Extract, for custard 1 teaspoon to 1 quart. 

Flour 2 quarts to 1 teaspoon salt. 

Flour, for batter 1 cup to 1 scant cup liquid. 

Flour, for bread 3 cups to 1 scant cup liquid. 

Flour, for bread 1 cup to 1 teaspoon baking powder. 

Flour, for bread 1 quart to 4 teaspoons baking powder (even). 

Flour, for cake 2 cups to 1 teaspoon baking powder. 

Flour, for muffins 2 full cups to 1 scant cup liquid. 

Herbs, mixed, for soup, each. 1 teaspoon to 1 quart soup. 

Liquid, for batter 1 scant cup to 1 cup flour. 

Liquid, for bread 1 scant cup to 3 cups flour (full). 

Liquid, for custard 1 quart to 1 teaspoon extract. 

Liquid, for muffins 1 scant cup to 2 full cups flour. 

Liquid, for soup stock 1 quart for each pound of meat and bonsk 

Liquid, for yeast 1 cup to i cake, comp^ossed. 

Meat 1 quart water to 1 lb. meat and bone. 

Milk, for custard 4 cups to 1 saltspoon salt. 

Milk, sour 2 cups to 1 teaspoon soda. 

Molasses 1 cup to 1 teaspoon soda. 

!Muffins 1 scant cup liquid to 2 full cups flouK ' 

Pepper (white) for soup 1 saltspoon to 1 quart soup. 

Pepper corns for soup. 4 to 1 quart soup. 

Salt 1 teaspoon to 2 quarts flour. 

Salt, for cake 1 saltspoon to 1 loaf. 

Salt, for custard 1 saltspoon to 4 cups milk. 

Salt, for soup 1 teaspoon to 1 quart eoup. 



WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 



771 



goda. ..,...,.,.. 1 teaspoon (level) to 2 teaspoons cream tartar. 

Soda 1 teaspoon to 2 cups milk (sour). 

Soda 1 teaspoon to 1 cup molasses. 

Soda 1 teaspoon (even) to 2 teaspoon^ cream tartar* 

Soup stock. = - .... 1 teaspoon mixed lierbs to 1 quart. 

Soup stock 1 teaspoon salt to 1 quart. 

Soup rtock. , 1 saltspoon pepper (white) to 1 quart. 

Soup stock o 4 pepper corns (black) to 1 quart. 

Soup stock. , 4 cloves to 1 quart. 

Soup stock 1 tablespoon vegetables, chopped, to 1 quark. 

Spice 1 saltspoon to 1 loaf of cake. 

Vegetables, for soup 1 tablespoon, chopped, each to 1 quart stock» 

Yeast 1 cup (liquid) to i cake (compressed). 

1 Cake, made light with eggs needs less. 



Paper Measure. — The mode of meas- 
urement by counting and otherwise 
employed by paper manufacturers 
and dealers, printers, and the book 
and stationery trade is a source of 
confusion to many persons. Paper, 
like other commodities, can be most 
accurate!}^ measured by weight, and it 
is accordingly bought and sold at 
wholesale by the pound. 

Paper can be made to order _n any 
desired size, and with large orders 
this is customary, to avoid waste. 
For convenience, however, in defer- 
ence to custom, paper is ordinarily 
kept in stock by wholesale dealers, 
cut to various convenient sizes, and 
sold by count according to the follow- 
ing table: 

24 sheets. ........ . 1 quire. 

20 quires ......... 1 ream. 

2 reams 1 bundle. 

5 bundles 1 bale. 

1 bale contains.. 200 quires or 4,800 sheets. 
480 sheets . 1 ream, 

A somewhat different table of meas- 
urement is used between printers 
and paper manufacturers (on account 
of the waste of paper from soiled 
sheets and otherwise in printing) as 
follows : 

24 sheets 1 quire. 

20 sheets 1 quire, outsides. 

25 sheets 1 quire, printers'. 

20 quires 1 ream. 

21^ quires 1 ream, printers'. 

2 reams 1 bundle. 

4 reams 1 bundle, printers'. 

10 reams , , 1 bale. 

60 skins 1 roll of parchment. 

Now, for convenience in counting, 
500 sheets are more often called a 
ream, and the word quire is used only 
for the folded note paper, other paper 
being usually sold by the pound. 

Quotations are ordinarily made in 
cents per pound. But the number of 



pounds in a given ream of paper is 
determined by the thickness of the in- 
dividual sheets, and the weight in 
turn determines the price per ream. 
Hence it is customary in the paper 
trade to refer to paper as 40 pound, 
80 pound, or 100 poimd stock, mean- 
ing the number of pounds required to 
make a ream of a known sized sheet 
of the stock in question. A bill for 
paper properly expresses all of these 
particulars. For example: 32 X 45 
/500 7105 @, 5 cts., $5.25, signifies that 
the sheets in question are 32" X 45" in 
size, that 1 ream, containing 500 such 
sheets, will weigh 105 pounds, which, 
at 5 cts. per pound, would amount to 
$5.25 a ream. 

Stock Sizes of Paper. — The follow- 
ing sizes of vi,rious grades of paper 
were formerly recognized generally 
by the trade and kept on hand in most 
wholesale printing houses. This is 
still the case to some extent; but the 
sizes recognized by these trade terms 
vary considerably, and the present 
tendency in the trade appears to be 
in favor of dropping the use of these 
trade terms, and in buying or selling 
to quote, in all cases, the size of the 
sheet only: 

Writing Papers — Flat Cap 

Name. Inches. 

Law blank 13 x 16 

Flat cap 14 x 17 

Crown . 15 x 19 

Demy 16 x 21 

Folio post 17 X 22 

Check folio 17 x24 

Double cap 17 x28 

Medium 18 x 23 

Extra size folio 19 x 23 

Royal 19 x 24 

Superroyal 20 x28 

Imperial 22 x 30 

Elephant 22} x 27^ 

Columbia 23 x33i 

Atlas 26 x33 

Double elephant 26 x 40 



772 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Printing Paper 

(Used in Printing Newspapers and BookslJ 

Name. Inches. 

Medium 19 x 24 

Royal 20 X 25 

Superroyal 22 x 28 

Imperial 22 x 32 

Medium-and-half 24 x 30 

Small double medium 24 x 36 

Double medium 24 x 38 

Double royal. 26x40 

Double superroyal 28x 42 

Also sometimes 29 x 43 

Broad twelves 23 x 41 

Double imperial 32 x 46 

Also sometimes 32 x 44 

Writing Papers — Folded 

Name. Inches. 

BUletnote 6x8 

Octavo note 7x9 

Commercial note 8 x 10 

Packet note 9 x 11 

Bath note 8J x 14 

Letter 10 x 16 

Commercial letter 11 x 17 

Packet post Ilixl8 

Ex. packet post lli-x 18J 

Foolscap 12-Jx 16 

Classifying Books. — Books are 
printed on sheets of paper of varying 
sizes, wliich are afterwards folded and 
trimmed to the size of book desired. 
One sheet of paper thus folded is 
called by printers a " signature." 
The marks sometimes found at inter- 
vals at the bottom of pages as a, b, c, 
I, 2, 3, la, 2a, etc., are what printers 
call " signature marks." They are 
placed on the first page of each sig- 
nature *to indicate the order of the 
signatures for the convenience of 
binders in folding and gathering the 
sheets. These are less commonly used 
than formerly. In the early days of 
the printing industry book papers 
were practically of the same size. 
Hence the number of times a sheet 
was folded to make one signature of 
a book was an accurate means of clas- 
sifying book sizes. A sheet of paper 
folded once into 3 leaves making 4 
pages was then called a folio; 1 
folded twice into 4 leaves making 8 
pages a quarto, and so on, according 
to the following table: 

2 leaves folio, 4 pp. 

4 leaves quarto, 4to, 8 pp. 

5 leaves octavo, 8vo, 16 pp. 

12 leaves duodecimo, 12mo, 24 pp. 

16 leaves 16mo, 32 pp. 

18 leaves. 18mo, 36 pp. 

24 leaves. ......... 24rno, 48 pp. 

32 leaves o-mo, 64 pp. 



These terms, in deference to custoni» 
are still retained; but on account of 
the extent to which paper is manufac- 
tured to order in a great variety of 
shapes and sizes, these terms are no 
longer accurate. They may be ap- 
plied without regard to the sizes of 
the sheet folded, which may vary 
widely. Hence publishers apply them 
rather loosely, according to the ap- 
proximate size of the volume com- 
pared to the earlier standards. The 
following table indicates roughly the 
most usual sizes: 

Size. Inches. 

32mo 4 X 5i 

24mo A\-K 5| 

18mo 4^ X 6 

16mo 5x7 

12mo 6^x 7h 

Crown octavo 5^ x 8 

Octavo 6 X 9 

Royal octavo 7 x 10 

4to or quarto 10 x 12J 

Folio 13 X 15 

' Or a more accurate subdivision of 
the principal sizes of book papers 
gives the following approximate book 

sizes : 

Name. Inches. 

Royal folio 12 x 12 

Demy folio 18 x 11 

Super imperial quarto — 4 to 15^ x 13 

Royal 4to 12| x 10 

Demy 4to ll|x 8J 

Crown 4to 11 x 8 

Royal octavo 10^^ x 6^ 

Medium 8vo 9| x 6 

Demy 8vo 9 x 6 J 

Crown 8vo 7^ x 4i 

Foolscap 8vo 7 x 4 

12mo 7x4 

16mo 6Jx 4 

Square 16mo 4| x 3J 

Royal 24mo 5i x 3i 

Demy 24mo 5 x 2| 

Royal 32mo 5x3 

Post 32mo 4 x 2^ 

Demy 48mo 3| x 2i 

Counting in Groups. — The units in- 
dicated by the following table are in 
frequent use for counting in various 
trades and otherwise: 

2 things 1 pair. 

6 things 1 set. 

20 things 1 score. 

12 units 1 dozen. 

12 dozen 1 gross. 

12 gross 1 great groe?. 

Copying. — A mode of counting oc- 
casionally made use of in copying 
manuscripts, taking evidence in courts 
of law, and otherwise, is as follows: 

72 words make 1 folio or sheet of common laWo 
90 words make 1 folio in chancery. 



WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 



773 



eiRCTTLAR MEASTJItE 

Circular measure is used in meas- 
uring arcs of circles, and angles, and 
in estimating latitude and longitude. 
It is also called angular measure. 

The denominations are seconds ("), 
minutes ('), degrees (°), signs (s), 
and circumferences (cir.). 

Tablb 

60 saeonds (") = 1 minute 

60 minutes = 1 degree •_ 

360 degrees = 1 circumference cir. 

Oir. ° ' 

1 = 360 = 21,600=1,296,000. 
Scale:360, 60, 60. 

Circular measure is used by sur- 
veyors in sur%'eying land; by naviga- 
tors in determining latitude and lon- 
gitude at sea; and by astronomers in 
measuring the motion of the heavenly 
bodies, and in computing difference 
in time. 

The curved line which bounds a 
circle is its circumference. Any por- 
tion of a circumference is an arc. 
Every circumference may be divided 
into 360 equal parts, called degrees. 

One half of a circumference is a 
semicircumf erence ; one fourth, a 
quadrant; one sixth, a sextant; and 
one twelfth, a sign. A semicircum- 
ference contains 180° ; a quadrant, 
90°; a sextant, 60°; and a sign, 30°. 

Since every circumference contains 
360 degrees, the length of a degree 
depends upon the size of the circle. 
A degree of the earth's surface at the 
equator contains 69 J statute miles, or 
60 geographical miles — a minute of 
space being a geographical or natural 
mile. 

The size of an angle is the same 
whether the arc included between its 
sides be a portion of a large or small 
circle. Hence the measure of an an- 
gle is definite wliatever be the length 
of a degree of the included arc. 

That part of the circumference 
which is included between the lines 
which form the angle is tHs measure 
9f the angle. 

LONGITUDE AND TIME 

Longitude is distance east or west 
from a given meridian. It is meas- 



ured by degrees, minutes, and sec- 
onds. Thus, 15° 24' 40" east longi- 
tude denotes a position 15° 24' 40" 
east of the meridian from which lon- 
gitude is reckoned. 

A meridian is an imaginary line 
passing on the earth's surface from 
pole to pole. 

Each nation selects some meridian 
of longitude as its standard from 
which to reckon, but the two in prin- 
cipal use throughout the English- 
speaking world are that of England 
which passes through Greenwich and 
that of the United States which 
passes through Washington. The 
meridian of Greenwich is most com- 
monly employed as an international 
standard. 

All meridian lines run north and 
south, and when the rays of the sun 
are vertical at any point of a given 
meridian, it is midday or noon at all 
places on this meridian which are 
then lighted by the sun. One half of 
every meridian circle is in light and 
the other half in darkness. 

The rotation of the earth on its 
axis gives the unit of time, called a 
day. The day is divided into twenty- 
four equal parts, called hours. Since 
the earth rotates on its axis from 
west to east, the sun appears to re- 
volve around the earth from east to 
west, and its rays move westward at 
the same rate over the earth's sur- 
face. Hence when it is noon, or 
twelve o'clock, at any place, it is past 
noon at all places east of its merid- 
ian, and before noon at all places 
west of its meridian. When, for ex- 
ample, it is noon at Cincinnati, it is 
later than noon at New York, and 
before noon at St. Louis. 

Measurement of Time. — Formerly, 
when traveling was slow, time could 
be adequately measured for practical 
purposes by reference to the sun and 
by means of sundials and hourglasses. 
But the introduction of modern 
means of rapid communication and 
the invention of clocks and watclies 
have enormously increased the im- 
portance of the accurate measure- 
ment of time. Hence an outline oii 



774 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERileg 



the present mode of measuring time 
is of general interest. 

The standards afforded by nature 
are the revolution of the earth about 
the sun, constituting the year; the 
revolution of the moon about the 
earth, the month; and the rotation of 
the earth upon its axis, the day. Of 
these the longest which can be deter- 
mined by direct observation is the 
year. The length of the year may be 
established by observation in two 
ways, which give rise respectively to 
the " solar " and the " sidereal " year. 
The solar year may be defined as the 
mean interval between two returns of 
the sun to the vernal equinox. This 
takes place about March 21st. This 
is the year upon which the change of 
the seasons depends. The sidereal 
year is the mean interval between 
two returns of the sun to the same 
star. This is the true time of the 
earth's revolution, but is slightly lon- 
ger than the solar year. Since, how- 
ever, the change of seasons is what 
marks the length of the year for the 
practical purposes of life, the solar 
year is universally recognized as the 
standard. 

The lunar month or the interval be- 
tween two new moons is the next 
shorter unit of time. It does not, 
however, consist of an even number 
of days, nor is it an even fraction of 
the solar or sidereal year. Hence it 
has given place to an arbitrary di- 
vision of time called the calendac 
month. 

The most accurate and useful meas- 
ure of all is the day, both because of 
the practical importance of the alter- 
nation of day and night, and because, 
so far as can be ascertained, the time 
of the earth's revolution on its axis 
does not change by as much as-j-j,^ 
of a second in a century. As in the 
case of the year, there are two ways 
of determining the duration of the 
day, giving rise respectively to the 
sidereal and the solar days. The 
sidereal day is the interval between 
two passages of a star across the me-, 
ridian. The solar day is the intei'val 
between two passages of the sun over 



the meridian. Hence astronomers 
have set aside the use of the sidereal 
year and sidereal day, and the lunar 
month and year, as standards, and 
have based the measurement of time 
for practical purposes on the solar 
day and year, which are determined 
by the passage of the sun over the 
meridian. 

Accepting this as the basis of the 
measurement of time, it remains to 
distinguish between " apparent solar 
time," "mean solar time," "local, 
time," and " standard time," of which 
the first is determined by the ordei' 
of nature and the rest by agreement; 
among authorities for the conven- 
ience of civilization. 

Apparent solar time is, to speak 
exactly, the moment at which the me.'- 
ridian of any place passes under the 
sun as the earth revolves. On ac- 
count of the facts that the path of 
the earth about the sun is an ellipse, 
that the earth is accordingly farther 
from the sun at certain seasons of the 
year than others, and hence that it 
travels faster at one time than an- 
other (and for other reasons) the in- 
terval between two passages of the 
sun over the meridian at a given 
place, i. e., a solar day varies slightly 
from day to day. Hence, as a mat- 
ter of convenience, an average is 
struck. 

Mean solar time, as this average is 
called, is determined by the motion 
of an imaginary sun called the " mean 
sun," conceived as moving with per-' 
feet uniformity. The hours as thus 
determined are those measured by an 
accurate timepiece. Hence apparent 
solar time is set aside and mean solar 
time becomes the universal standard. 

Local time is the mean solar time 
of any place; that is, the moment at 
which the place passes under the 
" mean sun " as the earth revolves^ 
This moment is called noon. The sim 
at noon passes aroimd the earth aft 
the rate of four minutes for each de- 
gree of longitude. It takes about; 
three hours to pass from New Yoi'fc: 
to San Francisco. Hence at noon in 
New York it is later than noon oci 



WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 



775 



the side toward London, east; and 
earlier on the side toward San Fran- 
cisco, west. 

After the introduction of railroads 
and steamships the use of local time 
became a source of great confusion. 
The traveler's watch would vary from 
the local time four minutes for every 
degree of longitude traversed with 
the added modification caused by the 
time occupied in the journey. Prior 
to the year 1883 each railway system 
adopted its own standard of local 
time. Hence the traveler could not 
determine the time of the arrival of 
trains without adjusting his watch to 
the local time of each railway system 
he patronized. 

Standard Time. — The introduction 
of standard time in 1883 was in- 
tended to lessen this confusion. It is 
based upon the selection of certain 
meridians, the mean solar local time 
of which differs by exactly one hour 



PAClTld . MOOMTAINT. 'CENTRAL Time EASTERN T 
(TIME +120 o +105° +90» +75° 




U,i20?. +105? +90' 

Map of Standard Time. 

or multiples of one hour, and tho 
agreement among railway authorities 
and others to adopt the local time of 
these meridians as a standard for in- 
tervening sections. The first of these 
meridians passes through Philadel- 
phia, the second near New Orleans, 
St. Louis, and Davenport, the third 
near Denver, the fourth near Sacra- 
mento and Stockton. The moment 
that the sun crosses these meridians 
is taken for noon in all places not 
more than half an hour distant from 
it either east or west. Hence these 
meridians give rise to four belts gov- 
erned by four different standards 
of time; namely, Eastern, Central, 



Mountain, and Pacific time, respect- 
ively. The lines dividing these are 
approximately halfway between the 
meridians of Philadelphia, St. Louis, 
Denver, and Sacramento, respectively. 
In each of these belts railway time 
is uniform, and this is practically 
adopted by the entire population. 
The traveler in passing from one belt 
to another merely changes his watch 
one hour to conform to the local 
time. The division into minutes re- 
mains unaltered. 

In practice the lines adopted for 
the demarcation of the time belts are 
not true meridians but conform to 
the location of centers of population 
and other local conditions. The first 
section. Eastern time, includes all the 
territory between the Atlantic Coast 
and a broken line drawn from De- 
troit to Charleston, S. C; which is 
the most southern point. The second 
section, Central time, includes the 
territory between this eastern line 
and a broken line running from Bis- 
marck, N. D., to the mouth of the 
Rio Grande. The third section. 
Mountain time, includes the territory 
between this central line and a line 
representing nearly the western bor- 
ders of Idaho, Utah, and Arizona, 
The fourth section. Pacific time, runs 
thence to the Pacific Coast. Standard 
time is uniform inside each of these 
sections and the time of each section 
differs from that next to it by exactly 
one hour. Thus, at 12 noon in New 
York City, Eastern time, at Chicago, 
Central time, it is 11 a.m.; at Denver, 
Mountain time, 10 a.m. ; at San Fran- 
cisco, Pacific time, 9 a.m. 

Standard time at Boston is 16 min- 
utes earlier than mean solar local 
time; at New York, 4 minutes ear- 
lier; at Washington, 8 minutes faster; 
at Charleston, 19 minutes faster; at 
Detroit, 28 minutes slower; at Kan- 
sas City, 18 minutes faster; at Chi- 
cago, 10 minutes slower; at St. Louis, 
1 minute faster; at Salt Lake City, 
28 minutes faster; at San Francisco, 
10 minutes faster. 

This difference between standard 
and meaa solar local ticpe causes 



776 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



some inconvenience. At some points, 
sunrise, noon, or sunset may vary 
from standard time as much as half 
an hour. The variation, however, 
cannot be greater than this, and in 
some localities is very slight. This 
diiference may affect such matters as 
the hour for meals and the time given 
in the almanac (which is based on 
mean solar local time) as the hour of 
sunrise or sunset. Proper adjust- 
ments can be made, however, by esti- 
mating the difference in time be- 
tween the meridian of the place and 
the standard meridian at the rate 
of four minutes to each degree of 
longitude. Standard time is now in 
use practically throughout the civil- 
ized world. The difference in time 
between two places can be easily de- 
termined by observing on a map their 
distance apart in degrees of longitude 
and allowing four minutes to each 
degree based on the following calcu- 
lation : 



1440 minutes 1 day, or 

revolution of the earth. 
1 revolution of the earth )s 360 degrees. 
Therefore, 1 degree 4 minutes. 



The following is a table of the 
standard for the measurement of 
time: 

60 seconds. ,1 minute. 

60 minutes. 1 hour. 

24 hours 1 day. 

7 days. 1 week. 

4 weeks 1 lunar month. 

28 days 1 lunar mcjth. 

30 days (in computing inter- 
est) 1 month. 

28, 29, 30, or 31 days 1 cal. month. 

12 calendar months .1 year. 

13 lun. mo., 1 day, 6 hours.. . . 1 Julian year. 

365 days, . . .„o...o 1 com. year. 

366 days. .. ....... - 1 leap year. 

365i days. „ 1 Julian year. 

52 weeks and 1 day (12 cal. 

mo.) 1 year. 

365 d., 5 h., 48 m., 49 s 1 solar year. 

365 d., 6 h., 9 m., 12 s. ..... 1 sidereal year. 

100 solar years 1 century. 

The Calendar. — The following jin- 
gle will be found convenient to recall 
the variations in the calendar months: 

Thirty days hath September, 

April, June, and November; 
All the rest have thirty-one 
Except the second month alone 

Wliich has but twenty-eight, in fiuG, 

Til leap year gives it twenty-niae. 



The common year has 365 days, or 
53 weeks and 1 day; the leap year 

366 days. 

. The length of the solar year 1880 
was 365 da., 5 hr., 48 m., 47J sec, 
which is nearly one quarter of a day 
longer than the common year. On 
the supposition that 365^ days was 
the true solar year, Julius Caesar in- 
troduced a calendar in which every 
year exactly divisible by 4 (every 
fourth year) included 366 days, 
called leap year. The error of the 
Julian calendar amounts to 3.1143 
days in four centuries. To correct 
the error, Pope Gregory XIII, in 
1582, modified the Julian calendar by 
making three of the centennial years 
in every four centuries common years 
and cne a leap year. Hence every 
year that is divisible by 4 and is not 
a centennial year is a leap year, and 
every centennial year that is divis- 
able by 400 is a leap year. The year 
1900 will be a common year, and the 
year 2000 a leap year. 

Pendulum. — Any weight suspended 
so as to swing freely under the action 
of gravity is called a pendulum. Sci- 
entific investigation of the swing of 
the pendulum has proved that the 
time of the vibration of the pendu- 
lum is in proportion to the square 
root of its length; that is, a pendu- 
lum which vibrates once in a second 
must be four times as long as one 
which vibrates once in half a second, 
sixteen times as long as one which vi- 
brates in one fourth of a second, and 
so on. It has been furthjer shown 
that the time of the vibration is inde- 
pendent of the length of the arc, or 
the distance through which the pen- 
dulum swings, so long as the arc is 
comparatively small. This is what 
gave rise to the application of the 
pendulum to the regulation of time- 
pieces. 

The attraction of gravity which 
causes the vibration of the pendulum 
depends upon the distance of a body 
from the center of the earth. The 
earth being flattened at the poles, 
this distance is greater at the equator 
and less »t the poles. Hence the 



WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 



777 



Fahren- 


Centi- 


heit 


gra.de 


Water 
BoUs212'' - 


- 100" 


Blood 
Heat 98 ^ - 


- 


Water 
Freezes 32°- 
0°- 


- 0° 



game pendulum will vibrate faster at 
the poles than at the equator. Hence 
the pendulum is used to determine 
the force of gravity at various points 
on the earth's surface. And the 
length of a pendulum vibrating sec- 
onds under stated conditions is now 
the accepted standard of length in 
Great Britain and the United States. 
In the vicinity of New York a pendu- 
lum vibrating once in a second is 
SQ-j'j inches long. 

To shorten the pendulum of a clock 
makes it run faster; to lengthen it 
makes it run slower. 

Measuring Temperature. — ^We com- 
monly use a thermometer known as 
Fahrenheit's. 



In scientific work the 
centigrade (a word 
meaning " 100 degrees ") 
is used. Because there 
are just 100° between 
the freezing and boiling 
points of water, on the 
centigrade thermometer, 
and the freezing point 
is at 0°, that would be 
easier than the Fahren- 
heit to work with if we 
were used to it. 



Specific Gravity. — The specific 
gravity of any substance is the num- 
ber of times its weight contains the 
weight of an equal volume of water. 
Since the weight of a cubic foot of 
water at its greatest density is 1,000 
oz., or 63^ lb., the weight of a cubic 
foot of any substance is found by 
multiplying 1,000 oz. avoirdupois by 
its specific gravity. 

MEASURES OF VALUE 

The common measure of value is 
money. 

It is also called currency, and is of 
two kinds, viz.: coin and paper 
money. 

Stamped pieces of metal having a 
value fixed by law are coin and 
specie. 

Notes and bills issued by the Gov- 
ernment and banks, and authorized 
to be used as money, are paper 
money. 

All money which, if offered, legally 
satisfy a debt are a legal tender. 



UNITED STATES MONEY 

The unit of United States or Fed- 
eral money is the dollar. 

Table. 

10 mills (m.) = 1 cent ct. 

10 cents = 1 dime d. 

10 dimes = 1 dollar $ 

10 dollars = 1 eagle e. 

Scale: decimal. 

The dollar mark is probably a com- 
bination of U. S., the initials of the 
words " United States." 

The coins of the United States are: 

Gold. — The double eagle, eagle, half 
eagle, quarter eagle, and one-dollar 
piece. 

Silver. — The dollar, half dollar, 
quarter dollar, and ten-cent piece. 

Nickel. — The five-cent piece. 

Bronze. — The one-cent piece. 

There are various other coins of 
the United States in circulation, but 
they are not coined now. The de- 
nominations dimes and eagles are 
rarely used, the dimes being regard- 
ed as cents and the eagles as dol- 
lars. 

The unit of value is the dollar. Its 
standard weight in gold is 25.8 gr. 
The standard purity of the gold and 
silver coins is by weight, 9 parts of 
pure metal and 1 part alloy. The 
alloy of gold coins consists of silver 
and copper; the silver, by law, is not 
to exceed one tenth of the alloy. The 
alloy of silver coins is pure copper. 
The nickel coins consist of one fourth 
nickel and three fourths copper. The 
cent is composed of 95 parts copper 
and 5 parts tin and zinc. 

All gold coins are a legal tender 
for any amount; silver coins less than 
$1 are legal tender for any amount 
not exceeding $10 in any one pay- 
ment; nickel and bronze coins, for 
any amount not exceeding 25 cents in 
any one payment. 

Aliquot Parts of a Dollar. — ^When 
the price of an article is an aliquot 
part of a dollar, the cost of any num- 
ber of such articles may be found 
more readily than by multiplying. 

The aliquot parts of a dollar com- 
monly used in business are: 



778 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



50ctg.= i of$l 12Jct3.= J of$l our plain English, 10, 100, etc., it is 

20 " = I " 1 334 " = i " 1 ^^^^ *° employ capital letters for the 

10 " =15 " 1 16f " ■= I " 1 multiples and small letters for the 

subdivisions, to avoid ambiguities in 

The following aliquot parts of a abbreviations: 1 dekameter or 10 me- 

doUar are also used: ters = l dm.; 1 decimeter or -^ of a 

25 cts. = ^ of 50 cts. 16§ cts. = 4 of 33J cts. meter = 1 dm. 

^it " =^ " 50 " ■^6* '• =1 " 25 " '^^^ meter, unit of length, is 

* ° nearly the ten-millionth part of a 

quadrant of a meridian, of the dis- 

ENGLISH OR STERLING MONEY t^^ce between equator and pole. The 

English money is the currency of International Standard Meter is. 

Great Britain. The unit is the pound practically, nothing else but a length 

or sovereign. defined by the distance between two 

Table. lines on a platinum-iridium bar at 0" 

12 Jfence"^' ^^^'•^ = 1 S^g.::::'.:: :::::s: centigrade, deposited at the Interna- 

20 shillinffs = ■! ^ pound, or > „ tional Bureau of Weights and Meas- 

£ ■ 'J. ■ d. ^ ^r"'^ ^ "res, Paris, France. 

1=26=240 = 960. The liter, unit of capacity, is de- 
Scale : 20, 12, 4. j.j^g^ fj.Qj^ ^j^g weight of one kilo- 

Parthings are commonly written as g^^™ P"^^ ^^^^^^ ^^ greatest density, 

fractions of a penny. Thus, 7 pence ^ ^"be whose edge is one tenth of a 

3 farthings is written 7|d.; 5 pence 1 'P^*^^ a^^' therefore, the one-thou- 

farthine: 5^d sandth part of a metric ton. 

The value * of £1 or sovereign is ^he gram, unit of weight, is a cube 

$4.8665 in American gold, and the ""^ P"^^ ^^^er at greatest density, 

other coins have their proportionate ^^ose edge is one hundredth of a me- 

yjjlygg ter, and, therefore, the one-thou- 

The' coins of Great Britain in gen- ^^"^^^h part of a kilogram, and the 

eral use are* one-millionth part of a metric ton. 

Gold.— Sovereign, half sovereign, ^he metric system was legalized in 

and guinea, which is equal to 21 shil- ^^^^ United States on July 28, 1866, 

2jj^ g when Congress enacted as follows: 

Silver.^ The crown (equal to 5 " The tables in the schedule hereto 

shillings), half crown, florin (equal to annexed shall be recognised in the 

2 shillings), shilling, sixpenny and construction of contracts, and in all 

threepenny pieces ^^S^l proceedmgs, as establishing, in 

Copper.-Penny' and halfpenny. t^™« «^ the weights and measures 

now in use in the United States, the 

equivalents of the weights and meas- 

METRIC SYSTEM OF WEIGHTS AOT ures expressed therein in terms of the 

metric system, and the tables may 

The metric system has been lawfully be used for computing, de- 
adopted by Mexico, Brazil, Chili, termining, and expressing in custom- 
Peru, etc., and except Russia and ary weights and measures the weights 
Great Britain, where it is permissive, and measures of the metric system." 
by all European nations. Various Approximate Equivalents. — A me- 
names of the preceding systems are, ter is about a yard; a kilo is about 2 
however, frequently used: In Ger- pounds; a liter is about a quart; a 
many, ^ kilogram = 1 pound; in centimeter is about J inch; a metric 
Switzerland, ^^ of a meter = 1 foot, ton is about same as a ton ; a kilome- 
etc. If the first letters of the pre- ter is about § mile; a cubic centime- 
fixes deka, hecto, kilo, myria, from ter is about a thimbleful; a nickel 
the Greek, and deci, centi, m.ili, from weighs about 5 grams. 
the Latin, are used in preference to The following are the tables: 



WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 



779, 



Measures of Length 



Metric Denominations and Valuer. 



Equivalents in Denominations in Use. 



Myriameter. .o . 
Kilometer. . . . . . 

Hectometer. ... 

Dekameter...,, 
Meter .,<.,,.. 
Decimeter, , . » . , 
Centimeter, o . . ■ 
Millimeter, ,„,,, 



10,000 meters. 

1,000 meters. 

100 meters. 

10 meters. 

1 meter. 

^ of a meter. 

jJo of a meter. 

liftio of a meter. 



6.2137 


miles. 




0.62137 mile, or 


3.280 feet 10 incbca. 


328 


feet 1 inch. 


393.7 


inches. 




39.37 


inches. 




3.937 


inches. 




0.3937 


inch. 




0.0394 


inch. 





MeASTJEES of StJRFACB 



Metric Denominations and Values. 



Hectare - 

Are . , o . 
Centare, 



„ 10,000 square meters. 
100 square meters. 
1 square meter. 



Equivalents in Denominations in Use. 



2.471 acreSc 
119.6 square yards. 
1,550 square inches. 



Heasuhes of Capacttt 



Metbic Denominations and Values. 


Equivalents in Denominations in Use. 


Names. 


Num- 
ber of 
Liters. 


Cubic Measure. 


Drv .vleasure. 


Liquid or Wine 
Measure. 


KiloHter or stere 


1,000 

100 

10 

1 

TTSTO 




1.308 oubi ; yards 


264.17 gallons. 
26.417 gallons. 
2.6417 gallons. 
1.0567 quarts. 
0.845 gill. 
0.338 fluid o 8. 


Hectoliter ..... 

Dekaliter 

Liter .......... 

Deciliter. ...... 

Centiliter 


iV of a cubic meter. . . . 
10 cubic decimeters. . . 

1 cubic decimeter 

rV of a cu. decimeter . . 
10 cubic centimeters.. . 
1 cubic centimeter. . . . 


2 bush, and 3.35 pecks 

9.08 quarts., o 

0.908 quart , 

6.1022 cubic inches 

0.6102 cubic inch.. , 


Milliliter 




0.27 fluid dr. 









WeIG'"!* 



Metric Denominations and Values. 



Equivalents in De» 
nominations in Use. 



Names. 



Number 

of 
Grams. 



Weight of What Quantity of Water 
at Maximum Density. 



Avoirdupois Weight. 



Millier or tonneau 

Quintal. 

Myriagram. ..... 

Kilogram or kilo. 
Hectogram. ..... 

Dekagram. ...... 

Gram 

Decigram 

Centigram 

Milligram, o 



1,000,000 

100,000 

10,000 

1,000 

100 

10 

1 



JooO 



1 cubic meter • . 

1 hectoliter 

10 liters 

1 liter 

1 deciliter ......... 

10 cubic centimeters.... 

1 cubic centimeter 

I'o of a cubic centimeter, 
10 cubic millimeters.... 
1 cubic millimeter. . . . „ . 



2204.6 
220.46 

22.046 
2.2046 
3.6274 
0.3527 

15.432 
1.5432 
0.1543 
0.0154 



pounds. 

pounds. 

pounds. 

pounds. 

ounces. 

ounce. 

grains. 

grains. 

grain. 

grain. 



780 HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 

APPROXIMATE EQUIVALENTS 

A meter is about a yard; a kUo is about 3 pounds- a liter in about a quart; a centimeter 
is about J inch, a metric ton is about same as a ton; a kilometer is about J mile; a cubic centi« 
meter is about a thimbleful; a nickel 'weighs about 5 grams. 

Precise Equivalents. 

acre = .40 hectare.., » 4047 

bushel =35 liters. 35.24 

centimeter. . ,, = ,39 inch. ,_ „, ..... « 3937 

cubic centimeter o = .061 cubic inch. . . . . „ „ .0610 

cubic foot , = ,038 cubic meter 0283 

cubic inch „ . . . = 16 cubic centimetersf 16.39 

cubic meter ....=35 cubic feet 35.31 

cubic meter = 1.3 cubic yards. 1.308 

cubic yard = ,76 cubic meter 7645 

foot. = 30 centimeters 30 .48 

gallon = 3.8 liters.... 3.785 

grain = .065 gram 0648 

gram c = 15 grains 15.43 

hectare = 3.5 acres 2 . 471 

inch =35 millimeters 25.40 

kilo .= 3.3 pounds 2.205 

kilometer = .63 mile .6214 

liter ,..= .91 quart (dry) ... . 9081 

liter , = 1.1 quarts (liquid) .., = ..... 1 .057 

meter = 3.3 feet 3.281 

mile = 1.6 kilometers , 1 .609 

millimeter = .039 inch .0394 

ounce (avoirdupois) . . „ = 38 grams o ., ... . 28 . 35 

ounce (troy) =31 grama ... = .... 31 . 10 

peck o.... = 8.8 liters 8.809 

pint „ .= ,47 liter....... 4732 

pound ; = ,45 ,kilo 4536 

quart (dry) , = 1.1 liters ..,..„. ...o.. 1.101 

quart (liquid) „ . = .95 liter .....<... 9464 

sq. centimeter. ........ „ = . .15 sq. inch ^ . .1550 

sq. foot. = .093 sq. meter „ .0929 

sq. inch „ o = 6.5 sq. centimeters 6.452 

sq. meter =• 1.3 sq. yards, c . - 1 . 196 

sq. meter. = 11 sq. feet. 10.76 

sq. yard. .......= ,84 sq. meter. . . . . . . « 8361 

ton (2,000 lbs.) „ = ,91 metric ton. .......,.„ o. .9072 

ton (2,240 lbs.)., o.... = 1 metric ton 1.017 

ton (metric).. = 1.1 ton (2,000 lbs.)..... . 1.102 

ton (metric) ...c, .= .98 ton (2,240 lbs.).. .9842 

yara <» ,91 meter <<«.. .9144 




! 
11 



y 



Courtesy, The Kellogg Fruit Co. 



Mrs. CURTIS'S 

COOK BOOK 

^e-vUed Edition 
yi NANVAL o/INSTUVCTION 

Iff ^HE 

ART o/" EVERYDAY COOKERY 

ISABEL GORDON CURTIS 

_/iu1hor of 
"Leftovers Made Palatable" 
"The Everyday Cook Book" 
•• The Making of a Housewife " 
"The Progress of a Housekeeper" 



SUCCESS COMPANY'S 
BRANCH OFFICES 

PETERSBURG. N. Y. TOLEDO. OHIO 

DANVILLE. ILLS. 

OKLAHOMA CITY. OKLA. SAN JOSE. CAL. 



COPYRIGHT, IQOg 

The Success Company 
Copyright, 1Q13 

By Success Company's 
Branch Offices 



PREFACE 

This book is designed for the use of the home cook, who is inter- 
ested in the best way to do her work, and who strives to set an attrac- 
tive table as well as to practice economy. Although this compilation 
contains a number of recipes for what are termed " fancy dishes," the 
greater part of its teaching deals with the plain food, which is served 
three times a day on the table of an everyday American family. 1 1 
teaches every detail about how to make good bread, how to cook 
vegetables, fish, meat, eggs, cereals, and other wholesome foods in the 
most tempting way possible. It also teaches how to utilize all sorts 
of left-overs — daintily and economically. I believe that every woman 
should know how to cook, whether she is compelled to use that 
knowledge or not. The knowing how is not unlike being able to 
swim: you may spend nearly all your life upon dry land, then sud- 
denly comes a crucial moment when swimming means life or death. 
In the career of nearly every housekeeper there comes at some time a 
crucial moment, when the knowledge of cookery means life or death, 
for a steady course of unwholesome, badly cooked food is certainly 
death. Cookery may seem to the novice at first distasteful and hard 
work, but when one begins to master the principles it is an art that 
grows in interest. To-day instead of looking upon domestic tasks as 
menial labor, the woman of sense and dignity sees in a thorough and 
scientific mastery of such labor a step toward the higher education. 

Isabel Gordon Curtis. 



INTRODUCTION 

When the query was recently put to Isabel Gordon Curtis, " Where i 
and how did you learn to cook ? " she went back to the days of her 
childhood, which were spent in Scotland. 

"If I was eager for one thing," she confesses, "it was to get into 
the kitchen on baking days. Baking day in a Scottish kitchen is 
very different from that in America. No yeast-raised bread is made, 
no cakes, cookies, pies, or doughnuts. Twice a week a Scotch 
housewife piles a tray full of crisp oatcakes. They are baked on a 
griddle, then dried on a little hanging shelf in front of a red peat fire. 
There is a batch of puffy scones, also griddle-baked, but no sweet 
stuff. The stoves are long ranges built into the wall; they never fire 
up enough to bake anything that needs more heat than a milk pud- 
ding. Then Scotch women do not know the secret of bread-making, 
for ' loaf -bread,' as it is called, comes from the bakeshops. For me 
there was no fascination of watching bread rise or the mysterious 
process of kneading. Only I loved to roll out my own little oatcakes 
and scones and bake the tiny batch on the edge of the griddle — that 
was if the cook was good-natured enough to let me hang around. 
When I read American stories, which told of baking days in a farm- 
house kitchen, and luscious things coming from a brick oven, I longed 
to be in the thick of it, not so much to eat as to cook. 

"I tried to make American bread — just once. Some Canadian 
cousins visited us and I listened eagerly to their description of baking 
pie, bread, and cake. The housewife of the party was a fine cook, 
and while she described the processes of bread -making I took it all in. 
My mother left with them for a few days of sight-seeing, and in her 
absence I determined to make bread. I took two shillings from my 
bank and at the bakeshop bought ten pounds of flour and a cup of 
yeast, ' barm ' as it is called in Scotland. I rose very early next 
morning, and mixed the dough, kneading it till my arms ached; then 
I laid it into round pans. If the rising process had been described I 
missed it. The pans were popped straight into an oven as hot as I 



INTRODUCTION 

could make it. The loaves baked and baked and baked, while I 
stood right by the stove keeping it at a roaring heat. They never 
rose as I supposed bread ought to do and my hopes fell. Hours later 
I took the loaves from the oven; they were heavy and dark, with a 
crust you could not have broken with an axe. They looked like 
curling stones more than anything I can think of. The perplexing 
question was where to put them, for I wanted nobody to know of 
my failure. If I had buried them in the garden they might be dug 
up. Our wash house in the yard had a queer little attic which nobody 
entered, because the only entrance it had was a hole opening from 
the wide chimney. I climbed on the rough cobble stones of the wall 
and rolled my loaves into the dimmest recess of the attic. Years 
after, when I had utterly forgotten them, the wash house was de- 
molished by a windstorm and among the debris were found my 
loaves. They were a curiosity to the neighbors, for I never told my 
secret. One old man declared they were meteorites, and his theory 
was looked upon as a possibility. 

"In these days there were no cooking schools in Scotland, though 
in school we studied a text-book on domestic economy, only of what 
use was a text-book without practise? My mother sent me into a 
caterer's kitchen where many girls were taught something of cookery. 
There I learned how to make shortbread, the famous hot mutton pies 
of Scotland, gingerbread, pound cake, sponge cake, and Bath buns. 
We did not make bread; that was a bakery product. I had lessons, 
though, on how to turn out a magnificently upholstered christening or 
wedding cake, which shows what an impracticable course it was. 

" A few years later we sailed for America. From a friendship made 
in this new country, I look back on the beginning of an ideal and also 
the beginning of a definite ambition. My ideal was one of the most 
gracious, accomplished, and capable women I have ever known. As 
I came to know her well, I realized that a woman may occupy the 
highest social position with charming dignity and lose none of that 
dignity by being a thoroughly capable housewife. She could cook, 
sew, or even do the work in her own kitchen, when necessity de- 
manded it, with a perfection that is seldom found in hired help. 
From this woman I had my first lessons in housewifery; she taught 
me not only how to do work of all sorts as well as it can be done, but 
that it was work every woman ought to know how to do and she 



INTRODUCTION 

should be proud of that knowledge. Twenty years later, when a 
dedication was required for the first book I wrote on housekeeping, 
I gave it to the woman who at just the crucial point in my life in- 
stilled a belief that there is no higher accomplishment than to know 
how to live well, yet economically, making a home healthful, attract- 
ive, and happy. 

" Years after, when I drifted into newspaper work and edited the 
woman's department of a farm paper as well as that of a city weekly, 
I found the knowledge I had gained of housewifery no small value. 
Later I married, and that knowledge was put to practical use. I 
began then to make domestic economy a regular study, for each day 
there came a new problem that demanded something more than 
the information in cook books. Experience and experiment prove 
valuable teachers. 

"Ten years ago, I was called to the editorial staff of Good House- 
Jceeping. That required even more extended study; a course in a 
cooking school and constant reading. ' No wider experience can be 
gained than in answering the questions that come from housekeepers 
to a home magazine. In learning how to solve problems for other 
people, you absorb a multiplicity of knowledge that cannot be 
achieved in one home. The cookery of America is cosmopolitan, its 
housewifery is conducted after the customs of many nations, and the 
woman who answers questions on a magazine cannot help but learn 
much th^t is not found in books. Following Good Housekeeping 
came similar work on Collier's Weekly, the Delineator, then on Success 
Magazine. One thing I am learning from it is, that as wide as our 
continent is interest in the betterment of homes, in the moral influence 
of wholesome, well-cooked food, in simpler living, and in household 
economy. It means a steady development of the American woman 
toward the highest ideals of housewifery." 

The Publishebs. 



CHAPTER XXVIII 



BEVERAGES 



Wheut we speak of beverages, it 
includes such daily drinks as tea, 
coffee, and cocoa, also the delicious 
fruit punches, which are easy to 
make and, in hot weather, as cooling 
to the blood as they are palatable. 
In preparing all hot beverages, fresh- 
ly boiled water is a necessity, for 
after water has boiled five minutes it 




loses a sort of sparkle that makes all 
the difference between a poor cup of 
tea and one that is stimulating and 
fragrant. As to coffee, there are va- 
rious methods of making it, but in 
boiled coffee, which is the common, 
everyday way of making it, we have 
probably the quickest and most 
economical method. To have coffee 
at its best, the water and coffee 
should be carefully measured, care- 
fully watched and timed in the cook- 
ing, and the coffeepot kept scrupu- 
lously clean. Don't buy poor, cheap 
tea and coffee; it is simply impossi- 



ble to make them fit to drink; better 
a small quantity of decent quality. 

The majority of fruit punches, as 
a rule, have one base — a sirup of 
equal quantities of water and sug- 
ar. This is a much better way to 
prepare such drinks than by melting 
sugar, which can only be half dis- 
solved in cold water. After the 
sirup for such a beverage is pre- 
pared, its flavoring is limited only 
by the variety of fruit on hand. The 
ever-handy lemon gives it necessary 
tartness, and to add to the delicious- 
ness anything may be added, even a 
left-over of sirup from canned fruit 
or a cup of cold tea. 

French Coffee. 

1 cupful finely ground coffee, 
6 cupfuls boiling water. 

There are a number of pots on the 
market for making French coffee; 
any of them are suitable, provided 
they contain a fine strainer, which 
holds the coffee and prevents the 
grounds from getting into the infu- 
sion. To make coffee in this fashion, 
put the coffee into the strainer, 
which is generally set into the mouth 
of the pot; place the pot on the stove 
and slowly pour the water over the 
grounds, allowing it to filter through. 
If you wish to have the coffee 
stronger, pour out the infusion and 
pour it a second time over the 
grounds, but do not allow it to cool. 

Boiled Coffee. 

4 heaping tablespoonfuls ground 

coffee, 
1 quart freshly boiling water, 
} white of egg. 



789 



790 



MRS. CURTIS^S COOKBOOK 



Mix the white of egg with 3 table- 
spoonfuls cold water, beating with a 
fork; add the coflPee and stir till wet. 
Scald coffeepot, put in prepared cof- 
fee, pour in boiling water, cover the 
spout, and boil five minutes. Pour 
in quickly -i cupful cold water; 
stand three minutes to settle. Strain 
into a hot pot or have strainer on 
table. 

Tea. 

Water for tea should be used when 
it has just reached the boiling point. 
Teas are of differing strengths, but a 
safe rule is 1 teaspoonful dry tea to 
I pint boiling water. Scald the pot, 
put in dry tea, and cover one min- 
ute. Add boiling water and cover 
closely. Let stand three to six min- 
utes and strain off into another hot 
pot. A wadded cozy keeps the tea 
hot for a long time. 

Cocoa. 

In a tablespoonful of boiling wa- 
ter dissolve a small teaspoonful of 
•Runkel's cocoa powder, then add a 
cupful of boiling milk, and boil to- 
gether for five minutes, stirring con- 
tinually. When served, sweeten to 
taste. This is for one cup; for 
larger quantities, follow the same 
proportions. Use only earthen or 
porcelain '"vessels, as tin spoils the 
flavor of cocoa. 

ATternoon Chocolate. 

1 quart milk, 

3 squares Runkel's chocolate, 
3 tablespoonfuls boiling water, 

2 tablespoonfuls sugar. 

Put the chocolate in a double boil- 
er. When it melts, add the sugar 
and stir thoroughly till both are 
dissolved. Add the boiling water 
and beat it smooth, then pour over 
it the scalded milk. With an egg 
beater, whip the beverage till it 
foams, keeping it over the fire. Serve 
from a chocolate pot, sweetening to 
taste and putting into each cupful a 
tablespoonful of whipped cream. If 
you desire the chocolate delicatefy 
thickened, add ^ tablespoonful corn- 



starch dissolved in cold milk during 
the cooking process. 

Piazza Punch. 

Juice 2 lemons. 

Juice 1 orange, 

1 cupful sugar, 

S cupfuls grape juice, 

3. cupfuls water. 

Mix together the juice of tHe 
lemons and orange, add sugar, grape 
juice, and water. Place a small 
cake of ice in the bottom of a punch 
bowl or in a tall glass pitcher and 
pour in the liquid. 

lime Punch. 

i cupful lime juice, 

3i cupfuls sugar sirup, 

3 cupfuls pineapple juice, 

I cupful orange. 
Mix together the lime juice and 
sirtip; then add the pineapple juice 
and orange. When ready to serve, 
put in glasses half filled with 
crushed ice and add a few Mara- 
schino cherries. 

Pineapple Punch. 

1 cupful grated pineapple, 

2 cupfuls water, 

3 cupfuls sugar, 

i cupful fresh-made teai. 
Juice 3 oranges. 
Juice 3 lemons, 

1 cupful grape juice, 
2J quarts water. 

Put the pineapple and 9 .cupfulsf 
water to boil for fifteen minutes. 
Strain through cheese cloth, pressing 
out all the juice. Add 1 pint of 
water to the sugar, which has been 
boiled ten minutes, then add the tea, 
juice of the oranges and lemons, 
grape juice, and the balance of the 
water. Put in a punch bowl with a 
large lump of ice. Serve perfectly 
chilled in sherbet glasses. 

Pruit Punch. | 

Juice 6 lemons, 

2 cupfuls water, 
1 pound sugar, 
Chopped rind 1 lemon. 



BEVERAGES 



791 



2 bananas, 

1 grated pineapple, 

J bottle Maraschino cherries and 
their liquor, 

2 quarts Apollinaris. 

Put the water, sugar, and rind of 
lemon on to boil; boil five minutes, 
strain, and while hot slice into it 
the bananas, pineapple, cherries and 
their liquor. When ready to serve, 
put in the center of punch bowl a 
square block of ice; pour over it the 
Apollinaris; add to the fruit the 
juice of the lemons and put it all 
into the bowl. 

])Iulled Cider. 

1 quart cider, 

1 teaspoonful whole allspice, 

J teaspoonful cassia buds, 

3 eggs. 

Put the cider with the spices in it 
in a saucepan and boil three minutes. 
Pour it carefully over the eggs, which 
habe been beaten thoroughly, and 
serve hot. 

Raspberry and Currant Punch. 

A pleasant drink is made of rasp- 
berries and currants — a pint of the 
former to a quart of the latter. 
Bruise the fruit in a preserving ket- 
tle with a potato masher and pour 
over it 2 quarts cold water. Put the 
kettle over a moderate fire, where it 
will heat gradually. After it begins 
to boil, remove the kettle from the 
fire; pour the contents into a jelly 
bag and let it drain through the bag 
into a large bowl. When it is clear 
and cool, ice and sweeten it and 
serve in little glasses. 

Tea Punch. 

1 quart boiling water, 

4 tablespoonfuls tea, 

1 cupful granulated sugar. 
Juice 4 lemons, 
i pint Apollinaris. 

Pour the boiling water over the 
tea; cover and leave for five minutes; 
strain off and cool. Half fill the 
punch bowl with cracked ice, add 



the sugar and strained juice of the 
lemons. Pour the tea over these, and, 
as it goes to table, add the Apol- 
linaris. Strew a handful of mint 
sprays on the surface and serve at 
once. 

Cocoa Nibs or "Shells." 

Wet 2 ounces cocoa shells with a 
little cold water and stir into them 
a quart of boiling water. Boil stead- 
ily for an hour and a half; strain, 
stir in a quart of fresh milk, bring 
almost to the scalding point, and 
serve. Sweeten in the cups. 

Raspberry Vinegar. 

Mash the berries and, when re- 
duced to a pulp, add enough vine- 
gar to cover them. Set close by the 
stove for twelve hours, stirring of- 
ten. Strain and press; add as many 
raspberries (mashed) to the vinegar 
as before; cover and leave in the 
hot sun for six hours. Now strain, 
and measure the juice; add half as 
much water as you have juice, and 
stir into this 5 pounds granulated sug- 
ar for every 3 pints of liquid. Bring 
slowly to a boil, let it boil up once, 
and strain. Bottle, cork, and seal.'^ 
Makion Harland. 

Ginger Beer. 

6 ounces bruised ginger, 

6 quarts water, 

5 pounds loaf sugar, 

1 gill lemon juice, 

i pound honey, 

17 quarts cold water, 

1 egg, 

2 teaspoonfuls essence lemon. 

Boil the ginger and water for half 
an hour; then add the sugar, lemon 
juice, honey, the balance of the wa- 
ter, and strain through a cloth. 
When cold, put in the egg and es- 
sence of lemon. After standing 
three or four days it may be bottled. 

Ginger Pop. 

2 gallons lukewarm water, 
2 pounds white sugar, 
2 lemons. 



792 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



1 tablespoonful cream of tartar, 
1 cupful yeast, 

S ounces white ginger root, 
bruised and boiled. 

Pour this mixture into a stone jar 
and stand in a warm place for twen- 
ty-four hours; then bottle. The next 
day it will be ready to "pop." — 
Marion Harland. 

Cream Soda. 

1 pound loaf sugar, 

2 cupfuls rich cream, 
1 quart water, 

1 tablespoonful McIIhenny's Mex- 
ican vanilla, 

J ounce tartaric acid. 

Mix the ingredients and bring 
slowly to a boil; then put in jars. 
Use a tablespoonful of this and a 
third of a teaspoonful of soda to a 
glass of iced water. 

Portable lemonade. 

Rasp the rind of a large and not 
too-ripe lemon on ^ pound loaf sug- 
ar, reduce it to powder, and mix 
with the strained juice of the fruit. 
Stir well together, and when thor- 
oughly mixed, press tightly into a 
small jar, cork, and tie over with 
waxed paper. When required for 
use, dissolve a tablespoonful of the 
paste in a glass of water with a 
lump of ice. This paste will keep 
good for months. If too sweet, a 
slight amount of citric acid will give 
it the necessary sharpness. 

Egg lemonade. 

2 cupfuls sugar, 

3 cupfuls water. 
Grated rind 1 lemoi^ 
Juice 3 lemons, 

1 egg, 

1 bottle effervescent water. 
Boil together the sugar and water 
for ten minutes; add the grated rind 
and juice of the lemons. Allow this 
to cool, and at time of serving add 
the egg, beaten until very light and 
creamy, and the effervescent water, 
poured from some height in order 



that the mixture may foam. Serve 
with cracked ice in glasses. 

Chocolate Cream Nectar. 

4 tablespoonfuls hot coffee, 

2 squares Runkel's chocolate, 
IJ cupfuls sugar, 

3 cupfuls water, 

1 teaspoonful McIIhenny's Mexi- 
can vanilla. 
Whipped cream. 

Melt the chocolate in the hot cof- 
fee; add the sugar and water; boil 
clear and strain. There should be 
1 quart of the liquid. When cold, 
add the vanilla, then pour it into 
glasses in which you have placed 1 
tablespoonful whipped cream and a 
little shaved ice. Stir before drink- 
ing. This is good hot, if a portion 
of milk is added to the chocolate 
sirup, and the whipped cream placed 
oji top. 

Iced Coffee with Orange Flavor. 
1 quart strong coffee, 
3 cupfuls sugar. 

Boil the ingredients ten minutes. 
Allow this to cool and add to each 
cup or glass 1 tablespoonfid orange 
sirup and the same amount of cream 
partially whipped. The orange sirup 
may be obtained at a drug store or 
made by allowing cut oranges to 
stand in sugar and straining off the 
j uice. 

Black-Currant Cup. 

To 1 quart weak green tea add ^ 
pint black-currant juice; sweeten to 
taste and chiU thoroughly before 
serving. 

Ching Ching. 

Fill a glass two thirds full of 
shaved ice; add 3 or 4 lumps of sug- 
ar, the juice of a large orange, and 
a few drops of essence of cloves or 
peppermint. 

Fruit Cup. 

Juice I lemon, 

1 teaspoonful lime juice. 



BEVERAGES 



793 



1 teaspoon ful pineapple juice, 
4 ounces sugar, 

2 ounces shaved ice. 

Fill up the glass with rich milk, 
shake until foamy, and drink at 
once. 

Pineapple Lemonade. 
1 pineapple, 
Juice 4 lemons, 
1 pound sugar, 
1 pint water. 

Pare, eye, and grate the pineapple; 
add the strained juice of the lemons 
and a sirup made by boiling together 
for four minutes the sugar and 
water. When cold, add 1 quart 
water; strain and ice. 

Fruit Beverage. 
12 lemons, 
2^ pounds sugar, 
1 quart ripe raspberries, 
1 pineapple. 

Peel the lemons very thin; squeeze 
the juice over the peel and let stand 
two hours; then add 1 pound sugar; 
mash the raspberries with i pound 
sugar, strain the lemon juice and 
mash the raspberries through a 
coarse sieve, then the pineapple, and 
mix all together, adding 3 quarts 
cold water. Stir until the sugar is 
dissolved; strain, and serve with a 
little of the fruit in each glass. 

Picnic Lemonade. 

1 quart water, 

2 figs, 

Peel and juice of 2 lemons, 
1 tablespoonful honey. 

Put the water into a stewpan to 
boil; add the figs cut in two; let the 
water and figs boil a quarter of an 
hour; add the lemon peel cut in thin 
slices; boil ten minutes longer; pour 
into a jug; cover closely with paper 
until cold; pass through a sieve and 
add the honey and lemon juice. Sug- 
ar can be used in place of honey. 



Kussian Tea. 

4 teaspoon fuls tea, 
1 quart boiling water, 
1 teaspoonful sugar, 
i slice lemon, 
1 Maraschino cherry. 

Pour the boiling water over the 
tea, and allow it to stand for five 
minutes. Into each cup put the 
lemon, cherry, and sugar, and pour 
the tea over them. 

Baspberry Shrub. 

For every cupful raspberry juice 
talie ^ cupful white-wine vinegar and 
2 cupfuls sugar. Put the fruit juice, 
sugar, and vinegar over the fire, stir 
until the sugar dissolves and boil to 
a thick sirup; strain and bottle. All 
fruit juices are used in the same 
manner. When served, allow I cup- 
ful sirup to I cupful ice water. 

Elderblossom Wine. 

1 quart elderberry blossoms, 

9 pounds sugar, 

1 yeast cake, 

3 gallons water, 

3 pounds raisins, 

i cupful lemon juice. 

The blossoms should be picked 
carefully from the stems and the 
quart measure packed full. Put the 
sugar and water together over the 
fire, stir until the sugar is dissolved, 
then let it boil without stirring. Boil 
five minutes, skim, and add the blos- 
soms. As soon as the blossoms are 
stirred in, take from the fire and 
cool. When lukewarm, add the dis- 
solved yeast and lemon juice. Put in 
an earthen jar for six days, stirring 
thoroughly three times daily. The 
blossoms must be stirred from the 
bottom of the jar each time. On the 
seventh day strain through a cloth 
and add the raisins, seeded. Put in 
glass preserve jars and cover tightly. 
Do not bottle until January. 

Mint Fizzle. 

Cut the rind of 1 lemon thin, then 
into small strips. Squeeze juice of J 
lemon in each glass; add 1 teaspoon- 



794 



[MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



ful sugar; stir until dissolved; fill 
half up with shaved ice; pour in half 
ginger pop and half grape juice; 
place 3 sprigs of mint and 2 pieces 
of peel in each glass and serve jvith 
straws. 

Eed-Currant Punch. 

Boil for five minutes 1 cupful sugar 
and 3 quarts water. Remove from 
the fire, and, while the sirup is still 
hot, dissolve in it 1 pint red-currant 
jelly. Add 3 lemons and 3 oranges, 
sliced thin. Set on ice until chilled 
and serve in glasses partly; filled with 
crushed ice. 

Tutti-Frutti Punch. 

2 quarts water, 
1 pound sugar, 
Grated rind 2 lemons. 
Grated rind 4 oranges. 

Juice from the lemons and 

oranges, 
24 Malaga grapes, 

3 slices tangerine oranges, 

4 slices pineapple, 
1 banana, 

1 pint Maraschino cherries. 

The special characteristic of the 
above recipe is found in the Mara- 
schino cherries, which give a pecul- 
iar zest to the punch. Boil five min- 
utes 1 quart of the water and sugar; 
add the grated rinds of the lemons 
and oranges and continue boiling for 
ten minutes longer. Strain the sirup 
through cheese cloth and add 1 quart 
cold water. Extract the juice from 
the lemons and oranges, strain, and 
mix with the grapes, cut in half and 
seeded, oranges, pineapple, sliced 
banana, and the Maraschino cherries 
with their liquor, the cherries being 
halved. Serve from a punch bowl in 
which a cube of ice has been placed. 

Sparkling Lemonade. 
36 lemons, 

3 pounds granulated sugar, 
6 oranges, 
1 pineapple, 
1 box strawberries, 
4) quarts carbonic water. 



Squeeze the juice from the lemons 
and remove the pips. Put it into 
the punch bowl with the sugar and 
stir until dissolved. Slice the oranges, 
shred the pineapple, hull and 
wash the berries; then add them all 
to the lemon juice. Put a large 
cube of ice in the punch bowl. Just 
before serving, add the carbonic wa- 
ter, which has previously; been 
chilled. 

Cider Eggnog. 

To each quart of cider allow 4 eggs. 
Beat the yolks until they assume the 
consistency of cream. Beat the whites 
to a stiff froth. Stir together the 
cider and beaten yolks and sweeten 
to taste. Stir in half the beaten 
whites and season slightly with 
grated nutmeg. Stand on ice until 
cold. Serve in punch glasses with a 
teaspoon ful of the meringue on tog 
'of each glass. 

Hint Ale. 

Juice 5 lemons, 
IJ cupfuls sugar, 
J dozen stalks and leaves of 
bruised mint, 

2 bottles ginger ale. 
Mix the lemons and sugar to- 
gether; when melted, place in a 
punch bowl with the bruised mint, 
and when the bowl has been half 
filled with cracked ice, add the gin- 
ger ale. 

Chocolate Sirup. 

To use in emergency for making 
cool drinks. 

2 ounces Runkel's chocolate, 
2 cupfuls boiling water, 
2 pounds sugar, 

2 tablespoonfuls Mcllhenny's 
Mexican vanilla. 

Put the chocolate in a double boil- 
er and let it meit gradually, stirring 
occasionally. Add the sugar and 
water. When thoroughly dissolved, 
strain and add the vanilla. Bottle 
and keep in a cool place until want- 
ed. A tablespoonful added to a 



\ 



BEVERAGES 



795 



glass of iced water or charged water 
makes a delicious cool drink in a mo- 
ment or two. Or pour a few spoon- 
fuls of it in a cocktail glass over 
shaved ice and cover with sweetened 
whipped cream for an afternoon-tea 
delicacy. AVith boiling water and 
whipped cream it makes a cupful of 
hot chocolate without a moment's 
delay. 

Old Colonial Mint Cup. 

1 bunch fresh mint, 
6 oranges, 

2 lemons, 

J ounce pulverized gum arable, 
i cupful cold water, 
1 cupful sugar, 
AVhites of 2 eggs. 

Steep mint in sufficient hot water 
to extract the flavor, adding the 
juice of the oranges and lemons. 
Dissolve over hot water the gum 
arabic, soaked in cold water for 
twenty minutes, add the sugar and 
cook until it spins a thread; pour 
this boiling hot upon the stiffly beat- 
en whites of eggs, beating until cold 
and smooth. Stir in the strained 
aaint flavoring and fruit juice. Di- 



lute to the required strength with 
carbonated water and serve in tum- 
blers containing finely cracked ice, 
garnishing each portion with lemon 
peel and sprigs of mint. 

Lemonade. 

3 cupfuls sugar, 

1 quart water, 

§ cupful lemon juice. 

Boil the sugar and water fifteen 
minutes, then add the fruit juice. 
Cool and, if too strong, add a piece 
of ice to dilute it. 

Ginger Punch. 

2 cupfuls sugar, 
2 quarts water, 

1 pound Canton ginger, 
1 cupful orange juice, 
1 cupful lemon juice. 

Pour the water over the sugar and 
add the ginger, which has been cut 
coarsely in a meat chopper. Boil for 
twenty minutes, add the fruit juice, 
and strain. Allow it to cool, then 
pour over a piece of ice in a gunch 
bowL 



CHAPTER XXIX 



BREAD 



First in every household is de- 
manded good bread. Not hit-and- 
miss bread — fair at one baking, poor 
at another — but a sweet, wholesome, 
nutty-flavored loaf, beautiful chest- 
nut brown all over, and so perfectly 
baked as to be palatable when ten 
days old. 

The very best flour is the cheapest; 
it makes the finest bread, it contains 
the largest amount of nutrition, and 
it produces twice the quantity of 
wholesome bread that cheap flour 
does. In nearly every pantry you 
find two brands of flovir; usually we 
call them bread flour and pastry 
flour. It is possible to make fair 
pastry and good cake from bread 
flour, but it is hard to make good 
bread from pastry flour. You can 
apply three tests to flour to discover 
whether it will make good bread; 
first, it should be of a creamy color; 
second, '"it will cake slightly when 
gathered up into the hand, falling 
apart in a gritty sort of way when 
the fingers are released; third, its 
wetting capacity is very different 
from poor flour, one quart of first- 
class bread flour absorbing about 
one and a half cupfuls of water. Be- 
fore purchasing a barrel, or even a 
half-barrel, of flour, buy a bagful, try 
one sort after another, use the same 
yeast, and the same care with the 
mixing, raising, and baking. Pres- 
ently you will discover with what 
flour you have the best success; then 
stick to that brand. As for yeast; 
none is better than compressed 
yeast, which can be found fresh 
every day even in the smallest vil- 
lage. If it has been kept too long, 
it will begin to show dark streaks. 



have a strong odor, and it will not 
break clean. Let us stop for a min- 
ute to study the properties of yeast 
and its action when mixed with flour 
and liquid, then it will be much 
easier to understand what is happen- 
ing during the process of bread mak- 
ing. If you could look at a drop of 
yeast under a microscope, you would 
see a mass of tiny, rounded cells. 
You can imagine how tiny they are 
when I tell you there are fifty billion 
Cells in a two-cent yeast cake. 

Each cell is a minute sac filled 
with watery matter, and while you 
watch, you may see new cells bud- 
ding out of the old ones. Yeast is 
the same fungus which finds its way 
into cans of fruit that have not been 
hermetically sealed, and into maple 
sirup or any sweet liquid which is 
not properly protected from the air. 
Then, given a warm temperature 
and sugar for the creation of oxygen, 
it begins to work, as every housewife 
knows to her sorrow. The same 
working process is what we invite 
when we set bread with yeast. It will 
not begin its work until it- has been 
given sugar, heat, and moisture. It 
thrives best at 78° ; you can make 
it work more quickly by raising the 
temperature, but when it reaches 
130° it is blighted, just as a plant 
dies in an overheated room. Now 
you know what happens when you 
set your bread near a hot stove or 
register — the " yeast has been killed." 
It is almost impossible, however, to 
kill yeast with cold. I have thawed 
it very gradually more than once and 
made excellent bread from it. You 
know how slowly bread rises after 
it has been chiUed by a cold night. 



796 



BREAD 



797 



Still it will rise, for the growth of the 
yeast was simply brought to a stand- 
still. 

In chemistry a name which means 
sugar fungus has been given to yeast. 
It needs, you remember, air as well 
as moisture to make it grow, and 
when sugar is at hand, it will supply 
itself with some of the oxygen con- 
tained in it. Oxygen is what is 
required to raise every dough or 
batter; so frequently bread recipes 
call for a tablespoonful of sugar. 
Sugar is not a necessity, however, be- 
cause yeast changes the starch in 
flour into sugar. It is needed only 
when the yeast is none too lively and 
requires a bit of help. Immediately 
when yeast goes into batter, which is 
the first step in bread making, a 
chemical change, which we call fer- 
mentation, begins to take place. We 
help the yeast to begin work by hard 
beating of the batter, then by knead- 
ing the dough, for both of these proc- 
esses tend not only to mix the in- 
gredients thoroughly, but also to 
inclose air ; the longer the beating and 
kneading the more air is inclosed, and 
the spongier becomes your bread. 

The first step in bread making, as 
in cookery, is to get together every- 
thing necessary in utensils and ma- 
terials. The utensils we need are a 
bread pan with a close-fitting, ven- 
tilated cover, a measuring cup, a 
wire spoon for beating the batter, a 
slitted wooden spoon to stir with, 
and a molding cloth. The molding 
cloth is a square yard of heavy duck 
or sail cloth; it is much superior to 
the smooth surface of a wooden 
molding board, because considerable 
flour can be sifted into the rough 
surface of the fabric. It holds the 
flour and there is no sticking of soft 
dough. As the flour works into the 
dough, sift in more, rubbing it into 
the cloth with your hand. When you 
have finished work, shake it, fold the 
cloth, and lay it away until needed 
again. It can be used a number of 
times before being washed; when it 
has to go to the laundry, soak it for 
an hour in cold water, and rinse sev- 



eral times before putting in the 
suds; hot water would turn the flour 
into dough; then it would be no easy 
task to get it clean. 

Sift into a pan four or five quarts 
of flour, and set it either over the 
register or in a moderate oven to 
warm, unless you are working in 
midsummer. Cold flour will always 
retard the raising of bread. Scald 
one pint of milk and pour it into the 
bread pan over two teaspoonfuls of 
salt. Add a pint of cold water, then 
one yeast cake dissolved in half a 
cupful of lukewarm water. To this 
liquid add seven or eight cupfuls of 
warm flour, and beat the batter thor- 
oughly with a wire spoon. Do not 
stop beating until the batter is a 
mass of bubbles. Then take the slit- 
ted spoon and begin adding more 
flour till you have a soft dough. 
When it becomes too stiff to stir, 
dust plenty of flour into the molding 
cloth, rubbing it into the fabric till 
it will hold no more. Gather the 
dough into a ball and drop it on the 
cloth. Now begin to knead, folding 
the edge of the dough farthest from 
you toward the center, pressing it 
away with the palms, gently yet 
quickly. The process of kneading has 
more to do with good bread than 
almost anything else. In a cooking 
school I have seen pieces of the same 
dough, raised in the same tempera- 
ture, baked in the same oven, yield 
two entirely different qualities of 
bread. One loaf was molded by an 
energetic, strong-muscled girl whose 
kneading was so strenuous that all the 
life had been banged out of it. The 
other loaf was kneaded by a girl 
whose every movement was grace; 
she used her hands deftly, lightly, 
and briskly. Her bread was as fine 
as bread could be made, a spongy, 
delicious, well-shaped loaf. So re- 
member that it is not brute force 
that tells in kneading; it is steady, 
light, springy, dexterous movements, 
which distribute the yeast plant 
evenly through the dough and inclose 
all the air it is possible to get. As 
you work you can see how the air iS 



798 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



doing its duty, for the dough be- 
comes full of little bubbles and blis- 
ters. When it is smooth as satin, 
elastic, does not stick, and is so 
spongy that it rises quickly after 
denting it with your finger, it is 
ready to set to rise. Wash the bread 
pan and grease it well, even inside 
the lid; this makes the dough slip 
out clean after the next raising. Put 
on the cover and set the pan in a 
warm place. When it has doubled in 
bulk, drop it again on the floured 
molding cloth, and shape into loaves. 

As soon as the dough has doubled 
in bulk, turn it out on a slightly 
floured molding cloth and knead into 
loaves. This second kneading is a 
slight one, only enough to prepare it 
for the pans and get rid of any large 
air bubbles which, if left in, would 
mean holes in the bread. Have the 
pans greased, using a butter brush 
which penetrates to every corner. 
Always make small loaves; generally 
the right size can be guessed at by 
having each pan half full of dough. 
I like bread baked in the French or 
round bread pans. The crust of it is 
exceedingly good, the loaf cuts into 
neat slices, not a bit of the bread be- 
ing wasted, and it bakes to a nicety 
without any danger of burning. In 
i-ectangular pans the dough in the 
corner does not have room to fully 
expand. When large brick-shaped 
loaves are made, it is almost impossi- 
ble to bake them to the heart unless 
the crust gets very thick and hard. If 
heat does not penetrate to the center 
of a loaf, yeast may remain alive, and 
when it ferments in the stomach 
there is good cause for serious in- 
digestion. 

After the bread is in the pans we 
have to find a place for it to rise. 
In the summer I set it in the win- 
dow, which, of course, is closed, for 
a draught on rising bread hurts it. 
During the winter the bread goes on 
a shelf close to the kitchen chimney, 
behind the stove. The shelf is cov- 
ered with white oilcloth and just 
wide enough for four pans. When 
set to rise, the loaves are covered 



with cloths made from old table 
linen. These are kept laundered and 
never used except on baking days. 
A question I am often asked iss 
" How do you know when bread is 
raised enough to be put in the 
oven ? " This is one of the most im- 
portant points about bread making. 
I might tell you to let it rise for an 
hour, only time depends so much 
upon temperature. I might suggest 
that it be allowed to become doubled 
in bulk, but even that is not a sure 
test. The only one I ever use is to 
keep " hefting " it, as a New Eng- 
land cook would say. The loaf will 
keep on for an hour or so being of 
quite good weight, then all of a sud^ 
den it feels light. Pop it in a hot 
oven. Strange as it may seem, a row 
of pans filled with bread at the same 
time, which have stood in the same 
temperature, will seldom " heft " 
light at the same minute. I have 
seen half an hour of difference be- 
tween the time three or four pans 
were ready to go in the oven. 

Nearly every cookbook gives a dif- 
ferent test for the proper heat of the 
oven. It ought to register 360°, but 
as few cooks use a thermometer, you 
may go by this test: Sprinkle a tea- 
spoonful of flour on the oven bot- 
tom, and if it browns in five minutes 
the oven is just right for the bread. 
If it grows chestnut brown in that 
time, cool the oven or your bread will 
crust too quickly. When the loaves 
are in, watch them; if you see one 
throwing up an awkward" ridge or 
hump anywhere, you may know that 
corner of the oven is too hot and the 
bread is rising faster than it ought 
to do. Do not let one loaf touch 
another; the dough will run together 
if they do. Then when they are 
pulled apart, there is not only an 
unsightly loaf, but a heavy streak in 
the bread. If the oven is just right, 
it will begin to brown in fifteen min- 
utes; it will' not rise farther. Then 
cool the oven slightly; if you are us- 
'.ng a gas stove, turn out one of the 
burners, and let the baking go on 
moderately till the bread has been in 



BREAD 



799 



for an hour. Take out the well- 
browned loaves, turn them imme- 
diately out of the pans, brush over 
the crust with a buttered brush, and 
set them to cool on a wire stand. If 
loaves are set flat, the bottom will 
become moist; if they are wrapped 
in a cloth, there is a soft, steamy 
crust. In summer if the steam is not 
allowed to evaporate from bread, 
there is danger of it molding, so it 
must never be put away until per- 
fectly cool. The best place to store 
it is in a small, shelved closet of ja- 
panned ware, with a door that closes 
tight. This is a better and handier 
receptacle than the wooden tub or 
stone jar used in some households. 
Never keep bread in a cellar; it is a 
horribly imwholesome custom. 



Little Notes About Bread Making 

Some cooks prefer to set a sponge 
when making bread, allowing it to 
rise in the shape of a well-beaten 
batter before adding flour enough to 
do the kneading. " Sponging " makes 
a fine-grained bread, but it lengthens 
the time required for making, as two 
risings are needed after the sponge 
is light. 

Bread may be made from water 
alone instead of "half and half," as 
milk and water bread is called. 
Water bread is tougher and sweetei 
and keeps better than that made 
from all milk. 

A good test of whether bread has 
been kneaded enough is to leave it 
on the board or molding cloth for a 
few minutes. AVhen you take it up 
again, if it does not stick it is rp:.dy 
to put in the bread pan. 

If you want to make bread in a 
hurry, simply double the amount of 
yeast, that is, if you are using com- 
pressed yeast. It gives no yeasty 
flavor, although brewers' and home- 
made yeast do leave a slight taste 
when more than the prescribed quan- 
tity is used. Should the oven be too 
hot, set a pan of cold water in it for 
a few minutes. 



Don't use potatoes or potato water 
in bread. The liquid in which pota- 
toes have been boiled contains a poi- 
sonous alkaloid and it tends to dark- 
en the bread as well as giving it a 




Cake on a Wire Cooler. 

peculiar flavor. Years ago, before 
milling had been brought to perfec- 
tion, there might have been reason 
for adding mashed potatoes to 
bread; now, with our fine flour, there 
is no necessity for it. 

The best way to care for a bread 
box is to wash it in hot water, then 
close it, and dry it on the cool end 
of a stove. This ought to be done 
between each baking to keep it fresh 
and sweet. 

Milk bread browns more quickly 
than water bread; so do not imag- 
ine because your loaf is a nice 
chestnut brown that it is baked. 
Give it time enough, which is from 
fifty to sixty minutes for brick loaves 
four inches thick. 

If you arc detained from getting 
oread into the pans when it has risen 
sulEciently, take a knife and cut 
down the dough till you are ready to 
attend to it. This allows the gas to 
escape and there is no danger of 
souring if you cannot return to it for 
half an hour. 

It is best to have your fire in such 
condition that it will need no replen- 
ishing while bread baking is in prog- 
ress. 

Yeast may be kept perfectly fresh 
for at least a week or ten days by 
immersing the cake in cold water. 
The particles of yeast settle at the 
bottom and water acts as a seal 
from the air. Cover the glass in 
which yeast is dissolved and keep it 



800 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



in a cellar or refrigerator. Occa- 
sionally pour off the water that cov- 
ers it and add fresh water. 

If you do not own a covered bread 
pan, raise the dough in a large, clean 
bowl or basin, only keep it well cov- 
ered with a towel. A paper tightly 
tied down is better still, for it pre- 
vents air from entering. 

When a recipe calls for one com- 
pressed yeast cake and nothing can 
be obtained but liquid yeast, use one 
cupful of it instead. 

If you don't have a wire stand for 
cooling bread, simply turn up a cou- 
ple of bread tins and stand the 
loaves against their edges. The idea 
is to let the steam escape, so that 
your bread will neither be heavy nor 
moist. 

If you want to hurry bread slight- 
ly, add one tablespoon ful of sugar to 
four quarts of flour. The yeast plant 
begins to grow quicker when there is 
sugar to feed on. When there is no 
sugar, the yeast has to change some 
of the starch to sugar, and, of 
course, this takes time. 

Pricking the top of a loaf with a 
fork before it is put in the oven 
tends to make it rise and bake 
evenly. 

Do not try setting bread over 
night either in midsummer or mid- 
winter. '- In cold weather bread is 
likely to be chilled, in summer it ma/ 
sour. There is plenty of time to 
raise and bake bread in the daytime, 
when one can watch it and give the 
careful consideration it requires 
above any other cooking. 

If you live in a region where the 
water is very hard, boil it, and let 
it grow lukewarm before mixing 
with flour, for soft water is better 
than hard in the bread - making 
process. 

Flour is almost as sensitive to 
odors as is milk; therefore it should 
be kept in a perfectly clean, whole- 
some, dry place. Always raise the 
barrel off the floor, either on two 
strips of wood or on one of the handy 
little contrivances which will swing it 
out and in to a cupboard. Never 



use flour for anything without sift- 
ing it first — it may be perfectly free 
from any foreign substance and it 
may not. 

Water Bread. 

4 cupfuls boiling water, 
4 tablespoonfuls lard, 
1 tablespoonful sugar, 
1^ teaspoonfuls salt, 
1 yeast cake dissolved in i cupful 
lukewarm water, 

3 quarts sifted flour. 

Put the lard, sugar, and salt in a 
bread raiser; pour on boiling water; 
when lukewarm, add dissolved yeast 
cake and 5 cupfuls flour; then stir 
until thoroughly mixed. Add re- 
maining flour, mix, and knead. Re- 
turn to bowl; let rise over night. 
In the morning cut down, knead, 
shape into loaves or biscuits, place in 
■greased pans, having pans nearly 
half full. Cover, let raise again, and 
bake. 

Entire-Wheat Bread. 

4 cupfuls scalded milk, 
^ cupful brown sugar, 
1| teaspoonfuls salt, 

1 yeast cake, 

9 cupfuls entire-wheat flour. 

Put sugar and salt in a bread 
raiser and pour the hot milk over 
them; when cool, add the flour and 
yeast cake, beat hard with a wooden 
spoon for five minutes, cover the pan 
and set in a warm place till the bat- 
ter doubles its bulk. Beat it down, 
turn into greased bread pans, having 
each half full. Let the batter rise 
nearly to the top, then bake. 

Caraway Bread (German recipe). 

Follow the recipe for entire-wheat 
bread, substituting rye flour for en- 
tire-wheat flour and adding 3 table- 
spoonfuls sugar. Make the bread 
as directed at the first kneading, 
working in a tablespoonful of cara- 
way seeds. Shape into loaves, raise, 
and bake. 



BREAD 



801 



Graham Bread. 

1 quart Graham flour, 
1 quart white flour, 
1 yeast cake, 
1^ teaspoonfuls salt, 
^ cupful brown sugar, 

1 quart milk. 

Scald the milk and pour it over the 
sugar and salt; when lukewarm, stir 
in the flour and the yeast, which has 
been dissolved in warm water. Beat 
hard and let it rise in the pan till 
spongy. This is a dough which is 
not stiff enough to knead; it simply 
requires a thorough stirring and beat- 
ing. Put it into greased pans, raise, 
and bake in an oven which is hot at 
first, but cool during the later part 
of the baking process. This dough 
may be used to drop into greased 
gem pans and bake as mufl&ns. 

Bye Bread. 

2 quarts rye flour, 

1 quart wheat flour, 

1 yeast cake, 

3 pints warm water, 
3 teaspoonfuls salt, 

3 tablespoonfuls sugar. 

Sift the flour with the sugar and 
salt, stir in the warm water and dis- 
solved yeast. When thoroughly 
mixed, begin to work it with your 
hands; it will be sticky, but the 
dough must be kept very soft. When 
thoroughly beaten, pour it into well- 
buttered pans and set it in a warm 
place. Let it rise to twice its bulk 
and bake an hour in an oven which is 
a little slower than for white bread. 
Rub the crust over With butter to 
soften it as soon as it is taken from 
the oven. 

Cornmeal Bread. 

2 cupfuls flour, 

1 cupful cornmeal, 

2 cupfiils milk, 

2 cupfuls water, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 
1 yeast cake. 
Put the milk and water in a dou- 
ble boiler, and let it get scalding 



hot; then stir in the cornmeal and 
allow it to cook slowly for half an 
hour. Pour it into a bread raiser 
and when lukewarm add the salt and 
yeast. Gradually beat in the flour. 
Put on a cover and set in a warm 
place to raise. When it doubles its 
bulk, add more flour if necessary and 
work with a wooden spoon until it 
can be handled. Turn out on a 
floured baking board and knead thor- 
oughly. Mold into loaves, put into 
greased bread pans, and set it to 
rise in a warm place. When light 
bake in a moderate oven for three 
quarters of an hour. 

Squash Bread (German recipe). 

2 cupfuls squash, 
i cupful sugar, 

3 cupfuls scalded milk, 
2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 yeast cake, 

Flour enough to knead. 

Press the stewed squash through a 
potato ricer, stir it with the sugar, 
salt, and butter into the hot milk; 
when cool, pour in the dissolved 
yeast and as much flour as will make 
a dough that can be handled. Turn 
out on a baking board and knead for 
fifteen minutes. Return to the bread 
raiser and let it double its bulk. 
Knead again, shape into loaves, 
raise, and bake. 

Oatmeal Bread. 

1 cupful rolled oats, 
IJ cupfuls flour, 

2 cupfuls boiling water, 
1 yeast cake, 

^ tablespoonful salt, 
1 tablespoonful butter, 
I cupful molasses. 

Put the oatmeal into a bread 
raiser, pour the boiling water over 
and let stand imtil lukewarm; then 
add salt, butter, dissolved yeast 
cake, and molasses; stir in the flour, 
beat thoroughly, and set it to raise 
in buttered bread pans. When it has 
almost doubled its bulk, bake. 



802 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Nut Bread. 

1 cupful entire-wheat flour, 

1 cupful white flour, 

i cake yeast, 

1 cupful milk, 

S tablespoonfuls brown sugar, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

I pound shelled hickory nuts. 

Set a sponge of the wheat flour, 
white flour, yeast, and milk; when 
light, add sugar, salt, hickory nuts, 
and enough entire-wheat flour to 
make as stiff as can be stirred with 
spoon. Put in the pan, raise, and 
bake one hour. 

Rye and Indian Bread. 

3 cupfuls yellow cornmeal, 
^ cupful yeast, 

i cupful molasses, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 
i teaspoonful soda, 

2 cupfuls rye meal. 

Put the cornmeal into a mixing 
bowl and scald with boiling water; 
after ten minutes mix to a soft bat- 
ter with cold water. When luke- 
warm, add the yeast, molasses, salt, 
soda, and 2 cupfuls rye meal. Beat 
thoroughly, cover with a pan, and set 
in a warm place to rise over night. 
"When the surface cracks open, stir it 
down, then grease and flour a pan, 
turn ip the dough, smooth over the 
top, and sprinkle evenly with flour 
to prevent crust from forming. Let 
it rise again until cracks appear, 
then bake it in a moderate oven from 
two to three hours, covering with a 
tin lid after the first hour. 

rxuit Bread. 

2 cupfuls sweet milk, 

S cakes yeast, 

i teaspoonful salt, 

4 tablespoonfuls lard, 

4 tablespoonfuls sugar, 
IJ cupfuls fruit, cut fins^ 
Flour. 

Scald mUk and cool to lukewarm; 
strain in the yeast dissolved in one 
quarter cupful lukewarm water. 
Sift salt with three cupfuls of flour, 
beat vigorously into liquid, and let 



sponge rise. Cream the lard, butter, 
and sugar; dredge the fruit with 
flour and add to the sponge. Add 
sufficient flour to make a soft dough. 
Knead thoroughly and set to rise. 
When light, divide, form into loaves, 
put in bread pans, and when ready, 
bake in slightly cooler oven than is 
required for plain bread. For the 
fruit in this bread, use either raisins, 
currants, citron, dates, figs, or pru- 
nelles. 

Bread Made with Dry Yeast. 

3 quarts flour, 

2J cupfuls warm water, 

S tablespoonfuls lard, 

1 yeast cake, 

1 tablespoonful sugar, 

1 teaspoonful salt. 

Sift the flour in the bi-ead pan; 
break up the yeast cake and put in a 
quart bowl; then add a gill of water, 
' and mash with a spoon until the 
yeast and water are well mixed. Beat 
in 1 gill of flour. Cover the bowl and 
set in a warm place for two hours. 
At the end of that time the batter 
should be a perfect sponge. Add to 
the sponge a pint of warm water, 
half the lard, also salt and sugar. 
Stir this mixture into the flour and 
mix with a spoon. Sprinkle the board 
with flour, turn out the dough, knead 
twenty minutes, using as little flour 
as possible. At the end of this time 
the ball of dough should be soft, 
smooth, and elastic. Place the dough 
in the bowl and rub the second 
spoonful of butter or lard over it. 
Cover with a towel, then a tin cover. 
Set the bowl in a warm place and 
let it raise over night. In the morn- 
ing the dough will have increased to 
three times its original volume and 
be a perfect sponge. Knead it in the 
bowl for five minutes — do not use 
flour' — then shape into three small 
loaves. Put these in deep pans, and 
with a sharp knife cut lengthwise 
through the center of each loaf. Put 
the pans in a warm place and cover 
with a towel. Let the loaves rise to 
twice their size, then bake fifty min- 
utes. 



BREAD 



803 



Sweet-Potato Bread. 
1 cake yeast, 
i cupful lukewarm water, 
1 cupful scalded milk, 
1 tablespoonful salt, 
f cupful sugar, 

1 cupful sweet mashed potatoes, 
3 tablespoonfuls melted butter. 

Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm 
water, add the milk, salt, sugar, and 
potatoes (roasted, scraped from the 
skins, and worked to a cream with 
the melted butter), then allow to 
cool. Beat all together until light, 
then stir in with a wooden spoon 
enough flour to make a soft dough. 
Throw a cloth over the bread bowl 
and set in a warm place until well 
raised. Make into small loaves; let 
them rise for an hour and bake in a 
brisk oven. 

Salt-Rising Bread. 

3 cupfuls hot water, 
li teaspoonfuls salt, 
1 pint lukewarm milk. 
Flour. 

Dissolve I teaspoonful salt in hot 
water, and beat in gradually enough 
flour to make a very soft dough. 
Beat for ten minutes, cover, and set 
in a warm place for eight hours. Stir 
the salt into the milk and add enough 
flour to make a stiff batter before 
working it into the raised dough; 
mix thoroughly, cover, and set again 
in a warm place to rise until very 
light. Knead in enough flour to 
make the batter of the consistency of 
ordinary bread dough. Make into 
loaves and set them to rise; when 
light, bake. 

SMALL BREADS MADE FROM YEAST 

Stockholm Bread (Swedish recipe), 
6J cupfuls flour, 
1 yeast cake, 
2J cupfuls scalded milk, 
i cupful melted butter, 
1 egg, 

§ cupful sugar, 
i teaspoonful salt, 
1 teaspoonful cinnamon. 



Scald 1 cupM milk' when lulie- 
warm, dissolve the yeast cake in it. 
Beat in 1 cupful flour and let the 
sponge rise till light; add the rest 
of the milk with 4 cupfuls flour, beat 
again and allow it to rise. Then add 
the butter, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and 
the egg beaten to a froth, also the 
remainder of the flour. Mix and 
knead on a floured baking board. 
Cover and raise. Roll the dough into 
coils about an inch and a half thick 
and twelve inches long. Braid them, 
pinch the ends together, set in a 
greased pan to rise, and bake in a 
moderate oven. Cool slightly, then 
brush with powdered sugar mois- 
tened with boiling water and slightljr 
flavored with cinnamon. 

Eederal Bread. 
1 quart milk, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 
1 yeast cake, 

1 tablespoonful melted butter, 
3 eggs. 

Scald the milk and add to it the 
butter and salt; when cool, pour in 
the dissolved yeast cake and beat in 
enough flour to make a dough that is 
softer than for bread. Pour into a 
shallow pan and raise over night; 
bake in the morning. When taken 
from the oven, split it shortcake fash- 
ion, butter generously, and serve hot. 
This is an excellent hot bread to 
make for breakfast, because, unless 
the weather is unusually warm, the 
cook will find it just in proper con- 
dition to bake when breakfast is re- 
quired. 

Rice Bread. 

^ pound boiled rice, 

2 quarts flour, 
^ yeast cake, 

3 cupfuls milk, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 
3 teaspoonfuls - sugar. 

Mash the rice while hot and rub it 
into the flour with the tips of the 
fingers. Add the salt and sugar, 
warm milk, and dissolved yeast. 
Make it into a dough just soft 



804 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



enough to handle, knead well, and 
bake in a shallow pan. Let it double 
its bulk, and bake in a hot oven. 

Parker House Rolls. 
7 cupfuls flour, 
1 teaspoon ful salt, 
1 tablespoonful sugar, 
3 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 pint milk, 
1 yeast cake. 

Put 4 cupfuls flour into a mixing 
bowl with the salt, sugar, and but- 
ter; pour on the milk, scalding hot, 
and beat thoroughly; allow it to cool, 
then add the dissolved yeast and let 
the sponge raise till frothy; put in 
the rest of the flour, mix thoroughly, 
and knead. Raise again, then turn 
out on a baking board and shape into 
Parker House rolls. The way to 
make these rolls is to cut off a small 
ball of dough and roll it flat and 
thin. Brush over the top with melt- 
ed butter, cut across the middle, but 
not quite through the dough, with 
the back of a silver knife. Fold over 
and lay nearly double then press down 
to make the dough adhere; allow 
them to rise. Bake fifteen minutes 
in a hot oven, and brush with melted 
butter. 

Swiss Rolls. 

3 cupfuls milk, 

3 tablespoonfuls sugar, 

I cupful butter, 

1 cake yeast, 

li quarts flour, 

1 teaspoonful salt. 

Scald the milk and melt the sugar 
and butter; when lukewarm, add the 
dissolved yeast. Stir in the flour and 
set in a warm place to raise. Turn 
out on a floured bread board, roll till 
an inch thick, brush the top over 
with melted butter, and roll up the 
sheet of dough like a rolled jelly 
cake. Press it lightly into shape and 
cut from the end slices about an inch 
thick; put the slices, cut side up, into 
a greased pan and let rise until they 
have doubled in height. Bake in a 



hot oven twenty minutes, and brush 
over with melted butter. 

Hot Cross Buns. 
1 pint milk, 
i cupful butter, 
i cupful sugar, 
3 eggs, 

^ teaspoonful salt, 
1 yeast cake. 
Flour. 

Scald the milk and pour li over the 
butter and salt; when lukewarm, add 
the dissolved yeast and eggs well 
beaten, then sift in flour enough to 
make a thin batter, and beat with a 
wire whisk ten minutes; when full 
of bubbles, add flour enough to 
make a dough; knead it hard and 
raise. When it has doubled its bulk, 
turn it out, knead it and cut into 
buns. Place them in a greased pan 
to rise, brush them over when ready 
to go into the oven with a sirup made 
of 1 tablespoonful cream and 3 ta- 
blespoonfuls sugar boiled together 
for a minute. Dust with cinnamon 
and just before putting in the oven 
cut two gashes in the top with a 
sharp knife. By adding raisins or 
currants to this recipe you can have 
very nice fruit buns. If you wish to 
transform them into prune kringles, 
chop 6 or 8 meaty prunes, which have 
been cooked and sweetened, add to 
the dough, let rise, and, instead of 
baking them bun shape, cut into 
sticks. 

Yorkshire Sally Lunn (English rec- 
ipe). 

3 quarts flour, 

1 yeast cake, 

3 eggs, 

1 cupful butter, 

1 tablespoonful sugar^ 

J teaspoonful salt, ' 

3 cupfuls milk. 

Warm the flour, add the milk lukes* 
warm, the melted butter, beaten eggs, 
sugar and salt, then the dissolved 
yeast cake. Beat thoroughly. This 
makes a very soft dough, but it must 
be kneaded; therefore, add a little 



BREAE> 



805 



more flour, as it is difficult to handle. 
Cut into small balls; drop each one 
into a greased muffin pan, raise, 
brush over with white of egg, and 
bake till delicately brown. When tak- 
en from the oven, brush with a sirup 
made from milk and sugar. Serve 
hot. 

Apple Cake (Dutch recipe). 
1 cupful milk, 
J cupful sugar, 
J cupful butter, 
^ teaspoonful salt, 

1 yeast cake, 

2 eggs. 
Flour, 

5 apples, 

4 tablespoonfuls sugar, 

1 teaspoonful cinnamon. 

Scald the milk, pour it over the 
butter, sugar, and salt; when luke- 
warm, add the eggs, dissolved yeast 
cake, and enough flour to make a 
soft dough. Beat it thoroughly and 
set in a warm place to raise. Beat 
again and let it rise a second time. 
Then pour into a shallow greased 
pan, spread the dough out thin with 
a palette knife, and brush over the 
top with melted butter. Pare the ap- 
ples, core, and cut into eighths. Lay 
them thickly on top of the dough in 
straight rows. Dust sugar and cinna- 
mon over them, cover with a towel, 
set in a warm place, and let the 
dough raise again. Bake in a mod- 
erate oven half an hour, cut into 
squares and serve hot, v/ith >vhipped, 
sweetened cream. 

Entire-Buckwheat Cakes. 

2 cupfuls warm milk, 
•| cake yeast, 

1 teaspoonful salt. 
Buckwheat flour, 
1 teaspoonful soda, 
i cupful boiling water, 
1 tablespoonful molasses. 

The general idea is that you have 
to mix buckwheat with white flour 
to make good cakes, but they are ex- 
cellent made with buckwheat alone. 



Pour the milk into a mixing bowl, 
add the dissolved yeast, and stir in 
as much buckwheat flour as will 
make a medium batter, then add the 
salt and molasses, and leave the bat- 
ter to stand over night. In the morn- 
ing, when ready to bake, dissolve the 
soda in boiling water, stir it in, beat 
for a few minutes, then make your 
cakes. Turn them just once. 

Xuncheon Rolls. 

2 cupfuls sifted flour, 

i cupful milk, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

2 teaspoonfuls sugar, 
1 cake yeast. 

Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm 
milk, add sugar and salt, then add 
the butter, melted. Stir milk into 
flour gradually. Give the dough a 
hard kneading, adding sufficient flour 
to make it soft. Cut and form into 
rolls, place in buttered biscuit pans, 
set in a warm place to rise, and 
bake in a brisk oven. 

Buckwheat Cakes. 

1 cake yeast, 

2 cupfuls lukewarm milk, 

1 tablespoonful wheat flour, 

1 tablespoonful molasses, 

J teaspoonful salt, 

1 quart buckwheat flour. 

Dissolve the yeast in the milk. 
Rub together the flour, molasses, and 
salt; add to this the milk containing 
the yeast, and rub until perfectly 
smooth, then stir in two cupfuls 
lukewarm milk or water. To this add 
sufficient buckwheat flour to make 
thin batter, which should be rubbed 
perfectly smooth. Set the batter in a 
moderately warm place to rise over 
night. In the morning thin, if nec- 
essary, and fry on well-greased grid- 
dle. 

Kaised Batter Cakes^ 

1 cake yeast, ' 

2 cupfuls milk, 
2 cupfuls flour. 



806 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



4 tablespoonfuls melted lard, 
4 tablespoonfuls sirup, 
Dash salt. 

Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm 
milk. Put into mixing bowl the flour 
melted with lard, then add sirup, 
salt, and milk. Add the yeast, and 
mix until a smooth batter is pro- 
duced. Set in a moderately warm 
place, cover with a cloth, and let it 
raise over night. In the morning 
beat well, and fry on well-greased 
griddle. 

English Bath Buns. 

4 cupfuls flour, 
f cupful butter, 
4 eggs, 

£> tablespoonfuls granulated sug- 
ar, 
^ cupful milk, 

1 cake yeast. 

iPut flour in bowl, make well in 
center, break eggs in whole, then add 
butter, milk, and, last, the yeast, 
which has been previously dissolved 
in a little warm water. Mix thor- 
oughly and raise. If it is put in a 
moderately warm place, it will be 
light in an hour. Turn it out on a 
well-floured board, and with the tips 
of the fingers lightly work in 5 ta- 
blespooinfuls sugar and add the flav- 
oring. Drop by tablespoonfuls on a 
buttered baking pan, raise for ten 
minutes, and bake twenty minutes in 
a hot oven. Sultanas or chopped al- 
monds may be added. 

Lancashire Tea Cakes. 
6 cupfuls flour, 
f cupful butter, 

2 cupfuls milk.1 
1 yeast cake, 

1 cupful currants, 

B ounces candied lemon, 

g eggs, 

9 tablespoonfuls sugar, 

A little grated nutmeg. 

Put the sugar and the currants 
with the flour; melt the butter in the 
milk; when cool, mix with tlie beaten 



eggs and yeast. Add the dry in- 
gredients, beating well, and set to 
raise. When light, put in cake pans 
to double its bulk. Bake in a mod- 
erately hot oven. These are de- 
licious when fresh, and equally good 
split and toasted the second day. 

Swedish Rolls. 

1 yeast cake, 

2 cupfuls milk, scalded, 
J cupful butter, 

i cupful sugar, 

1 scant teaspoonful salt. 

Whites of 2 eggs, 

7 or 8 cupfuls flour. 

Melt the butter, dissolve the sugar 
and salt in the hot milk; when luke- 
warm, add the yeast and beaten 
whites. Mix in flour to make a 
drop batter. In the morning add the 
remainder of the flour and knead 
'twenty minutes. Raise till light; then 
knead again slightly and roll half ari 
inch thick. Have the edges as 
straight as possible. Spread all over 
with a thin layer of soft butter, a 
sprinkling of sugar, cinnamon, grated 
lemon rind, and currants. Roll like 
a jelly roll, cut off slices an inch 
wide, lay them with the cut side down 
on greased pans, and when raised 
bake in a hot oven fifteen or twenty 
minutes. Glaze with sugar dissolved 
in milk. 

Currant Squares. 
1 cupful cream, 
§ cupful melted butters, 

3 eggs, 

1 cupful sugar, 
^ cake yeast, 

2 tablespoonfuls water, 

4 cupfuls flour, 

1 teaspoonful powdered mace, 
1 teaspoonful powdered cinna- 
mon, 
1 cupful currants. 

Heat the cream in a double boiler, 
then stir in the butter, well-beaten 
eggs, and sugar. Add the yeast dis- 
solved in a little water, the flour 
sifted with the spices, then the cur- 



J 



BREAD 



807 



rants 'il'. edged with flour. Beat hard 
for fifteen minutes. Pour into a shal- 
low baking pan and raise until it is 
almost doubled in bulk. Bake in a 
quick oven; when done, sprinkle with 
powdered sugar and cinnamon. Let 
the cake cool slightly, then cut into 
squares with a sharp knife, 

Kaised Wheat Muffins. 
2 cupfuls flour, 
1 cupful milk, 
1 tablespoonful butter, 
i tablespoonful sugarj 
^ teaspoonful salt, 
1 egg, 
§ yeast cake. 

Pour the flour, salt, and sugar in a 
bowl; boil the milk and add the but- 
ter to it. Let the mixture stand till 
lukewarm, add the milk, butter, and 
yeast to the flour, and beat well. 
Cover the bowl and set in a cool 
place over night. In the morning 
the batter will be a light sponge. 
Beat the egg and add to this sponge. 
Half fill buttered muffin pans with 
.the batter; cover, and let the muf- 
fins raise in a warm place. Bake for 
half an hour in a moderately quick 



2 tablespoonfuls sugar, 
7 eggs, 

1 cupful butter. 
Warm water. 

Sift the flour; into 1 cupful of it 
pour the dissolved yeast with just 
enough warm water to make a bat- 
ter. Set it to raise. When it has 
doubled its bulk, put in the salt, 
sugar, melted butter, and 4 eggs. 
Beat five minutes, add another egg, 
beat again, and so on until all have 
been used; keep beating until the 
paste leaves the side of the bowl, 
then set in a warm place for four 
hours. Turn it out on a floured 
board, roll in a long piece half an 
inch thick, spread with softened but- 
ter, and fold one end over the center, 
then the other end over that, until 
you have three layers. Cut oflf pieces 
about an inch wide, lay them on the 
board to raise, and cover with a 
towel. When puffy, take each strip 
between the fingers and thumbs, twist 
in different directions, coil pyramid 
shape, letting one point come on top. 
Set to raise on a greased pan, bake 
twenty minutes, and brush over witli 
powdered sugar, moisten with water, 
and flavor with cinnamon. 



Eaised Wheat Waffles. 
2 cupfuls flour, 
IJ cupfuls milk, 
^ yeast cake, 
1 tablespoonful sugar, 
S tablespoonfuls butter, 
^ teaspoonful salt, 
1 egg. 

Boil the milk and, after adding the 
butter to it, cool the mixture. Put 
the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl, 
add the milk and yeast, and beat 
well. Raise the batter over night. In 
the morning add the well-beaten egg. 
Have the waffle irons hot and 
greased. Cook the cakes quickly. 

Broiche (French recipe)]. 
4 cupfuls flour, 
J yeast cake, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 



Ereuznach Horns (German recipe). 
4 cupfuls flour, 

1 yeast cake, 

2 tablespoonfuls sugar, 
2 eggs, 

J cupful water, 

1 cupful milk, 

J teaspoonful salt. 

Set a sponge with 2 cupfuls flour 
with the yeast cake and milk. When 
it rises, make into a dough with the 
rest of the flour, adding the butter, 
sugar, eggs, and salt. Let it rise 
again. Roll it out into pieces six 
inches square and quite thin. Cut 
each square into four triangles, brush 
with melted butter, dust lightly with 
flour, roll up from the wide side, let- 
ting the point of the triangle come 
on top and bend around in the form 
of a horseshoe. Put them to rise in 



808 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



a greased pan when ready to bake, 
brush over with milk, and bake in a 
hot oven. 

Ealsed Doughnuts. 

2 cupfuls bread dougK, 

1 cupful sugar, 

1 tablespoonful melted butter, 

^ teaspoonful nutmeg, 

Q eggs. 

Flour. 

When the dough for a baking of 
bread rises the last time in the pan 
and is kneaded out on the board, cut 
off a piece large enough to fill a pint 
measure, put in a bowl, add all the 
ingredients called for in the recipe 
and work them into the spongy 
mass, sifting in flour as needed to 
make it of a consistency that can be 
rolled. When thoroughly blended, 
turn it out on the board, sift with 
flour, and roll about three quarters 
of an inch thick. Cut into fingers or 
rings with a doughnut cutter and 
spread them out on the board to 
rise. When puffy, fry in boiling 
fat, turning so they will be browned 
all over. Drain from the kettle and 
toss immediately in powdered sugar. 
A favorite breakfast in New Eng- 
land is the bread dough, taken with- 



out any addition of sugar, eggs, or 
spices, cut into strips, raised, and 
fried like doughnuts, then eaten hot 
with maple sirup. 

German Coffee Cake. 
1 egg, 

1 cupful milk, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 

3 tablespoonfuls sugar, 
^ yeast cake, 

^ teaspoonful salt, 

^ teaspoonful cinnamon, 

J cupful raisins, 

i cupful shaved citron. 

Flour. 

Scald the milk, pour it over the 
butter, sugar, and salt. When luke- 
warm, add the dissolved yeast and 
enough flour to make a soft dough; 
beat the mixture hard; let it rise 
over night. In the morning add the 
beaten egg and the fruit, also a lit- 
tle more flour if necessary, and knead 
for a few minutes. Shape the dough 
into a ring, put in a greased pie 
plate, and set to rise. Before put- 
ting into the oven, brush the top 
with melted butter, and sprinkle with 
cinnamon and sugar. Bake half an 
hour. 



CHAPTER XXX 



BAKING-POWDER BREADS 



Baking-Powder Biscuits. 
2 cupfuls flour, 

2 tablespoonfuls lard, 

1 cupful milk, 

^ teaspoonful salt, 

3 teaspoonf uls Calumet baking 
powder. 

Sift the salt, baking powder, and 
flour together, rub in the lard, add 
the milk, and beat to a soft dough. 
Turn out on a floured baking board, 
roll out about an inch thick, and cut 
into biscuits. Lay in a baking pan, 
brush the tops with milk, and bake 
in a quick oven. 

Drop Biscuits. 

3 cupfuls flour, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 

3 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder, 

^ teaspoonful salt, 
IJ cupfuls milk. 

Sift the baking powder, salt, and 
flour together, rub in the butter with 
the tips of the fingers, then add the 
milk, and beat to a soft dough. 
Grease a baking pan, lift a level ta- 
blespoonful of the dough and drop 
it into the pan, having each biscuit 
an inch apart, and bake in a hot 
oven. This is an excellent recipe to 
use when one is in a hurry and there 
is not time to make a biscuit which 
has to be rolled out and cut. 

Flannel Cakes. 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

2 cupfuls milk, 
2 eggs, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

2 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder. 



Warm the butter in the milk, pour 
over the well-beaten yolks of the 
eggs, add sufficient flour to make it 
pour, then the salt and baking pow- 
der. Beat the whole thoroughly, fold 
in the whipped whites of the eggs, 
and bake on a hot griddle. 

Batter Bread. 

2 eggs, 

1 cupful cornmeal, 

1 cupful milk, 

1 tablespoonful butter, melted, 

^ cupful white flour, 

^ teaspoonful salt, 

1 teaspoonful Calumet baking 
powder. 

Melt the butter over hot water; 
separate the eggs; beat the yolks 
snghtly; add the milk, butter, corn- 
meal, flour, and salt. Beat thor- 
oughly, add the baking powder, beat 
again, and fold in, carefully, the 
whites of the eggs beaten to a stiff 
froth. Bake in greased shallow bak- 
ing pan in a moderate oven thirty- 
five minutes. Cut into squares, and 
serve warm. 

Shortcake. 

3 cupfuls flour, 

i teaspoonful salt, 

2 tablespoonfuls sugar, 

2 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder, 

4 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 cupful milk. 

Sift together all the dry ingre- 
dients, rub in the butter with the 
tips of the fingers, then wet with the 
milk to a soft dough. Drop it on a 
floured baking board and, handling 
it just as little as possible, roll and 



809 



810 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



pat into two round cakes, which will 
fill a deep pie plate. Drop in one 
cake of the dough, brush with melted 
butter, and lay the other one on top 
of it. Bake until crisp, brown, and 
puify. Split and between the cake 
and on top spread any fruit which is 
in season. Strawberries, of course, 
make a most delicious shortcake. Be- 
sides this, peaches can be used, red 
raspberries, cherries, fresh apricots, 
oranges, or a blend of oranges and 
bananas, while a shortcake filled 
with stewed prunes or well-seasoned 
apple sauce is not to be despised. 
Chipped pineapple mixed with ba- 
nanas and oranges makes a delicious 
filling. In every case, have it juicy by 
leaving the fruit covered with sugar 
to stand for an hour in a cool place 
before it is served. 

Graham Biscuits. 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 

2 cupfuls Graham flour, 
1 cupful white flour, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

1 teaspoonful Sugar, 

3 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder, 

2 cupfuls milk. 

Mix thoroughly, and chop into the 
mixture 3 tablespoonfuls butter. Add 
the milk, and if the mixture is then 
too stiff to handle, add enough water 
to make it a soft dough. Turn upon 
a floured board, roll out and cut into 
biscuits, handling as little and as 
lightly as possible. Bake in a steady 



Waffles. 

2 eggs, 

1 cupful milk, 

1| cupfuls flour, 

1 tablespoonful melted butter, 
i teaspoonful salt, 

2 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder. 

Beat the yolks of the eggs light; 
add alternately, and beating in well, 
the milk and flour. When these in- 
gredients are mixed, add the butter. 



baking powder, salt, and whipped 
whites of the eggs. 

Sally lunn. 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 

2 cupfuls sweet milk, 

3 eggs, 

6 cupfuls flour, 

3 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 

powder, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 
1 tablespoonful sugar. 

Warm the butter in the milk; pour 
over the eggs, beaten light; then stir 
in a little at a time, and beating con- 
tinuously, the flour, with which has 
been sifted the baking powder, salt, 
and sugar. Turn into a greased cake 
mold, and bake in a steady oven. 

Egg Biscuits. 

3 cupfuls flour, 

1 teaspoonful sali^ 

2 eggs, 

1 tablespoonful lard, 

1 cupful sweet milk, 

IJ teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder. 

Sift the flour, add the salt, sugar, 
eggs (beaten well), lard, milk, and 
baking powder. Work to a smooth 
dough, roll half an inch thick, cut in 
large biscuits, rub over with sweet 
milk, lay on buttered tins, and bake 
brown in a quick oven. 

Corn Cakes. 

2 cupfuls cornmeal, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 

3 eggs, 

1 cupful sweet milk, 
1 teaspoonful Calumet baking 
powder. 

Put the meal in a bowl, mix with 
salt, and pour over it enough boiling 
water to moisten the mass; cover for 
five minutes or an hour, as conven- 
ient. Beat tht; eggs separately, add a 
cup of sweet milk to the yolks, and 
pour over the scalded meal; mix well, 
add the baking powder and the beat- 
en whites of the eggs. Grease a grid- 
dle with bacon drippings, and fry. 



BAKING-POWDER BREADS 



811 



Vienna Biscuits. 

2 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 

powder. 
J teaspoonful salt, 
4 cup fills flour, 
1 tablespoonful butter, 

1 tablespoonful lard, 
IJ cupfuls milk. 

Sift the baking powder and salt 
with the flour; mix thoroughly with 
the butter and lard; wet with the 
milk; turn out on a floured bread 
board, and knead smooth; roll into a 
sheet half an inch thick, and cut with 
a biscuit cutter. Bake at once in a 
quick oven. 

Ground-nice Muffins. 

4 cupfuls ground rice, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 teaspoonful sugar. 
Dash salt, 

3 eggs, 

1 tablespoonful Calumet baking 
powder. 

Cream togeth'r the butter and sug- 
ar. Pour on enough boiling water to 
moisten the rice, stirring all the time. 
Cool and add the yolks of the eggs. 
well beaten, creamed butter and sug- 
ar; then enough sweet mkk to form 
a batter, beating thoroughly; add 
the baking powder and salt, and, last, 
fold in the whites of the eggs, well 
beaten. Bake in gem pans in a quick 
oven. 

Twin-Mountain Muffins. 
I cupful butter, 
J cupful sugar, 
1 egg, 

f cupful milk, 
Q cupfuls flour, 

3 teaspoonfuls Calumet 'Hakorig 
powder. 

Cream the butter; add the sugar 
and egg, well beaten; sift baking 
powder with flour, and add to the 
first mixture, alternating with milk. 
Bake in buttered gem pans twenty- 
five minutes. 



Rye Gems. 

1§ cupfuls rye flour, 
IJ cupfuls white flour, 
4 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder. 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

2 eggs, 

I cupful molasses, 
li cupfuls milk, 

3 tablespoonfuls melted butter. 

Sift the dry ingredients, add mo- 
lasses, milk, eggs, well beaten, and 




a Oval Muffin Pans ; b. Oblong Muffin Pans! 
c, Round Popovtr Pans. 



butter. Bake in hot oven in buttered 
gem pan twenty-five minutes. 

Nut Biscuits. 

2 cupfuls flour, 

i teaspoonful salt, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

1 cupful chopped nuts, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 

2 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 

powder, 
2 tablespoonfuls sugar, 
I cupful milk. 

Sift together the flour, salt, and 
Laking powder; rub in the butter, 
add the nuts — English walnuts, hick- 
ory nuts, or almonds — and sugar; 
mix to a soft dough with milk. Mold 
with the hands into small balls, place 
well apart on greased pans, brush 
each with milk, put a pinch of 



812 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



chopped nuts on top, and bake in a 
hot oven. 

Corn Muffins. 

3 cupfuls cornmeal, 

3 cupfuls flour, 

1 tablespoon ful sugar, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

2 teaspoon fuls Calumet baking 
powder, 

1 tablespoonful butter or lard, 
S eggs, 

2 cupfuls milk. 

Sift together cornmeal, flour, sug- 
ar, salt, and powder; rub in the 
shortening, add eggs, beaten, and 
milk; mix into batter of consistency 
of cup cake; fill muffin pans, well 
greased, two thirds full. Bake in a 
hot oven. 

Berry Muffins. 

2 cupfuls flour, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

2 tablespoonfuls melted butter, 
^ cupful sugar, 

2 teaspoonf uls Calumet baking 

powder, 
1 egg, 

1 cupful milk, 
1 cupful berries. 

Mix as for plain muffins; add ber- 
ries last, dusting them with a little 
flour. Bake in muffin pans in a hot 
oven. 

Graham Muffins. 

1 quart Graham flour, 

1 tablespoonful brown sugar, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

2 teaspoonf uls Calumet baking 
powder, 

1 egg, 

2 cupfuls milk. 

Sift together Graham flour, sugar, 
salt, and powder; add beaten egg and 
milk; mix into batter. Bake in a hot 
oven fifteen minutes in greased muf- 
fin pans. 

Slappers. 

2 cupfuls Indian cornmeal, 

J teaspoonful salt, 

8 tablespoonfuls butter, 



3 eggs, 

1 cupful milk, 

1 cupful wheat flour, 

2 teaspoonf uls Calumet baking 
powder. 

Mix together meal, salt, and but- 
ter; pour on slowly sufficient boiling 
water to thoroughly moisten the 
meal. Cover; let stand over night. 
Add the eggs, well beaten, milk, flour 
— ^the first half-cupful of flour being 
mixed with the baking powder — to 
make a very thick drop batter. Drop 
by spoonfuls on a hot greased grid- 
dle, cook slowly till brown, turn and 
brown on other side. 

No-Egg Wheat Cakes. 

3 cupfuls flour, 

3 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 

powder, 
J teaspoonful salt, 

2 cupfuls milk. 

Sift dry ingredients; add milk to 
make a soft batter, and beat hard. 
Bake immediately on hot griddle. 
Serve with butter and maple sirup. 

Jam Griddle Cakes. 

3 cupfuls flour, 

4 tablespoonfuls sugar, 
J teaspoonful salt, 

IJ teaspoonfuls Caliunet baking 

powder, 
2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
2 eggs, 
2 cupfuls milk. 

Rub butter and sugar to" a cream ; 
add yolks of eggs, one at a time. 
Sift flour, salt, and powder together; 
add to butter with milk and whites 
of eggs whipped to dry froth; mix to 
a batter. Bake in small cakes; as 
fast as browned, lay each cake on a 
plate and spread raspberry jam over 
it, then bake more, lay on other al- 
ready done; repeat this until you 
have used jam twice, then bake an- 
other batch. 

Blueberry Griddlecakes. 

1 cupful blueberries, 

2 cupfuls flour. 



BAKING-POWDER BREADS 



813 



1 teaspoonful salt, 

1 tablespoonfiil brown sugar, 

2 teaspoonf uls Calumet baking 
powder, 

2 eggs, 

2 cupfuls milk. 

Sift together flour, sugar, salt, and 
baking powder; add beaten eggs, 
milk, and berries. Mix into a batter. 
Have griddle hot enough to form a 
crust as soon as the batter touches 
it. In order to confine the juice of 
berries, turn quickly to form a crust 
on the other side. 

Griddled Muffins. 
1 cupful flour, 
1 teaspoonful butter, 
1 egg, 
S teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 

powder, 
^ cupful milk. 

Mix the flour, butter, baking pow- 
der, and egg with the milk. Place 
small muffin rings on a hot griddle, 
put a little fat into each ring, fill 
them half full with the batter, and 
bake over a moderate fire till light 
brown. Turn with a pancake turner, 
and bake the same on the other side. 



Erench. Pancakes. 

3 eggs, 

2 cupfuls milk, 

2 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 

powder, 
*A. pinch of salt, 
2 cupfuls flour. 

Beat the yolks of the eggs light; 
pour over them the milk; add gradu- 
ally the baking powder, salt, and 
flour; fold in lightly the whipped 
whites of the eggs. Bake by large 
spoonfuls on a hot griddle. Spread 
each cake as soon as baked with jam, 
and shape into a roll. 

Bannocks (Irish recipe). 

4 cupfuls flour, 
i cupful butter, 
li cupfuls milk, 



i teaspoonftil salt, 
3 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder. 

Mix the ingredients to a soft 
dough; roll an inch thick, shape into 
cakes, six inches across, with a large 
cooky cutter, and bake on a hot 
griddle. Before taking from the fire, 
be sure they are baked to the heart. 
Split in two, butter, and serve hot. 

One-Egg Griddlecakes. 
3 cupfuls flour, 

3 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

1 egg, 

2 tablespoonfuls melted butter, 
2 cupfuls milk. 

Sift the dry ingredients, separate 
the egg, and add to flour the milk 
and beaten yolk. Beat thoroughly, 
add the melted butter and white of 
egg, beaten to a stiff froth. Bake at 
once. 

Whole-Wheat Griddlecakes. 
1^ cupfuls white flour, 
f cupful whole-wheat flour, 
^ teaspoonful salt, 

4 tablespoonfuls sugar, 

4 teaspoonfids Calumet baking 

powder. 
If cupfuls milk, 
2 tablespoonfuls melted butter. 

Sift the flour, baking powder, 

salt, and sugar; stir into a batter 

with the milk, the beaten egg and 
butter. Bake at once. 

Indian Griddlecakes. 

1 cupful Indian meal, 

1 cupful flour, 

2 eggs, 

1 teaspoonful butter, 
J teaspoonful salt, 

2 teaspoonfuls Caliunet baking 
powder, 

Milk. 

Put Indian meal into a mixing 
bowl and pour over it enough scald- 



814 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



ing milk to make a thick mush. 
When it cools, add the flour and 
enough cold milk to make a thick 
batter, add the eggs, well beaten, the 
butter, melted, the salt, and baking 
powder. Beat till full of bubbles, 
then bake on a hot griddle. 

Hominy Gems. 

2 cupfuls cold hominy, 

3 eggs, 

2 cupfuls milk, 
1 cupful cornmeal, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 

1 tablespoonful sugars 

2 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder, 

1 tablespoonful melted butter. 

Put the cornmeal in a mixing bowl, 
pour over it the scalded milk, beat 
thoroughly, and when cool add the 
hominy. Stir in the eggs, whip to a 
froth, add salt, sugar, baking pow- 
der, and butter, beat hard, pour into 
greased gem pans, and bake in a hot 
oven. This recipe when thinned with 
more milk makes delicious griddle- 
cakes. 

iCrraham Griddlecakes. 

IJ cupfuls Graham flour, 
J cupful white flour, 

2 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
poWder, 

2 cupfuls mUk, 
1 egg, 

1 tablespoonful melted butter. 

Sift the dry ingredients, then beat 
into a batter with egg, milk, and but- 
ter; bake on a griddle. 

Egg Biscuits. 

4 cupfuls flour, 

2 teaspoonfuls Caliunet baking 
powder, 

i| cupful butter, 

2 eggs, 

ij cupfuls milk, 

2 teaspoonfuls sugar, 

^ teaspoonful salt. 

Sift the dry ingredients, rub in the 
butter, and make into a dough with 



the beaten egg and milk. Turn out 
on a baking board, roll into a sheet 
and mold into biscuits, as directed for 
Parker House rolls. Bake fifteen 
minutes in a quick oven. 

Pitcaithley Scones (Scotch recipe). 
4 cupfuls flour, 
3 teaspoonfuls Caliunet baking 

powder, 
2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
li cupfuls milk, 
% teaspoonful salt. 

Sift together the dry ingredients, 
rub in the butter, and mix to a soft 
dough with the milk. Turn out on a 
floured baking board and roll into 
rounds. Dust the griddle thinly with 
flour, slip on the round of dough, 
and cut into quarters. Bake slowly 
and do not turn until the top is be- 
ginning to show bubbles. Scones 
ought to be turned only once. Serve 
hot. 

Maryland Biscuits. 
1 quart flour, 

1 cupful milk and water mixed, 
1 tablespoonful shortening, 
1 teaspoonful salt. 

Rub the shortening into the flour and 
add the salt; mix the milk and water, 
and add them slowly to the flour, 
stirring all the while, until you have 
a hard, almost dry, dough. Put the 
dough out on a floured board and 
knead continuously for fifteen min- 
utes, until it is soft and elastic. Then 
beat it, constantly folding, for twen- 
ty minutes longer. Roll out, cut in 
biscuits; prick the tops with a fork, 
stand in a pan so that they wiU not 
touch each other, and bake in a mod- 
erate oven for thirty minutes. The 
sides of these biscuits should be 
white but cooked, the tops and bot- 
toms brown. — Mrs. S. T. Roreb. 

Popovers. 

1 cupful sifted flour, 
^ teaspoonful salt, 
1 cupful milk, 
1 egg- 



BAKING-POWDER BREADS 



815 



Sift together the flour and salt, 
then gradually beat In the milk and 
egg. Beat two minutes with a Dover 
beater and bake about half an hour 
in gem pans, buttered, in a fast oven. 

Oat Cakes (Scotch recipe). 

2 cupfuls Canadian oatmeal, 
I teaspoonful lard, 
^ teaspoonful salt. 
Water. 

Put oatmeal in a mixing bowl; rub 
in the salt and shortening, add 
enough water to make a stiff dough, 
dust the bread board with oatmeal 
and roll out thin; cut the cake into a 
round big enough to fit a griddle and 
slip it carefully on to the hot iron. 
Before it begins to bake, cut the 
round into quarters. Bake until crisp 
and delicately brown, and if they do 
not seem quite hard enough, set the 
cakes in the oven until thoroughly 
dried out. 



BBEADS MABE 7B0M SOUR MILE 

Milk or cream used for baking is 
best when it sours quickly and does 
not separate, but remains thick and 
smooth. The usual measurement to 
use in every recipe where lightness 
is desired is 1 level teaspoonful soda 
to 2 cupfuls sour milk or 1 cup- 
ful molasses. Sometimes the milk is 
sour, but not loppered; then use it 
in gingerbread or brown bread, where 
there is molasses enough to complete 
the acidity, or let it stand for a few 
hours in a warm place to lopper. 
The more acid the milk is, the more 
soda it wiU require. Never use milk 
which has turned bitter or moldy. If 
you are lucky enough to possess sour 
cream, cut down in each recipe 2 
tablespoonfuls butter to 1 cupful 
sour milk, else the mixture will be 
too rich. 

Woodlawn Brown Bread. 

2 cupfuls sour milk, 
1 egg, 

3 cupfuls Graham flour. 



1 teaspoonful soda, 
i cupful molasses, 
I teaspoonful salt. 

If the Graham flour is very coarse, 
sift it and throw away the bran. Add 
the salt, pour in the molasses, milk, 
beaten egg, and the soda dissolved in 
a little water. If you desire bread 
that is not very dark or sweet, use 3 
tablespoonfuls molasses and 1 tea- 
spoonful sugar. Steam for two and a 
half-hours in pound baking-powder 
can. Give it three hours if steamed 
in a quart pail. 

Sunday-Morning loaf. 

3 cupfuls Graham flour, 

1 cupful wheat flour, 

1 cupful Indian meal, 

I teaspoonful salt, 

1 cupful molasses, 

li teaspoonfuls soda, 

J cupful cold water, 

1 tablespoonful melted lard, 

1 cupful sour milk, 

1| cupfuls sweet milk. 

Sift the dry materials together, add 
the molasses, lard, soda melted in 
water, and milk. Beat thoroughly; 
pour into a buttered mold, and steam 
for three hours. This makes two me- 
dium-sized loaves. In New England 
these are called Sunday-Morning 
loaves, because they are generally 
made Saturday night and put in the 
oven for half an hour next morning 
to serve with the traditional baked 
beans. They keep for one or two 
weeks and may be heated for use at 
any time. 

Steamed Graham loaf. 

3 cupfuls of Graham flour, 

1 cupful wheat flour, 

1 teaspoonful soda, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

1 cupful molasses, 

3i cupfuls sour milk. 

Sift dry ingredients, add molasses 
and milk, beat well and turn into a 
buttered mold. Steam three and a 
half hours. This mixture, cooked in 



816 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



pound baking-powder cans, will 
make four loaves, which can be re- 
heated when required. Place the can 
on a frame in a kettle containing 
boiling water. 

Whole-Wheat Muffins. 

1 cupful whole-wheat meal, 
1 cupful flour, 

tablespoonfuls sugar, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 
f teaspoonful soda, 
li cupfuls sour milk, 

2 tablespoonfuls melted butter, 
1 egg. 

Sift the dry ingredients together, 
mix with the beaten egg, milk, and 
butter. Bake in hot gem pans. 

Spider Corn Cake. 

I cupful cornmeal, 

i cupful flour, 

1 tablespoonful sugar, 

i teaspoonful salt, 

^ teaspoonful soda, 

1 egg, 

J cupful sour milk, 

^ cupful sweet milk. 

Sift the dry ingredients together 
and mix them with the well-beaten 
egg and milk. Beat thoroughly. 
Melt 2 tablespoonfuls butter in an 
iron spider and pour the mixture into 
it. Pour J cupful sweet milk over 
the top of the batter and set it very 
carefully into a hot oven. Bake for 
twenty minutes. 

Rice or Hominy Griddlecakes or 
Muffins. 

1 cupful sour milk, 

1 cupful cold rice or fine hominy, 

i teaspoonful salt, 

f teaspoonful soda, 

1 egg, 

1 teaspoonful melted butter. 

Flour to make a batter. 

Heat the rice or hominy over hot 
water and moisten gradually with the 
milk till free from lumps. Add salt 
and soda, stir in the beaten egg yolk, 
then the melted butter, then flour to 



make a soft batter, lastly the white 
of egg beaten stiflF. This is for grid- 
dlecakes. For muffins, use flour 
enough to make a stiff batter. 

Corn Bread. 

2 cupf^lls sour milk, 

3 eggs, 

3 cupfuls Indian meal (white), 
1 teaspoonful soda, 
1 teaspoonful sugar. 

Beat the eggs separately, sift the 
soda twice through the meal, and add 
the salt. Beat the ingredients well 
together, adding the whites last of 
all. Bake in a moderate oven in muf- 
fin rings, with a large spoonful of 
the batter to each, until golden 
brown. 

Batter Cakes. 

li teaspoonfuls soda, 
' 3 cupfuls sour milk, 

3 eggs, 

3J cupfuls flour. 

Beat thoroughly the soda with the 
sour milk. Beat the yolks of three 
eggs and add to the milk, then stir 
in the flour and a little salt, making 
the batter of the consistency of cake. 
Then beat the whites to a stiff froth, 
fold in, and bake. 

Biscuits. 

1 quart flour, 

4 tablespoonfuls lard, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 

1 teaspoonful soda. 

Sift the flour, add the lard, salt, 
soda, and enough sour milk to make 
soft dough; roU thin, cut into bis- 
cuits, and bake in a very quick oven. 

Entire-Wheat Gems. 

2 cupfuls sour milk, 

2 tablespoonfuls brown sugar, 
1 saltspoonful salt, 
1 teaspoonful soda. 

Stir them aU together, add suffi- 
cient flour to make a batter that will 
drop without spreading. Bake in 
gem pans. 



BAKING-POWDER BREADS 



817 



Spoon Biscuit. 

4 cupfuls sour milk, 
2 teaspoonfuls soda, 

1 saltspoonful salt, 

2 tablespoonfuls melted butter. 

To the sour milk add the soda, salt, 
butter, and sifted flour to form a 
batter that will drop from a spoon. 
Drop into a hot greased pan, and 
bake in a quick oven. 

Sour-Milk Graham Bread. 

1 egg, 

2 tablespoonfuls sugar, 

2 tablespoonfuls melted butter, 

1 teaspoonful soda, 

2 cupfuls sour milk, 

1| cupfuls Graham flour, 
IJ cupfuls white flour. 

Beat the egg with the sugar, put in 
the melted butter; dissolve the soda 
in 3 spoonfuls hot water, and add the 
sour milk. Stir up with the flour 
and bake slowly one hour. 

Griddlecakes. 

1 pint sour milk, 

2 cupfuls flour, 

^ teaspoonful salt, 
1 egg, 

1 teaspoonful soda. 

Mix thoroughly the flour, salt, and 
beaten eggs; add more flour if need- 
ed to make a good batter. Last of 
all add 1 teaspoonful soda dissolved 
in 1 tablespoonful hot water. Bake at 
once on a hot griddle. 

Sour-Milk Doughnuts. 

2 cupfuls flour, 

I teaspoonful salt, 

1 scant teaspoonful soda, 

1 scant teaspoonful cream of 

tartar. 
Grating of nutmeg, 
i tablespoonful butter, 
1 egg, 

i cupful sugar, 
i cupful sour milk. 

Sift together the dry ingredients, 
rub the butter into the flour with the 
finger tips, add the sugar, well-beat- 



en egg, and milk; beat thoroughly 
and toss the dough on a floured 
board. It ought to be a soft dough 
and it is not easy to handle. Use a 
knife in turning it over if you have 
any difficulty. Knead lightly and 
roll into a sheet. Cut the doughnuts 
with a ring cutter and fry in boiling 
fat, putting only about four in the 
kettle at once. If more are fried at 
a time, the fat wUl cool and the 
doughnuts become greasy. 



RECIPES FOR CORN BREAD 

Indian corn is a native of the new 
world and is one of the chief sources 
of national wealth. It is so com- 
monly used as an article of food, 
both in an vmripe state, as green corn, 
and as a dry grain, crushed or 
ground as hominy, or as corn meal, 
and cooked in various forms that it 
may almost be regarded as the na- 
tional food of America. In addition 
to corn meal mush, the well known 
hasty pudding of our grandmothers, 
it forms the basis of many of the 
appetizing modern breakfast foods. 
In New England it takes the form 
best known as the Rhode Island 
Johnny Cake. In the South it forms 
the celebrated Hoe Cake or Corn 
Pone. In aU parts of the country 
corn meal bread, muffins, and batter 
cakes are cooked and served accord- 
ing to a great variety of recipes. 
The following have been selected as 
typical of the various corn meal 
breads in use in different parts of 
the United States as recorded by the 
foremost writers on cookery. This 
selection has been made with great 
care and is believed to be one of the 
most complete and satisfactory in 
existence. 

RHODE ISLAND JOHNNY CAKE 

Any kind of corn meal can be sub- 
stituted in the following recipe, but 
the flavor of the true Rhode Island 
Johnny Cake cannot be realized with- 
out meal made from well seasoned 



818 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



white (not yellow) corn gi-ound 
nearly as fine as flour. This is 
known to the trade as bolted white 
Indian meal. It is packed in small 
cloth bags by certain manufacturers 
and can be obtained from grocers in 
most parts of the United States if 
specially requested. The process of 
making Johnny Cakes is most simple. 
Measure in a mixing bowl a quantity 
of meal sufficient for the needs of 
the family, which can be determined 
only by experience, and add boiling 
water in a thin stream, stirring vig- 
orously until the dough is nearly, but 
not quite, soft enough to pour. It 
should be very wet but firm. Stir in 
salt to taste and fry with butter, or 
any suitable fat, on a hot griddle 
until a crisp brown crust is formed 
on both sides. The cakes are usually 
formed of a single mixing spoonful 
of dough and flattened so as to be 
about three or four inches across and 
an inch or less in thickness. They 
are best relished by most persons 
when the crust is firm and brittle and 
the interior soft and moist. A little 
experience will enable any one to 
make Johnny Cake dough of the 
right consistency. Some cooks prefer 
to use no more hot water than is 
necessary to thoroughly scald the 
meal and then thin the dough to the 
desired cpnsistency with fresh or 
skimmed milk. Made by either re- 
cipe Rhode Island Johnny Cakes are 
most wholesome and delicious. 

Southern Johnny Cake. 

Stir together 3 cupfuls of Indian 
meal, 1 of flour, ^ of molasses and 
a little salt, with enough sour or but- 
termilk to make a stiff batter. Stir 
in 1 teaspoonful of soda and bake in 
a hot oven. (Wm. H. Lee.) 

Mrs. Jake's Hoe Cnkes. 

Take 1 pint of white corn meal, i- 
teaspoonful salt, and 1 teaspoonful of 
sugar. Mix well and add sufficient 
boiling milk or water to scald. (Add 
2 eggs, or not, as desired.) The bat- 
ter should be thick enough not to 
spread when put on the griddle. 



Grease the griddle with bacon- 
fat or lard, and drop the bat- 
ter upon it from spoon. Flatten 
the cakes until about J inch in 
thickness. Cook slowly but do not 
burn. When of a brown color on 
underside turn over and brown other 
side. Spread a little butter on each 
cake. Serve immediately when done. 
(Wm. H. Lee.) 

Southern Corn Pone. 

Sift a quart of white corn meal, 
add a teaspoonful of salt. Pour on 
enough cold water to make a mixture 
which will squeeze easily through the 
fingers. Work it to a soft dough. 
Mold it into oblong cakes an inch 
thick at the ends and a little thicker 
in the center. Slap them down on the 
pan and press them a little. These 
cakes they say must show the 
marks of the fingers. The pan must 
be, hot and sprinkled with the bran 
sifted from the meal. Bake in a hot 
oven for about 20 minutes. (Mary 
Roland.) 

Southern Hoe Cake No. 1. 

Make the same mixture as for pone. 
Spread it on the greased hoe, or a 
griddle, making a round cake i of an 
inch thick. Bake it on the top of the 
range, turning and baking it brown 
on both sides. (Mary Roland.) 

Southern Hoe Cake No. 2. 

Use for these cakes if possible 
coarse water-ground white meal. 
Add to a quart of meal .a tea- 
spoonful of salt; pour over it 
enough boiling water to make a 
soft dough. Add also a little 
milk to make it brown better. Let it 
stand an hour or longer then work it 
together with the hand. Form it into 
little cakes an inch thick and bake 
on a greased griddle till brown on 
both sides. Serve very hot. They are 
split and spread with butter when 
eaten. (Mary Roland.) 

Genuine Johnny Cake. 

Eight heaping tablespoonfuls fine 
sifted corn meal, 1 teaspoonful 



i 



BAKING-POWDER BREADS 



819 



sugar. Stir in enough sweet milk 
to make a thin batter. Bake in 
smoking hot iron gem pan, in very 
hot oven, until "golden brown." 
(Mary Lewis.) 

Aunt Anne's Hoe Cake. 

Take a large cupful of corn 
meal, sift it in a bowl, a pinch 
of salt. Mix it with a little boil- 
ing water. Let it get cold. Make 
some small round cakes, pinch 
them on top. Put in a pan to bake 
in the oven. (Celestine Eustis.) 

Corn Pone. 

Corn pone is highly recommended 
as a breakfast dish. Take a heap- 
ing coflFee-cupful of boiled hominy, 
heat it and thin in a tablespoon- 
ful of butter, 3 eggs and nearly 
1 pint of sweet milk. As much 
corn meal may be added as will serve 
to thicken this till it is like the batter 
for "Johnny Cakes." Bake in a quick 
oven and serve. (Celestine Eustis.) 

White House Corn Bread. 

Two cups of sifted meal, half a cup 
of flour, 2 cups of sour milk, 2 well- 
beaten eggs, i cup of molasses or 
sugar, a teaspoonful of salt, 3 table- 
spoonfuls of melted butter. Mix the 
meal and flour smoothly and grad- 
ually with the milk, then the butter, 
molasses and salt, then the beaten 
eggs, and lastly dissolve a level tea- 
spoonful of baking soda in a little 
milk and beat thoroughly together. 
Bake nearly an hour in well-buttered 
tins, not very shallow. (Hugo Zie- 
man and Mrs. F. L. Gillette.) 

Favorite Corn Bread. ■ 

Scald 1 quart of Indian meal 
with one quart of boiling water; 
when cooked, add one pint of Gra- 
ham flour, 1 pint of wheat flour, 
half cupful of yeast, half cup- 
ful of molasses, 1 teaspoonful of 
salt, 1 tablespoonful of shortening. 
Dissolve and fill the cup half full 



with warm water. Make it as thick 
as can be stirred with a spoon. Bake 
in a milk pan or deep dish, letting it 
rise first. (Mrs. Grace Townssnd.) 

Gold Medal Corn Bread. 

One pint yellow meal, -l pint flour, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 3 teaspoonfuls 
baking-powder, all sifted together; 1 
tablespoonful sugar, 3 tablespoonfuls 
melted butter, 3 eggs, 1 pint sweet 
milk. Beat long and hard and bake 
in a large round loaf. The oven must 
not be too hot. 

Economical Corn Bread. 

Take 1 quart of sweet milk, corn 
meal enough to thicken, 3 eggs, half a 
cup of butter, 2 tablespoonfuls of 
brown sugar, 1 teaspoonful of soda 
and 3 of cream of tartar. Bake in a 
moderate oven. (Mrs. Jane Warren.) 

RECIPES FOR CORN BREAD 
Boston Corn Bread. 

1^ cupfuls Graham flour, 

1 cupful Indian meal, 

^ tablespoonful soda, 

1 saltspoonful salt, 

I cupful molasses, 
1| cupfuls milk. 

(Fannie Merritt Farmer.) 

Southern Batter Bread or "Egg Bread. 
Beat two eggs light; stir half a 
cupful of cold boiled rice into a 
pint of milk and add to the eggs, 
rice and milk a tablespoonful of 
melted butter. Sift a teaspoonful of 
salt into two cups of Indian meal; 
stir all together and bake in shallow 
pans. Eat hot. (Marion Harland.) 

Corn Meal Loaf. 
1 pint milk, 

1 level teaspoonful salt, 
1 pint white flour, 
1 pint water, 
1 compressed yeast cake. 
Corn meal. 

(Sarah Tyson Rorer.) 



CHAPTER XXXI 



STALE BREAD 



"A CAREFUii housewife plans to keep 
in stock the smallest amount possible 
of stale bread, and of that stock not 
a morsel is consigned to the garbage 
pail. There is economy in adopting 
the English fashion of bread cut- 
ting, placing the loaf on a wooden 
trencher with a keen knife, and cut- 
ting at the table each slice as it is 
required. 

Look careftilly to the stale-bread 
remains of each day. Keep a wire 
basket, set in a tin pan in the pantry, 
to receive all scraps left on plates, 
toast crusts, or morsels from the 
bread jar. Never put them in a cov- 
ered pail or jar; they will mold. 
Save all soft inside parts of a loaf to 
be used as soon as possible for crou- 
tons or croustades, slices or cubes for 
toast and toast points, and soft 
scraps for meat and fish dressings, 
puddings, omelets, scalloped dishes, 
griddlecalfes, souffles, croquettes, and 
the numerous dishes for which stale 
bread may be utilized. 

For stuffing for poultry, fish, 
spareribs, veal, or game it is often 
possible to use dry "heels" and 
crusts by soaking and adding to them 
a portion of dry crumbs. The scraps 
which can be used in no other way 
may be saved for crumbing. When 
the basket becomes full, put the 
bread in a pan and set in a moderate 
oven with the door open. Never al- 
low these crusts to grow more than 
a golden brown. The browner 
crumbs are, which are used as a 
covering for croquettes, etc., the less 
frying they will stand. Before a 
croquette rolled in very brown 
crumbs is heated to the heart, it will 
appear almost burned. When the 



scraps of bread are thoroughly dry, 
roll them on a board or put through 
the meat chopper, using the finest 
knife. 

If there are children in the family 
who like " rusk," the old-fashioned 
New England name for browned 
crumbs sprinkled into cold milk, re- 
serve the coarser crumbs for this 
purpose. Sift through a fine sieve, 
and the crumbs, no larger than corn- 
meal, may be put away to be used 
for crumbing purposes. Save the 
rusk in the same way, keeping it al- 
ways uncovered. If the air is not 
allowed free circulation into the can, 
the crumbs will spoil. When rusk is 
used, heat it slightly in the oven. Af- 
ter croquettes have been crumbed, 
scrape together all the fine crumbs 
left on the board and sift, returning 
what is dry to the can. 

Bread crumbs are always prefer- 
able to cracker crumbs in covering 
anything which has been dipped in 
egg. Cracker criunbs do not brown 
well. In the recipes following, 
stale bread and crumbs are spoken 
of in a distinctive fashion.- Dried 
bread crumbs are those which are 
rolled and sifted, suitable for crumb- 
ing, but not for use in puddings or 
scallops, for they would absorb too 
much moisture. Stale crumbs are 
made from odds and ends of stale 
bread, rubbed on a grater or crum- 
bled fine. They must be used at 
once or they will mold. 

Stale bread that is broken and un-- 
sightly can be used for brewis, bread 
puddings, or in scallops. Toast or 
steam all that can possibly be used 
in such a way. Remove crusts before 
toasting. It makes a dish more 



820 



STALE BREAD 



821 



sightly, and the crusts can be dried 
for crumbs or worked into a dress- 
ing. Slices of bread too ragged to be 
toasted may be trimmed into dia- 
monds, fingers, oblongs, rounds, or 
triangles for canapes. Cut smaller 
pieces in dice, narrow strips, or 
squares for croutons. Fry forty sec- 
onds in hot fat, or butter lightly and 
brown in the oven. They are an 
attractive accompaniment for thick 
soups. 

Toast that will cut into Vandykes 
or long points can be utilized for 
surrounding dishes of spinach, Brus- 
sels sprouts, asparagus, or green 
vegetables served in a mold. Dishes 
au gratin will use any of the dry 
bread crumbs. Instead of dotting 
the crusts with naorsels of butter, 
melt the butter in an omelet pan, 3 
tablespoonfuls butter to ^ cupful 
crumbs, and toss lightly with a fork 
till every morsel is buttered. Brewis, 
steamed bread, and toasts of a large 
variety are some of the changes to 
ring in the daily menu, and they can 
be made so appetizing that a family 
has no suspicion it is aiding to keep 
the bread jar in good condition. 



the side of the steamer or they will 
become water-soaked. Fit the steam- 
er tightly into the mouth of a kettle 
of boiling water. The bread will be 
ready in a few minutes. In taking 
it out, turn the lid over instantly to 
prevent water dripping on the bread. 
Butter each slice and arrange on a 
hot plate with a napkin over them. 
Stale biscuit or rolls may be steamed 
in the samie fashion, or sprinkled 
with cold water and set for a few 
minutes into a hot oven. 



Toasted Sandwiches. 

Often after a picnic or entertain- 
ment a housewife has a number of 
bread-and-butter sandwiches left, too 
stale to serve. They may form the 
basis of a bread pudding or they 
make an attractive dish for break- 
fast, luncheon, or supper in the shape 
of toasted sandwiches. Do not take 
them apart, lay them between the 
wires of a toaster, and hold over a 
clear, red fire. The butter will melt 
and the inside be left soft, warm, 
and buttered, with the outside a crisp, 
golden brown. 



Brown-Bread Brewis. 

2 cupfuls stale brown bread, 
1 cupful stale white bread, 
1 tablespoonful butter, 
2^ cupfuls milk. 

For this dish use the smallest odds 
and ends of the bread, criunbling the 
larger portions into inch pieces. Put 
the butter in a spider. Allow it to 
melt, but not brown, and put in the 
bread. Pour the milk over it and 
simmer, stirring occasionally to keep 
the bread from sticking to the pan. 
Season with a dash of salt and white 
pepper. Serve hot. 

Steamed Bread. 

Into the middle of a large steamer 
with a close-fitting lid set a cup or 
bowl inverted and around it arrange 
slices of stale bread you wish to 
eteara. Do not allow them to touch 



Toast. 

Trim the crust from stale slices 
you wish to toast and move it care- 
fully over a clear, red fire for two 
minutes. Then turn it over and let 
all the moisture be drawn out of the 
bread. Butter and serve immediately. 
Toast may be utilized, especially for 
breakfast, in all sorts of ways. Plain 
toast is a favorite in most households; 
then there are milk toast, cream toast, 
dropped eggs on toast, water toast, 
and the excellent dish of bread 
soaked in egg and milk which has all 
sorts of names, French, Spanish, Ger- 
man, and Scotch toast, but more 
properly egged toast. At the lunch- 
eon and dinner table toast appears 
in all forms — under chicken and with 
such vegetables as asparagus and 
spinach; under minced meats, fri- 
cassees, and creamed mixtures, or in 
the delicate canape. 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Spider Browned Toast, 

Take several slices of stale bread 
cut rather thick, cut oflp the crust 
and butter them on both sides. Lay 
them in a dry, hot spider over a 
rather slow fire and cover with a 
tight lid. When one side has browned 
delicately, turn and brown the other. 
They will be crisp outside, yet soft 
inside. 

Sandwiches in Cream Sauce, 

Sandwiches left over are not usu- 
ally inviting, but they may be made 
so by this method. Toast them deli- 
cately in the oven, and to every four 
sandwiches made from chicken, veal, 
or tongue makes a white sauce with 1 
tablespoonful flour, ^ teaspoonful salt, 
a dash of pepper, and 1 cupful milk 
cooked until thick. Then add the 
yolk of 1 egg, well beaten. Pour this 
over the sandwiches and serve at 



White-Bread Brewis. 

Heat a pint of milk in a double 
boiler. Stir into it enough bits of 
stale wheat bread to absorb all the 
milk. Season with a little butter and 
salt. It should not be pasty or slop- 
py, but should be a light, dry por- 
ridge. It is a favorite with children, 
especially jLf served on a small, pretty 
saucer and dotted with bits of bright 
jelly. Serve hot. 

Bread-Crumb Buckwheat Cakes. 
i cupful stale bread crumbs, 
2 cupfuls milk, 
i teaspoonful salt, 
i cake yeast, 

f cupfuls buclo'^heat flour, 
1 tablespoonful molasses, 
J teaspoonful soda. 

Scald the milk and soak the crumbs 
for half an hour. Add the salt, yeast, 
and buckwheat flour, and let it 
stand over night. In the morning 
stir in the molasses and soda melted 
in a spoonful of warm water. Beat 
briskly for a few minutes and bake 
on a hot, greased griddle. 



Brown-Bread Cream Toast with 
Cheese. 

2 tablespoon fuls butter, 
1 tablespoonful flour, 

1 cupful milk, 

I cupful grated cheese, 

1 egg, 

1 cupful cheese. 

Make a white sauce from the milk, 
butter, and flour; when it boils, add 
the grated cheese and well-beaten 
egg. Cook slowly until mixed, then 
add a cupful of cheese, cut into small 
cubes. Season with salt and cayenne, 
and pour over slices of toasted brown 
bread. 

Fried Bread. 

3 slices stale bread, 

1 egg, 

6 tablespoonfuls milk, 

2 tablespoonfuls oil (olive). 

Cut the bread into fingers three 
inches wide and the length of the 
slice. Beat the egg slightly, add the 
milk. Dip the bread in the mixture. 
Put the oil in a spider and allow it to 
grow hot. Drop the bread in and 
saut^ till brown. Drain on soft pa- 
per. Arrange log-cabin fashion, and 
serve with a sweet liquid sauce or 
maple sirup. 

Milk Toast. 

6 slices stale bread, 

2 cupfuls milk, 

2 teaspoonfuls cornstarch, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter. 

Dry the bread thoroughly in the 
oven, then toast over a clear fire to a 
golden brown. Heat the milk in the 
double boiler, add the butter, and 
when scalding hot, the cornstarch 
moistened in cold milk. It ought to 
be like a milk sauce. Lay the toast 
on a hot platter and baste each slice 
with the sauce. Serve very hot. 

Brown-Bread Saute. 

Cut the crusts off around slices of 
Boston brown bread with a large 



STALE BREAD 



823 



cooky cutter. Fry bacon in a spider 
and put it on a hot platter when 
crisp. Then lay the bread in the 
bacon fat, and saute on both sides. 
Serve a crisp curled slice of bacon on 
each brown round. 

Tomato Toast. 

li cupfuls strained tomato, 

i cupful scalded milk, 

J teaspoonful soda, 

3 tablespoonfuls butter, 

3 tablespoonfuls flour, 

i teaspoonful salt, 

6 slices toast. 

Make a tomato sauce from the but- 
ter, flour, and tomato, add the soda 
and salt, then the milk. Dip the 
toast in the sauce. Serve hot. 



Sread Griddlecakes. 

1^ cupfuls scalded milk, 
li cupfuls stale bread crumbs, 
3 tablespoonfuls butter, 
2 eggs, 

J cupful flour, 
^ teaspoonful salt, 
3J teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder. 

Pour the hot milk and the melted 
butter over the crumbs and soak un- 
til they are soft. Add the well-beat- 
en eggs, flour, salt, and baking pow- 
der. Cook on a griddle like cakes. 

Bread Eoulettes. 

1 cupful stale bread crumbs, 
^ cupful milk, 
1 egg, 
Dash salt. 

Soak the bread crumbs in the milk. 
Mix with the egg and seasonings. 
Form into tiny balls, flour, egg, 
crumb, and fry in hot fat. 



Bread Sauce. 

i cupful stale bread crumbs, 
li cupfuls scalded milk, 

1 tablespoonful butter. 
Pepper and salt, 

^ cupfxil browned crumbs. 

Pour the hot milk over the stale 
crumbs and cook in a double boiler 
for twenty minutes. Add the butter, 
pepper, and salt. Put 1 tablespoon- 
ful butter in an omelet pan and in it 
brown ^ cupful dry crumbs. Pour 
the sauce about game, timbales, or 
anything you wish to serve with it, 
and on top sprinkle browned hot 
crumbs. 

Bread Croquettes. 

2 cupfuls stale bread crumbs, 
1 cupful hot milk. 

Grated rind 1 lemon, 
I cupful currants, 
I teaspoonful cinnamon. 
Yolks 2 eggs. 

Boil the bread crumbs for two 
minutes in the hot milk. Add the 
lemon, currants, cinnamon, and re- 
move from the fire. Beat in the 
yolks of the eggs. Cool, form into 
croquettes, crumb, and fry in hot 
fat. 

Beignets of Bunso 

3 stale buns, 
1 egg, 

^ gill milk, 

IJ tablespoonfuls flour. 

Dash salt. 

Soak the buns five minutes in the 
milk. Mix the yolk of the egg with 
milk, add the flour, salt, and beaten 
white. Dip the buns into batter, fry 
in half lard and half butter, light 
brown on both sides. Dust with sug- 
ar, and serve with jelly or preserved 
fruit. 



CHAPTER XXXII 



SANDWICHES 



The old-fashioned sandwich^-two 
thick wedges of bread, erratically 
buttered, hard of crust, exuding mus- 
tard, and with frills of ham or corned 
beef about the edge — ^has been rele- 
gated to the past by the arrival of 
the meat chopper. The sandwiches of 
the past were of a half-dozen va- 
rieties; the filling of a modern sand- 
wich is limited only by what you 
have on hand. Fish, flesh, fowl, vege- 
tables, eggs, nuts, olives, fruit, 
cheese, and pickles may be utilized 
alone, or combined, and the result, 
when prepared by a skillful cook, is 
a dainty and delicious morsel. 

If many sandwiches are required, 
as for a reception or picnic, bake the 
bread specially for them; there is less 
waste and the work is much easier. 
Keep on hand plenty of baking-pow- 
der cans, pound and half-pound sizes, 
also a few oblong tins which have 
held one, .pound of cocoa. Nothing 
can excel these as molds for baking 
bread for picnic sandwiches; it is 
tender, almost crustless, it needs no 
trimming to make two slices accord 
in size, and it bakes or steams much 
more quickly than in larger tins. 
Make the bread twenty-four hours 
before it is required and try to have 
it fine grained. Fill the cans half 
full of dough and set to raise. When 
almost at the top of the tins, put to 
bake with the lids off. Fill three 
quarters full of brown-bread mix- 
ture; it does not raise so much as 
bread which has yeast in it. Slip the 
small loaves out of the tins as soon 
as taken from the oven or steamer 
and set on a wire stand to cool ; then 
wrap in towels and put away in the 
bread box until required. 



824 



The next consideration Is butter. 
Put a pound of butter (if you have 
many sandwiches to make) in a mix- 
ing bowl and with a slitted wooden 
spoon beat it to a fine, light cream, 
exactly as for cake making. The but- 
ter is much easier to spread, it is 
more economical, then it is ready to 
divide into portions and blend with 
anything to make what is called a 
flavored butter, the most delicious of 
all fiUings. 

^Before preparing sandwiches, if 
they are to be used at a luncheon or 
entertainment where other dishes ac- 
company them, be careful that the 
flavoring is different from the salad 
with which they are served. It is 
really in better taste to offer nothing 
with a salad or cold meat except 
plain bread and butter; still, fash- 
ion seems to demand a flavored nib- 
ble as a salad accompaniment. Fish, 
lobster, or shrimp salads are most 
appetizing with sandwiches of Boston 
brown bread holding a tender lettuce 
leaf or a sprig of watercress dipped 
in mayonnaise. Serve sandwiches of 
mild cheese, flavored by mustard or 
tarragon, with green' salads. White- 
bread sandwiches holding tender 
young nasturtium leaves between the 
buttered folds go well with salads 
of meat or fish. Garnish a plateful 
of this variety with a few nastur- 
tium leaves and blossoms. Finely 
cut peppergrass, chives, endive or 
celery are all fitting accompani- 
ments to sandwiches which are of- 
fered with a meat or chicken sal- 
ad. Cucumbers and tomatoes thinly 
sliced and spread with mayonnaise 
make a delicious bite between but- 
tered bread. Cut with a small cooky 



SANDWICHES 



825 



cutter rounds of bread slightly larger 
than a slice of tomato or cucumber, 
and put the vegetable between them. 
These, as well as herb sandwiches, 
must not be made until immediately 
before serving. 

Cheese, which is generally the first 
course in a sandwich menu, may be 
spread between folds of white, Gra- 
ham, or entire-wheat bread, or deli- 
cate crackers. Roquefort, fromage 
de Brie, or any of the stronger 
cheeses should be flavored with fine- 
ly chopped olives or parsley and 
creamed butter. Combine with a 
milder cheese chopped olives, wal- 
nut meats, anchovy essence, and a 
dash of mustard, Mcllhenny's Ta- 
basco Sauce, and salt. Grate hard 
cheese and mash soft cheese with a 
spoon, afterwards rub to a paste 
with mayonnaise or butter and flav- 
oring. The delicious little cream or 
Neufchfitel cheeses may be blended 
with chopped walnuts, given a bit of 
seasoning by Parmesan cheese, also 
a hint of lemon juice and paprika. 

Under the head of savory sand- 
wiches is a long list of possibilities. 
They include meat, fish, egg, as well 
as fillings obtained from chopped 
olives and pickles, or some strong 
seasoning, curry, caviare, or anchovy. 
For all sorts of meat, use a chopper, 
grinding with the finest knife. It 
provides a paste which, blended with 
mayonnaise, is as easy to spread on 
bread as butter. Scores of recipes 
might be offered to direct this blend- 
ing process, but the clever cook, with 
her own palate as criterion, can eas- 
ily adapt a few suggestions to the 
materials on hand. Chicken com- 
bines well with celery, chopped nuts, 
and olives. The most delicate chick- 
en sandwich is seasoned with celery 
salt and moistened with thick whipped 
cream instead of mayonnaise. Ham 
paste is blended with mayonnaise, 
mustard, chopped olives, and gher- 
kins. Veal paste may be seasoned 
like chicken — indeed one can scarcely 
tell the difference between the two fill- 
ings. Roast beef, corn beef, lamb, and 
poultry paste make good sandwiches. 



If you have not enough of one meat, 
add to it another which havmonizes in 
flavor; for instance, veal goes well 
with any sort of poultry, while tongue 
and ham make a good mixture. 
If remains of roast beef, lamb, or 
corn beef are small, chop and blend 
each separately; nothing seems to as- 
ISlixilate well with red-blooded meats. 
Use mustard, a few drops of onion 
extract, and chopped pickles as flav- 
oring. They are better moistened 
with creamed butter than with may- 
onnaise. Put lobster, shrimp, or crab 
meat through the chopper. Cold fish 
or canned salmon is better delicately 




a, French Coffeepot; 6, Filter Coffeepot; 
c. Everyday Pot for Boiled Coffee. 



picked to flakes with a fork. Sar- 
dines, anchovies, and salt fish riiake 
tasty picnic sandwiches. Pound to a 
paste, and give a touch of acidity by 
lemon juice or chopped pickle. Eggs 
should be hard-boiled; allow to be- 
come thoroughly cold, then put 
through a chopper, mix with mayon- 
naise or butter, and season well. 

When one comes to sweet sand- 
wiches, the variety is almost unlim- 
ited. Figs, dates, prunes, raisins, 
nuts, preserved ginger, and candied 
peel may be chopped, sweetened, 
moistened with whipped cream, lem- 
on, orange, or pineapple juice and 
spread between folds of white bread. 
When preparing them for an enter- 
tainment cut heart, diamond, or club 
shaped, and on top of each lay some- 
thing which suggests the filling — an 
English walnut meat, a shred of 



826 



MRS. cuRTis's cookbook: 



green citron peel, or half a Maras- 
chino cherry, dipped in icing to 
make them stick. When you wish to 
roll sandwiches, use fresh bread, 
spread very lightly with the filling, 
and pin into shape with a toothpick. 

It is easy to keep sandwiches fresh 
some hours before they are required. 
Wring a napkin as dry as possible 
from hot water — a good plan is to 
put it through the wringer — ^wrap 
the sandwiches in it, then cover id a 
stone jar or something which will 
exclude air. 

lamb Sandwiches. 

Mince cold roast lamb, season with 
salt, pepper, and a dash of Mcll- 
henny's Tabasco Sauce. Add minced 
olives and a chopped pimento, then 
make into a paste with mayonnaise 
dressing. Spread between slices of 
white bread. 

Sweetbread Sandwiches. 

Cut cold boiled sweetbreads in a 
meat choppei*, moisten with whipped 
cream, season with salt, cayenne, and 
lemon juice. Spread between thin 
slices of buttered bread. 

Hot-Ham Sandwiches. 

Butter thin slices of bread. Broil 
thin slices of ham, put between slices 
of white 'bread, and eat hot. Bacon 
may be served in the same fashion. 

Chicken and Celery Sandwiches. 
1 cupful cold chicken, 
1 cupful celery, 
4 tablespoonfuls mayonnaise. 

Put chicken through the finest 
knife of a meat chopper, add celery 
cut fine and mayonnaise. Butter 
white bread and spread with the 
chicken mixture. 

Tongue Sandwiches. 

Make a dressing of one part mus- 
tard and six parts butter, add salt, 
pepper, and a dash of McTlhenny's 
Tabasco Sauce. Butter the bread 
with this mixture and lay between 
thin slices of cold tongue. 



Oak-Hill Sandwiches. 
It cupful butter, 
1 cupful finely chopped cold 

boiled ham, 
1 cupful cold chicken. 
Dash of salt and paprika. 

Cream butter, add ham and chick- 
en, then salt and paprika. Spread 
the mixture between thin slices of 
white bread. 

Eare-Beef Sandwiches. 

Chop rare cold roast beef fine. 
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, a dash of 
horse-radish, and a few drops of Mc- 
Ilhenny's Tabasco Sauce. Make into 
sandwiches with thinly sliced Graham 
bread. 

Club Sandwich. 

Toast a slice of bread and butter 
it. On one half put, first, a thin 
slice of bacon which has been broiled 
till dry and tender, next a slice of the 
white meat of either turkey or 
chicken. Over one half of this place 
a circle cut from a ripe tomato and 
over the other half a tender leaf of 
lettuce. Cover with a generous layer 
of mayonnaise, and complete this de- 
licious "wholemeal" sandwich with 
the remaining piece of toast. — A. W. 

Lobster Sandwiches. 

Blend with the chopped lobster 
meat a dash of McTlhenny's Tabasco 
Sauce, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 
oil. Spread the mixture between 
slices of thinly buttered bread. 

Crab Sandwich. 

1 hard-boiled egg, 

1 tablespoonful softened butter, 

J can deviled crab, 

1 tablespoonful lemon juice. 

Moisten the sifted yolk of egg 
with butter, add chopped crab, and 
lemon juice mixed to a paste. Spread 
it between thin slices of buttered 
bread, put two together, press with a 
bread knife, and cut into fingers, tri- 
angles, or small squares. 



SANDWICHES 



82? 



Salmon Sandwiches. 

1 can salmon. 

Yolks 6 hard-boiled eggs. 
Dash Mcllhenny's T a b a s c c 
Sauce, 

2 tablespoonfuls lemon juice, 
2 tablespoonfuls parsley, 

I cupful boiled salad dressing, 
^ teaspoonful salt. 

Drain the oil from salmon, remove 
the skin and bones, and mash fish 
fine. Add eggs, press through pota- 
to ricer, then salt, lemon juice, 
chopped parsley. Tabasco, and salad 
dressing. Spread between folds of 
white or entire-wheat bread. 

Mock-Crab Sandwiches. 
i cupful grated cheese, 
4 tablespoonfuls creamed butter, 
i teaspoonful salt, 
i teaspoonful paprika, 
^ teaspoonful mustard, 
1 teaspoonful anchovy paste, 

1 teaspoonful vinegar, 

2 tablespoonfuls chopped olives. 

To cheese add butter, salt, paprika, 
mustard, paste, vinegar, and chopped 
olives. Spread between rounds of 
white bread. — Stella A. Dowsting. 

Cheese Sandwiches. 

i cupful grated cheese, 
i cupful Roquefort cheese, 
^ cupful cream. 

Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco 
Sauce. 

To the grated cheese add Roque- 
fort cheese rubbed to a paste; add 
sauce and cream. Beat till smooth 
and spread between slices of Graham 
bread. 

Walnut-and-Cheese Sandwiches. 
^ cupful walnut meats, 
^ cupful Neufchatel cheese. 
Dash pepper and salt. 

Chop walnuts fine and mix with 
cheese; add pepper and salt. Spread 
between slices of white bread. If 
desired, this sandwich may be further 



improved by putting between the 
folds a crisp lettuce leaf. 

Anchovy-Cheese Sandwich. 
1 cottage cheese, 
1 teaspoonful anchovy essence, 

1 teaspoonful paprika, 

2 tablespoonfuls chopped par- 
sley. 

To the cheese add anchovy essence, 
paprika, and parsley. Spread be- 
tween slices of entire-wheat biead. 

Boston Sandwiches. 

Slice Boston brown bread thin, 
butter lightly, and spread with 
Neufchatel or cottage cheese. Dip 
crisp lettuce leaves in French dress- 
ing, then lay on the brown bread. 
Press another slice of buttered brown 
bread on top. 

Cheese-and-Olive Sandwiches. 

Work a cream cheese imtil smooth 
and creamy; add half the quantity of 
olives finely chopped; moisten with 
mayonnaise dressing. The mixture 
may be slightly moistened with cream 
and seasoned with salt and cayenne. 
Spread between crackers. 

Walnut Sandwiches. 

Blanch and chop English walnuts. 
To each tablespoonful of nuts allow 
I tablespoonful cream cheese. Beat 
together and spread between thin 
slices of Graham bread. 

Peanut Sandwiches. 

Skin freshly roasted peanuts and 
reduce them to a powder in a meat 
chopper. Add salt, and mix the 
crushed nuts with fresh cream cheese. 
Spread the paste between slices of 
unbuttered Graham bread. 

"Water-Cress Sandwiches. 

Chop cress coarsely and season 
Avith salt, pepper, and a few drops 
of vinegar. Blend with cottage 
cheese and spread between slices of 
white bread. 



828 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Tomato Sandwiches. 

Slice Graham or whole-wheat 
bread thin, pare off the crust, butter 
on one side, spread with minced ripe 
tomatoes, drain off superfluous juice, 
and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and 
sugar. Serve at once. The tomatoes 
should be ice cold and minced quick- 
ly. — ^Marion Harland. 

Onion Sandwiches. 

Cut bread very thin, removing the 
crust. Spread between each slice 
Bermuda or Spanish onions, chopped 
fine and mixed with a mayonnaise 
dressing. 



Cucumber Sandwiches. 

Chop 3 cucumbers fine, drain off 
the liquor, add a little onion juice, a 
dash of red pepper, and mix with a 
well-seasoned mayonnaise. Spread 
between white bread. 



Pimento Sandwiches. 

Cut bread thin, spread sparingly 
with thick mayonnaise dressing. Place 
on it a slice of scarlet pimento, then 
more salad dressing, and cover with 
the upper piece of bread. Serve 
with a leaf of lettuce. Trim neatly 
either round, long, or square, cutting 
through lettuce and all. 



CHAPTER XXXIII 



CEREALS AND FLOUR PASTE 



Cereals include the grain foods stiff enough to be chewed. Cornmeal 



from cultivated grasses, containing 
every variety from oatmeal to maca- 
roni, vi^hich is a paste made of wheat 
flour rich in gluten. Among them 
are most valuable foods — rice, for in- 
stance, which is the staff of life for 
certain nations. In what we call 
breakfast cereals we have a number 
of foods that are unusually rich in 
nitrogenous matter and mineral sub- 
stances, therefore making an excellent 
morning meal with no further addi- 
tion than milk or cream, for all ce- 
reals are lacking in fat. Unless 
cereals can be subjected to the long, 
slow cooking which is necessary, 
they had better not be eaten, for 
nothing is so indigestible as half-raw 
oatmeal. Twenty years ago, when 
most of our oatmeal was the old- 
fashioned steel-cut oats, it needed in- 
terminable cooking — ten hours was 
none too long for it; to-day most of 
the cereals put up in packages, so 
the directions say, can be cooked in 
half an hour. That is not possible; 
few of them, except the fine-grained 
wheat foods, are fit to eat till they 
have had at least one hour's cooking 
in a double boiler. If they can have 
longer, they are so much the better. 
Always add the proper amount of 
salt to a cereal — 1 teaspoonful to a 
quart of water — and let it dissolve 
before the grains are put in, so it 
will flavor the whole mass. The best 
way to cook any rough-grained ce- 
real is to drop it slowly into water 
which is boiling briskly in the upper 
part of a double boiler. After cook- 
ing for a few minutes on the stove, 
set it over the water and allow the 
grains to swell slowly so the food is 



demands a long time for cooking — 
at least six hours — and it swells so it 
should have six times the same meas- 
urement of water. Granular cereals, 
farina, for instance, should be mixed 
with a little cold water and stirred 
smooth before being added to the nec- 
essary amount of boiling water; this 
prevents it from becoming lumpy. 
Never stir any cereal after it has 
been put to cook, until just before it 
is turned out. This treatment makes 
oatmeal pasty and sticky. Store ce- 
reals in glass cans with tight-fitting 
lids instead of the pasteboard boxes 
in which they are sold. It keeps them 
fresher and safe from the invasion of 
moths or mice. 

Cereal with Fruit. 

f cupful wheat germ, 
I cupful cold water, 
3 cupfuls boiling water, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 
i pound dates, stoned and cut in 
pieces. 

Mix cereal, salt, and cold water; 
add to boiling water in a saucepan. 
Boil five minutes, steam in double 
boiler thirty minutes; stir in dates, 
and serve with cream. Serve for 
breakfast or as a simple dessert. — ■ 
Fannie M. Farmer. 



Hasty Pudding. 

1 cupful cornmeal, 
3 tablespoonfuls flour, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 
1 cupful milk, 
3 cupfuls boiling water. 



829 



830 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Mix the meal, flour, and salt with 
the milk; when smooth, stir in the 
boiling water. Cook in a double 
boiler one hour or more; or over di- 
rect heat one half hour. Serve with 
cream and sugar, or turn into tins to 
cool if wanted for saut^ing. Cut into 
slices, dip in flour, and saut^ in drip- 
pings or butter^ 

Hominy Mush. 

i cupful fine hommj, 

^ teaspoonful salt, 

3 cupfuls boiling water. 

Put all together in a double boiler, 
and cook three hours. Add more 
water if mush seems stiff; all prep- 
arations of corn absorb a great deal 
of water in cooking, and hominy usu- 
ally needs a little more than four 
times its bulk. 

Oatmeal Porridge. 

1 cupful granulated oatmeal, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

1 scant quart boiling water. 

Put the oatmeal and salt in a dou- 
ble boiler, pour on the boiling water, 
and cook three or four hours, Re- 
move the cover just before serving 
and stir with a fork to let the steam 
escape. If the water in the boiler be 
strongly i^alted, the oatmeal will cook 
more quickly. 

Boiled Oats. 

1 cupful rolled oats, 

2g cupfuls boiling water, 

^ teaspoonful salt. 

Mix ingredients, and cook in dou- 
ble boiler one hour. 

Steamed Bice. 
1 cupful rice, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 
3 cupfuls boiling water. 

Pick over the rice and wash in 
three or four waters. Put it with 
the salt and boiling water in upper 
part of double boiler. Cook over 
boiling water. Do not stir while 



cooking, 
tender. 



Steam until the grains are 



Boiled Bice. 

I cupful rice, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

4 cupfuls boiling water. 

Wash rice thoroughly and gradu- 
ally add to boiling water, care being 
taken that the water does not stop 
boiling. Cover and cook twenty min- 
utes, or until grains are soft. Turn 
into a strainer and drain, put in oven 
a few moments to dry, with oven door 
open. 

Turkish Pilaf. 
i cupful rice, 
f cupful tomatoes, stewed and 

strained, 
1 cupful brown stock, lightly sea- 
soned, 
' 3 tablespoonfuls butter. 

Add tomato to stock, and heat to 
boiling point; add rice, and steam till 
soft; stir in butter with a fork, and 
keep uncovered that steam may es- 
cape. Serve in place of a vegetable, 
or as a border for curried or fricas- 
seed meat. — Fannie M. Farmer. 

nice Timbales. 
1 cupful rice, 
i teaspoonful salt, 
1 egg, 
1 teaspoonfiil butter. 

Place the rice in a double boiler 
over the fire, cover with cold water, 
boil five minutes, then drain it on a 
sieve, rinse off with cold water, re- 
turn to saucepan again, cover with i 
pint water, add the salt and boil 
till tender; add the egg and butter to 
the mixture, fill the rice in small tim- 
bale forms,, set them in a pan of 
water so the water reaches halfway 
up the forms, place the pan in a hot 
oven, and bake ten minutes. Unmold 
and set the timbales in a circle. 

Bice a la Creole (Southern recipe). 
1 onion, 
1 slice cooked ham. 



CEREALS AND FLOUR PASTE 



831 



1 tablespoonful butter, 
1 cupful cooked rice, 
1 can tomatoes, 
1 teaspoonful salt. 
Dash of Mcllhenny's Tabasco 
Sauce. 

Chop the onion and ham fine; put 
in a saucepan with the butter; add 
the rice and tomatoes, salt, and pap- 
rika. Mix and heat thoroughly. Then 
put in a baking dish, cover with 
bread crumbs, and put in the oven 
for fifteen minutes. The tomatoes 
should, be stewed imtil thick before 
mixing. 

Kanana Land (Mexican recipe). 
1 tablespoonful olive oil, 
1 sliced onion, 
8 green peppers, 
1 cupful uncooked rice, 
I can tomatoes. 

Fry in the olive oil the onion and 
green peppers, chopped fine; to this 
add the uncooked rice, and stir con- 
stantly until the rice is nicely 
browned; then put in the tomatoes, 
fill up the skillet with rich soup 
stock, and cook slowty, without stir- 
ring for an hour. — ^Mat E. South- 
worth. 

Eice Milanaise Fashion, 

1 cupful rice, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 onion, 

1 quart stock, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

3 tablespoonfuls butter, 
i cupful grated cheese. 

Cook the rice in a quart of cold 
water, stir until the boiling point is 
reached, and let boil three or four 
minutes, then drain and rinse in cold 
water and turn on a cloth to dry for 
a few minutes. Put the butter into 
a stewpan; cook in it until softened 
and slightly yellowed, a slice of onion 
chopped fine; then add the rice and 
stock and salt; cook until the rice is 
tender and the liquid absorbed; add 
the butter and grated cheese. Lift 
the rice with two forks to mix the 



butter and cheese evenly. Vary the 
dish occasionally by adding a cup of 
strained tomato with the broth and 
two tablespoonfuls chopped green 
pepper with onion. 

Spaghetti a la Italien (Neapolitan 
recipe). 

i cupful dried mushrooms, 
1 tablespoonful butter, 
1 onion, 
1 clove garlic, 

1 pound chuck steak, 

2 slices bacon, 

1 cupful tomatoes. 

Salt, 

Paprika, 

Pepper, 

1 package spaghetti. 

Soak the mushrooms in a cup of 
tepid water for fifteen minutes; put 
the butter into a frying pan; when 
melted, add the onion and garlic, cut 
fine. Let this cook to a straw color, 
then add the meat and bacon, cut 
into finger lengths. Let this cook 
about five minutes, add the tomatoes 
and simmer slowly for about fifteen 
minutes. Then add the mushrooms, 
together with the water in which 
they have been soaked. Season very 
lightly with salt, pepper, and pap- 
rika. Let this simmer slowly for 
an hour and a half. During this 
time cook the spaghetti in about 2 
quarts boiling water to which 2 ta- 
blespoonfuls salt have been added. 
Cook twenty minutes, then pour in a 
colander and blanch with warm 
water. When the sauce has cooked 
sufficiently, take a large platter, 
spread half of the spaghetti upon it, 
and pour over it some of the sauce. 
Now sprinkle upon this grated cheese. 
Add the remainder of the spaghetti, 
finish with sauce and cheese, and 
serve. 

Macaroni Siciliana (Italian recipe). 
1 onion, 
1 carrot, 
1 tablespoonful butter» 

3 pounds beef, 

1 quart tomatoes, 



832 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Bay leaf, 

3 cloves, 

1 pound macaroni, 

1 pound grated Swiss cheese. 

Slice very thin the onion and car- 
rot; put in a pot with the butter and 
let it fry, then put in the beef that 
has been cut in thick slices. Stir un- 
til it has browned nicely, add the to- 
matoes, bay leaf, cloves, salt, and 
peppers to taste. Stew slowly for two 
hours or more, till the sauce gets 
thick. Strain through a sieve until 
the sauce is free from the meat. 
Take the macaroni and boil for 
twenty minutes, salt to taste. Drain 
off the water, and put it in a large, 
deep dish; pour over it the sauce and 
put in grated cheese. Mix all thor- 
oughly, and serve hot. 

Macaroni Havioli (Italian recipe). 

i package macaroni) 
^ Parmesan cheese, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 

12 chicken livers (parboil), 

3 stalks celery, 
1 onion, 

4 carrot, 
^ turnip. 
Pepper and salt. 

Mince the livers and vegetables 
fine, and put them in a saucepan to 
cook in^a little butter. Blanch the 
macaroni; add pepper and salt and 
let it drain. Lay some macaroni in 
a baking dish, then a layer of the 
liver and vegetables, then the cheese, 
and so on till the dish is full enough. 
End with a layer of cheese. Set the 
dish in the oven and let it cook for 
a few minutes. Brown 6n top and 
serve very hot. 

Macaroni a la Napolitaine (Italian 
recipe) . 

1 pound macaroni, 
1 tablespoonful butter, 
1 onion, 

4 tablespoonfuls grated Parme- 
san cheese. 
Pepper and salt, 
1 cupful cream. 



Put the macaroni into boiling 
water, add butter, salt, and onion 
stuck with cloves. Boil for three 
quarters of an hour; then drain the 
macaroni and put into a saucepan 
with cheese, nutmeg, salt, and cream. 
Let stew gently a few minutes, and 
serve very hot. 

Macaroni with Tomatoes. 

Break half a pound of macaroni 
into inch lengths and boil in salted 
water until tender. Drain, and put 
a layer of the macaroni in the bot- 
tom of a greased pudding dish, 
sprinkle with pepper, salt, onion 
juice, and grated cheese. Cover all 
with a layer of stewed and strained 
tomatoes that have been previously 
seasoned to taste. On these goes an- 
other layer of macaroni, and so on till 
the dish is full. The topmost layer 
must be of tomatoes sprinkled with 
grumbs and goo'd-sized bits of but- 
ter. Set in hot oven, covered, for 
twenty minutes, then bake, uncov- 
ered, until the crumbs are brown.— 
Mauiok Harlakd. 

Spaghetti with Cheese. 
^ pound spaghetti, 
i cupful Swiss cheese, 
3 tablespoonfuls melted butter. 
Dash Mcllhenny's T a b a s co 
Sauce. 

Break the spaghetti into bits and 
boil in salted water. Grate the 
cheese and turn into a saucepan 
with the butter. Stir well, add the 
hot spaghetti; just long enough to 
melt the cheese; add tabasco, and 
serve very hot. 

Spaghetti with Chicken. 
^ package spaghetti, 
3 cupfuls chicken stock, 
1 tablespoonful flour, 
1 tablespoonful butter, 
1 cupful cold chicken, 
1 egg. 

Boil the spaghetti until tender; 
drain, drop in cold water, and drain 
again. Cut into half-inch pieces. 



CEREALS AND FLOUR PASTE 



833 



Thicken the stock with flour and but- 
ter. Stir in the chicken chopped fine 
and macaroni. Beat in the egg, 
whipped, remove from the fire, sea- 
son to taste, turn into a buttered 
dish, sprinkle crumbs over the top, 
and bake half an hour. 



cooked down, add the stock. Boil 
the macaroni until tender, then 
plunge in cold water to blanch. 
Place on a large platter, strain the 
hot sauce over it, and cover the top 
with grated cheese. — ^Mat E. South- 
worth. 



Spaghetti Piquante. 
i pound spaghetti, 
1 teaspoonful butter, 

1 teaspoonful flour, 

2 cupfuls beef stock, 

4 tablespoonfuls tomato catsup, 
6 drops Mcllhenny's Tabasco 
Sauce, 

1 teaspoonful kitchen bouquet, 
Pinch salt. 

Dash paprika. 

Break spaghetti into small bits. 
Boil until tender, in salted water. 
Drain and keep hot while you make 
the following sauce: Cook together 
the butter and flour; when blended 
pour the stock and stir until smooth, 
then add the catsup, tabasco, kitch- 
en bouquet, salt, and paprika. Turn 
the spaghetti into this sauce, stir 
and pour the mixture into a dish. 
Sprinkle buttered crumbs and grated 
cheese over the top, and bake till 
brown. 

Entrades (Mexican recipe). 
^ cupful olive oil, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
2 green onions, 

1 spray parsley, 

1 stalk celery, 

1 leek, 

i garlic, 

1 green pepper, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

1 tablespoonful Spanish sausage, 

i cupful stock, 

^ package macaroni, 

Edam cheese. 

Make a sauce of olive oil and but- 
ter heated together; in this fry the 
onion, parsley, celery, leek, garlic, 
pepper, all chopped fine. Season with 
salt and the sausage. After it is well 



Baked Macaroni. 

i pound macaroni, 

1 quart stock, 

1 tablespoonful butter. 

Break the macaroni into inch 
lengths. Boil till tender in stock. 
Drain, put the macaroni in a dish; 
pour over it ^ cupful stock in which 
it was cooked, add the butter, in 
small pieces, here and there through 
it. Sift over it fine bread crumbs 
and grated cheese. Dot with bits of 
butter and brown. 



Oatmeal. 

^ teaspoonful salt, 
1 cupful oatmeal, 
4 cupfuls water. 

Put the boiling water in a granite 
pan, salt it, then scatter in the oat- 
meal. Allow it to cook six minutes, 
stirring steadily. Into the fireless 
cooker saucepan set the oatmeal dish, 
cover with a plate, and pour in boil- 
ing water to surround it till it al- 
most reaches the top of dish. Cover, 
set on the stove and let the water 
boil five minutes, then place in the 
fireless cooker and leave there for 
five hours, or if reqviired for break- 
fast, till morning. If it is not quite 
hot enough, set the cooker saucepan 
on the stove and let the water in the 
other vessel boil for a few minutes; 
then serve. 



Quaker Oats. 

2i cupfuls boiling water, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 
1 cupful Quaker oats. 

Cook in exactly the same way as 
oatmeal. 



834 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Cream of Wheat. 
2i cupfuls water, 
J teaspoonful salt, 
J cupful cream of wheat. 

Prepare after the same fashion as 
oatmeal, and give four hours in the 
tireless cooker. 

Cracked Wheat. 

4 cupfuls cold water, 
1 cupful cracked wheat, 
1 teaspoonful salt. 

Pour the cold water over the 
wheat and let it stand six hours. Put 
it in a granite pan as used for 
oatmeal and set it on an asbestos mat 
over the fire, allowing it to cook and 
swell for two hours, stirring occa- 
sionally. Cover closely, set into the 
fireless-cooker saucepan, pour boil- 
ing water around it, let it boil up. 



then put into the cooker and aHov/ 
it to stand over night. 

Indian Meal. 

3| cupfuls water, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 
1 cupful cornmeal. 

Bring the water to a boil, stir the 
meal slowly into it, being careful 
that it does not lump. Boil half an 
hour, stirring frequently, set into the 
siucepan of cooker with water 
around it and leave it over night. 

Fine Hominy. 

4 cupfuls water, 
1 cupful hominy, 
1 teaspoonful salt. 

Treat this cereal in the same fasH- 
ion as others, leaving in the cookea 
over night. 



\ 



CHAPTER XXXIV 



CEREAL LEFT-OVERS 



The appetizing dishes wMch may 
be evolved from a small left-over of 
any cereal are many. Even a few 
spoonfuls of well-cooked cereal can 
be utilized in gems or griddlecakes, 
or can be fried in butter and eaten 
hot with maple sirup. Set it away 
carefully, covering tightly. An ex- 
cellent plan is to keep three baking- 
powder tins — a quarter, half, and 
I>ound size for this purpose. The va- 
riety in size will fit the amount of 
the left-over. Brush the can inside 
with butter, pack in the cereal while 
hot, and cover. When needed, slip it 
out of the can, cut in half-inch slices, 
and roll in flour to dry. Dip in egg 
and crumbs and fry in smoking hot 
fat. Eat with maple sirup. Cream 
of wheat, mush, hominy, wheatena, 
Quaker oats, flaked rice, farina. Pet- 
ti John, Ralston's food, wheatlet — in- 
deed, any of the large variety of 
cooked breakfast foods can be made 
palatable in this way. If the left- 
over only amounts to a cupful, com- 
bine if with flour as given in oatmeal 
muffins and you will have a most sat- 
isfactory hot breakfast bread. Served 
with bacon these second-day prep- 
arations of cereals form a very nice 
relish. The uses of cold rice cannot 
be enumerated. There are so many 
methods of transforming it into at- 
tractive dishes that many housewives 
while preparing hot rice for the ta- 
ble, cook a double portion and re- 
serve it for various uses. A cupful 
of rice is a pleasant addition to 
many hot breakfast breads. It 
may be made into delicious pud- 
dings, fritters, pancakes; mixed 
with a cupful of cold tomato or 
even left-over tomato soup, well 



seasoned, sprinkled with cheese and 
buttered bread crumbs and baked 
till brown, when it appears as a pal- 
atable entree. It can be utilized for 
croquettes, drop cakes, for a thick- 
ening to soup and stews; it may be 
curried, worked into left-over meat 
dishes, and even changed into ice 
cream. Macaroni and spaghetti left- 
overs make good rechauffes. With 
the addition of a few spoonfuls of 
milk and water, cold macaroni cooked 
in white sauce or spaghetti, which 
made its first appearance in tomato 
sauce, may be reheated in the double 
boiler, a spoonful of each put in a 
ramequin dish, then covered with 
grated cheese and baked. 

Rice with Cheese Crust. 

2 cupfuls boiled rice, 
1 cupful milk, 

3 eggs. 
Pepper, 
Salt, 

1 cupful grated cheese, 
1 tablespoonful butter. 

Put the rice in a double boiler and 
cook it in the milk till smooth and 
soft. If there are any lumps in the 
rice, beat with a wire whisk. Add 
the well-beaten eggs and the salt and 
pepper. Pour into a shallow baking 
pan, sprinkle the cheese lightly over 
the top, dot with morsels of butter, 
and bake till the top is delicately 
brown. This makes a nice entree. 

Rice with Cheese. 

3 cupfuls cold rice, 
1 tablespoonful butter. 
Dash cayenne and salt. 



835 



836 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



1 cupful grated cheese, 
1 cupful milk, 

1 cupful buttered cracker 
crumbs. 

Reheat the rice in a double boiler. 
Butter a pudding dish and cover the 
bottom of it with rice; dot with 
scraps of butter; sprinkle with grated 
cheese, cayenne, and salt, and repeat 
until the rice and the cheese are used 
up. Add the milk, cover with buttered 
cracker crumbs, and bake twenty 
minutes. 

B-ice Griddlecakes. 
^ cupful cold rice, 

2 cupfuls flour, 

3 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder, 

^ teaspoonful salt, 

4 tablespoonfuls sugar, 
1^ cupfuls milk, 

1 egg» 

2 tablespoonfuls melted butter. 

Sift together the dry ingredients; 
work in the rice with the tips of the 
fingers. Add the well-beaten egg, 
milk, and butter; beat well; cook on 
a griddle. 

Rice with Date Sauce. 

Take cold rice, put it in a double 
boiler with a little milk, and let 
steam till the milk is absorbed. 
Sweeten to taste and add a dash of 
nutmeg. Press the rice into buttered 
cups. Turn out and serve hot, indi- 
vidually, with a lemon sauce in which 
cut dates have been stewed for a few 
minutes. This makes a nice dessert. 

Rice Waffles. 

If cupfuls flour, 

§ cupful cold rice, 

1^ cupfuls milk, 

2 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 

powder, 
J teaspoonful salt, 
1 tablespoonful melted butter, 
1 egg. 

Sift the flour, sugar, baking pow- 
der, and salt. Work the rice with the 



tips of the fingers. Add the yolk of 
the egg, well beaten, milk, butter, 
and, last of all, the white of egg, 
beaten stiflf. Cook on hot waffle irons. 

Rice Gems. 

1 egg, 

1 cupful milk, 

1 tablespoonful melted butter, 

1 cupful cold rice, 

1 cupful flour, 

2 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder, 

i teaspoonful salt. 
Beat the eggs till light, add the 
milk and butter. Beat the rice with 
this until smooth, then sift in the 
salt, flour, and baking powder. Bake 
twenty minutes in hot gem pans. 

Rice Bread. 

3 eggs, 

1 tablespoonful melted butter, 

1 cupful cold rice, 

1 cupful cornmeal, 

^ cupful flour, 

1 teaspoonful Caliunet baking 

powder, 
^ teaspoonful salt, 
IJ cupfuls milk. 

To the yolks of the eggs, beaten 
well, add the milk and butter, rice, 
corn, and flour. Whip thoroughly, 
add the salt and baking powder, and 
last the whites of the eggs beaten to 
a stiff froth. Pour into shallow 
pans; allow the batter to spread only 
an inch thick. Bake in a moderate 
oven for half an hour. Cut Into 
squares when baked, and serve hot. 

Rice and Cornmeal ]yiuffins. 
I cupful white cornmeal, 
J cupful flour, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

2 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder, 

1 cupful cold rice, 
li cupfuls milk, 

2 eggs, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter. 

Sift the dry ingredients together, 
rub the rice in lightly with the tips 



CEREAL LEFT-OVERS 



837 



of the fingers till every grain is 
separated. Beat the yolks of eggs 
till thick, mix with the milk, pour 
over the dry ingredients, and beat 
well. Add the melted butter, and 
last the whites of the eggs beaten to 
a dry froth. Bake in hot oven. 

Cream Rice Pudding. 

2 tablespoonfuls cold boiled rice, 

3 tablespoonfuls sugar. 
Yolk 1 egg, 

3 tablespoonfuls cornstarch, 
3 cupfuls milk, 

J teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can vanilla. 

Put the milk with the cold rice in 
a double boiler, add the sugar and 
salt. When it boils, add the corn- 
starch wet in a few tablespoonfuls 
cold milk. Just before it is ready to 
take from the fire, add the egg and 
flavoring. Eat cold with whipped 



Rice Croquettes. 

IJ cupfuls cold rice, 
^ teaspoonful salt. 
Yolks 3 eggs, 
1 tablespoonful butter. 

Put the rice in a double boiler with 
a little milk and let it cook until the 
rice has absorbed the milk. Remove 
from the fire, add the beaten egg 
yolks and butter, and spread on a 
plate. Shape into balls, roll in 
crumbs, then dent with the finger 
till the croquette is like a small nest. 
Dip in egg, then in crumbs again, 
fry in deep fat, and drain. Serve 
hot with a cube of jelly in each nest. 

Oatmeal Muffins. 

I cupful scalded milk, 
4 tablespoonfuls sugar, 
^ teaspoonful salt, 
I yeast cake dissolved in 
i cupful warm water, 
1 cupful cold oatmeal, 
2i cupfuls flour. 

Scald the milk and add it to the 
sugar and salt; as soon as it grows 



lukewarm, add the yeast. Work the 
flour into the oatmeal with the tips 
of the fingers and add to the milk. 
Beat thoroughly, cover, and allow it 
to raise over night. In the morning 
pour into greased iron gem pans and 
set in a warm place to raise. Bake 
half an hour. 

Tarina Muffins. 

1 cupful cold farina, 

2 cupfuls flour, 

3 eggs, 

i teaspoonful salt, 

1 teaspoonful sugar, 

2 tablespoonfuls melted butter, 
2 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 

powder, 
I cupfuls milk. 

Sift the dry ingredients together 
and work in the farina. Add the 
butter, milk, and yolks of the eggs; 
at the last minute the beaten whites 
of the eggs. Pour into greased gem 
pans. Bake twenty minutes in a hot 
oven. 

Tried Mush and Bacon. 

Cook slices of bacon in the spider. 
Lift them out and lay on a hot plat- 
ter. Cut cold mush in neat slices, 
dip in flour, egg, and crumbs. Fry 
in hot fat till brown and crisp on 
both sides. Drain on soft paper and 
serve with the bacon. This makes 
a delicious breakfast dish. 

Fried Mush. 

If there is any cornmeal mush left 
from breakfast, do not scrape it in 
cold spoonfuls into a bowl; reheat 
and allow it to become smooth, then 
pour into a square cake tin; calcu- 
late the amount of mush to the size 
of the tin, so it will make a cake two 
inches in depth. Cover when it cools 
and set in the refrigerator. When it 
is needed for breakfast or supper, 
cut into squares about four inches 
in size and roll them in flour until 
dry. Drop into smoking hot fat and 
fry brown. Drain, and serve hot 
with maple sirup. 



838 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Baised Hominy Muffins. 
1 cupful cold hominy, 
4 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 cupful scalded milk, 
3 tablespoonfuls sugar, 
i teaspoonful salt, 
J yeast cake dissolved in 

1 cupful lukewarm water. 

Warm the hominy in a double 
boiler and break it into grains in a 
mixing bowl. Add the butter, milk, 
sugar, and salt. When it is luke- 
warm, stir in the yeast and enough 
flour to make a thick batter. Let it 
stand over night. In the morning 
fill gem pans two thirds full, set to 
raise in a warm place, and bake in a 
moderate oven. 

Hominy in Cream Sauce. 
3 cupfuls cream sauce, 

2 cupfuls cold hominy. 

Make a cream sauce and into it 
stir the hominy. Reheat in a double 
boiler and serve very hot instead of 
potato. 

Hominy Griddlecakes. 

1 cupful cold hominy, 

2 eggs, 

3 cupfuls sour milk, 
1| teaspoon fuls soda, 
2 cupfuls flour, 

i teaspoonful salt. 

Warm the hominy and mix with it 
the well-beaten eggs. Sift in the flour 
and salt, alternating with A cupful 
milk till the mixture is ready to 
beat; at last stir in the soda dissolved 
in a tablespoonful warm water. Bake 
on a hot greased griddle. Eat with 
maple sirup. 

Macaroni and Celery. 

1 cupful boiled macaroni, 

1 cupful celery, 

1 cupful white sauce, 

i cupful buttered bread crumbs, 

Salt and pepper, 

i cupful grated cheese. 

Cut the celery into inch pieces and 
boil for ten minutes in salted water. 



Drain and lay in a dish with the 
macaroni stirred lightly through it. 
Over it pour the white sauce; season 
with salt and pepper. Sprinkle over 
the top buttered crumbs and grated 
cheese. Bake tiU the top is deli- 
cate brown. 

Savory Macaroni. 

2 cupfuls cold macaroni, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter. 

Pepper, 

Salt, 

Paprika. 

Melt the butter in an omelet pan. 
Put in the macaroni, dust with pep- 
per, salt, and paprika. Let it brown 
slightly, tossing it with a fork while 
it cooks. Serve very hot as a side 
dish; sprinkle with grated cheese. 

Creamed Macaroni on Toast. 
IJ tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 tablespoonful flour, 
1 cupful milk or cream. 
Salt and pepper, 
1 cupful cold macaroni, 
I cupful grated cheese, 
6 slices toast. 

Make a white sauce from the but- 
ter, flour, and milk. Chop coarsely 
the macaroni, add to it the white 
sauce, and allow it to cook for ten 
minutes. Pour over the buttered 
toast, and dust liberally with grated 
cheese. Set on the top shelf of the 
oven for a few minutes, and serve 
very hot. 

Macaroni and Chicken. 

li cupfuls cold chicken, 

IJ cupfuls macaroni, 

IJ cupfuls cold tomato sauce, 

i cupfiil buttered crumbs. 

Butter a baking dish, put in a 
layer of macaroni, then a layer of 
cold chicken cut in small strips, then 
a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce. 
Repeat in the same order till the dish 
is full, making the top layer maca- 
roni. Cover with crumbs and bake 



CEREAL LEFT-OVERS 



839 



till the top is brown and crusty. No 
seasoning is given in this recipe, be- 
cause usually tomato sauce is well 
flavored. 

Macaroni Croquettes. 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
4 tablespoonfuls flour, 

1 cupful milk. 
Yolk 1 egg, 

2 cupfuls chopped macaroni. 



Q tablespoonfuls cheese, 
Pepper and salt. 

If the macaroni is the remainder of 
a dish of tomato and macaroni or a 
well-seasoned cheese dish, it will be 
the more tasty. Make a thick sauce 
from the flour, butter, and milk, beat 
in the egg and cheese. Mix thor- 
oughly, spread to cool, flour, egg, 
crumb, and fry. Serve very^ hot with 
tomato sauce. 



CHAPTEK XXXV 



EGGS 



Wheit we consider that nine eggs 
are equal in nutritive value to a 
pound of meat, vv^e realize they are 
not only capable of forming a most 
important item in everyday diet, but 
also an economical food during the 
season vi'hen eggs are cheap. Even 
when eggs are expensive, it is econ- 
omy to use only th^ best grade. Eggs 




a, Soup Pot; h, Colander; c. Meat Cleaver; 

d. Meat Board with Handle to Hang By; 

e, Meat Saw. 



that cost fifty cents a dozen are 
cheaper than eggs at twenty-five 
cents where half of the dozen may 
be stale or worse. There are a num- 
ber of household tests of the fresh- 
ness of eggs. The most reliable is to 
candle them. Hold the egg in the 
hand with the fingers wrapped about 
it and look through it against a 
bright light; in a perfectly fresh egg, 
you can see the yolk like a golden 
ball and the white about it clear as 
water. Or you may drop an egg 
into a basin of water; if perfectly 
fresh, it will sink and rest on its 
side. If it rolls around standing on 
its end, it is comparatively fresh; if 



it floats, you had better discard it 
imopened. When an egg is per- 
fectly fresh it has a porous, dull 
surface; if shiny, it is pretty sure 
to be at least stale. There are three 
ways in which eggs are generally 
used for breakfast or luncheon 
dishes; in a soft-boiled condition 
as in a poached egg, hard boiled as 
in a salad, or with the yolk and 
white separated and beaten to a 
froth as in an omelet. Eggs are 
most ' digestible in the soft-boiled 
stage, but to many difficult of 
digestion when hard boiled. They 
are deficient in fat; therefore we 
find them served with bacon, with an 
oil mayonnaise in salad, or with 
bread and butter. Indeed, their 
highly concentrated, nutritive prop- 
erties demand alwa-ys an accompani- 
ment of some starchy food, such as 
potatoes or bread. 

Poached Eggs. 

A deep spider is the best utensil in 
which to poach eggs. Fill it nearly 
full of boiling water which has been 
slightly salted. Add a few table- 
spoonfuls of vinegar, which will pre- 
serve the color of the white of the 
egg, break in a saucer, and drop into 
boiling water, cooking slowly, until 
the whites are like jelly. 

Poached Eggs Ball-Shaped. 

Have a shallow saucepan half full 
of water; add salt and a few table- 
spoonfuls of vinegar. When the 
water is boiling, stir with a wooden 
spoon until you start a sort of whirl- 
pool, then into the center of it drop 
an egg from a cup. The egg will 
cook in a rounded form. When the 



840 



EGGS 



841 



white is set and before the yolk is 
cooked, lift it from the water and set 
it on a slice of toast. 

Eggs Poached in Milk. 

Instead of using water to poach 
eggs, drop them into boiling milk; 
as soon as the egg is set, lay it on a 
slice of toast. Thicken the milk with 
a little cornstarch, add butter, salt, 
pepper, and a dash of celery salt; 
pour it over the eggs and around the 
toast. 

Frizzled Beef with Poached Eggs. 

i pound finely chipped beef, 

1 cupful milk, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

1 tablespoonful flour. 

Put the butter to melt in a sauce- 
pan, add the flour and stir it to a 
paste, then put in the milk, scalding 
hot, and beat with a wire whisk un- 
til creamy. Add the beef and stir 
for a few minutes. Turn into a deep 
platter and cover the top with 
poached eggs. 

Eggs in Ramequins. 

Butter small ramequins and drop 
a raw egg into each one, being care- 
ful that it remains whole. Set the 
ramequins in a pan of boiling water 
and put it in a hot oven until the 
eggs are set. Put a dab of butter on 
each one and a dust of pepper and 
salt before taking from the oven. 



Eggs Baked in Green Peppers. 

Cut off the stems of green peppers, 
scoop out the seeds and ribs, and par- 
boil until tender. Break an egg into 
each one. Set them in a baking pan 
with i cupful boiling water poured 
around. In fifteen minutes the eggs 
should be firm. Set each one on a 
slice of buttered toast and, if you 
wish, pour white sauce or tomato 
sauce about them. 

Eggs in Tomato Sauce (Spanish rec- 
ipe). 

Cover the bottom of an earthen 
baking dish with well-seasoned to- 
mato puree. Arrange on it poached 
eggs, leaving spaces to show the red 
color. Lay between the eggs small 
sausages, already cooked. Place a 
bit of butter on each egg and set the 
dish in the oven to heat. 

Eggs with Bread Sauce. 

1 cupful bread crumbs, 

li cupfuls milk, 

i teaspoonful salt, 

^ teaspoonful onion juice, 

6 eggs. 

Put the bread crumbs in a sauce- 
pan, then add the milk, salt, a dash 
of cayenne, and the onion juice. 
Simmer slowly till thick and smooth, 
beating several times with a spoon. 
Pour the sauce into a broad, shallow 
dish and break the eggs carefully 
over it. Place in a hot oven until 
they are set. 



Eggs Baked in Tomatoes. 

Pick out several well-shaped toma- 
toes, cut off the stem ends, and with 
a spoon lift out enough of the pulp 
so that each shell will hold an egg. 
Drop it in carefully, sprinkle with 
pepper and salt, put a dab of butter 
on top of each; place the tomatoes in 
a baking dish and pour the water 
around them. Cook until the eggs 
are set and the tomatoes soft. Lift 
each one on a slice of buttered toast, 
and serve. 



Eggs on Rice. 

Butter a baking dish, fill it half 
full with well-seasoned boiled rice; 
make as many depressions in the rice 
as there are people to be served; 
break an egg into each one, sprinkle 
with salt and strew with bits of but- 
ter. Bake until the eggs are set. 

Eggs and Mushrooms, 
i cupful milk, 
1 poimd mushrooms. 



842 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



1 tablespoonful butter, 
6 poached eggs, 

Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco 
Sauce. 

Peel and wash the mushrooms | 
place them in a saucepan and cook 
gently, with the butter, milk, a pinch 
of salt and tabasco. Cook ten min- 
utes, thicken with flour, let come to a 
boil, then pour on a hot platter. Have 
your poached eggs ready; serve on 
top of the sauce, the mushrooms being 
in the middle. 

Cheesed Eggs. 

Place in a serving dish a table- 
spoonful butter and several slices rich 
cheese. When it is melted, break 
whole eggs into it; put the dish into 
the oven or before the fire. When 
the white sets, sprinkle grated cheese 
and pepper on them. Brown on top, 
and serve. 

Eggs a la Bonne Eemme (French 

recipe). 

Cut an onion in dice; fry with a 
tablespoonful butter; add a table- 
spoonful vinegar; then butter a dish 
lightly, spread the onions over it, 
break in the eggs, and put the dish 
in the oven. When the eggs are 
done, strew over them fried bread 
crumbs, and serve hot. 

Eggs in Nests. 

Separate as many eggs as are need- 
ed for this dish and beat the whites 
to a stiff froth. Drop irregularly 
on a flat buttered baking dish, dust 
with pepper and salt here and 
there, in the middle of the white, 
slide in carefully the raw yolks. Put 
a tiny bit of butter on each yolk. 
Place the dish in a hot oven for eight 
minutes. Serve immediately. If de- 
sired, the froth may be piled into 
individual dishes with the yolk in 
the center of each and baked as de- 
scribed. 

Boiled Eggs. 

If the eggs have been set in a re- 
frigerator, drop them in warm water 



for a few minutes before boiling, as 
the sudden change of temperature is 
liable to crack the shells. Put them 
into a saucepan where the water is 
boiling, and if you wish them soft, 
cook gently for three and a half 
minutes. 

Poached Eggs with Greens. 

For this dish use outer leaves of 
lettuce; wash them thoroughly and 
boil until tender in salted water. 
Drain, chop fine, and season with 
salt, pepper, and butter. Toast a 
few slices of bread, butter them, cov- 
er with the chopped greens, and on 
top of each drop a poached egg. 

Eried Eggs. 

Fry thin slices of bacon to a crisp, 
lift them out and lay on a hot plat- 
ter. Break into the pan as many 
eggs as you need; let them cook until 
the white is set, and baste with hot 
fat till a film forms over the yolk. 
If you like them turned, run a knife 
under each and reverse quickly. Cut 
off the ragged edges and serve on a 
platter with the crisp bacon. 

Eried Eggs with Brown Sauce. 

Fry eggs in butter in a spider, lift 
them and keep hot over boiling wat- 
er. If there is not enough gravy in 
the pan, put in a little more butter, 
1 tablespoonful vinegar, a dash of 
onion juice, salt, pepper, and a few 
drops of Mcllhenny's Tabasco. 
Thicken slightly with flour, beat till 
creamy, and strain the brown gravj 
over eggs. 

Baked Souffle of Eggs. 

6 eggs, ' ' - 

1 cupful milk, 
1 tablespoonful butter. 
Pepper and salt. 

Scald the milk in a double boiler, 
add to it the yolks of eggs, beaten 
till thick, also the butter and season- 
ings. When the mixture begins to 
thicken like a custard, stir in the 
whites of eggs, beaten to a stiff 



EGGS 



843 



froth. Pour into a deep buttered 
baking dish and bake in a moderate 
oven till puffy and brown. 3erve 
immediately. 

Scrambled Eggs. 

4 eggs, 

i teaspoonful salt. 
Dash pepper, 

3 tablespoonfuls milk. 

Whip the eggs just enough to 
break them up; they do not need to 
be light or frothy. Put the butter 
into an omelet pan, and when it is 
brown pour in the egg. Scrape the 
cooked eggs from the bottom of tlie 
pan, tipping it so the uncooked egg 
will run down on the hot iron. Dou- 
ble it over before it begins to get 
brown, and serve very hot. 

Deviled Eggs. 

5 hard-boiled eggs, 

i cupful white sauce. 

Salt and pepper. 

Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco 

Sauce, 
2 tablespoonfuls grated cheese. 

Chop the eggs coarsely, sprinkle 
the cheese through them, and toss 
the mixture together with a fork. 
Add the seasonings, then stir in the 
sauce. Put in a saucepan, simmer 
gently for a few minutes, and serve 
on slices of buttered toast. 

Eggs Farci (French recipe). 

6 hard-boiled eggs, 

i teaspoonful onion juice. 
Pepper and salt, 

4 tablespoonfuls stale bread 
crumbs, 

2 tablespoonfuls chopped par- 
sley. 

Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco 
Sauce, 

Shell the eggs, cut them in halves 
lengthwise, remove the yolks and 
mash them. Add the bread crumbs, 
soften with a little milk, the season- 
ings, and parsley. Mash the yolk 
and bread mixture together till pas- 
ty, fill it into the whites of the eggs. 



and with what is left make a small 
mound in a baking dish; set the 
stuffed eggs on top, pour a white 
sauce over them, and set in the oven 
till piping hot. 

Curry of Eggs. 

6 hard-boiled eggs, 

1 tablespoonful flour, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

1 tablespoonful curry powder, 

i teaspoonful onion juice, 

Pepper and salt, 

1 cupful veal or chicken stock. 

Melt the butter in a saucepan, 
blend with the flour, put in the stock 
and seasoning, and beat the sauce till 
creamy. Lay on eggs cut in slices, 
cook to the boiling point, and serve 
hot on buttered toast. 

Eggs lucanian (Italian recipe). 

5 eggs, 

1 cupful macaroni, 

^ cupful grated cheese. 

If cupfuls white sauce. 

Boil the eggs hard, cutting in 
eighths, lengthwise, then add the 
macaroni, cheese, and sauce; season 
with salt, paprika, onion juice, and 
anchovy essence. Turn into a but- 
tered baking dish, cover with but- 
tered crumbs, and set in the oven 
long enough to brown the crumbs. 

Eggs a la Cuba (Spanish recipe). 
4 tablespoonfuls sausage meat, 
1 teaspoonful minced onion, 
8 eggs. 

Cook the sausage meat and 
minced onion for five minutes over a 
hot fire. Beat the eggs until light 
and add to the meat and onion; sea- 
son with salt and pepper; stir un- 
til the eggs become thick. Serve on 
slices of hot, buttered toast. 

Egg Croquettes. 

6 eggs, 

J can mushrooms, 
3 cupfuls milk, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

2 tablespoonfuls fiour., 



844 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Boil the eggs hard; chop the whites 
and add the mushrooms (which should 
be drained from liquor). Mash the 
yolks of the eggs through a press. 
Scald the milk; rub together until 
smooth the flour and butter; add to 
the milk and stir until it thickens; 
add the yolk of one raw egg, the 
whites and yolks of the boiled eggs, 
mushrooms, and salt and pepper to 
taste. Stir quickly, take from the 
fire, and put away to cool. When 
thoroughly cold, form into cro- 
quettes; dip in egg and bread crumbs 
and fry in smoking hot fat. Garnish 
with parsley, and serve. 

Omelet Rudolph (German recipe). 
2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 raw onion, 
1 tablespoonful salt pork, 

1 tablespoonful roast beef, 

2 mushrooms, 

1 tablespoonful tomato sauce, 
1 tablespoonful grated bread 

crumbs. 
Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco 

Sauce. 

Into a saucepan put the butter 
and raw onion chopped very fine; 
add the salt pork, which has been 
slightly cooked, the beef, mushrooms, 
a pinch of salt, chopped parsley and 
tabasco, then stir in the tomato 
sauce and bread crumbs. Make a 
plain omelet; when cooked, spread 
with the above mixture and turn 
over carefully. 

Plain Omelet. 
4 eggs, 

4 tablespoonfuls hot water, 
1 tablespoonful butter. 
Pepper and salt. 

Separate the whites from the yolks, 
beat the yolks with an egg beater 
till thick, and whip the whites on a 
platter with a wire whisk until you 
have a stiff froth. Add the season- 
ings and hot water. Last of all 
blend in the beaten whites. Heat 
an omelet pan and grease with but- 
ter, pour in the egg mixture, tip till 
the eggs set evenly, then set it where 



it will cook slowly, turning the pan 
around that it may brown all over. 
When puffed and delicately browned 
on the bottom, take it from the fire 
and set on the top grate of the oven 
for a few minutes to cook to the 
heart. Press it with your finger; if 
none of the egg mixture clings, it is 
cooked. Score lightly down the cen- 
ter, and turn out on a hot platter. 

Omelet Chassi (French recipe). 

Make an omelet as described above. 
Before folding, spread a cupful of 
creamed chicken over the top, then 
double and turn over on a platter. 
Put on the top some thick, well-sea- 
soned tomato sauce. 

Bread Omelet. 

6 eggs, 

3 tablespoonfuls stale bread 

' crumbs, 

1 cupful milk. 

Pepper and salt, 

1} tablespoonfuls butter. 

Scald the milk, pour over the 
crumbs and allow it to soak, beat the 
whites and yolks separately until 
very light. Stir the crumb mixture 
into the yolks, add the seasoning, 
then cut in with a palette knife the 
whites beaten to a stiff froth. Pour 
into a deep buttered baking dish and 
bake in a hot oven tiU browned on 
top. 

Oyster Omelet. 
12 oysters, 
3 tablespoonfuls cream, 
3 tablespoonfuls strained oyster 

liquor. 
Pepper and salt, 
1 tablespoonful butter, 
1 tablespoonful flour. 

For this dish, prepare the oyster 
filling before beginning to cook the 
omelet. Strain the oysters and cut 
them with a scissors into small pieces. 
Make a white sauce from the butter, 
flour, oyster liquor, cream, and sea- 
sonings. When hot and creamy, put 
in the chopped oysters and cook a 
few minutes. Set the sauce over 



EGGS 



845 



I 



boiling water to keep hot while mak- 
ing the omelet. When ready, pour 
over the oyster mixture, fold, and 
serve immediately. 

Cheese Omelet. 

Over an omelet, when ready to 
fold, sprinkle grated cheese with a 
little seasoning. Slip out on a hot 
platter and sprinkle again with 
cheese. Set in a hot oven for a few 
minutes before serving. 

Ham Omelet. 

Over the top of an omelet, before 
the egg begins to set, sprinkle ^ tea- 
cupful minced ham; let it cook for 
a minute or two longer, then set in 
the oven as directed, and serve hot. 

Bismarck Omelet (German recipe). 
i pound bacon, 

8 eggs. 

Fry the bacon cut in dice; beat the 
eggs with pepper and salt; add to 
the bacon, and fry all together. Stir 
until it gets thick, and turn out on a 
dish. 



Parsley Omelet (Scotch recipe). 
i cupful cream, 
6 eggs, 

1 tablespoonf ul butter, 
1 tablespoonful minced parsley. 

Beat the yolks of the eggs with a 
little cayenne and salt; add a small 
piece of shallot and parsley shredded 
fine; mix; whip the whites of the 
eggs and stir into the omelet, melt 
the butter in a frying pan, and pour 
in the eggs. Cook five minutes; 
serve very hot. 

Eggs Fricasseed. 

Put a piece of butter in a stewpan 
with some finely minced parsley and 
minced onion, 1 teacupful stock and 
1 tablespoonful flour. Boil eggs 
hard, cut in slices, and put them in 
with a little salt and pepper. Beat 
up the yolk of an egg in i cupful 
cream; add this with the juice of 
half a lemon. Mix well, make very 
hot, and serve with sippets of toast- 
ed or fried bread. 



CHAPTER XXXVl 



SOUPS 



Soup making is as much of an art 
as turning out fine cake or pastry, 
still the American housewife devotes 
twice as much study to the making 
of sweet dishes as to soup. The 
French woman makes a trifle of 
something sweet serve as dessert, 
while her soups are famous the 
world over. It is economy to be 
able to provide a soup which will of- 
ten take the place of the pi^ce de re- 
sistance in a dinner, for a fine bisque 
or smooth, creamy soup is a meal in 
itself. Then there are the stimulat- 
ing thin soups which make a proper 
beginning to a dinner. Soup is di- 
vided into several classes — soups with 
stock and soups without — and the va- 
riations which can be wrought by a 
clever housewife on these are num- 
berless. With a pot of stock on 
hand and the assistance of vegetables 
for stockless soups, even in a frugal 
home there may be a soup for every- 
day in tha- year. Besides, we have 
excellent soups made from fish, and 
satisfying chowders with the addi- 
tion of potatoes which makes the 
dish a full meal. 

In recipes for making stock, the 
list of ingredients for seasoning seem 
endless. Still, a good cook keeps on 
hand everything that tends to fine 
flavoring. Spices such as mace, bay 
leaves, peppers, etc., are very cheap, 
so are the winter vegetables that 
most recipes call for and they may be 
kept constantly on hand. In a large 
family where there is a roast or 
meat dish once, perhaps twice, a day, 
little fresh meat is required for the 
stock pot if all bones and scraps are 
saved and utilized. Every morsel of 
a stew, roast with its gravy, chop 
and steak bones, carcasses of chick- 



en or game, and the trimmings from 
meat, which a housewife pays for 
and should insist on having, are all 
grist for the soup pot. The meats to 
avoid using are bits of raw lamb or 
mutton with fat on them, which gives 
a disagreeable flavor, also smoked or 
corned meat. Scraps of bacon, cold 
ham, or even calf's liver may be add- 
ed; they give a touch of good flavor- 
ing. Several utensils are a necessity 
for soup making. First there is a 
sharp meat knife, a hard-wood board, 
a strong pur4e strainer, a soup pot 
with a tight lid, and a strainer with 
a slide, which allows it to be placed 
across the tureen. 

A soup pot need not do a con- 
tinuous performance on the back of 
a stove from Monday to Saturday. 
It is too handy for all sorts of fag- 
ends to be thrown in without being 
critically looked over; besides, the 
stock which is constantly at the boil, 
or very near it, does not extract the 
nourishment from meat and bones 
that cold water does. If you would 
have fine-flavored, good-colored soup, 
save all the scraps and keep in a 
scrupulously clean jar in the refrig- 
erator. Make soup twice a week; 
three times if the weather is too hot 
for meat remains to keep, or if they 
accumulate very fast. Never add a 
morsel of anything that has the 
slightest taint; it will spoil the whole 
potful. Break bones thoroughly. If 
you would extract all the flavor from 
bits of meat, put them through a 
chopper. With a skewer pick mar- 
row from the bones. Lay the bones 
at the bottom of the pot. 

If there are any left-overs in the 
refrigerator of such vegetables as 
onions, celery, tomatoes, carrotSj 



846 



SOUPS 



847 



parsnips, or peas, chop fine and add, 
but do not put in too much of one 
thing; it gives too strong a flavor 
to the soup. If there are no left-over 
vegetables on hand, chop ^ cupful 
each of carrot, turnip, and celery, 
and add for flavoring, with ^ tea- 
spoonful peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, 
sprig of parsley, 6 cloves, and 1 
chopped onion. Do not add salt till 
the stock is half cooked. 

Cover the bones with cold water 
and set far back on the stove where 
it will come to the boil slowly. Let 
it simmer five or six hours, strain 
through a fine sieve, and cool as 
quickly as possible. Do not remove 
the cake of fat from the top of the 
soup until you are ready to use it, 
then run a thin knife around the 
edge to loosen it. Cut into quarters 
and lift each piece carefully. If 
there are any grains of fat left on 
the top of the jellied stock, dampen 
a bit of cheese cloth and carefully 
wipe over the top. Floating globules 
of grease will ruin the finest-flavored 
soup. 

For an everyday family soup in 
which nourishment is the first con- 
sideration, it does not require clear- 
ing. In the sediment there is con- 
siderable nutriment. If it is to be 
cleared, set the strained, skimmed 
soup over the fire, mix with the 
white and crushed shell of one egg, 
a dash of celery seed, the chopped 
rind and juice of half a lemon, and 
pepper and salt if required. Mix 
thoroughly, heat, and boil ten min- 
utes. Just before taking from the 
fire, pour in | cupful cold water. 
Pour through the finest strainer, and 
heat again to the boiling point be- 
fore using. 

Mutton Broth. 

4 pounds neck mutton, 

2 quarts water, 
1 onion, 

3 stalks celery, 
1 small carrot. 
Bay leaf. 

Few peppercorns. 



Wash the mutton thoroughly, cut it 
up and place it in the vessel of fire- 
less cooker with water, allow it to 
boil, then skim and boil slowly fif- 
teen minutes. Add the flavoring and 
vegetables. Cook ten minutes long- 
er without raising the lid, set it into 
the cooker five hours. 

Mock-Turtle Soup. 
1 calf's liver, 

1 calf's heart. 
Small knuckle veal, 

2 quarts water, 

1 onion. 

Salt and pepper, 

^ teaspoonful ground cloves, 

2 tablespoonfuls brown flour. 
Yolks 4 hard-boiled eggs. 

Put the liver, heart, and veal into 
the saucepan of the cooker, cover 
with water and boil fifteen minutes. 
Put into the cooker for six hours. 
When soup is lifted out, strain it, 
chop the meat fine, add the chopped 
onion, seasonings, thicken with brown 
flour, and cook for a few minutes. 
After pouring into the tureen, add 
the yolks of the eggs cut in pieces, 
also some fine cubes of lemon. An 
excellent way to make this soup, as 
well as many others, is to leave it in 
the cooker over night, then strain, 
skim off' any fat that may rise, allow 
it to cool, and prepare when needed 
for the table. 

Bean Soup. 

1 quart white beans, 

3 pints boiling water, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 

1 slice salt pork. 
Wash the beans and soak over 
night; in the morning put them in 
the fireless vessel, add the pork and 
salt, boil ten minutes, then set into 
the cooker for five hours. Strain, 
thicken, and serve. 

Creole Soup. 

1 quart brown soup stock, 
1 pint tomatoes, 

3 tablespoonfuls chopped green 
peppers. 



848 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



S tablespoonfuls chopped onion, 
i cupful butter, 
J cupful flour. 
Salt, 
Pepper, 
Cayenne, 

B tablespoonfuls grated horse- 
radish, 
1 teaspoonful vinegar, 

1 cupful macaroni rings. 

Cook pepper and onion in butter 
five minutes. Add flour, stock, and 
tomatoes, and simmer fifteen min- 
utes. Strain, rub through sieve, and 
season highly with salt, pepper, and 
cayenne. Just before serving, add 
horse-radish, vinegar, and macaroni 
previously cooked and cut in rings. 
— Fakkie Merrixi Fabmee. 

Veal Soup. 

2 pounds veal, 

2 quarts cold water, 

1 cupful chopped ham, 

1 onion, 

1 tablespoonful parsley. 

Pepper and salt, 

1 pint cream, 

3 slices carrot. 

Cook veal in water slowly for two 
or three hours. Take out the veal 
and add to the boiling stock ham, 
onion, parsley, and carrot. Let this 
simmer slowly for an hour, strain, 
then add the cream, season with salt 
and pepper, and serve with croutons. 

Consomme. 

3 pounds lean beef, 
1 carrot, 

1 turnip, 

1 parsnip, 

1 onion, 

1 red pepper^ 

1 tablespoonful \7h0Ie cloves, 

1 tablespoonful chopped parsley, 

4 stalks celery, 
3 quarts water. 

Cover the meat v/ith water, and 
simmer four hours. Add the other 
ingredients, and cook one hour long- 
er. Strain and stand over night 
Next day skim off the grease, add the 



white and shell of one egg to clear it, 
boil up, strain again, and serve with 
imperial sticks. 

Brown Stock. 

10 pounds shin beef, 

3 slices bacon, 

4 onions, 
3 carrots, 
1 turnip, 

1 bunch celery, 
1 sprig parsley, 

1 sprig thyme, 
12 cloves, 

3 tablespoonfuls butter, 

2 tablespoonfuls salt, 

1 teaspoonful pepper, 
7 quarts cold water. 

Cut in rather small pieces all the 
meat from a shin of beef; break the 
bone in pieces, and put into a large 
pot with bacon, onions, carrots, tur- 
nip, celery, parsley, thyme, salt, 
cloves, pepper, butter, and a cupful 
cold water. Set it over a brisk fire, 
stirring frequently to prevent burn- 
ing. Cook until the juice from the 
meat and vegetables begins to thick- 
en. Then add cold water, set it back 
on the fire, where it will simmer 
slowly for six hours, skimming very 
often. Strain carefully through a 
fine sieve, not bruising the vegeta- 
bles. Next morning skim off the fat. 
You can make a variety of soups 
from this stock by adding to it maca- 
roni, Italian paste, or finely cut 
vegetables. 

Tomato Soup. 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 

2 tablespoonfuls onion, 
1 bay leaf, 

10 peppers, 
1 tablespoonful chopped ham, 
1 tablespoonful flour, 
1 can tomatoes, 

3 cupfuls stock, 

1 teaspoonful salt. 
Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco 
Sauce. 

Place a saucepan, with butter and 
fine-chopped onion, over the fire; 



SOUPS 



849 



cook five minutes ; add bay leaf, pep- 
pers, ham, and flour; stir and cook 
two minutes; add the tomatoes; stir 
and cook five minutes; add salt, 
stock, and tabasco; cook ten minutes, 
then press the soup through a sieve 
and serve with toasted bread cut into 
dice. 

Soup a la Relne (French recipe). 

1 fOM^l, 

Small knuckle veal, 
4 quarts cold water, 

1 tablespoonful saltj^ 

2 leeks, 

2 onions, 

3 sprigs parsley, 
2 blades mace, 

4 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 pint cream. 

Yolks 4 eggs. 

Place in a soup kettle the fowl, cut 
up knuckle of veal, and cold water; 
as soon as it boils, add salt, leeks, 
onions, parsley, and mace; cover and 
boil slowly; when the chicken is done, 
take it out, remove the meat, chop 
the bones, return them with the skin 
to the soup kettle and boil half an 
hour longer. Strain through a sieve, 
remove the fat, return 2i quarts soup 
to the kettle and place it over the 
fire; melt butter in a saucepan, add 
flour, stir until the flour has absorbed 
all the butter; pour in slowly 1 pint 
stock, and stir until smooth; then 
add it to the soup; boil fifteen min- 
utes; mix the yolks of 4 eggs with 1 
pint cream; season to taste with 
salt; draw the soup kettle to side of 
stove; add a little of the soup to the 
cream and yolks; mix well; then 
pour it into the soup; place the fine- 
cut chicken meat from the breast in 
tureen, pour the soup over, and serve. 

yegetable Mutton Soup. 
1 turnip, 
1 carrot, 
1 onion, 

3 tablespoonfuls butter, 
^ cupful chopped celery, 
1^ quarts mutton broth. 



One hour before serving, cut the 
vegetables into slices, put in saucepan 
with butter and celery. Stir over the 
fire six minutes, then add the mutton 
broth, cover and cook till done, sea- 
son to taste and serve. 

Potato Cream Soup. 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

1 onion, 

3 stalks celery, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

1 meat bone, 

S quarts cold water, 

2 large potatoes, 
J cupful milk, 

1 teaspoonful chopped parsley. 

Place a saucepan with butter, on- 
ion, and celery over the fire; cook 
and stir five minutes, add salt, small 
meat bone, and water. Cover and 
cook slowly one hour, then strain the 
broth into another saucepan. Boil 
potatoes, drain and mash them fine, 
add with butter and milk, to the 
broth, cook a few minutes, season to 
taste, garnish with chopped parsley 
and serve. 

Soup Begue (Southern recipe), 

S pounds fowl, 

3 tablespoonfuls butter, 

2 quarts cold water, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 

1 cupful green lima beans (par- 
boiled), 
1 cupful sweet corn, 
1 cupful diced celery, 
i cupful stewed tomatoes. 
Pepper, 
1 cupful cream. 

Choose a young fowl, with yellow 
legs; after disjointing it and divid- 
ing the large pieces, brown it care- 
fully in butter, then place in the soup 
kettle with water and salt, and sim- 
mer until tender. Remove the chick- 
en, carefully skim the grease from the 
broth, and add to it lima beans, 
sweet corn, celery and tomato, with 
salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 
until the vegetables are perfectly 
cooked, then the choice chicken meat 



850 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



may be cut in small pieces and added 
to the soup, and, lastly, the cream. 

Soup a la Menestra (French recipe). 
2i pints mutton broth, 
1 carrot, 
1 onion, 
1 stalk celery, 
1 cupful fine-cut cabbage^ 
9 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 tablespoonful rice. 
Dash pepper. 

Cut fine the carrot, onion, celery, and 
cabbage; place a saucepan with but- 
ter over the fire, add the vegetables, 
and cook ten minutes, then add the 
rice, mutton broth, salt, and pepper; 
boil slowly, well covered for one hour ; 
serve with grated cheese. 

Du Barry Soup (French recipe). 

1 cupful rice, 

2 quarts chicken stock, 

1 cupful cold cauliflower. 
Pepper and salt, 

2 cupfuls cream. 

Boil rice in the stock, add cauli- 
flower pressed through a potato 
ricer. Season with white pepper and 
salt, add cream and bring again to 
the boil. Serve in bouillon cups; gar- 
nish with small flowerets of cauli- 
flo\Yer. 

Oxtail Soup a la Tabasco. 
1 oxtail, 
9 onions, 

1 tablespoonful parsley. 
Garlic, 
1 tablespoonful Mcllhenny's 

Tabasco Sauce, 
6 cloves, 

6 allspice berries, 
S hard-boiled eggs, 
1 lemon. 

Cut the oxtail into small pieces, 
chop the other ingredients, and rub 
into a tablespoonful lard and a ta- 
blespoonful sifted flour. Mix thor- 
oughly and brown Vidthout burning. 
Add cloves, allspice, and salt to taste. 
Fry ten minutes, stirring often. Add 
hot water enough to make the soup. 



Cook from three to four hours. Put 
into a tureen the eggs and lemon 
sliced in small pieces. Pour the soup 
into this through a strainer, and 

serve. 

Fish Chowder. 

4 pounds fish, 
J pound pork, 

5 onions, 

1 quart potato cubes parboiled, 
1^ quarts water, 
3 tablespoonfuls flour, 
3 tablespoonfuls Mcllhenn y's 
Tabasco Sauce, ^M 

1 cupful tomatoes. ^| 

Skin the fish and cut the flesh from 
the bones. Put the bones on to cook 
in the water and boil ten minutes. 
Fry the pork, then add the onions, 
cut into slices. Cover and cook five 
minutes; add the flour, cook ten min- 
utes longer. To this add the water 
in which the fish bones were cooked 
and boil for five minutes; then strain 
all on the potatoes and fish. Add 
salt and tabasco and let it simmer 
fifteen minutes. Add tomatoes, let 
it boil up once, and serve. 

White Soup Stock. 

3 pounds knuckle veal, 
1 pound lean beef, 
3 quarts boiling water, 
1 onion, 

6 slices carrot, 

1 large stalk celery, 

1 teaspoonful peppercorns, 
i bayleaf, 

2 sprigs thyme, 

3 cloves. 

Wipe veal, remove from bone, and 
cut in small pieces; cut beef in 
pieces, put bone and meat in soup 
kettle, cover with cold water, and 
bring quickly to boiling point; drain, 
throw away the water. Wash thor- 
oughly bones and meat in cold water; 
return to kettle, add vegetables, sea- 
sonings, and 3 quarts boiling water. 
Boil three or four hours; the stock 
should be reduced one half. — Fannie 
M. Farmee. 



SOUPS 



851 



Puree de Lentilles (French recipe). 
Take 6 heads celery, 3 onions, 2 
turnips, and 4 carrots; put them into 
a stewpan with 1 pound lentils, a 
shce of ham, 4 tablespoonfuls butter; 
set it upon a stove to stew slowly 
for an hour, then add 2 quarts stock; 
let it stew for two hours; strain the 
soup into a dish, rub vegetables 
through a sieve; put again in the 
stewpan with salt and pepper; let it 
simmer for quarter of an hour long- 
er, and serve. 

Chicken Soup. 

Carcass roast chicken, 
2 quarts cold water, 

1 pound lean veal, 

2 tablespoonfuls chopped bacon, 
1 bay leaf, 

1 slice onion, 

1 stalk celery, 

2 tablespoonfuls cornstarch, 
li teaspoonfuls salt, 

i teaspoonful pepper, 

1 tablespoonful flour, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter. 
Yolks 2 eggs, 

1 cupful cream. 

Slice the best meat from fowl, leav- 
ing only wings and carcass, with 
skin removed from meat as well. 
Break bones, put them into the soup 
kettle with cold water and the un- 
cooked neck and feet, scalded and 
cleaned. Cut veal in dice, dust with 
flour and pepper, and brown in fine- 
ly chopped bacon; add 1 cupful hot 
water, simmer for a few minutes, 
cool, and pour into the soup kettle. 
Cook slowly for one hour, then add 
bay leaf, onion, and celery; cook half 
an hour longer, strain, and cool. 
Mix together in a saucepan corn- 
starch, salt, pepper, flour, and but- 
ter. Add gradually 1 pint hot stock 
and cook until thickened, then add 
1^ cupfuls hot stock, mix well and add 
yolks of eggs beaten and diluted with 
cream. Do not boil after egg is add- 
ed, but keep hot until egg has thick- 
ened. Serve in bouillon cups, witli 
or without a spoonful of whipped 
cream on top of each. 



Mullagatawny Soup. 

3 quarts chicken stock, 

4 onions, 

1 carrot, 

2 turnips, 

6 stalks celery, 

1 tablespoonful curry powder. 

Chop the vegetables, add to the 
stock, and put them in a saucepan 
over a hot fire until it begins to boil, 
then set aside to simmer for twenty 
minutes. Add curry powder and 
flour. Mix well, boil three minutes, 
and strain. In serving, add some 
pieces of the white meat of the 
chicken chopped. 

Soup a la Flamande (French recipe). 
Take 2 quarts veal stock, put in 1 
cupful cooked spinach and 1 cupful 
sorrel, and let it boil till tender; sea- 
son with salt and while it is boiling, 
but about two minutes before serving 
stir into it a pint of cream previously 
mixed with the yolks of 2 eggs. 

Barley Broth (Scotch recipe). 

1 neck mutton, 

3 carrots, 

3 turnips, 

2 onions, 

1 celery head, 

4 tablespoonfuls barley, 

2 quarts water. 

Soak the mutton in water an hour; 
cut off the scrag, and put it into a 
stewpot with 2 quarts water; as 
soon as it boils, skim it well; let it 
simmer for an hour and a half, then 
take the best end of the mutton, di- 
vide in cutlets, trim off some of the 
fat, and add as many to the soup as 
you wish; skim the moment the fresh 
meat boils up, and every quarter of 
an hour after; then add the carrots, 
onions, turnips, celery, cut, but not 
too small; and barley previously 
washed in cold water. The broth 
should stew for three hours before 
serving; some chopped parsley may 
be added, and season to taste. 



852 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Mutton Broth (Irish recipe). 
Qi pounds mutton, 
1 quart water, 
3 turnips, 
3 carrots, 
3 leeks or onions, 
S mutton chops, 
1 head lettuce, 

3 spoonfuls barley. 

Boil the mutton with a little bar- 
ley, slowly, for three or four hours; 
strain it off and remove the fat; add 
turnips, carrots, and leeks, cut fine; 
put them, with mutton chops, into 
the broth, and boil till tender ; when 
neai'ly done, add some lettuce, pre- 
viously blanched and drained; boil 
for ten minutes, season with salt, and 
serve. The vegetables should be 
quite thick in the broth, but cut very 
small. 

Sheep's-Head Broth (Scotch recipe),. 
Take a cupful of barley, sheep's 
head and trotters, and, if the broth 
should be wanted stronger, a neck 
of mutton; put them into a pot with 
2 quarts cold water; as soon as it 
comes to the boil, skim it well. Chop 
2 carrots and 2 turnips small, a sprig 
of parsley and 2 onions; before you 
add the roots, skim it again. Boil 
slowly till the head is tender; take 
the pot off the fire and stand it near, 
covered closely, for a quarter of an 
hour before serving. The head and 
trotters should be served separately 
with whole carrots and turnips. 

To Prepare the Head and Trotters. 

They should be well singed, which 
is best done at the blacksmith's. 
Split the head down the middle of the 
skull; take out the brains, lay the 
head and trotters to soak in water 
all night, scrape and wash well be- 
fore using. Sheep's head is excellent 
eaten cold. 

Cock-a-Ieekie (Scotch recipe). 
1 fowl, 

4 pounds beef, 
12 leeks, 



Dash pepper, 

1 tablespoonful salt, 

5 quarts water. 

Truss a fowl as for boiling, put it 
into a stewpan with a piece of lean 
beef, leeks cut in pieces an inch long, 
rejecting the coarser green part, a 
little pepper and salt, and water. 
Cover the stewpan closely and allow 
its contents to stew slowly four 
hours; then place the fowl in a tu- 
reen; remove the beef, pour the soup 
and leeks over it, and serve. 

Friar's Chicken (French recipe). 

1 knuckle veal, 
3 turnips, 

2 carrots, 

3 onions, 

4 sprigs sweet herbs, 
1 quart cream, 

6 yolks eggs, 
3 chickens. 

Boil veal, carrots, turnips, onions, 
and a few sweet herbs to a good stock 
and strain it. Have ready the chick- 
ens, boiled tender and cut in pieces, 
cream and yolks of eggs beaten to- 
gether; add these to the broth, heat 
them up together, and send it to 
table. A little minced parsley may 
be added just before serving. 

Rabbit Soup (English recipe). 
1 rabbit, 
1 carrot, 
1 head celery, 
3 onions, 

1 ounce peppercorns, 
1 bunch herbs, 
1 tablespoonful ground rice. 

When the rabbit is skinned, take 
care to save all the blood. Cut in. 
pieces and put into a dish with the 
water required for soup. Let it stand 
an hour; then add the blood of the 
rabbit, strain it through a sieve into 
a soup pot, and put all on the fire; 
stir constantly till it boils, to pre- 
vent its curdling, and skim it a little; 
put in carrot, celery, onions, pepper- 
corns tied up in a bit of muslin, herbs, 



SOUPS 



853 



salt, and chopped onion. Boil for 
three hours; take it off an hour be- 
fore dinner; strain through a sieve; 
take out the onions, carrot, pepper, 
etc., and put in some of the best 
pieces of the rabbit; return it to the 
saucepan, and let it boil. Stir the 
ground rice dissolved in water into 
the soup; continue stirring till re- 
moved from the fire. 

Tomato Bouillon with Oysters. 
1 can tomatoes, 
IJ quarts brown stock, 
1 chopped onion, 
I bay leaf, 
6 cloves, 

1 teaspoonful peppercorns, 
1 pint parboiled oysters, 
Pepper and salt, 
Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco 
Sauce. 

Boil together the stock, toma- 
toes, bay leaf, cloves, tabasco and 
peppercorns. Cook twenty minutes. 
Strain, cool and clear, then strain 
into cups over parboiled oysters. 
When cooked, clear it as if you 
were making a plain, clear soup. 
Beat the white of 1 egg lightly, just 
enough to separate it, and add to it 
the eggshell broken up. When the 
stock has cooled, add this and set it 
where it will come slowly to the boil, 
stirring constantly. The egg will at- 
tract all particles of tomatoes and 
everything solid. Let it boil two 
minutes, then strain through two 
thicknesses of cheese cloth. It will 
be perfectly clear, but ynth the red- 
tomato coloring. If it were left to 
cool, it would become a solid jelly,— 
Stella A. Downing. 

Okra Gumbo (Southern recipe). 
1 chicken, 
1 onion, 
I pod red pepper without the 

seeds, 
S pints okra, or about 50 pods, 
9 slices ham, 
1 bay leaf, 
1 sprig thyme or parsley, 



1 tablespoonful each lard and 

butter. 
Salt and cayenne to taste. 

Clean and cut up the chicken. Cut 
the ham into small squares or dice, 
and chop the onion, parsley, and 
thyme. Skin the tomatoes and chop 
fine, saving the juice. Wash and 
stem the okras and slice into thin 
layers of half an inch each. Put the 
lard and butter into the soup kettle; 
when hot, add the chicken and ham. 
Cover closely and let it simmer ten 
minutes. Then add the chopped 
onions, parsley, thyme, and tomatoes, 
stirring frequently to prevent scorch- 
ing. Add the okras, and when well 
browned, the juice of the tomatoes. 
The okra is very delicate and is lia- 
ble to scorch if not stirred frequent- 
ly. Y/hen well fried and browned, 
add about 3 quarts boiling water 
and set on the back of the stove to 
simmer for an hour longer. Serve 
hot with boiled rice. 

Beef Gumbo (Southern recipe)'. 

Another recipe for gumbo, which 
is similar to the preceding one, the 
manipulation being practically the 
same, calls for the following ingre- 
dients: 

1 quart tomatoes sliced, 

2 pounds beef cut in small 
pieces, 

2 quarts okras sliced, 

4 tablespoonfuls butter, 

§ pound corned ham or pork, 

cut up. 
Small piece red pepper without 

seeds. 
Spray parsley. 

Cream-of-Celery Soup. 
1 head celery, 
1 slice onion, 

3 cupfuls milk, 

3 tablespoonfuls cornstarch, 
3 tablespoonfuls butter. 

Clean outside stalks and white 
leaves of celery. Cut into small 
pieces and cook until tender in 3 
cupfuls water. Scald onion in milk 



854 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



in double boiler. Rub the celery, 
when soft, through a sieve. Blend 
together cornstarch with butter, cook 
for a few minutes, lifting from fire, 
beating and cooking in turn. Season 
with salt and white pepper to taste, 
gradually add the strained, scalded 
milk, cook thoroughly, then add the 
strained celery stock, and reheat. 
Serve with croutons, bread sticks, or 
toasted wafers. 

Cream-of-Corn Soup. 

1 can corn, 

2 cupfuls boiling water, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

i teaspoonful celery salt, 
i teaspoonful onion juice, 
2^ tablespoonfuls cornstarch, 

3 tablespoonfuls butter, 

2 cupfxjls milk, 

1 cupful whipped cream. 

Rub corn through sieve into ar 
saucepan, add water, salt, celery salt, 
and white pepper to taste. Blend 
together in a saucepan cornstarch, 
with butter, gradually add the milk, 
and cook together five minutes, stir- 
ring constantly. Just before serv- 
ing add beaten cream. Serve with 
crisp wafers. 

leek Soup. 

13 quarts boiling water, 

2 cupfuls leeks cut fine, 

4 cupfuls potatoes cut in dice, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 

3 teaspoonfuls salt, 

^ teaspoonful pepper, 

4 slices stale bread cut in small 
pieces, 

4 tablespoonfuls minced onion. 

Wash the leeks and cut off the 
roots. Cut the white part in thin 
slices. Pare the potatoes and cut in 
dice, put them in a bowl of cold 
water. Put the butter, leeks, and 
onion in the soup pot and on the iire. 
Cook slowly twenty minutes, stirring 
frequently, then add the hot water, 
potatoes, and seasoning, and cook at 
least half an hour longer. Serve 
very hot. If it is convenient and 



liked, cook with the leeks and butter 
the white stalks of 4 or 5 cibols, 
or 1 shallot may be cut fine and 
cooked with the leeks. — Maria Par- 



Hotchpotch (Scotch recipe). 

2 pounds lean beef, 
2i quarts stock, 

1 cupful beans (green), 

2 carrots, 
2 onions, 

2 stalks celery, 

2 turnips, 

1 small cauliflower, 

4 tablespoonfuls butter, 

1 tablespoonful flour. 

Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco 
Sauce. 

Mince the beef in chopper, and 
place in a stewpan with stock and 
beans. When these come to a boil, 
add chopped carrots, onions, celery, 
turnips, and cauliflower; cover, and 
boil gently for three hours. Melt 
butter and mix with it the flour; let 
it brown, dilute with a little broth, 
and add to the stew. Season with 
salt, pepper, and tabasco. 

Cream-of-Onion Soup. 

2 large onions, 

3 tablespoonfuls butter, 

4 tablespoonfuls cornstarch, 
1 tablespoonful flour, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

1 teaspoonful white pepper, 

2 cupfuls boiling water, 
1 quart milk, ' 

1 cupful mashed potatoes, 
1 cupful croutons. 

Slice the onions and fry until 
lightly brown in butter, then add 
cornstarch, flour, salt, and pepper. 
Stir until slightly browned, but do 
not allow to burn. Pour in gradu- 
ally boiling water, and cook until 
smooth. Keep hot. Scald milk, pour 
it gradually on mashed potatoes. 
Combine the mixtures. Simmer and 
stir for a few minutes, add croutons, 
cover, and let stand a moment be- 
fore serving. 



SOUPS 



855 



Soup Normandie (French recipe). 

1 onion, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 

2 cans tomatoes, 

1 quart cold water, 
1 tablespoonful cornstarch, 
12 cloves, 
1 tablespoonful sugar, 
Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco 

Sauce, 
Salt and pepper. 

Fry the onion in butter (do not let 
brown), add tomatoes and water. 
Boil twenty minutes. Strain through 
a colander, set back on stove, and 
add cornstarch dissolved in water, 
cloves, salt, and sugar. Let boil five 
minutes, then season with tabasco. 
Serve with croutons. 

Dried-Bean Soup. 

3 cupfuls dried beans, 

4 quarts water, 

1 large onion minced fine, 
4 tablespoonfuls butter, 
3 tablespoonfuls flour, 

1 tablespoonful minced celery or 
a few dried celery leaves, 

^ teaspoonful peppers, 

2 teaspoonfuls salt. 

Wash the beans and soak them 
over night in cold water. In the 
morning pour oflF the water and put 
them in the soup pot with 3 quarts 
cold water. Place on the fire, 
and when the water comes to the 
boiling point, pour it off. Add 4 
quarts boiling water to the beans and 
place the soup pot where the con- 
tents will simmer for four hours. 
Add the celery the last hour of cook- 
ing. Cook the onion and drippings 
slowly in a stewpan for half an hour. 
Drain the water from the beans (save 
this water) and put them in the stew- 
pan with the onions and drippings. 
Then add the flour and cook half an 
hour, stirring often. At the end of 
this time mash fine and gradually 
add the water in which the beans 
were boiled until the soup is like 
thick cream. Then rub through a 
sieve and return to the fire; add the 



salt and pepper, and cook twenty 
minutes or more. Any kind of beans 
may be used for this soup; Lima 
beans give the most delicate soup, 
but the large or small white beans 
are very satisfactory and are less ex- 
pensive than Limas, In cold weather 
the quantities of beans and flavor- 
ings may be doubled, but only 6 
quarts water are used. The result- 
ing thick soup can be kept in a cold 
place and a portion boiled up as re- 
quired and thinned with meat stock 
or milk. — Maria Parloa. 

Bouillabaise (English recipe). 

Take 3 pounds cod, cut in pieces 
from 2 ounces to J pound each. Slice 
2 good-sized onions and place them 
in a stewpan large enough to contain 
all the fish at the bottom. Add 2 ta- 
blespoonfuls olive oil; fry the onions 
light brown; put in the fish with as 
much warm water as will cover it 
well, a teaspoonful salt, dash pepper, 
half bay leaf, peeled lemon cut in 
dice, 2 tomatoes cut in slices, a few 
peppercorns, and ^ clove garlic. Boil 
till the liquor is reduced to one third. 
Then add a tablespoonful chopped 
parsley, let it boil one minute longer, 
and pour into a tureen over crou- 
tons. This is also good made from 
any white fleshed fish; the garlic may 
be omitted, if preferred. 

Oxtail Soup. 

1 small oxtail, 

6 cupfuls brown stock, 

J cupful carrot cut in fancy 
shapes, 

i cupful turnip cut in fancy 
shapes, 

I cupful onion cut in small 
pieces, 

i cupful celery cut in small 
pieces, 

I teaspoonful salt. 

Few grains cayenne, 

1 teaspoonful Worcester- 
shire Sauce, 

1 teaspoonful lemon juice. 

Cut oxtail in small pieces, washj 
drain, sprinkle with salt and pepper. 



856 



QVIRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



dredge with flour, and fry in butter 
ten minutes. Add to brown stock, 
and simmer one hour. Then add 
vegetables, which have been parboiled 
twenty minutes; simmer until vegeta- 
bles are soft; add cayenne, Worcester- 
shire sauce, and lemon juice. — Fan- 
nie M. Farmer. 

Asparagus Cream Soup. 
1 bunch asparagus, 
3 cupfuls milk, 
1 cupful veal stock, 
3 tablespoonfuls flour, 

3 tablespoonfuls butter. 
Salt and pepper. 

Cook the asparagus in boiling, 
salted water for thirty minutes. 
Take from water, cut off tips, and 
put into soup tureen. Press pulp 
from stalks through sieve. Scald 
milk, add stock. Mix flour with but- 
ter in a saucepan over the fire, add-, 
ing gradually portion of scalded 
milk to make very smooth. When 
thoroughly done, add remainder of 
milk and asparagus pulp. Season 
with salt and pepper. Stir till boil- 
ing, then strain into the tureen. 

Soup Maigre (French recipe). 
6 cucumbers, 

4 heads lettuce, 

© onions, blanched, 

1 cupful spinach. 

Sprig mint, 

1 pint green peas. 

Small piece ham, 

4 tablespoonfuls butter. 

Put ham and vegetables into 2 
quarts water and boil four hours, 
then pass all through a sieve. When 
cooked to a puree, strain, put in 1 
pint parboiled green peas, and a few 
slices of cucumber. 



Puree of Celeriac. 

1 quart celeriac cut in dicCj 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 tablespoonful flour, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

§ cupful stock or cream. 



Cook the celeriac thirty minutes in 
boiling water, rinse in cold water, 
then press through a pur4e sieve. 
Put the butter in a saucepan on the 
fire. When hot, add the flour and 
stir until smooth and frothy, then 
add the strained celeriac, and cook 
five minutes, stirring frequently. 
Add the salt and stock, or cream, 
and cook five minutes longer. — ^Maria 
Parloa. 



Split-Pea Soup. 

1 cupful split peas, 
IJ quarts stock, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

2 tablespoonfuls minced onion, 

3 tablespoonfuls chopped celery, 
1 carrot. 

Place a saucepan with split peas 
and stock over the fire; when it boils, 
add salt, onion, celery, and carrot; 
cover, and boil slowly until done; 
press the soup through the sieve; if 
too thick, add a little more water, 
season to taste with salt and pepper, 
and serve with small squares of fried 
bread. 



Green-Pea Soup. 

1 quart shelled peas, 
3 pints water, 
1 quart milk, 
1 onion, 

S tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 tablespoonful flour, 
3 level teaspoonfuls salt, 
^ teaspoonful . pepper. 

Put the peas in a stewpan with the 
boiling water and onion, and cook 
until tender, which will be about half 
an hour. Pour off the water, saving 
for use later. Mash the peas fine, 
then add the water in which they 
were boiled, and rub through a puree 
sieve. Return to the saucepan, add 
flour and butter, beaten together, 
and the salt and pepper. Now grad- 
ually add the milk, which must be 
boiling hot. Beat well and cook ten 
minutes, stirring frequently. — ^Maria 
Parloa. 



SOUPS 



857 



IWinter Okra Soup (a New Orleans 
recipe). 

1 can okra, 

1 can tomatoes, 

3 onions, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 dozen oysters, 

8 tablespoonfuls rice, 
1 red pepper pod without the 
seeds. 

Chop the onions and fry them in 
the butter. Wash the rice well, stew 
the onions, tomatoes, and pepper 
together in about 3 quarts water and 
1 pint oyster water for about three 
hours, stirring frequently. Ten min- 
utes before serving, add the okra 
and let it come to a boil. Then drop 
in the oysters, boil up once, and 
serve. 

Oyster Bisque. 

1 quart oysters, 

1 quart milk, 

^ cupful bread crumbs, 

i bay leaf, 

1 sprig parsley, 

1 slice onion, 

1 quart thin cream, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 

4 yolks eggs. 

Parboil oysters in their own liq- 
uor until the edges curl. Drain 
and separate the hard part from the 
soft, chop the hard parts fine. Put 
the chopped oysters into a double 
boiler with milk, bread crumbs, bay 
leaf, parsley, and onion, and let cook 
half an hour. Rub through a puree 
strainer and return to fire with 
cream. Cream together butter and 
flour, and add gradually some of the 
hot soup. Add the soft parts of the 
oysters, season with pepper and salt, 
and pour into the tureen over the 
well-beaten yolks of eggs. Serve with 
crisp crackers, browned. 

Lobster Bisque. 

2 pounds lobster, 
2 cupfuls cold water, 
4 cupfuls milk, 
J cupful butter. 



I cupful flour, 

1^ teaspoonfuls salt, 

Few grains cayenne. 

Remove meat from lobster shell. 
Add cold water to body bones and 
tough end of claws, cut in pieces; 
bring slowly to boiling point, and 
cook twenty minutes. Drain, reserve 
liquor, and thicken with butter and 
flour cooked together. Scald milk 
with tail meat of lobster, finely 
chopped; strain and add to liq- 
uor. Season with salt and cayenne; 
then add tender claw meat, cut in 
dice, and body meat. When coral is 
found in lobster, wash, wipe, force 
through fine strainer, put in a mor- 
tar with butter, work until well 
blended, then add flour, and stir into 
soup. If a richer soup is desired, 
white stock may be used in place of 
water. — Fannie Merritt Farmer. 

Corn Chowder. 

1 can corn, 

1 quart potato cubes (par- 
boiled), 

1 tablespoonful chopped fat 
pork, 

1 sliced onion, 

1 quart scalded milk, 

3 tablespoonfuls butter. 

Salt and pepper. 

Put the corn through a meat chop- 
per, fry the onion and the pork a 
light brown, strain the fat into a stew- 
pan, add the corn, potato cubes, the 
milk, seasoning, and butter, thicken 
with a little flour, and pour over split 
crackers. 

Lobster Chowder. 
1 pound lobster, 
1 quart milk, 
3 crackers, 
^ cupful butter, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 
I teaspoonful white pepper, 
I teaspoonful cayenne pepper. 

Boil 1 quart milk. Roll 3 crack- 
ers fine; mix with them | cupful but- 
ter, and the green fat of the lobster. 



858 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Season with 1 scant teaspoonful 
salt, i teaspoonful white pepper, and 
i teaspoonful cayenne pepper. Pour 
the boiling milk gradually over the 
paste. Put it back in the double boil- 
er ; add the lobster meat cut into dice ; 
let it boil up once, and serve. — Mary 
J. Lincoln. 

Sorrel Soup (French recipe). 
3 pints boiling water, 
3 tablespoonfuls butter, 
J cupful shredded sorrel, 
3 tablespoonfuls milk, 
1 teaspoonful salt. 
Yolk 2 eggs, 
f cupful bread cut in dice and 

dried in the oven or fried in 

butter. 

Tear the tender green parts from 
the midribs of the cultivated sorrel; 
M^ash in cold water and shred very 
fine. Put half the butter in a stew- 
pan and add the shredded sorrel. 
Place on the fire and cook five min- 
utes, stirring frequently. Now add 
the boiling water and salt, and boil 
ten minutes. Beat the yolks of eggs 
well, add the milk, pour into the soup 
tureen, and add the remaining half 
of the butter cut into bits. Gradu- 
ally pour the boiling hot soup in the 
tureen, stirring all the while to com- 
birfe the hot mixture vidth the egg 
yolk. Add the bread dice, and serve. 
— Maria Parloa. 

Black-Bean Soup. 

1 pint black beans, 

2 quarts cold water, 

1 small onion, 

2 stalks celery or | teaspoonful 
celery salt, 

1 tablespoonful salt, 
J teaspoonful pepper, 
^ teaspoonful mustard. 
Few grains cayenne, 

3 tablespoonfuls butter, 
IJ tablespoonfuls flour, 

2 hard-boiled eggs, 
1 lemon. 

Soak beans over night; in the 
morning, drain and add cold water. 



Slice onion, and cook five minutes 
with half the butter, adding to the 
beans, with celery stalks broken in 
pieces. Simmer three or four hours, 
or until beans are soft; add more 
water as it boils away. Rub through 
a sieve, reheat to the boiling point, 
and add salt, pepper, mustard, and 
cayenne well mixed. Bind with re- 
maining butter and flour cooked to- 
gether. Cut eggs in thin slices, also 
lemon, removing seeds. Put in tu- 
reen, and strain the soup over them. 
— Fannie Merritt Farmer. 

Chicken Chowder. 

Take the remains of a stewed 
chicken, cut the meat off the bones 
and with a scissors clip it into small 
pieces; put the bones in a kettle with 
cold water, adding any left-over 
chicken gravy, and let them stew till 
all the good is out of the meat. 
Strain, add 1 quart milk to each 
quart chicken stock, a tablespoonful 
minced onion, fried with a table- 
spoonful salt pork, 3 cupfuls par- 
boiled potato cubes, 3 tablespoonfuls 
butter, the cut-up chicken, and flour 
enough to thicken slightly; salt and 
pepper to taste. 

Clam Soup. 

^ peck clams in shells. 

Salt to taste, 

1 teaspoonful pepper, 

i teaspoonful cayenne pepper, 

1 tablespoonful chopped onion, 

1 tablespoonful chopped parsley, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

3 tablespoonfuls flour, 

3 cupfuls milk or cream. 

Prepare the clams by boiling in 
the shells, and cutting as directed for 
clam chowder, keeping the soft part 
separate from the hard. Pour off 1 
quart clam liquor after it settles, be- 
ing careful not to take any of the 
sediment; put it on to boil, and re- 
move the scum. Add 1 pint hot wa- 
ter, and season to taste with salt, pep- 
per, cayenne, onion, and parsley. 
Put in the hard part of the clams. 
Simmer fifteen minutes, strain, and 



SOUPS 



859 



boil again, and when boiling thicken 
with flour cooked in the butter. Add 
the hot milk or cream and the soft 
part of the clams; serve at once. 

Another method of preparing clam 
soup, if needed quickly, is to heat 
the clam broth to a boiling point, 
add the clams cut fine, season, and 
pour into the tureen over 2 eggs 
beaten up with foiling milk. — Mary 
J. Lincoln", 

Onion Chowder. 

3 quarts boiling water, 

2 cupfuls minced onion, 

1 quart potatoes cut in dice, 
8 teaspoonfuls salt, 
i teaspoonful pepper, 

3 tablespoonfuls butter, 

1 tablespoonful fine herbs. 

Cook the onion and butter to- 
gether for half an hour, but slowly, 
so the onion wiU not brown. At the 
end of this time, add the boiling wa- 
ter, potatoes, salt, and pepper, and 
cook one hour longer, then add the 
fine herbs, and serve. — Maria Par- 

LOA. 

Sportsman's Broth (English recipe). 
Take grouse, partridge, or any other 
game you have; cut in small joints, 
put them into a pot with water and 
plenty of vegetables whole. Let it 
stew slowly four or five hours; then 
take the best pieces you have saved 
out, season them and toss in a little 
flour; brown over a quick fire, and 
add to the strained stock with 12 
small onions, 2 heads celery, sliced, 
and half a cabbage shredded fine, 
to stew slowly till tender. Half an 
hour before serving, add 6 potatoes 
cut in slices. 

Clam Chowder. 

i peck clams in shells, 

1 quart potatoes sliced thin, 

A 2-inch cube fat salt pork, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

i teaspoonful white peppefj 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

1 quart milk, 

6 butter crackers. 



Wash clams with a small brush, 
and put in a kettle with ^ cupful 
water. When the clams at the top 
have opened, take them out with a 
skimmer, and when cool enough to 
handle, take the clams from the 
shells; remove the thin skin; cut off 
all the black end (cut the " leather 
straps" into small pieces), leaving 
the soft part whole. Let the clam liq- 
uor set, and pour it off carefully. 
Use half water and half clam liquor. 
Fry the pork and onion; add the po- 
tatoes, which have been soaked and 
scalded, and boiling water to cover. 
When the potatoes are soft, add the 
clam liquor, seasoning, and clams; 
when warmed through, add the hot 
milk, and turn into the tureen over 
broken crackers. — Mart J. Lincoln. 

Old-Fashioned Bean Soup (New 
England recipe). 

2 cupfuls white beans, 

3 pints cold water, 

4 ounces lean salt pork, 
J cupful chopped celery, 
^ carrot, 

1 onion. 

Soak beans for several Hours fn 
cold water; then drain and put them 
with the pork over the fire; wash and 
scald in boiling water; add to the 
beans as soon as they boil celery, 
carrot, and onion; cover and cook till 
the beans are tender; then strain the 
soup, season to taste with salt, and 
serve with small pieces of toasted 
bread. This soup may be served 
without being strained — some people 
prefer to have the beans whole in the 
soup. A little beef extract and i cup- 
ful cream is always an improvement, 
but the soup is very nice without 
them. 

Herb Soup. 

1 cupful finely shredded spinr 

ach, 
I cupful shredded sorrel, 
i blanched and sliced leek, 
White heart leaves head lettuce, 
4 potatoes, 
3 teaspoonfuls salt. 



860 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



4 tablespoonfuls butter, 

1 tablespoonful chervil, 

2 quarts boiling water, 
I pint croutons. 

Have the sorrel, spinach, and let- 
tuce fresh, tender, and free from 
tough midribs. Wash and shred. 
Cut the washed leek into thin slices. 
Put in the stewpan with the butter 
and cook fifteen minutes, being care- 
ful not to brown. Now add the po- 
tatoes, salt, and boiling water. When 
the soup begins to boil, draw the 
stewpan back where the contents will 
cook gently for one hour. At the 



end of this time, crush the potatoes 
with a fork, add the chervil, and 
simmer five minutes longer. Turn 
into the soup tureen, add the crou- 
tons, and serve. If preferred, the 
soup may be rubbed through a 
puree sieve, returned to the fire, and 
when boiling hot be poured on the 
yolks of 2 eggs which have been 
beaten with 2 tablespoonfuls milk. 
This soup may be varied indefinitely. 
Any number of green vegetables can 
be employed in making it, care be- 
ing taken to use only a small quan- 
tity of those of pronoxmced flavor.— « 
Maria Parloa, 



CHAPTER XXXVII 



FISH 



I CAN think of no better lesson on 
how to choose fish than this: if it is 
possible in your neighborhood, or 
while vacationing, go to see a fish 
boat empty its gleaming cargo on the 
wharf. Learn to know the earmarks 
— not only those left by St. Peter on 
a haddock, but the signs of perfect 
freshness on all fish. Do not be 
afraid of touching them; fresh smelts 
have the fragrance of violets, and 
every fish has a wholesome smell. 
Turn them over, examine them close- 
ly. " An eye like a dead fish " refers 
to a fish which has lain for weeks in 
cold storage, not to one just from 
the water. It will have eyes as full 
and almost as clear as any live crea- 
ture. Notice the gills; they will be 
beautifully red, the fins will be stiff, 
the scales shining, and the flesh so 
firm that it springs back after the 
finger has been pressed into it. One 
cannot expect, especially if your 
home is some distance from the ocean 
or the great lakes, to find in the mar- 
ket fish as superlatively fresh as 
when lifted straight from the net. 
Still, to be fit for human food, they 
should not have lost much of their 
beauty. The signs to avoid are limp 
fins, dull eyes, pale, liver-colored 
gills, flesh in which you leave a dent 
b}' an impression of the finger, 
streaks of gray or yellow in the skin 
and flesh, and the slightest symp- 
tom of a disagreeable odor. If you 
have to make the choice between salt 
cod and a fish of this description, 
choose salt cod; it is infinitely more 
healthful; it does not contain a pos- 
sibility of ptomaine poisoning. 

When purchasing halibut or sword- 
fish, where the head and fins have 



been removed, the test is pearly 
white or shining gray skin, firm 
flesh, and a good odor. It is an ex- 
cellent rule never to buy fish which 
is out of season. If you want blue- 
fish in February or shad in Novem- 
ber, you can probably obtain it — a 
fish dealer will produce almost any- 




Garnishing a Planked Fish with Mashed 
Potato Squeezed Through Pastry Bag. 



thing from his refrigerator at any 
time of the year — but you may rest 
assured it has seen a repose of 
months in cold storage. If not really 
dangerous to eat, it will be flabby, it 
will go to pieces before it is cooked, 
and be lacking in flavor. It is an ex- 
cellent plan to post oneself thorough- 
ly on the fish which is in season all 
the year round and purchase accord- 
ing to the month. A dealer will as- 
sure one that fish which has been 
packed in ice ten days is in as ex- 
cellent condition as when fresh 
caught. I should say seven or eight 
days is the limit. After that time it 
will begin to lose its beautiful moth- 
er-of-pearl sheen. 

Although the old theory that fish 
is brain food has been exploded, the 



861 



862 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



brain worker will find what he most 
requires in a bountiful diet of fish. 
It is digestible food^ which is not 
overstimulating or overnutritive. Both 
the poet and preacher will do bet- 
ter work on a dinner of broiled 
bluefish than on rare roast beef. Sal- 
mon, mackerel, and eels, which are 
exceedingly oily, are an exception to 
the digestible rule. They should be 
severely let alone by people of weak 
stomaehs, while white fish may be 
classed as the most digestible of all 
fish. 

The shimmering array on the mar- 
ket stall is alluring and confusing, and 
the fish dealer is apt to be persuasive. 
It is no economy to be inveigled into 
buying a 5-pound bluefish when 2 
pounds of halibut would have fed 
your family. Fish left over can be 
utilized nicely in many ways, but it 
is better not to have any; in sum- 
mer, cold fish has not remarkable 
keeping qualities. Decide when you 
order a fish how you will cook it. 
The fish dealer can prepare it for 
planking or broiling better than you 
can. The cheapest fish is not al- 
ways the most economical. Five 
pounds of cod contains about 3 
pounds of waste in the shape of skin, 
head, tail, and bone, while 3 pounds 
of halibut is solid fish with scarcelj^ 
an'" ounce of waste. 

The cooking of fish depends large^ 
ly on taste, for various methods ap- 
ply frequently and most appetizingly 
to the same fish. Take halibut, for 
instance. It may be baked, broiled, 
fried or boiled, and be quite as de- 
licious in one way as another. This 
rule is also true of cod, haddock, and 
nearly every kind of white-fleshed 
fish. What a cook or a fish dealer 
calls oily fish — this class contains 
bluefish, mackerel, herring, salmon, 
eels, and shad — are best suited for 
broiling, baking, or planking. They 
contain so much oil distributed 
through the flesh that it requires a 
dry, intense heat to make them pal- 
atable. Salmon is an exception to 
this rule, being at its best when 
boiled. An old saying declares. 



" Small fish should swim twice — once 
in water, once in oil." It is a good 
proverb for the cook to remember, 
because it applies well to every tiny 
fish; smelts, brook trout> perch, 
whitebait, catfish, sunfish, bullheads, 
and everything in small finny things. 
Sometimes these small fish are 
sauted, but they are not so good nor 
so wholesome as when they " swim in 
oil." 

The fish which plank to perfection 
are shad, whitefish, mackerel, blue- 
fish, red snapper, and pompano. 
There are a number of real advan- 
tages to this method of cooking; it 
is so easy, it may be done in the hot 
oven of any coal or gas stove, the 
wood imparts a flavor to the fish, 
which can be obtained in no other 
way. Then there is no diflBcult task 
of sliding it from a broiler or bake 
pan to the platter, because it is the 
proper thing to send the plank 
straight to the table laid on a folded 
towel. If you have to prepare a fish 
for planking, remember it must be 
cut down the back instead of the 
stomach, the thin portion of the flesh 
being folded on the middle of the 
plank. 

Improvise a fish kettle if you 
haven't one. Line a wire basket 
with a napkin, allowing the linen to 
fall over the edges, put in the fish, 
coiling it slightly if it is large, and 
drop the basket in a kettle of boiling 
water. This is an easier method for 
lifting it out whole than if set right 
in the kettle. 

An oily fish, such as mackerel or 
bluefish, needs no enrichment of fat 
before broiling; a white-fleshed fish 
does. If it is cut in steaks, dip it 
in oil or melted butter and a good 
seasoning of pepper and salt, then 
put between the wires of the broiler. 
Lay the thickest end in the center 
of the broiler over the hottest part 
of the fire, skin side up. Let it get 
perfectly crisp and brown on the 
flesh side before turning. Broil the 
skin side carefully; it is apt to burn. 
Set it in a hot oven for five minutes 
to thoroughly finish cooking. 



FISH 



863 



Fish of all sorts requires the ac- 
companiment of a starch food to 
make a well-balanced meal; it may 
be bread, rice, potatoes, or macaroni. 

An iron fish sheet, with rings at 
each end for handles, may be made 
by any tinsmith for twenty-five cents. 
Grease it well before setting the fish 
to cook and lay under it strips of 
salt pork, then set in a baking pan. 
You will find it easy to slip a baked 
fish from this sheet on a platter. 

When baking halibut, pour milk 
over and around it before setting in 
the oven. It keeps the fish moist, im- 
proves the flavor, and makes it 
brown more thoroughly. 

In spite of careful watching, a fish 
will occasionally break in the boil- 
ing. Do not try to patch it together 
into an unsightly heap of skin, 
bones, and meat. Flake it quickly 
and lay in good-sized portions on a 
large platter. Garnish with roses of 
mashed potatoes squeezed from a pas- 
try bag, and over the fish pour a 
sauce. This transforms an almost 



hopeless failure into a most attract- 
ive dish. 

The same general rules for vari- 
ous methods of cooking fish apply to 
all kinds; they may be boiled, fried, 
sauted, planked, broiled, or baked. 
Of course, after cooking by any proc- 
ess, a dish may be varied by one of 
the sauces which are to be found in 
a following chapter. 

For highly flavored fish, such as 
shad or salmon, use the simplest 
sauce; drawn butter or egg sauce is 
much more appetizing than a rich 
herb-seasoned, stock sauce, which is 
apt to destroy the fine flavor of fish. 
There are certain fresh-water fish, as 
well as several white-fleshed varie- 
ties, cod, halibut, and haddock, for 
instance, that are improved by a cer- 
tain amount of seasoning, only it 
must be done very carefully and with 
an educated palate as criterion. 

The following methods for cooking 
fish can be applied to anything that 
swims, though the table appended 
will serve as a guide: 



Methods for Cooking Fish 



May be baked, boiled, or broiled. 

Bluefish May be planked, baked, or broiled. 

Butterfish May be fried or sauted. 

Cod May be boiled, broiled, or baked. 

Eels May be fried or broiled. 

Flounder May be baked, fried, or sautdd. 

Haddock May be baked, broiled, planked, or boiled. 

Halibut. May be baked, boiled, fried, broiled, or planked. 

Herring. May be baked or broiled. 

Kingfish May be broiled. 

Blackfish May be baked or broiled. 

Mackerel. May be baked, broiled, or planked. 

Perch May be fried or broiled. 

Pickerel May be baked. 

Pompano May be broiledo 

Red Snapper, . , , May be fried or boiled. 

Salmon , '. May be boiled, broiled, or baked. 

Shad May be broiled, baked, or planked. 

Sheepshead May be boiled or baked. 

Smelts. May be sauted, baked, or fried. 

Trout May be baked, broiled, or sauted. 

Muskellunge May be baked. 

Turbot May be boiled. 

Whitefish May be planked, baked, or broiled. 

Sturgeon May be roasted, broiled, baked after being parboiled. 

Carp May be boiled or baked. 

Scrod May be broiled. 

Swordfish . . . „ May be baked, broiled, or boiled. 

Mullet . . . . o May be baked. 

Pike May be boiled. 

Whitebait - May be fried. 

Porgies. May be planked, broiled, or baked. 

Catfish May be fried. 

Alewives May be baked. 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



How to Plank Fish, 

Heat and oil an oak plank made 
for the purpose; spread upon this, 
skin side down, a fish, dressed and 
cleaned and split down the under 
side; brush over with butter or oil, 
and set in the dripping pan in the 
lower gas oven, at first near the 
burners; after cooking a few min- 
utes, remove to the floor of the oven 
to finish cooking. Cook about twen- 
ty-five minutes, basting often. Set 
the plank upon a platter. Spread 
over the fish 3 tablespoonfuls butter, 
creamed and mixed with salt, pepper, 
and a tablespoonful lemon juice. Gar- 
nish the edge of the plank with 
mashed potatoes, slices of lemon and 
parsley. 

How to Saute Fish. 

Fish may be fried in oil, salt pork 
fat, lard, or clarified drippings. 
Whatever fat is used, it should be 
deep enough to cover the fish and hbt 
enough to brown a piece of bread in 
thirty seconds. The pork fat is ob- 
tained by trying out thin slices of 
fat salt pork, being careful not to let 
it burn. Pork gives the fish a flavor 
not to be obtained by any other oil or 
fat. When pork fat is used, salt 
should be added sparingly. Fried 
fish should be seasoned while cooking. 
After wiping dry, fish should be 
rdlled in Indian meal, flour, or sifted 
crumbs before frying. If the fish has 
been on ice, or is very cold, do not 
put it in the fat fast enough to cool 
it perceptibly. Watch carefully while 
cooking; don't break or mutilate in 
turning; cook brown, drain on a 
sieve, colander, or paper, and serve 
hot on a napkin. Unless fish are 
very small, they should be notched 
on each side before rolling in meal 
previous to frying. 

How to Broil Fish. 

Broiling is probably the simplest as 
well as the best method of cooking 
many kinds of fish, the flavor and 
juices being better preserved. Salt 
pork is the best thing to use. The 
double broiler is the best utensil, 



though they may be cooked on a grid- 
dle or a spider. Heat and butter well 
before laying in the fish, the flesh 
side first; when that is perfectly 
browned, turn and finish cooking. 
Serve on a hot platter, spread with 
butter or cream or both, and season 
to taste, A fish may be broiled in a 
dripping pan, and if the oven is hot 
it will cook nicely. Baste once or 
twice with butter or cream while 
cooking. 

How to Boil Fish. 

Boiling is the most insipid way of 
cooking fish, yet there are certain va- 
rieties that are better cooked this way 
if accompanied by a rich sauce. Fish, 
if boiled in a common kettle, should 
first be wrapped in cheese cloth, to 
preserve its shape. The head is the 
best part of a boiled fish, and the 
nearer the head the better the por- 
tions. Boiled fish should be served 
on a napkin and the sauce in a tu- 
reen. A fish of 6 pounds should boil 
or steam in thirty or thirty-five min- 
utes. The water should always be 
salted. A boiled fish may be stuffed 
if desired. 

How to Bake Fish. 

A baked fish presents a more at- 
tractive appearance when served in 
an upright position on the platter; it 
also cooks better. To keep it up- 
right, press it down enough to flatten 
the under side, then, if necessary, 
brace with skewers or potatoes placed 
against it until it is well under way 
for cooking, then it will keep its posi- 
tion until cooked and dished. Some- 
times it is advisable to bend the fish 
half-moon shape and cook it that 
way, or if the fish is long and slender, 
the tail may be tied to the mouth, 
either of which methods wiU keep 
the fish in upright position. 

How to Fry Fish. 

Small fish may be broiled, but in 
nearly every case they are better 
sauted or fried. There are tiny fish, 
smelts for instance, which cannot be 
treated in any other way. Lard may 




Courtesy, The Kellosg Fruit Co. 



FISH 



865 



be used as a frying material; a mix- 
ture of suet and lard is better, but 
best of all, if it can be afforded, is a 
clear frying oil, which leaves no 
greasy taste. To prepare a fish for 
frying, such as perch, brook trout, 
catfish, smelts, or tiny mackerel, 
wash in cold water, clean thoroughly, 
and wipe dry inside and out. Small 
fish must be gently handled; they are 
tender and the flesh bruises easily. 
Roll them in flour, then in beaten 
egg, to which a tablespoonful water 
has been added, and roll again in 
finely sifted bread crumbs. Have the 
oil boiling hot, put 4 fish at a time 
into the frying basket, and cook five 
or seven minutes. Do not allow them 
to get dark brown. Drop on absorb- 
ent paper and drain off as much of 
the fat as possible. Lay on a folded 
napkin on a hot platter, garnish with 
parsley and points of lemon. When 
smelts are very tiny, run a skewer 
through the heads of three or four of 
them and fry in bunches. Fish which 
is sliced, then cut in fillets, can be 
cooked in the same fashion. The 
easiest way to prepare it is to roll 
each fillet and fasten with a tooth- 
pick. 

Baked Bed Snapper. 

1 5-pound red snapper, 

1 beaten egg, 

i cupful powdered crackers, 

1 cupful oysters, 

1 teaspoonful onion juice, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

J teaspoonfid paprika, 

1 tablespoonful minced parsley. 

Draw, clean, and wipe the fish; rub 
inside and out with salad oil and lem- 
on. Make a stuffing of egg, cracker, 
oysters (drained and chopped), onion 
juice, butter, salt, paprika, and par- 
sley; moisten with cream and oyster 
liquor. Fill the fish and sew it up. 
Put a layer of minced fat pork on the 
covered roaster, lay a few slices of to- 
mato and onion on the pork, then the 
fish on this. Dredge with salt and 
flour, and put on more minced pork. 



Place in a hot oven, add a cupful 
boiling water, and cover. Baste fre- 
quently. Bake one hour. Serve with 
Sauce Hollandaise. 

Baked Fresh Cod with Cheese Sauce. 
Lay a slice of cod in salt and 
water for half an hour; wipe dry and 
rub with melted butter and lemon 
juice. In the bottom of the baking 
pan, under the grating and not 
touching the fish, have a cupful veal 
stock. Pepper and salt the fish, cover 
and bake ten minutes to the pound. 
Take up on a hot platter and sift fine 
crumbs over it. Put dots of butter 
on these. Set in the oven to brown 
while you strain the gravy from the 
pan, thicken with browned flour, add 
the juice of ^ lemon, 4 tablespoonfuls 
grated Parmesan cheese, and a little 
onion juice. Boil one minute, pour a 
few spoonfuls carefully over the 
crumb crust of the fish, the rest into 
a boat. — Mariost Harland. 

Baked Bluefish, 

This recipe will answer for all sorts 
of fish. Have the fish opened at the 
gills, and the intestines drawn out 
through the opening. Make a stuffing 
of J pint bread crumbs, a tablespoon- 
ful melted butter, a teaspoonful salt, 
and a dash pepper. Mix the ingre- 
dients, fill the fish, and sew the head 
down firmly. If you use pork, cut 
the fish into gashes two inches apart 
and all the way across on one side 
down to the bone; fill the gashes with 
larding pork, dust the fish thickly 
with bread crumbs, baste it with a 
little melted butter, put J cupful wa- 
ter in the pan, and bake in a quick 
oven about an hour, basting fre- 
quently. Dish the fish carefully, gar- 
nish with parsley and lemon, and 
serve with brown or tomato sauce. — 
Mas. RoRER. 

Bluefish Baked with Tomato Sauce. 
Prepare a fish of about 4 pounds, 
put in a buttered pan, cover with to- 
mato pulp, sprinkle liberally with 
bread crumbs, and dot with bits of 
butter. Place in oven forty minutes. 



866 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



until the flesh begins to separate 
from the back bone. 

Cod Steaks a la Cardinal (French 

recipe). 

Cut 3 pounds fresh cod into slices 
an inch thick ; sprinkle with salt, pep- 
per, and lemon juice, fasten each 
slice with a toothpick to give it a 
neat shape. Brush the fish with 
warmed butter, lay it on the bottom 
of a large saucepan, pour over it a 
cupful white stock, and cover closely, 
first with buttered paper, then with 
the pan lid. Simmer gently for 
twenty to twenty-five minutes, take 
skewers and arrange the fish neatly 
on a hot dish; pour over it tomato 
sauce, flavored with essence of an- 
chovy; garnish round the edge with 
sprigs of fresh parsley and slices of 
lemon. 

rillets of Flounder a la Normandy. 
Prepare the fillets and lay in a but- 
tered baking pan, season with salt 
and pepper, dredge with flour, mois- 
ten with brown stock, adding a tea- 
spoonful lemon juice; lay the fillets 
on serving dish, and pour over them 
Normandy sauce, garnish with slices 
of lemon. 

Baked Haddock. 

Stuff with a dressing, baste the fish 
with butter, put a cupful water into 
the pan, and bake in a moderate oven 
one hour, basting often; just before 
taking up, sprinkle a tablespoonful 
cracker crumbs over the fish and let 
it remain in the oven long enough to 
brown delicately. Put the fish on a 
warm platter, add water and thicken- 
ing to the gravy, serve in a gravy tu- 
reen, garnish with parsley and sliced 
lemon. 

Fish Timbales. 

i pound halibut or other white 

fish. 
Whites 5 eggs, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 
1 cupful soft bread crumbs, 
i cupful milk, 
6 tablespoon fuls cream, 
1 saltspoonful white pepper. 



Put the uncooked fish through the 
meat chopper. Boil together, until 
you have a smooth paste, the milk 
and bread crumbs. When cold, add 
it gradually to the fish and press 
through a sieve; add the cream, salt, 
and pepper, and fold in carefully the 
well -beaten whites of the eggs. 
Grease small timbale molds with but- 
ter, and line the bottoms with paper; 
garnish with chopped truffle, mush- 
rooms, or green peas, or they may be 
used plain. Fill in the mixture; 
stand in a baking pan half filled with 
boiling water; cover the top with 
greased paper, and bake in a moder- 
ate oven twenty minutes. Serve with 
lobster, shrimp, or oyster crab sauce. 
— Mrs. Rorer. 

Baked Halibut. 

Take a square piece of fish, weigh- 
ing 5 pounds, wash, wipe dry, and 
-place in the dripping pan with a few 
thin slices of salt pork on top. Bake 
one hour; baste with melted butter 
and water. Stir into the gravy 1 ta- 
blespoonful Worcestershire Sauce, 
juice of 1 lemon, seasoning to taste, 
and thicken. Serve the gravy sepa- 
rately; garnish with slices of hard- 
boiled eggs. 

Baked Smelts. 

Dip in beaten egg, roll in cracker 
crumbs, season with salt, pepper, and 
a little nutmeg, lay on a sheet of but- 
tered paper in a buttered baking 
pan, put a piece of butter on each 
fish and bake delicately brown; serve 
on a hot dish, garnished with slices of 
lemon and parsley. 

Baked Salmon Trout "with Cream. 

Wipe dry and lay in a pan with 
enough water to keep from scorching. 
Bake slowly an hour, basting with 
butter and water. Into a cupful 
cream stir 3 or 4 tablespoon fuls 
boiling water, add 2 tablespoonfuls 
melted butter and a little chopped 
parsley; add it to the gravy from the 
dripping pan in which fish was 
baked; lay the trout on a hot platter 
and let the gravy boil up once, then 



FISH 



867 



pour over the fish; garnish with 
sprigs of parsley. 

Baked Shad. 

Stuff with a dressing; rub the fish 
with flour, lay in a pan with a few 
thin slices of pork on top. Bake a 
medium-sized fish forty minutes; 
add a little hot water, butter, pepper, 
and salt to the gravy; boil up and 
serve in gravy tureen. Garnish the 
fish with sprigs of parsley. A table- 
spoonful anchovy sauce is a decided 
improvement in making the gravy. 

Brochet of Smelts (French recipe). 

Spread melted butter in bottom of 
shallow baking dish, dredge with 
raspings of bread, season with salt, 
pepper, chopped parsley, and shal- 
lots; put in fish and pour over it a 
teaspoonful anchovy sauce; cover 
with melted butter and bread rasp- 
ings, and bake fifteen minutes. Serve 
hot; arrange the fish on a napkin, 
heads to heads, in center of dish, or 
lay them all one way in rows, each 
overlapping the next. Garnish with 
quartered lemon and fried parsley. 

Broiled Turbot (English recipe). 

Soak the fish in salted water to 
take off slime; do not cut off fins; 
make an incision down the middle of 
the back to prevent skin on the other 
side from cracking; rub it with lem- 
on and lay in a kettle of cold water; 
let it boil slowly; when done, drain, 
and lay on hot napkin; rub a little 
lobster coral through a sieve, sprinkle 
it over fish, garnish with sprigs of 
parsley and sliced lemon. Serve with 
lobster or shrimp sauce, or plain 
drawn butter. 

Baked Whitefish (Point Shirley 

style). 

Split the fish and lay open with the 
meat side up. Season with salt and 
pepper, and place in a baking pan on 
a bed of chopped salt pork. Bake in 
a quick oven, brushing it over with 
beaten egg and milk while cooking. 
Just before sending to the table, cover 
jvith crisp brown crumbs, made by 



frying grated bread crumbs in but- 
ter. Serve with oyster sauce. 

Crimped Fish. 

Cut uncooked fish into long strips, 
roll them around the finger, and fas- 
ten each roll with a wooden toothpick. 
Put into boiling salted water with 2 
tablespoonfuls vinegar, and boil fif- 
teen minutes. Drain, arrange on a 
platter, and serve hot with oyster or 
lobster sauce poured into cavities. 

Codfish Soused in Oyster Sauce. 

Boil 3 slices fish; drain and dress 
upon a dish; blanch 3 dozen oysters 
by putting them into a stewpan with 
their juice; move them around occa- 
sionally, but do not let them boil. As 
soon as they become firm, place a 
sieve over a basin, pour in the oys- 
ters, beard and throw them into their 
liquor. Put them into a stewpan. 
When boiling, add 2 cloves, i blade 
mace, 6 peppercorns and 2 ounces 
butter, to which you have added a ta- 
blespoonfid flour. Stir, season with 
salt, cayenne pepper, and essence of 
anchovies. Add a gill of cream, and 
pour the sauce over it. 

To Roast Sturgeon. 

Take the tail part, skin and bone 
it; fill the part where the bone comes 
from with stuffing, as for a fillet of 
veal; put buttered paper around it, 
and tie up like a fillet of veal. Roast, 
and serve with melted butter. 

Flounders Souchet (French recipe). 
Take 4 or 6 flounders, trim and 
cut in halves; put J pint water in a 
saute pan with a little scraped horse- 
radish, pepper, salt, and sprigs of 
parsley; place over the fire, boil a 
minute, then add the flounders, stew 
ten minutes; take them out and place 
in a dish, reduce the liquor they 
were stewed in, pour over and serve. 

Hampton Court Perch (English rec- 
ipe). 

Clean the fish, dry well, and make 
an incision upon each side with a 
knife. Put 2 tablespoonfuls butter 



868 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



in a saut6 pari over a slow fire, lay in 
the fish, season with salt, and saut6 
gently. When done, serve with the 
following sauce: Put 6 spoonfuls 
melted butter in a stewpan with a lit- 
tle salt and the juice of a lemon; 
when boiling, stir in the yolk of an 
egg mixed with a tablespoonful 
cream. Add small pieces of lemon 
rind and shredded parsley to the 
sauce, pour it over the fish, and serve. 

Baked Shad Roe. 

Skin two large roes, sprinkle with 
salt, and stand half an hour. In the 
bottom of a baking pan put a layer 
of fine bread crumbs mixed with a 
chopped onion, chopped parsley, 6 
chopped mushrooms, melted butter, 
and a little lemon juice. Lay the roes 
on the crumbs, sprinkle with more 
crumbs seasoned and dressed like 
those in the pan. Over all pour a 
cupful white stock. Bake half an 
hour, drain oflF the liquid, sprinkle the 
roes with bread crumbs moistened 
with melted butter, put back in the 
oven ior fifteen minutes to finish 



cooking and brown. Thicken the liq- 
uid that was poured off with flour 
blended with melted butter, and pour 
over the roes. 

Broiled Brook Trout. 

Wash and clean the fish, split and 
remove the backbone. Put a thin strip 
of bacon in each fish where the back- 
bone was, fold the fish together, 
brush with melted butter, and broil 
over a clear fire. Garnish with fried 
parsley. 

Fish Dressing. 

Either of the following recipes 
may be used to prepare a stuffing for 
any fish: 2 cupfuls bread or cracker 
crumbs, 1 cupful mashed potatoes, 1 
well-beaten egg, 3 tablespoonfuls but- 
ter, teaspoonful sage and savory, or a 
little thyme, and 1 dozen chopped 
clams or oysters; moisten with milk, 
-salt, and pepper to taste. 

For a plainer dressing, use 1 pint 
bread crumbs, 2 tablespoonfuls melt- 
ed butter, 1 raw egg, pepper, salt, 
and 1 tablespoonful celery seed. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII 

FISH LEFT-OVERS 



For fish r^chaufSs it is absolutely 
necessary to have a thorough knowl- 
edge of sauces. Stews and fricassees 
are foods that have been cooked in a 
sauce, and they are excellent methods 
for reheating fish. When fish left- 
overs come from the table, pick them 
over carefully before they cool and 
become gelatinized. Reject every 
bone, layers of fat or dark meat, and 
flake the eatable portions neatly. Put 
in a bowl, cover closely, and set in 
the refrigerator till required. Gener- 
ally a fish rechauff4 with a sauce calls 
for a small amount of fish stock. To 
obtain this, put the bones and poor 
pieces of fish— not the skin or fat — 
into a small saucepan, cover with 
cold water, allow to simmer slowly for 
a few minutes, then strain and cool. 
Never add salt to any fish without 
tasting, as it is very easy to over- 
season it. Croquettes are an excel- 
lent method for using up scraps of 
fish, especially salmon or any white- 
fleshed fish. When heated in a sauce, 
it can be served in ramequins or large 
scallop shells which are sold by the 
dozen in crockery stores. With a 
crust of brown crumbs, these individ- 
ual dishes are very attractive. De- 
licious curries, soups, and deviled 
dishes may be prepared from cold 
fish. It can be combined with mashed 
potatoes and crumbs in a pie; it 
makes a tempting soufflS or excellent 
timbales, and may be used with cold 
potatoes for a relishing hash. Save 
even a few spoonfuls of any sauce ac- 
companying fish. Half a cupful egg, 
tomato, shrimp, oyster, or plain white 
sauce adds much to the flavor of fresh 
sauce used for reheating a dish. If 
the amount of fish is scant, add 3 or 
3 hard-boiled eggs, using them as a 



garnish or cutting the white in rings 
and squeezing the yolk through a po- 
tato ricer and sifting it over the top 
of the dish. Sometimes there are 
small left-overs of cooked oysters or 
clams. If the oysters are in a milk 
stew, strain off the liquor and save it. 
It may be enriched by a spoonful of 
butter or ^ cupful cream. Season 
well and heat in the double boiler, 
then add the oysters, but only just 
long enough to heat them. More than 
a minute will overcook them. Oysters 
or clams which have been cooked in 
any way may be deviled, curried, or 
used in rissoles or chops. Chop 
coarsely a cupful cold scalloped 
oysters with a well-beaten egg and 
shape into croquettes. Flour, egg, 
crumb, and fry. Lobster meat can 
be utilized in almost any receipt that 
calls for that excellent shellfish, or 
converted into delicate lobster soup. 
The smallest amount of fish or shell- 
fish can be utilized for a sauce to ac- 
company baked fish, lobster, oyster, 
and shrimp being most suitable. 

Fish Bisque. 

2 cupfuls cold flsK, 
1 tablespoonful butter, 
1 teaspoonful parsley, 
1 teaspoonful Worcestershire 

Sauce, 

1 quart white or chicken stock, 
•1 tablespoonful butter, 

i tablespoonful flour, 
S cupfuls hot milk, 

2 tablespoonfuls cracker crumbs, 
I teaspoonful salt. 

Dash cayenne. 

Tflince the fish, add to it the but- 
ter, chopped parsley, Worcestershire 
Sauce, and stock. Bind with the but- 



869 



870 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



ter and flour cooked together. Add 
the milk, cracker criimbs and season- 
ings. 

Salmon Loaf. 

S cupfuls salmon, 

1 cupful stale bread crumbs, 

1 teaspoonful onion juice, 

I teaspoonful chopped parsley, 

3 eggs. 

Flake the salmon fine, mix with the 
bread crumbs and seasonings, and 
moisten with the well-beaten eggs. 
Pack into a buttered mold and steam 
for two hours. Serve hot. Any left- 
over of this dish may be broken into 
small pieces, then served with mayon- 
naise; it makes a palatable salad. 

Halibut Boudins. 

J cupful cold mashed potato, 

1 cupful cold halibut, 

^ cupful soft bread crumbs, 

i teaspoonful pepper, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

•1 egg, 

4 teaspoonful onion juice. 

Mash the halibut, mix well with the 
other - ingredients, and press through 
a potato ricer. Moisten with the 
beaten egg. Butter Dario molds and 
dust them with fine bread crumbs. 
Fill eaclf mold with the fish mixture, 
set them in a pan of hot water, and 
bake twenty minutes in a moderate 
oven. Serve on a hot platter, pour a 
white sauce over them, and garnish 
with slices of hard-boiled egg. 

Kedgeree. 

1 cupful cold rice, 

1 cupful cold flaked fish, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

1 egg. 

Salt and pepper. 

Into a double boiler put the rice 
and fish and let them grow quite hot, 
stirring lightly so the fish may not 
break and the mixture grow pasty. 
When hot, add the butter, the egg 
unbeaten, salt, and pepper. Stir till 
well blended, and serve. 



Halibut Ramequins. 

3 tablespoonfuls butter, 

1 tablespoonful flour, 
-J cupful cream, 

'i^ cupful fish stock, 

2 cupfuls cold flaked halibut. 
Yolk 1 egg. 

Make a white sauce from the but- 
ter, flour, cream, and fish stock. Pep- 
per and salt to taste. Add the flaked 
fish and egg beaten thick. Pour into 
ramequins and cover the top with 
buttered crumbs. On top lay a ring 
of hard-boiled white of egg, and in- 
side each a sprig of water cress. 

Fish Triandises. 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
2 tablespoonfuls flour, 
1 cupful scalded milk, 

1 egg» 

2 cupfuls cold fish, 

IJ cupfuls buttered crumbs. 

Make a sauce of the butter, flour, 
and milk. When it thickens, add the 
well-beaten egg. Take the remains of 
cold baked or boiled white-fleshed fish 
and separate it into flakes. Put a 
thin layer of butter crumbs into the 
bottom of a baking dish, cover with 
the flaked fish, sprinkle with salt, 
paprika, and nutmeg. Pour in a 
layer of sauce, then fish. Alternate 
in this fashion till the dish is filled, 
and cover with buttered crumbs. 
Bake for twenty minutes. 

Curried Salmon. 
i onion, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 
i teaspoonful curry powder, 
J cupful hot water, 
'■I tablespoonful flour, 
^ tablespoonful tomato catsup. 
Salt and pepper to taste, 
1 cupful cold salmon. 

Fry the onion brown in the butter, 
sift in the curry and flour, pour the 
water in slowly, and stir till smooth. 
Add the seasoning, and last the Sal- 
mon. Serve hot with toast. 



FISH LEFT-OTERS 



871 



Salmon Croquettes. 

3 cupfuls cold salmon, 

1 cupful cream, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
i tablespoonful flour, 

1 egg. 

Pepper and salt. 

Chop the salmon well, and make 
a white sauce from the butter, flour, 
and cream. Cook and beat till smooth 
and creamy, then add the salmon and 
seasonings. Just before taking from 
the fire, add 1 well-beaten egg, and 
spread on a buttered plate. When 
quite cool, roll into small croquettes 
with flattened ends, flour, egg, crumb, 
and fry in deep boiling lard. 

Iiotoster Croquettes. 

1 cupful chopped lobster, 

i teaspoonful salt, 

^ teaspoonful mustard. 

Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco 

Sauce, 
§ cupful cream sauce. 

Stir the lobster and seasonings into 
the hot cream sauce and spread on a 
plate to cool. Shape into tiny pyra- 
mids. Into the small end of each 
croquette stick a few inches of maca- 
roni or a lobster claw. Fry in deep 
fat. Garnish with parsley or water 
cress. 

iFish Puff Balls. 

1 cupful cold flaked fish, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

f cupful flour, 

1 cupful boiling milk, 

S eggs. 

Pepper and salt. 

Make a white sauce with the milk, 
flour, and butter. Season with pep- 
per and salt. When it has thickened, 
stir in the fish, then the well-beaten 
eggs. Fry a tablespoonful at a 
time in smoking Jaot fat, fritter 
fashion. 

Bluefish Salaff. 

3 cupfuls cold flaked bluefish, 
^ teaspoonful salt. 



I teaspoonful white pepper, 
% cupful olive oil, 

1 tablespoonful vinegar. 

Flake the bluefish neatly and mar- 
inate for an hour with a French 
dressing made from the oil, vinegar, 
and seasonings. Arrange on a nest 
of lettuce, and serve with mayon- 
naise garnished with chopped olives. 

Clam Salad. 

2 cupfuls cold clams, 

1 cupful shredded lettuce. 

Use for this salad cold steamed 
clams or left-overs from a Rhode 
Island bake. Take off the black 
heads and remove the skins. Serve in 
a nest of shredded lettuce. Marinate 
for ten minutes with French dress- 
ing, then serve. 

Halibut Salad. 

2 cupfuls cold halibut, 

1 cupful shredded lettuce, 
^ cupful cold boiled potatoes. 

Flake halibut into small pieces. 
Shred the lettuce with scissors. Cut 
the potato into half-inch cubes. Mix 
fish and potato lightly. Lay in a 
nest of lettuce, and pour over it 
French dressing. 

Salmon Salad Molds. 

1 cupful cold salmon, 

J tablespoonful lemon juice, 
i teaspoonful parsley, 

2 drops Mcllhenny's Tabasco 
Sauce, 

1 tablespoonful gelatin. 

Mix the salmon, lemon, parsley, ta- 
basco, and gelatin, dissolved in a lit- 
tle water, with enough salad dressing 
to moisten. Wet J dozen Dario 
molds. Fill with salmon, level the top 
of each one, place on ice, and turn 
out on lettuce leaves. Serve with a 
mayonnaise. 

Spiced Fish. 

Cold salmon, halibut, or shad 
makes tasty dishes when flaked and 



1872 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



covered with hot spiced vinegar and 
left a day before serving. Cold fried 
fish is excellent served very cold. 
Spanish mackerel is nice in this way. 
Any kind of catsup or salad dress- 
ing may be served with it, but it is 
quite palatable with bread and but- 
ter, and makes a change from cold 
meat. 



HOW TO COOK SALT FISH 

Stuffed Salt Mackerel. 

Freshen 2 fish by soaking six or 
eight hours, wipe, dry, and squeeze 
lemon juice over the flesh side. Lay 
1 fish in the bottom of a baking pan, 
and cover with a thick dressing 
made of bread crumbs well seasoned 
with parsley, pepper, salt, butter, and 
bits of thin lemon peel. Lay the 
other fish on this dressing and baste 
with melted butter and hot water. 
Bake until brown, remove to a hot 
platter without disturbing the layers, 
and cover the top with bread crumbs 
moistened in melted butter and baked 
brown. Garnish with parsley. 

Baked Salt Mackerel. 

Soak the mackerel in cold water 
over night, placing the split side 
down. Cut off the fins and tail. 
Wash and put in a baking pan with 
the split 'side up. Mix a teaspoonful 
flour with a little milk and stir into 
i pint milk. Pour this over the 
mackerel, and bake in a moderate 
oven for half an hour. Just before 
the fish is done, add a teaspoonful 
butter. 

Boiled Salt Mackerel. 

Soak the mackerel over night; 
wash and put in a flat saucepan; 
cover with hot water, and cook slow- 
ly twenty minutes. Serve with cream, 
butter, egg, tomato, brown, or par- 
sley sauce. 

Broiled Salt Mackerel. 

Soak over night; wash and wipe. 
Broil over clear coals for twelve min- 
utes. Put the split side over fire. 



first, 
hot. 



Season with butter, and serve 



Broiled Salt Salmon or Halibut. 

If fish is very salt, freshen for an 
hour or two in cold water; if merely 
smoked and slightly salted, wash and 
cut in small pieces about an inch 
thick. Season well with pepper and 
salt, and wrap each slice in tough 
paper well buttered. Twist the ends 
so the fish is inside a paper bag. 
Put in a broiler, and move over a 
clear fire for about eight minutes. 
Take the fish from the paper cases 
and pour egg sauce over it. 

Codfish Fritters. 

Cut the codfish into strips about 
the size of a finger, freshen by soak- 
ing over night in cold water; in the 
morning, dry between towels. Dip 
each piece in fritter batter, and fry 
delicately brown in hot fat. 

Codfish and Potato Omelet. 

Make a potato-and-fish mixture ex- 
actly as if for fishballs, but leave out 
the egg. Try out some salt pork in 
a spider, and in the dripping put the 
fish and potato to cook. When well 
browned, fold in omelet fashion, and 
turn out on a hot platter. 

Creamed Salt Codfish. 

Pick salt codfish in pieces (there 
should be | cupful) and soak in luke- 
warm water. Drain, and add 1 cup- 
ful white sauce. Garnish with slices 
of hard-boiled eggs. 

Salt Codfish (Creole style)'. 

1 pound boneless codfish, 
% cupful rice, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 can tomatoes, 

1 onion, 

i teaspoonful salt, 

1 saltspoonful pepper. 

Wash and soak the codfish over 
night. When ready to serve, put the 
butter and onion in a saucepan; 
cover and cook on the back part of 



FISH LEFT-OVERS 



873 



the stove until the onion is soft, not 
brown. Drain the codfish, add it and 
the rice, which has been boiled for 
twenty minutes; pour over the toma- 
toes strained; cover the saucepan, 
and cook gently twenty minutes. 
When ready to serve, add salt and 
pepper, push the rice aside and dish 
the fish first; put on top of it the 
rice, and pour over the sauce. — ^Mes. 

ROEEB. 

Salt Fish (Nantucket style). 

Freshen cod for twenty-four hours, 
changing water four or five times. 
Place in a kettle with cold water; as 
soon as it boils, remove to back of 
range and simmer forty-five, minutes. 
Serve on a warm dish, with generous 
lumps of butter (melted by heat of 
fish) and boiled potatoes. 

Salt-Codfisli Chowder. 

2 cupfuls milk, 

1 cupful shredded codfish, 
li cupfuls potato cubes, 

3 ounces salt pork, 

2 tablespoonfuls minced onion^j 
^ teaspoonful pepper, 

1 tablespoonf ul flour^ 

Salt, 

8 Boston crackers. 

Wash the fish and cut in two-incH 
lengths. Tear these in pieces, and, 
covering with cold water, soak for 
three or four hours. Slice the pork, 
and cook in the frying pan for ten 
minutes. Add the onion, and cook ten 
minutes. Now add the flour, and stir 
until smooth; afterwards stir in 1 
gill water. Put the potatoes in a 
stewpan and pour the mixture in the 
frying pan over them. Season with 
pepper and | teaspoonful salt. Place 
on the fire, and cook for ten minutes; 
then take out the slices of pork and 
add the fish, milk, and split crack- 
ers. Cook gently for half an hour, 
being careful to let the chowder 
only bubble at one side of the stew- 
pan. At the end of the half hour, 
taste before serving, to be sure to 
have it salt enough. — ^Miss Pabloa. 



Codfish Balls^ 

1 cupful salt codfish, 
2J cupfuls potato cubes, 
1 tablespoonful butter. 
Dash pepper, 
1 egg. 

Cut the fish in small pieces, put in 
a saucepan with the raw potato, and 
cover with boiling water. Let them 
cook until the potatoes are nearly 
soft. Drain thoroughly and put 
through the meat chopper. Stir in 
the butter, the well-beaten egg, and 
pepper, beat with a fork until light 




Waffle Iron and Waffles on Plate. 

and fluffy, roll into baUs. Dip in 
flour, fry in deep fat, and drain on 
brown paper. 

Souffte Codfish. 

2 cupfuls hot mashed potatoes, 

1 pound salt codfish, 

2 eggs. 
Dash pepper. 

Soak the codfish over night; in the 
morning, pick into thin fine flakes, 
drain, and dry in a towel; add to it 
the beaten potatoes, pepper, and yolks 
of eggs well beaten. Whip the mix- 
ture until light, then blend in the 
whites of the eggs beaten to a stiff 
froth. Pile in a mound on a platter, 
and bake until delicately brown. 

Codfish with Macaroni, 
2 ounces macaroni, 
1 cupful strained potatoes, 
1 tablespoonful butter. 



874 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



i teaspoonful salt, 

i pound salt cod, 

1 tablespoonful onion juice, 

1 tablespoonful flour, 

1 saltspoonful pepper. 

Break macaroni in two-inch lengths, 
put in boiling water, boil rapidly for 
thirty minutes, drain, throw in cold 
water, and blanch fifteen minutes, 
then cut into pieces about half an 
inch long. Wash the codfish, cut it 
into blocks. It is better to have it 
soaked over night. If you wish to 
use it in a hurry, cover with cold wa- 
ter, bring to boiling point, drain, 
throwing away the water, and cover 
again. Do this three times, and it will 
be sufficiently fresh. Rub the butter 
and flour together, add the tomato, 
stir until boiling, then a(Jd the maca- 
roni, fish, onion juice, salt, and pep- 
per. Mix until boiling; stand over 
the teakettle or in hot water for thir- 
ty minutes, and it is ready to serve. 
• — ^Mrs. Rorer. 

Toasted Codfish. 

Cut the fish in thin strips and 
freshen it. Dry, put between the 
wires of a broiler, and toast till deli- 
cately brown. Lay on a hot platter, 
and spread well with butter. 

Broiled ^addie (Scotch recipe). 

Select a small haddie, as they are 
more delicate than large ones. Put 
the fish in a dripping pan, skin side 
up, and bring slowly to the boiling 
point; drain, wipe dry, rub over with 
soft butter, salt, and lemon juice. 

Creamed Haddie (Scotch recipe). 

Trim the fins from a thick finnan 
haddie, cover with cold water^ and let 



stand on the back of a range an houl', 
simmering slightly at the last. Drain 
carefully and set into a baking dish; 
pour over it a cupful milk; cover and 
set in the oven; cook ten minutes. 
Remove the fish to a serving dish and 
pour over the milk. Garnish with 
slices of lemon and pickles. 

Shredded Haddie. 

Braise 3 cupfuls finnan haddie that 
has been picked fine in a lump of 
butter the size of a walnut. Add 1 
cupful cream into which 1 table- 
spoonful flour has been rubbed 
smooth. Let it come to a boiL and 
when cooled a little add 1 large ta- 
blespoonful grated cheese, a dash pep- 
per, and, just before serving, the 
beaten yolk of an egg. Serve on 
toast. 

Rnnan Haddie a la Delmonico. 

Cut fish in strips (there should be 
1 cupful, put in baking pan, cover 
with cold water, place on back of 
range, and allow water to heat to 
boiling point. Stand on range, keep- 
ing water below boiling point for 
twenty-five minutes, drain, and rinse 
thoroughly. Separate fish into flakes, 
add I cupful heavy cream and 4 hard- 
boiled eggs thinly sliced. Season with 
cayenne, add 1 tablespoonful butter, 
and sprinkle with finely chopped pars- 
ley. — Fannie M. Farmer. 

Baked Salt Herring. 

Soak the herrings over night, roll 
in flour and butter, place in a drip- 
ping pan with a very little water over 
them; season with pepper, and after 
putting in the oven, baste frequently. 



CHAPTER XXXIX 



SHELLFISH 



Fried Clams. 

Select plump clams, dry them on a 
towel, roll in cracker crumbs, dip in 
egg, again in crumbs, and fry in hot 
fat; lay a sheet of paper in a colan- 
der and put the clams on this as fast 
as taken up; serve on a napkin. 

Clam Fritters. 

Either whole clams or chopped 
ones may be used. Prepare a fritter 
batter, stir in the clams, using con- 
siderable clam liquor in making the 
batter. If whole clams are used, the 
large ones are best, having one in 
each fritter; when chopped clams are 
used, the fritters may be made any 
size. Drain, and serve on a napkin. 

ftuahog Cocktail (an individual serv- 
ice). 

6 tiny quahogs, 
1 tablespoonful clam liquor. 
Speck cayenne, 
1 teaspoonful ground celery, 
1 teaspoonful tomato catsup, 
1 teaspoonful vinegar. 
Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco Sauce, 
1 teaspoonful Worcester- 
shire Sauce. 

Put the quahogs in a glass with 
clam liquor, add cayenne, celery, to- 
mato catsup, vinegar. Tabasco and 
Worcestershire Sauce. Stir thor- 
oughly with fork. 

Boast Clams. 

Wash the clam shells thoroughly 
and drain in a colander. Spread 
them in a dripping pan and put in a 
hot oven. The shells will begin to 
open in five or eight minutes. Take 
from the oven, and, holding the shell 



over a warm dish, let tHe clam and 
juice drop out. Season with butter, 
salt, and pepper; serve very hot with 
thin slices of buttered brown bread. 

Clams a la Newburg-. 
35 soft-shelled clams, 
1 tablespoonful butter, 
1 tablespoonful flour. 
Yolks 2 eggs, 
1 cupful cream. 

Put butter into a saucepan; stir 
until heated; add the flour, and cook 
until it thickens. Add the beaten 
yolks of the eggs with cream; beat 
well and pom* over the clams; stir 
thoroughly until heated and cooked^ 
but do not boil. 

Clams (Boston style). 
13 soft clams, 
i pound salt pork. 

Cut pork in pieces size of dice, and 
fry crisp. Add clams, freed from the 
tough part, and saute them in the 
pork fat. Serve on Boston brown 
bread. 

Clams in Vienna Rolls. 

Take a large Vienna roll, cut out a 
piece of the crust the size of a half 
dollar, and remove the soft bread 
from the inside. Open as many little- 
neck clams as will fill the roll, re- 
place the small piece of crust, and 
place in the oven for ten minutes. 
Take the juice from the clams, make 
a thickening of flour and the juice, 
mix with it paprika, black pepper, 
Worcestershire Sauce, a dash Mcll- 
henny's Tabasco Sauce, and heat. 
Remove the baked roll from the oven 
and pour sauce over it. 



875 



876 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Escalloped Clams. 
25 clams, 

1 cupful cracker cvumbSj, 
^ cupful milk, 

J cupful clam liquor, 

2 eggs (well beaten), 

1 tablespoonful melted butter, 
Salt and pepper. 

Season the clams highly, mix with 
crumbs moistened with milk and 
clam liquor; add eggs and melted 
butter and the clams chopped. Fill 
each shell, sprinkle with bread 
crumbs, and brown. This fills twelve 
shells. 

Sauted Oysters. 

Put 2 tablespoonfuls butter into i 
saute pan; when it is hot add as 
many drained oysters as will make 2 
cupfuls. Add a little salt and pep- 
per and a tablespoonful lemon juice. 
Shake them in the pan until the gills 
are curled, then add a tablespoonful 
parsley chopped fine. Serve on slices 
of toasted bread on a hot platter. 

Fried Oysters with Cold Slaw. 

Lay the oysters on a cloth to dry. 
Roll in cracker dust, then in egg di- 
luted with a little milk, season with 
pepper and salt, again cover with 
cracker dust. Lay in a frying bas- 
ket and,, fry in smoking hot fat long 
enough to give them a light-brown 
color. Oysters toughen if cooked too 
long. Prepare only 4 at a time ; more 
lower the temperature of the fat too 
much, and if they are rolled before 
the moment of frying, they moisten 
the cracker dust. Place them on a 
paper in the oven until they are done. 
Fold a napkin and place it in the 
center of a platter. Pile the oysters 
on the napkin, and make a wreath 
around them of cold slaw. 

Oysters a la ITewburg. 
25 large oysters, 
IJ tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 tablespoonful lemon juice^ 
Pepper and salt, 
i cupful mushrooms. 
Yolks 4 eggs, 
1 cupful cream. 



Place the oysters in a: saucepan 
with the butter, lemon juice, pepper, 
and salt. Cook until the oysters are 
plump, then add the mushrooms cut 
in quarters. Beat the yolks of the 
egg into the cream, turn it into the 
oyster mixture, let it get hot and a 
little thickened, without boiling. Turn 
it into a hot dish, and garnish with 
croutons. — Mary Ronald. 

Oysters a la George Trimble David- 
son. 

Melt butter the size of 2 eggs, 
then pour in a quart oysters and the 
strained liquor, flavor with salt and 
pepper, a teaspoonful paprika, and a 
dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco. Cut up 
celery, put in 2 tablespoonfuls, and 
squeeze in the juice of ^ lemon. Cook 
four minutes, and serve on hot toast. 
A pint of rich cream added to the 
broth of the oysters makes the dish 
richer. — Deschlee Welsh. 

Oyster Rarebit. 

Clean and remove the hard mus- 
cles from a cupful oysters; parboil 
in their own liquor until the edges 
curl, and remove to a hot bowl. Put 
1 tablespoonful butter, ^ pound 
cheese (broken in small bits), 1 salt- 
spoonful each salt and mustard, and 
a few grains cayenne into the chafing 
dish; while the cheese is melting, 
beat 2 eggs slightly, and add them 
to the oyster liquor; mix this gradu- 
ally with the melted cheese, add the 
oysters, and pour over hot toast. 

Oysters Encoquille (French recipe). 
Clean large oyster shells, into 
each put a couple of small oysters, 
and sprinkle with bread crumbs 
which have been peppered and salted 
and tossed in melted butter. Set the 
shells closely together in a baking 
pan, put in a hot oven, and bake till 
the crumbs are delicately browned. 
Serve a shell to each person on a 
small plate. Garnish with J lemon 
and a sprig of parsley. 

Pigs in Blankets. 

Dust large, plump oysters with 
pepper and salt, wrap each inside a 



SHELLFISH 



-877 



thin slice of bacon and skewer to- 
gether with a toothpick. Lay in a 
hot spider, cook till oysters begin to 
curl and the bacon crisps. Take out 
the toothpicks, and serve three or 
four on a slice of toast to each per- 
son. 

Broiled Oysters. 

Drain large oysters from the liq- 
uor, dip each in melted butter, dust 
with pepper and salt, then roll in 
sifted cracker crumbs. Grease the 
wires of an oj'ster broiler, lay the oys- 
ters in closely, and broil over a clear 
fire until the juice begins tQ flow. 
Serve on toast. 

Roasted Oysters in the Shell, 

Scrub the oyster shells thoroughly, 
lay them in a large roasting pan with 
the round side down, so they retain 
the juices as they cook. They may 
be roasted in a hot oven, on top of 
the stove, in a steamer, or under a 
blaze of a gas stove. When the 
shells open, remove the upper shell 
and serve the lower shells, as many 
as will go on a hot plate, each one 
with a hot oyster in its own juice. 
Dust with Ipepper and salt and 
squeeze a dash of lemon juice over 
each. Serve immediately. If desired, 
they may be slipped from the sheUs 
upon slices of buttered toast and. the 
juice poured over. 

Scalloped Oysters. 
1 pint oysters, 
i cupful melted butter. 
Pepper and salt. 
Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco 

Sauce, 
1 cupful stale bread crumbs^ 
^ cupful milk. 

Cover the bottom of a baking dish 
with bread crumbs, and lay carefully 
over it the oysters lifted from the liq- 
uor. Cover with another layer of 
crumbs dusted with pepper and salt; 
then more oysters, and make the top 
layer crumbs. Strain the oyster liq- 
uor, add to it the tabasco, melted but- 
ter, and the milk scalding hot. Pour 



it over the dish. Sprinkle over the 
top a layer of crumbs moistened with 
melted butter. Set it in the oven, 
and bake till the crumbs are browiii 

Creamed Oysters. 

1 cupful cream sauce^ 
1 pint oysters. 

Make a cupful cream sauce, season 
with salt, pepper, paprika, and cel- 
ery salt. Pick over the oysters, and 
parboil in their own liquor until they 
begin to curl. Drain and add to the 
sauce. Serve on slices of buttered 
toast, in puff-paste patties, in vol-au- 
vent, or in croustade boxes. 

Oyster Pie, 

Line a deep dish with good pug 
paste, not too rich, roll out the upper 
crust and lay en a plate just the 
size of pie dish, set it on top of the 
dish and put into the oven, so the 
crust may be nearly cooked before 
the oysters are put in, for they re- 
quire less cooking than the crust. 
While the crust is baking, strain the 
liquor from the oysters and thicken. 
Add 2 tablespoonfuls butter and the 
same of cracker crumbs, season with 
salt, pepper, nutmeg, or mace. Let 
the liquor boil, slip in the oysters, 
boil it up once, stir, remove plate 
with the crust, pour the oysters and 
hot liquor into the pie dish, put the 
top crust on, and return to the oven 
for five minutes. 

iCurry of lobster. 

I cupful lobster meat, 

1 cupful meat stock, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 tablespoonful flour, 

1 teaspoonful salt. 

Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco 

Sauce, 
^ teaspoonful white pepper, 
1 teaspoonful curry powder, 
1 tablespoonful minced onion, 

3 slices toast. 

Cut the lobster into small pieces 
and season with half the salt and 
pepper. Put the butter and onion on 



878- 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



the fire in a frying pan, and cook un- 
til the onion turns straw color; then 
add the flour and curry powder and 
stir until brown. Gradually add the 
stock to this, stirring all the while. 
Season, and cook for three minutes. 
Strain this into a saucepan, and add 
the lobster. Cook for five minutes. 
Cut the slices of toast in strips and 
lay in a warm dish. Pour the lobster 
over these, and serve at once. 

Breaded Lobster. 
1 large lobster, 
1 egg, 

1 teaspoonful salt, \ 
^ teaspoonful pepper. 
Dried bread crumbs. 
Fat for frying. 

Split the claws and tail and set 
aside. Take the meat from the large 
joints and body and chop fine. Mix 
with this I teaspoonful salt and 
3 tablespoonfuls tomalley. Shape 
into three small, flat cakes. Season 
the lobster with salt and pepper. Beat 
the egg in a soup plate. Dip the 
pieces of lobster and the little cakes, 
one at a time, into the egg; then roll 
in erumbs, and, after arranging on a 
plate, put in a cool place. Put the 
breaded lobster in the frying basket, 
and cook in fat until crisp and 
brown. Serve with Sauce Tartare. 

lobster (French style). 

Chop an onion and put it in a 
Stewpan with 2 ounces butter; fry 
light brown; mix with it a table- 
spoonful flour; add J pint milk, a 
teaspoonful salt, a little pepper and 
cayenne, nutmeg, and chopped par- 
sley. Boil till rather thick; put in 
lobster meat cut in pieces. Let it 
boil up, add yolk of an egg, and a 
little cream, mix quickly; fill the 
shells, egg and bread-crumb them; 
put in the oven for ten minutes; 
brown, and serve. 

Creamed Lobster. 

1 cupful lobster meat, 
1 tablespoon ful butter, 
1 teaspoonful grated oniony 



1 tablespoonful flour, 

1 cupful stock, 

1 tablespoonful lemon juice, 

1 cupful cream. 
Yolk 1 egg. 

Cut the lobster meat into inch dice. 
Put the butter in a saucepan with 
the grated onion, let them cook a 
minute, then add the flour. Stir for 
a few minutes, and add, slowly, the 
stock and lemon juice. When this 
thickens, add the lobster meat, turn- 
ing carefully so as not to break it. 
When the meat is heated, remove 
from the fire and mix cream with the 
yolk of an egg beaten in it. Replace 
on the fire for a minute, and serve 
on toast or in timbales. 

Rissoles of Lobster. 

Mince the meat from a boiled lob- 
ster, season with pepper, salt, and a 
little mace. Add 3 tablespoonfuls 
melted butter and some bread 
crumbs; roll into balls, dip in yolk of 
beaten egg, put more crumbs over 
them, and fry brown. 

Langosta a la Catalana (Mexican 

recipe). 

Remove lobster meat from the 
shell, lay it in a bowl so as to save 
all the liquor, and cut in quarters. 
Chop 4 large onions and a bunch of 
parsley, mash 4 cloves of garlic, and 
fry together in J cupful olive oil un- 
til nearly brown. Season with salt 
and cayenne; add the" lobster with 
the juice, a cupful washed rice, and a 
tablespoonful of capers. Cook until 
the rice is done. When serving, put 
whole pimentoes on top. — ^May E. 
South WORTH. 

Lobster a la Newburg. 

2 hard-boiled eggs, 

i pint cream or milk, 
2 tablespoonfuls flour, 
2 tablespoonfuls butter. 

Put butter in saucepatf, and 
when melted, add flour gradually, 
then cream or milk. Mash yolks of 
eggs and moisten with 3 tablespoon- 



SHELLFISH 



879 



fuls milk then add to ingredients in 
saucepan. Add salt and cayenne, and 
stir until thick and smooth. Add a 
cupful boiled lobster and the whites 
of the eggs cut in strips. 

Cangrejueloe (Mexican recipe). 
1 teaspoonful butter, 
^ pound ham, 
1 onion. 
Dash salt. 
Dash chili powder,' 
1 pint picked shrimps, 
I pint washed rice, 
1 bay leaf, thyme, and parsley. 

Put the butter in a saucepan; 
when hot, add the ham, chopped fine, 
onion, salt, and chili powder. When 
these are well browned, add the 
shrimps and stir until hot; then put 
in the washed rice and parsley. Cov- 
er and simmer with sufficient water 
added to cook the rice until each 
grain stands out alone. 

Scalloped Scallops. 

Cut scallops into small pieces and 
mix with cracker crumbs, beaten 
egg, and a little milk or cream, sea- 
soning to taste. Fill shells, washed 
for the purpose, cover with crumbs, 
put a bit of butter on each, and bake 
delicately brown. 

Fried Scallops. 

Marinate the scallops in a mixture 
of oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. 
Roll in cracker dust, then in egg, 
and again in cracker dust or white 
bread crumbs. Fry in smoking-hot 
fat to a golden color. 



Scallops on the Shell. 

Cut scallops into quarters, if large. 
Place them in the scaLLog shells. 



Dredge with salt, pepper, and chop- 
ped parsley, cover with chopped 
mushrooms, some bits of butter, a 
teaspoonful lemon juice for each shell, 
and bread crumbs moistened with 
butter. Place in a hot oven for ten 
or fifteen minutes. 

Soft-Shell Crabs. 

To prepare them for cooking, lift 
the shell at both edges and remove 
the gray, spongy substance, which 
can be plainly seen, then pull up the 
little triangular apronlike piece on 
under side of shell, wash and wipe 
the crabs dry, dip in milk, roll in 
flour, and fry in hot fat; or dip in 
beaten egg, roll in crumbs, and either 
fry or broil. 

Partan Pies (a Scotch dish). 

Pick the meat, after boiling from 
hard-shell crabs, clean the shells, mix 
the meat with a little pepper, a bit 
of butter, and bread crumbs; add 
3 spoonfuls vinegar and put into the 
shells again; strew bread crumbs 
over, and set them in the oven. Serve 
when brown on top. 

Crabs a la Creole (Southern recipe). 
2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 onion, 

1 sweet Spanish pepper minced, 
i cupful strained tomato pulp, 
i cupful chicken broth, 
4 soft crabs. 

Melt the butter, and cook for five 
minutes the onion and pepper; stir 
while frying, then add the tomato 
pulp, chicken broth, and the crabs 
cleaned and cut in two. Use celery 
salt in the seasoning, and simmer 
seven minutes. 



CHAPTER XIj 



MEATS 



In" regard to meat more than any 
other food, it pays the housewife to 
do her own marketing. A study of 
the cuts laid out on a butcher's stall 
often reveals something good and 
cheap, which would not have been 
thought of if one were giving her or- 
ders to a clerk or over the telephone. 
During the past ten years meat has 
risen so steadily in price that roasts, 
chops, and steaks, on which the aver- 
age housekeeper was wont to rely, 
make a food bill appallingly high. 
But there are other pieces which pro- 
duce very savory dishes by careful 
cooking. 

The good marketer ought, first of 
all, to know at a glance not only the 
various cuts but the appearance of 
good, wholesome meat. When first 
killed, a side of beef is reddish pur- 
ple, but it changes fast to a bright- 
red tint, while the fat is a creamy- 
white color, not in chunks by itself 
but threaded, as it were, through the 
red. It ought to have a fresh, juicy 
appearance that tells it has hung long 
enough to become well ripened and 
fit for human food. 

Before beginning to consider cuts 
of meat, their price, their tenderness 
or toughness, try to imagine the ani- 
mal on its feet wandering about a 
grassy field in search of food. Like 
every other creature, it has a wonder- 
ful network of muscles. Some of 
these muscles work overtime, others 
get little usage. Therefore we find 
the tenderest portions where the body 
has had little exercise — the flesh on 
top of the back, that long strip we 
call the tenderloin lying alongside of 
the spine, the porterhouse, the seven 
prime ribs, as a butcher calls the 



thick sirloin, all cuts which are best 
adapted for broiling or roasting. 
Near the neck are the chuck ribs and 
shoidder, besides the tail and rump; 
then we come down to the round and 
the leg, portions of all creatures that 
abound in muscle. Where sinews are 
abundant and the flesh has a coarse- 
grained appearance, different meth- 
ods of cooking must be resorted to ; if 
it were broiled or roasted, it would 
be almost impossible to chew. It 
should be subjected to slow cooking, 
such as braising, pot roasting, or sim- 
mering j ust below the boiling point or 
to the moderate heat of a casserole. 
The nearer one approaches the hoof 
of the animal, the better is the meat 
adapted for soup making. The ten- 
dons of the shin are rich in gelatin, 
and when dissolved by long, slow 
cooking, give flavor and consistency 
to a soup. 

Beginning at the hoof of a creature, 
there is a piece which makes excel- 
lent soup. As we go farther up the 
loin, the meat begins to be of better 
flavor and the bone contains finer 
marrow. Then comes the round ; from 
the top of it can be cut a really good 
steak. With a slight amount of pound- 
ing and marinating, it can be made 
almost as tender as a more expensive 
cut. By marinating is meant laying 
it in a mixture of oil and vinegar in 
the coldest corner of the refrigerator. 
Next comes the rump, from which 
stews and roasts are cut. Then the 
sirloin, which contains the best 
steaks and roasts. From this portion 
is cut the tenderloin, a fine strip of 
tender meat that lies inside the bone. 
This bit of the creature does not re- 
ceive the slightest exercise. It is a 



^80 



MEATS 



881 



delicate morsel, which sells from 
fifty to eighty cents a pound, accord- 
ing to the demand for it. I have 
bought it in country places as cheap 
as twenty-five cents a poimd, while 
in New York it often brings ninety 
cents. Although deliciously tender, 
it does not possess the flavor and 
nourishment of a cheaper piece of 
steak. 

Now we come to the forequarter, 
which begins at the five prime ribs 
for roasting. Close to them lie the 
five chuck ribs, excellent cuts for 
stews and small steaks. The neck is 
generally converted into Hamburg 
steak, while the under part of the 
animal, which includes the flank, 
plate, navel, and brisket, are corned. 
Here also is the shoulder clod; no 
cut can excel it in juiciness and flav- 
or when a pot roast or beef a la 
mode is desired. For the housewife 
anxious to have a small income pro- 
vide the best food possible, there are 
any number of pieces that make a 
savory dish, only they must be cooked 
in the way which best fits them. A 
cut from the top of the round mar- 
inated, as I suggested, and broiled 
gives an excellent steau. A cheaper 
piece of round, from farther down the 
leg, may be put through the chopper; 
when broiled, it is good as Hamburg 
steak; baked, it makes a savory 
cannelon. A cut from the rump may 
be braised and is as appetizing hot as 
cold. A pound or two of rump is the 
base for a nourishing stew, while a 
braised or boiled tongue affords one 
hot meal and several lunch dishes. 
An ox tail is delicious fricasseed or 
in soup. Pot roasting converts a num- 
ber of cheap cuts into excellent dishes. 
Among these are the juicy, lean cross 
ribs, or a solid piece from the lower 
part of the round or face of the 
rump. Two pounds of flank, which 
costs ten or twelve cents a pound, is 
very good when cooked d la Milan- 
aise. Roll the meat, saute it brown, 
season well, and braise slowly for two 
hours with enough water to make a 
good gravy. 

A sheep's liver is as highly es- 



teemed in England as calf's liver is 
here. In American markets it is al- 
most given away. If liver looks 
cloudy, or a heart and kidney have a 
streaky, spotted appearance, you may 
be sure they are diseased and will 
make dangerous food. When cut 
from a well-nourished, healthy ani- 
mal, they are smooth, red, and juicy. 
A calf's heart is a most appetizing 
dish larded, stuffed with a well-sea- 
soned dressing, roasted, and served 
with rich, brown gravy. 

There is a knack in picking out a 
soup bone as well as in knowing how 
to cook it. It ought to be two thirds 
meat, one third bone and fat. If one 
has a large family, the best method 
to follow in winter when making 
soup, is to purchase two pieces of 
shin, one heavy with meat, the other 
bone and gristle. It must be cooked 
very slowly. When tender, take the 
meat, separating it from the bone 
and gristle, which may be left 
to cook imtil all the good is out of it. 
The meat makes a good hash or stew 
and is not to be despised for cro- 
quettes. Fifty cents' worth of shin 
(when there is no waste) yields sev- 
eral nourishing meals in the shape of 
stew, hash, galantine, and soup. 

It will pay a housewife who caters 
to a large family to purchase a set 
of butcher's tools. They cost several 
dollars, but within a year she can 
save the price of them by getting 
pieces of meat, during the winter at 
least, big enough to make a number 
of meals. Of course cold-storage 
room is a necessity. For instance in 
the course of two weeks, a quarter of 
mutton can be utilized in a good-sized 
household. The first part to be used 
is the flank, because its keeping quali- 
ties are not so good as other parts of 
the quarter. Cut off the small end 
of the ribs, leaving the loin chops and 
the rib quite short. The loin can 
then be hung in a cold pantry. The 
flank will make several quarts of fine 
mutton stock as well as a stew. In 
this way, one may have at a moder- 
ate cost the chops for which a butcher 
charges fancy prices, besides a num- 



882 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



ber of other cuts, which, although not 
quite as choice, malie excellent dishes 
when cooked properly. Beef, pork, and 
veal in large cuts may be purchased 
during the winter and cut by the 
housewife to suit her needs. An ac- 
commodating butcher will generally 
be willing to give his customer a les- 
son on how to divide meat, and with 
sharp tools any woman can accom- 
plish it. 

Boast Beef. 

Use, if possible, a covered roaster 
for cooking any sort of meat. The re- 
sult is much more savory roast and 
less shrinkage. Wipe the meat, set it 
in a dripping pan, skin side down, 
rub with salt and pepper, then dredge 
with flour. Have the oven as hot as 
possible when it is put in, so the out- 
side will sear quickly and prevent the 
escape of the meat juice. As soon as 
the flour in the pan is brown, reduce 
the heat and baste with the fat, 
which has flowed from the roast. 
When the meat is half done, turn it 
on the other side and dredge with 
flour. Should there be the slightest 
appearance of flour in the pan turn- 
ing black, add a little water and baste 
every fifteen minutes until done, al- 
lowing one hour for each five pounds 
if the m,eat is desired rare. An hour 
and twenty minutes is needed if you 
wish it well done. 



able for one portion. Put them in 
the saute pan and sear on all sides, 
then in the casserole. Add a table- 
spoonful flour to the saute pan, let it 
brown, add 1^ cupfuls water, and stir 
until thickened, season with salt, pep- 
per, and a tablespoonful chopped 
parsley. Add a little Worcestershire 
Sauce and mushroom catsup. The 
sauce will be richer if stock is used 
instead of water. Pour the sauce 
ovcE the meat, cover the casserole, 
set in the oven, and cook slowly until 
the meat is tender, then cover the top 
with parboiled, sliced potatoes, and 
return to the oven to finish cooking 
the potatoes. Serve in the casserole. 

To Broil a Steak. 

Have the coals glowing hot, with- 
out flame or smoke. Grease a broiler 
with beef fat, place the steak in it, 
and hold it over the fire while count- 
ing ten slowly. Turn the broiler and 
hold the other side down for the same 
length of time. Turn the meat once 
in ten seconds for about one minute, 
or until it is well seared; then hold it 
farther fro n the fire, turning occa- 
sionally until the surface is brown. 
Just before taking it from the fire, 
sprinkle with salt and pepper, turn- 
ing each side once more to the heat 
to cook the seasoning. When the 
steak is cooked, lay it on the platter, 
and spread both sides with butter. 



Boast-Beef Gravy. 

Pour out the largest part of th'e 
fat, set the pan on top of the stove, 
add I cupful flour, and stir it 
through the dripping until well 
browned. Pepper and salt to taste. 
Add gradually from 1 to 3 cupfuls 
boiling water, and beat the gravy 
smooth with a wire spoon; if it is not 
rich enough in coloring, brown with 
i teaspoonful kitchen bouquet. 

Casserole of Beefsteak. 

Saute 3 sliced onions in a table- 
spoonful butter; put them into the 
casserole. Cut a steak, from the up- 
per side of the roxmd, into pieces suit- 



Braised Beef. 

3 pounds beef, 

2 ounces fat salt pork, 

2 tablespoonfuls flour, 

3 teaspoonfuls salt, 

i teaspoonful pepper, 

li pints water, 

2 tablespoonfuls minced onion, 

2 tablespoonfuls minced carrot, 

2 whole cloves, 

1 sprig parsley. 

Cut the pork into thin slices and 
fry until brown and crisp. Take out 
the pork, putting the vegetables in 
the fat remaining in the pan, and 
cook slowly fifteen minutes. Rub 



MEATS 



88S 



half the pepper and 2 teaspoonfuls 
salt into the piece of meat, and place 
it in a deep graniteware pan. When 
the vegetables are cooked, put them 
with the meat, first pressing from 
them as much fat as possible. Into 
the fat remaining in the pan put the 
flour, and stir until it becomes 
brown. Add the water gradually, 
stirring all the while. Season this 
gravy with the remainder of the salt 
and pepper, and boil for five min- 
utes; then pour over the meat in the 
pan. Add the cloves and parsley. 
Cover the pan and set in a very 
moderate oven. Cook for five hours, 
basting every half hour with the 
gravy in the pan. The oven must 
never be so hot that the gravy will 
bubble. — Maria Parloa. 



Corned Beef and Cabbage. 

Wash and, if very salt, soak in 
cold water for an hour a piece of 
corned beef weighing 5 or 6 pounds. 
Put in a kettle with cold water to 
cover, place on stove, heat slowly, 
taking off scum as it rises to the top 
of the water. Cook slowly for three 
or four hours, or till very tender. 
Take out the meat, and in the liquor 
cook a cabbage which has been pre- 
pared according to directions given 
in chapter on vegetables; also some 
potatoes that have been washed and 
pared. If beets are to be used, cook 
them in boiling water in a kettle by 
themselves. When cabbage and po- 
tatoes are tender, take out with skim- 
mer and serve with the meat. Save 
the fat that rises to the top. 



Beef Stew with Dumplings. 

9 pounds upper part of round 

steak with the bone, 
3 pints boiling water, 
1 turnip, 
1 carrot, 
1 onion, 

^ tablespoonful salt, 
J tablespoonful pepper, 
^ bay leaf, 
J cupful flour for thickening. 

Cut meat in one-and-a-half inch 
pieces, wipe with a damp cloth, and 
sprinkle with a little salt and flour. 
Put some of the fat in a hot frying 
pan, and when tried out, add meat, 
turning often, till well browned. 
Then put in a kettle with the bones, 
add boiling water, rinsing out frying 
pan with some of it, that none of the 
goodness of the meat be wasted. Let 
meat boil for five minutes; then set 
back on the stove where water will 
just bubble, and cook slowly for two 
hours. Then add onion, carrot, and 
turnip which have been cut in half- 
inch cubes, and cook for another 
hour. Twelve minutes before the 
stew is done, put dumplings on a per- 
forated tin pie plate, or in a steamer, 
cover closely, and do not lift the 
cover until stew is cooked. 



Fillet of Beef. 

Trim into shape, lard the upper 
side, dredge with salt, pepper, and 
flour. Put several pieces of pork in 
the pan under the meat, bake in a 
hot oven twenty or thirty minutes. 
Serve with mushroom sauce. Or 
brush the fillet with beaten egg, 
sprinkle seasoned and buttered 
crumbs all over it, and bake thirty 
minutes. Or stuff the incisions left 
by the removal of the veins and ten- 
dons with any stuffing or forcemeat. 
Dredge with salt and flour, and bake. 
— ^Mary J. Lincoln. 

Hamburg Steak. 

Two pounds round beef chopped 
fine; press it into a flat steak, 
sprinkle with salt and pepper and a 
little onion juice; flour lightly, and 
broil as beefsteak. Make a brown 
gravy with a little soup stock, thick- 
en with flour, and pour around the 
steak. 

Steak a la Bordelaise (French rec- 
ipe). 

1 sirloin steak, 

Q tablespoonfuls butter» 

2 tablespoonfuls flour, 
2 cupfuls beef stock. 



884 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



9 tablespoonfuls chopped raw 

ham, 
J bay leaf, 

1 tablespoonful chopped onion. 
Salt and pepper to taste, 
1 tablespoonful tomato catsup, 
^ cupful finely chopped mush- 
rooms. 

Brown the butter and flour, stir in 
the stock; when thick and smooth, 
add the ham, bay leaf, and onion. 
Cover and simmer gently for an hour, 
then strain. Add salt, pepper, cat- 
sup, and mushrooms, and keep hot at 
the side of the fire. Broil a sirloin 
steak, arrange on a hot platter, and 
pour this sauce around it. 

Beefsteak and Onions. 

Broil the steak over the fire, being 
careful to turn it often; after it is 
cooked, place on a hot platter and set 
in the oven with dabs of butter on it. 
Put a little finely chopped suet in a 
frying pan and fry light brown; into 
that place 3 onions sliced fine. Cover 
the pan and cook until tender, remove 
the cover and continue cooking until 
the onions are light brown. In serv- 
ing, pour the onions and gravy over 
the steak. 

Beexste^ Pie. 

3 pounds lean steak, 

Sweet thyme and parsley chopped 

fine. 
Peppers, 
9 onions, 
1 teaspoonful Worcestershire 

Sauce, 
6 hard-boiled eggs. 
Salt. 

Cut the steak in strips four inches 
thick; put it to stew in sufficient 
boiling water so it does not cover the 
meat. After cooking slowly half an 
hour, add the thyme, parsley, pepper, 
and onions, cut in thin slices. When 
seasoning is added, continue stewing 
until the meat is tender. Add corn- 
starch to make the gravy as thick as 
cream, also season with salt and 
sauce. Have ready the hard-boiled 



eggs, and place them in alternate 
layers with the meat in a pie dish; 
pour the gravy over all, cover with 
pastry, and bake. 

Beef Omelet. 

^ pound raw beef, 

3 crackers, 

i teaspoonful Calumet baking 

powder, 
2 well-beaten eggs, 
i teaspoonful herbs. 

Chop the beef fine; roll in the 
cracker dust, with which has been 
mixed the baking powder. Add the 
eggs and mix with salt, pepper, and 
powdered herbs; put a lump of but- 
ter in a baking dish, let it melt, then 
put it in the mixture. Bake half an 
hour. Turn out on a hot platter, 
fold over as you would an omelet, 
and pour a meat sauce around it. 

Steak a la Victor Hugo (French 
recipe). 

1 porterhouse steak, 

I teaspoonful finely chopped 

shallot, 
1 tablespoonful tarragon vinegar, 
J cupful butter. 
Yolks 2 eggs, 
1 teaspoonful lemon juice, 
1 teaspoonful meat extract, 
^ teaspoonful horse-radish. 

Wipe a porterhouse steak, broU, 
and serve with Victor Hugo sauce 
made as follows: Cook shallot in 
vinegar five minutes. Wash J cupful 
butter and divide in thirds. Add 1 
piece butter to mixture with yolks of 
eggs, lemon juice, and meat extract. 
Cook over hot water, stirring con- 
stantly; as soon as the butter is melt- 
ed, add second piece, then a third 
piece. When the mixture thickens, 
add horse-radish. The time for broil- 
ing the steak depends, of course, on 
how you like it; if it is wished rare, 
five minutes over a hot fire or under 
the flame of a gas stove will cook it 
sufficiently. When you wish the 
steak well done, give it from six to 
eight minutes. — Stella A. Downing. 



MEATS 



885 



Stea^, Savory (Hungarian recipe). 
1 sound round steak, 
1 teaspoonful butter, 
J teaspoonful salt, 
J teaspoonful pepper, 
^ cupful chopped beef fat, 
3 onions. 

Cut the steak into four parts. 
Place a frying pan over the fire with 
enough suet to grease the pan. When 
very hot, put in the meat and fry over 
a quick fire until light brown on both 
sides. Remove to a hot dish. Mix 
butter, salt, and pepper. Spread this 
over both sides of the steak and set 
in a warm place. Put chopped beef 
fat in the pan and fry to straw color; 
remove the bits of fat, leaving the liq- 
uid fat in the pan. Add to this the 
onions cut in slices, season with salt, 
cover, and cook five minutes, stirring 
them occasionally. Lay them over 
the steak, and serve. 

Xondon Meat Pie (English recipe). 

1 pound steak, 
^ pound kidney, 

2 cupfuls flour, 

6 tablespoonfuls butter, 

Q teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 

powder. 
Pinch salt, 

1 cupful milk. 

Cut the steak and kidney in thin 
slices, and sprinkle over it flour, pep- 
per, and salt. Put in a pie dish with 
a little hot water. Put the flour in a 
basin with the baking powder and 
salt, rub in the butter, and add milk. 
Turn on a floured board, and roll a 
quarter of an inch in thickness. Wet 
the edges of the pie dish, and line it 
with strips of pastry, then cover, 
brush over with egg, make a hole in 
the center, and bake for an hour and 
a half in a moderately hot oven. 

Steak Pudding (English recipe). 

2 cupfuls flour, 

3 ounces suet, 

1 teaspoonful Calumet baking 

powder, 
1 cupful mUk, 



Salt and pepper^ 
1 pound steak, 
J cupful hot water^ 
Seasoning. 

Cut the meat in slices, and dip 
each piece in seasoning. Cover with 
hot water, and let stand while mak- 
ing the pastry. Mix the flour with 
the suet finely chopped, the bak- 
ing powder and salt, and make into 
a stiff paste with milk. Drop on a 
floured board, and roll. Line a 
greased pudding basin with the pas- 
try, reserving a piece for the top. 
Put in the meat and water, wet the 
edges, and cover with the remain- 
der of the pastry. Tie over the top 
a floured pudding cloth. Put into a 
saucepan of boiling water to boii tWQ 
hours. 

Beef Bouilli (French recipe)^. 
Short ribs beef, 
1 turnip, 
1 carrot, 
1 onion, 

3 stalks celery, 
1 clove garlic. 
Pepper and salt, 

1 tablespoonful vinegar, 

1 teaspoonful mushroom catsup. 

Put the beef on to stew with tur- 
nip, carrot, onion, celery, garlic, salt 
and pepper. Cover with boiling wa- 
ter, and simmer till the meat is ten- 
der as possible. For sauce, add vine- 
gar, mushroom catsup, salt, and 
pepper. Simmer a few minutes. 
Serve the sauce about the meat. 

Beef a la Mode. 

4 pounds beef, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 

2 tablespoonfuls flour, 

3 pints boiling water^ 
1 bay leaf, 

1 sprig celery, 
1 sprig parsley 

1 onion, 

2 carrots, 
1 turnip, 

1 tablespoonful salt^ 
Dash pepper. 



886 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Put the butter in a stewpan over a 
hot fire; when it melts, brown the 
meat on both sides. Remove the meat 
temporarily and add flour to butter; 
let it brown and thicken, then add 
water, bay leaf, celery, parsley, and 
onion with clove stuck in it, carrots, 
turnip, salt, and pepper. Replace 
the meat in this liquid and simmer 




a, Mold for Lady's Fingers; h. Mold for Steamed 
Puddings, Brown Bread, or Parfait; c, Layer- 
Cake Tin; d, Doughnut Cutter. 



six hours. Turn the meat over and 
stir occasionally. Place the meat on 
a platter, strain the gravy over it, 
and garnish with sliced boiled car- 
rots and parsley. 



Beef Goulash (Hungarian recipe), 

3 pounds round steak cut iu inch 

cubes, 
3 orvions sliced, 
3 potatoes diced, 
I cupful butter, 
^ cupful water, 
1 cupful cream, 
a teaspoonful beef extract,' 
i teaspoonful salt, 
f teaspoonful black pepper, 
^ teaspoonful paprika. 

Put the butter in a kettle, set it Oil 
the range, and fry the onions, add 
the meat, cook until brown. Dissolve 
the beef extract in water, and add it 
to the contents of the kettle. Cover 
closely, and cook slowly until the 
meat is tender, then add the season- 
ings, and place the potatoes in the 
kettle on top of the meat. Cover 
and cook until the potatoes are ten- 
der, add the cream, and simmer five 
minutes. 



Plank a la Mllanaise (French rec- 
ipe). 

2 pounds flank, 

1 tablespoonful salt, 
I teaspoonful pepper, 
I cupful chopped onion, 
1 tablespoonful butter, 

3 ounces suet, 

1 cupful water, 

2 slices carrot, 

1 tablespoonful cornstarch". 

Season flank with salt and pepper. 
Place a saucepan with onion and but- 
ter over the fire, add a small piece of 
bruised garlic, cook five minutes. 
When cold, spread this over the meat, 
roll, tie at each end and in the cen- 
ter with a string. Set a saucepan with 
suet over the fire, fry until the suet 
is fried out; then put in the meat; 
cook and turn till the meat becomes 
g. light brown, add water, carrot, and 
onion; cover and cook till done, which 
will take about two hours, adding 
more water if necessary, but only ^ 
cupful at a time. Shortly before 
serving, lay the meat on a hot dish, 
take off the strings, skim the fat from 
the gravy, mix cornstarch with cold 
water, add it to the gravy, stir, and 
cook two minutes; add sufficient boil- 
ing water to make a creamy sauce, 
cook five minutes, strain, and serve. 

Beef Eagout (French recipe), 

3 pounds lean beef, 
1 teaspoonful salt,. 

i teaspoonful pepper, 
1 tablespoonful buttePi, 
3 onions. 

Cut the beef into one-and-a-half- 
inch pieces, season with salt and pep- 
per. Place a saucepan with butter 
and onions over the fire, cook a few 
minutes, add the meat and seasoning, 
cover, and cook over a slow fire two 
and a half hours, adding a little boil- 
ing water if the gravy gets too brown. 
When the meat is tender, dust with 1 
tablespoonful flour, add cupful boil- 
ing water, and cook slowly ten min- 
utes. 



MEATS 



887 



Hot Collops (Scotch recipe). 

Mince Ih pounds round steak fine 
and season highly. An onion can be 
added if liked, chopped very fine. 
Melt a tablespoonful butter in a stew- 
pan, put in the mince, and stir fre- 
quently to keep from getting into 
lumps. Dredge flour over it, and 
pour on a little stock. Let sim- 
mer a few minutes, serve very hot on 
slices of toast. 

Boiled Tongue. 

Bend the tip of the tongue around 
and tie it to the root. Put it in cold 
water and place over the fire. When 
it boils, pour off the water, and put 
it on again in cold water. Boil until 
tender. Remove the skin, roots, and 
fat, and serve cold. Tongues may 
also be braised and served cold. — ^ 
Mary J. Lincoln. 

Sweetbreads and Macaroni SaucCs 
3 beef sweetbreads, 
12 sticks macaroni, 
2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
S tablespoonfuls flour, 

1 cupful cream. 
Salt and pepper. 

Parboil the sweetbreads; cut into 
small pieces. Boil the macaroni; 
when tender, cut it in tiny pieces, mak- 
ing little rings. Into a saucepan put 
butter and flour; stir, add the cream; 
when smooth, add the macaroni and 
sweetbreads. Season with salt and 
pepper. Boil up and serve. 

Tripe a la Creole (Southern recipe). 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
12 peppercorns, 

2 cloves, 

1 blade mace, 

1 onion chopped fine, 

2 tablespoonfuls flour, 

1^ cupfuls strained tomato, 
I pound boiled tripe. 

Put into a saucepan the butter, 
peppercorns, cloves, mace, and onion 
chopped fine. Cook slowly until the 
butter is light brown; add the flour, 
and brown again. Strain, and re- 



turn to the fire. Season to taste; add 
the boiled tripe, cut into inch strips; 
cover, and simmer gently for twenty 
minutes. 

Curried Tripe (Southern recipe). 
1 tablespoonful butter, 
1 finely chopped onion, 
1 tablespoonful flour, 
1 cupful stewed tomato, 
li pounds boiled tripe, 
Curry powder, pepper, and salt, 

1 cupful beef stock. 

Melt the butter in a spider; add the 
onion; cook until colored; add the 
flour and brown it; stir in the beef 
stock and tomatoes. Add the boiled 
tripe, cut into strips, season with salt, 
pepper, and a little curry powder. 
Simmer gently for ten minutes, and 
serve. 

Tripe Xyonnaise (French recipe). 

2 pounds tripe, 

1 tablespoonful butter. 

Slice onion. 

Salt and pepper. 

Cut the tripe in thin strips. Put 
the butter in a frying pan; when 
hot, add the onion, and fry light 
brown. Turn in the tripe, add a lit- 
tle salt and pepper. Cook gently 
until tender. Thicken the gravy with 
flour. 

Tripe a TEspagnole (French recipe). 

3 tablespoonfuls oil, 

^ cujiful finely chopped onion, 
i finely chopped green pepper, 
1 bruised clove garlic, 
I cupful finely chopped mush- 
rooms, 
IJ pounds tripe, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

^ teaspoonful pepper, 

2 finely cut tomatoes, 
1 teaspoonful flour, 

1 cupful boiling water, 
1 teaspoonful beef extract, 
1 teaspoonful finely chopped 
parsley. 

Place the oil in a saucepan over the 
fire, add the onion, pepper, and gar- 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



lie; cook five minutes without brown- 
ing. Wash and cut the tripe into 
inch-sized pieces, season with salt and 
pepper; mix the tripe with the sea- 
soning; add it to vegetables in the 
saucepan, cover, and cook ten min- 
utes; add the tomatoes, seasoning and 
mushrooms, cook five minutes; dust 
with flour, add boiling water and beef 
extract, cook a few minutes longer. 
Serve, sprinkled with parsley. 

Stewed Tripe and Tomato Sauce. 
1 pound tripe, 
1 onion cut in slices, 
3 cupfuls tomatoes, 
3 tablespoon fuls flour, 
^ cupful cold water. 
Salt and pepper. 

Wash the tripe, cover with hot wa- 
ter; add the onion, cover the sauce- 
pan, and cook slowly half an hour. 
In another saucepan put the toma- 
toes, cook ten minutes; strain through 
a sieve and return to the pan. Wet 
the flour with the water; add it to 
the strained tomatoes, stirring all the 
time. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
Place the tripe on a hot platter and 
pour the sauce over. 

Tripe with Oysters. 

Simmer ^ pound tripe for three 
quartei»s of an hour in slightly salt- 
ed water; take out the tripe; add to 
the water in which the tripe was 
cooked a little butter, flour, salt, and 
pepper. Return the tripe and a doz- 
en oysters, simmer until the oysters 
are cooked, and serve. 

Tripe and Onions (English recipe), 
1 pound tripe, 
S onions, 
1 cupful milk, 
§ tablespoonful flouij' 
Pepper and salt. 

Parboil the tripe, and cut into 
small pieces. Parboil the onions, and 
cut in rings. Put them both in a 
saucepan with boiling water and a 
little salt. Simmer gently from an 
hour and a half to two hours. Mix 



the flour and milk smooth! j; WtieU 
the tripe is tender, pour it in. Let it 
come to the boil, and serve verjr hot. 

Beef Heart Saute. 

Soak a beef heart in cold water ari 
hour, changing the water several 
times to draw out all the blood. 
Cover with boiling water, add 1 tea- 
spoonful salt, and simmer gently two 
hours. Set aside until cold. Cut into 
half-inch slices and take out the tough 
muscle in the center. Dip each slice 
in slightly beaten egg, with which 
has been mixed salt and pepper, J 
teaspoonful onion juice, and 3 tea- 
spoonfuls warm water; roll in dry 
bread crumbs, and stand ten min- 
utes. Fry golden brown in deep fat. 
In a frying pan melt 1 tablespoonful 
butter; when brown, add 1 table- 
spoonful flour, and brown again. Add 
gradually f cupful water in which 
'the heart was cooked, ^ cupful vine- 
gar from piccalilli, and 1 tablespoon- 
ful pickle chopped fine; salt and 
pepper to taste. Simmer two or 
three minutes. 

Stewed Beef's Heart (English rec- 
ipe). 

1 beef heart, 

1 cupful bread crumbs, 

3 slices salt pork minced. 

Salt and pepper, 

1 teaspoonful chopped parsley, 

1 teaspoonful sweet marjoram, 
i teaspoonful chopped onion, 

2 teaspoonfuls melted butter, 

1 tablespoonful browned flour, 
f lemon. 

Wash the heart thoroughly and 
soak two hours in cold water slightly 
salted. Stuff with forcemeat made of 
bread crumbs, salt pork, salt, pepper, 
parsley, sweet marjoram, and onion. 
Moisten with melted butter. Fill the 
heart with this, sew up the opening, 
and tie firmly in a piece of cloth. 
Put in a saucepan, nearly cover with 
boiling water, and stew gently for 
three hours. The water should by 
this time be reduced to a pint. Take 
out the heart, remove cloth and dish. 



MEATS 



889 



Set aside a cup of gravy and thicken 
what is left in the saucepan with but- 
ter rubbed smooth in browned flour. 
Salt and pepper to taste. After tak- 
ing from the fire, add the lemon 
juice, and pour over the meat. Carve 
in slices across the top. 

Beef Kidney a la Baden-Baden (Ger- 
man recipe). 

1 beef kidney, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, ^ 
1 tablespoonful salt, 

1 teaspoonful pepper, 

2 tablespoonfuls finely cut mush- 
rooms. 

Yolks 3 eggs, 

1 cupful sweet cream. 

Split the kidney in half; remove 
the white fat and all stringy parts; 
cut the kidney in four-inch squares. 
Place a saucepan over the fire, add 
the butter, and as soon as hot, put in 
the kidney; season with salt and 
pepper, stir, and cook five minutes; 
add the mushrooms, cook six minutes. 
Mix the yolks of the eggs with the 
cream; add to the kidneys; stir and 
beat till nearly boiling; add a little 
cayenne pepper, and serve. 

Hungarian Kidney. 
1 beef kidney, 
IJ tablespoonfuls butter, 
i teaspoonful salt, 
J teaspoonful white pepper, 
4 tablespoonfuls beef stock, 
1 tablespoonful chopped mush- 
rooms, 
Yolks 2 eggs, 
I cupful milk. 

Wash the kidney, and witK a sharp 
knife cut off the outer part of each 
lobe, rejecting the purplish portion 
and tubes. In a saucepan put the but- 
ter, salt, and pepper. When hot, 
add the kidney; shake, and cook for 
five minutes; add the beef stock and 
mushrooms; simmer for ten minutes; 
mix the eggs and milk, add to the 
contents of the saucepan, stir until 
the sauce begins to thicken; then take 
from the fire, and serve in a hot dish. 



Broiled Kidneys (Scotch recipe). 

Cut the kidneys in slices, soak an 
hour in salted water, wipe them dry, 
dip in beaten egg, then in crumbSj 
and broil over a hot fire. 

Frizzled Dried Beef. 

Cover dried beef with hot water tO 
take out the salt; throw this water 
away, and put the beef into a sauce- 
pan with a few tablespoonfuls boil- 
ing water; let it simmer; add a little 
butter, put the beef on slices of toast 
and pour a thin tomato sauce over 
them. 

Fricassee of Oxtails. 

Wash and clean 2 small oxtails, cut 
them in pieces two inches long, put 
them into stock, and simmer until 
tender. Do this the day before they 
are to be used. Dip them in beaten 
eggs and crumbs, season with salt and 
pepper, and fry light brown. For 
the sauce, thicken the stock the ox- 
tails were cooked in with flour, poUT 
over the meat, and serve. 

Savory Oxtail (Mexican recipe)^ 

2 oxtails, 

8 onions. 

Clove bruised garlic, 

1 tablespoonful salt, 

1 teaspoonful pepper, 

1 carrot, 
Q turnips, 

2 sweet potatoes, 

4 potatoes, 

1 cupful Lima beansy 

5 tablespoonfuls butter. 

Cut oxtails into pieces, scald ifl 
boiling water and cool in cold water; 
place a saucepan with butter over the 
fire, add onions and garlic; cook 
three minutes; drain the meat and 
season with salt and pepper; stir, and 
c^ok six minutes ; then cover with boil- 
ing water and cook two hours. Add 
carrot, turnips, sweet potatoes, on- 
ions, and potatoes; cover, and cook 
till nearly done; then add the Lima 
beans described below: Soak 1 cupful 
Lima beans in cold water over night, 
place them over the fire with cold 
water, add a Little salt, and boil till 



890 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



tender; melt 1 tablespoonful butter 
in a small saucepan, stir, and cook 
two minutes; add 1 pint broth, cook 
a few minutes; then add to the stew; 
cook a few minutes, and serve. In 
place of butter, the Spanish people 
use oil. 

Creamed Frankforts (German recipe). 
1| tablespoonfuls butter. 



1 cupful milk. 

Pepper and salt, 

4) Frankfort sausages. 

Make a cream sauce of butter, 
flour, and milk. Season with salt 
and pepper. Skin Frankfort sau- 
sages, cut into pieces an inch long, 
and bring to a boiling point in the 
sauce. — Steila A. Downisg. 



1^ tablespoonfuls flour. 



'_y 



CHAPTER XLI 

LEFT-OVERS OF BEEF 



A Roast of meat goes on the table 
in seme households day after day in 
the same style, with the carver doing 
his best at each meal to leave it as 
sightly as possible. Its last appear- 
ance is calculated to take away the 
appetite of an entire family. The 
careful housewife, whose aim is 
economy and a healthful, attractive 
table, on the second day studies the 
cold roast with a keen eye. It comes 
from the refrigerator on a clean 
plate, and with it a bowl of brown 
gravy to which has been added every 
drop of the meat juices left in the 
platter on which the roast was served. 
Probably for limcheon she plans cold 
meat, cut in neat slices from the 
choicest bits of the roast, rare slices 
and well done, to appeal to various 
tastes. The meat is not cut until al- 
most ready to put on the table. It is 
nicely arranged on a small platter 
with a garnish of parsley, cress, or 
cubes of aspic. She does not reheat 
the gravy to serve on cold plates. 
Worcestershire, tomato, or some 
cold homemade sauce makes a more 
fitting accompaniment. Then she 
carves the roast and plans for future 
meals. The tough outside pieces are 
laid away to be chopped, the fat to 
be rendered down for drippings, the 
tender bits of meat to be deviled, 
used for pie, ragout, or warmed up in 
the gra\y, while the bones and gristle 
go to the souji kettle. Not a morsel 
of the meat is wasted in such a 
kitchen, and the daintily served, ap- 
petizing meals that follow the roast 
at intervals do not hint to the unin- 
itiated of rechauffes. 

To make warmed-up meats appetiz- 
ing, there are various commodities 



which ought always to occupy a place 
in the pantry. Have a small jar of 
onion butter, a bottle of caramel, a 
glass can filled with browned flour, a 
j ar of finely rolled bread . crumbs, 
Worcestershire Sauce, celery salt, 
mace, bay leaves, a bottle of Mcll- 
henny's Tabasco Sauce, cayenne, cur- 
ry, catsup, canned mushrooms, pap- 
rika, kitchen bouquet, and horse- 
radish. The secret of appetizing 
food is good flavoring, and a frequent 
varying of flavor has more to do with 
a tempting table than a large butcher 
bill. 

Meat Minced with Poached Eggs. 

2 cup fills cold meat, 

1 cupful gravy or stock. 

Pepper, 

Salt, 

1 teaspoonful butter. 

Chop a pint of meat coarsely, sea- 
son well, heat in a cupful of left-over 
gravy or stock. Do not allow it to 
boil, merely to come to a simmer. 
Serve on diamonds of toast with a 
poached egg on top of each slice. 

Bubble and Squeak. 

4 cupfuls cold corned beef or 
beef left from a pot roast, 

3 tablespoonfuls butter^ 

2 cupfuls cold boiled cabbage. 
Salt and pepper. 

Cut the cold meat into small strips 
and saute them in a tablespoonful 
butter. Chop the cabbage and 3 ta- 
blespoonfuls butter in an omelet pan. 
Pepper and salt it, then stir over the 
fire till it begins to brown. Arrange 
on a hot platter as a border and into 



^91 



892 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



the middle put the hot meat. Serve 
with boiled potatoes. 

Grilled Slices with Creole Sauce. 

Cut from roast beef 6 slices of 
rarest meat, broil for five minutes 
over a clear fire, put on a hot plate, 
and serve with a sauce made as fol- 
lows: In a saucepan put 3 table- 
spoonfuls butter, 3 tablespoon fuls 
chopped onion, and 1 tablespoonful 
chopped green pepper. Fry light 
brown, stirring constantly. Add 3 
tablespoonfuls flour and stir to a 
paste ; then put in a pint brown stock, 
2 teaspoonfuls Worcestershire Sauce, 
a teaspoonful dry mustard, and 3 
teaspoonfuls vinegar. Salt and pep- 
per to taste. Cook over a slow fire, 
beating the sauce smooth. Add 
a teaspoonful chopped parsley and J 
can mushrooms cut in halves. Let 
the sauce come to a boilj then pour 
over the grilled meat. 

Deviled Beef. 

Take slices of rare roast beef and 
spread with butter on each side, as if 
you were buttering bread. Over this 
scrape a mustard made by mixing a 
tablespoonful vinegar with 3 table- 
spoonfuls mustard and a dash salt 
and pepper. Lay on a smoking-hot 
iron spider and fry till the slices be- 
gin trf'curl over. 

Mock Terrapin. 

6 hard-boiled eggs, 
2 cupfuls brown stock, 

4 cupfuls cold beef, 

2 tablespoonfuls flour, 

5 tablespoonfuls butter, 
I cupful cider. 

Put the butter and flour in a Sauce- 
pan, and when blended, pour in the 
soup, and beat till smooth. Let it 
come to the boil, then add the meat 
cut in inch pieces, and draw to a 
cooler place on the stove where it can 
simmer half an hour. If you cannot 
watch it, pour it in a double boiler, 
for the success of this dish depends 
on the steeping of the meat at just 
below boUing point. Season with 



Bait, pepper, and the cider when the 
dish is ready to take from the fire. 
Boil 6 eggs hard and lay in cold wa- 
ter to make the shells come off easily. 
Pour the mock terrapin on a large 
platter, garnish with eggs sliced, split 
gherkins, and poinds of lemon. 

B,oast-Beef Pillau. 

Cook for five minutes 1 tablespoon- 
ful butter and a smaU onion chopped 
fine. Before it begins to brown, add 
3 cupfuls cold beef cut in fine dice, 
seasoned with ^ teaspoonful salt and 
i teaspoonful pepper. Simmer slow- 
ly for ten minutes. While it is cook- 
ing, cover I cupful rice with cold wa- 
ter and set it over the fire to boil. 
When it has cooked for five min- 
utes drain and let cold water run 
through it till every grain sepa- 
rates. Add the rice to the beef, 
pour over it IJ cupfuls canned toma- 
toes. Pour in a cupful boiling wa- 
ter, and cook slowly till the rice is 
perfectly soft. 

Beef Fricassee. 

3 cupfuls cold beef cut in thin 

slices, 
S cupfuls brown stock, 
3 tablespoonfuls butter, 
3 tablespoonfuls flour, 
J teaspoonful pepper, 
1 teaspoonful onion butter, 
1 teaspoonful salt. 

Season the meat with salt and pep- 
per. Melt the butter in a spider, add 
the flour, and stir to a brown paste. 
Pour in the stock and beat smooth 
with a wire whisk. Season with pep- 
per, salt, and onion butter, and cook 
ten minutes. Add the cold meat, 
simmer a few minutes, and serve on 
a deep platter with a border of rice, 
mashed potatoes, or points of toast. 

Beef B-agout with Tomato. 
8 cupfuls cold roast beef, 
14 cupfuls tomato pulp, 
1 tablespoonful butter, 
1 teaspoonful onion juice. 
Salt and pepper. 



LEFT-OVERS OF BEEF 



893; 



Cut the beef into half-inch cubes, 
cook the tomatoes half an hour, and 
push through a potato ricer. Reheat 
the tomatoes, adding butter and sea- 
sonings, at the last the beef. Let it 
simply heat, not boil, then serve. 

Creamed Corned Beef au Gratin. 
2 tablespoonfuls flour, 
S tablespoonfuls butter, 

1 cupful milk, 
J sliced onion, 

J stalk chopped celery, 
pepper, 

2 cupfuls cold corned beef, 

f eupful buttered cracker 
crumbs. 

Put the celery, cut in inch lengths, 
and the onion in the milk; scald in a 
double boiler. Strain when boiling 
and convert the milk into a Vi^hite 
sauce with the butter and flour. When 
thick, add the corned beef, cut into 
small neat cubes, and a dash of pep- 
per. Pour into a shallow dish, cover 
with buttered cracker crumbs, and 
brown. Garnish with blanched leaves 
of celery. 

Beef Hash. 

Use for beef hash the tough part 
of the roast thoroughly freed from 
fat and gristle. Chop and mix 1 
cupful meat with 2 cupfuls chopped 
potatoes. In an iron spider put 3 
tablespoonfuls butter and | cupful 
stock, or a spoon of gravy added to 
enough hot water to half fill a cup. 
Boil up, then add the meat and pota- 
toes seasoned with pepper and salt. 
Stir occasionally with a fork. Let 
the water evaporate from the hash, 
leaving it dry but not pasty. 

Fatherland Farm Meat Loaf. 

Butter a long, narrow cake tin and 
line with cold mashed potatoes, 
smoothing with a spatula into a layer 
an inch thick. Inside this put a fill- 
ing of roast beef, chopped coarsely, 
seasoned with pepper, salt, and a few 
drops of onion juice, and moistened 
with gravy. Smooth this filling till 
within one inch of the top of the tin. 



and cover with mashed potatoes. 
Bake in a hot oven for half an hour 
and turn out on a long platter. It 
will look like a finely crusted loaf, 
and may be cut in neat slices. This 
makes a delicious luncheon or tea 
dish. — ^Mes. S. B. Forbes. 

Fapas E,ellenas (Cuban recipe). 
3 large potatoes, 
1 cupful cold roast beef, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

2 tablespoonfuls cooked tomato, 
9 eggs, 

1 tablespoonful flour, 

3 olives. 

Pepper, salt, cayenne. 

Boil the potatoes, and cut in halves 
lengthwise. Scoop out the inside 
with a spoon, leaving the potato shell 
half an inch thick. Make a " picca- 
dillo" to stuff them with. Chop the 
beef, put it in a spider with the but- 
ter and tomato. Cook till the mix- 
ture begins to look dry, add 1 well- 
beaten egg, a dust cayenne, salt, and 
pepper and 3 olives chopped. Stuff 
the potato halves with this mixture. 
Beat 1 egg light, add 1 teaspoonful 
flour, and in this batter dip the half 
potatoes. Fry in boiling lard as you 
would croquettes. 

The Eemains of a Boiled Dinner. 

Winter squash can be served in a 
pie, sifting and seasoning it as if 
boiled for the purpose. Cold cabbage 
may be put into hot spiced vinegar, 
served cold with vinegar, or heated 
with a little butter and pepper, salt, 
if needed, and just a suspicion of 
vinegar. Cut it fine, and heat thor- 
oughly. Beets make good pickles. 
Turnips, carrots, and parsnips can be 
warmed up. A favorite dish with 
many people is " red-flannel hash," 
plain hash containing a little chopped 
beet. Look over the meat, cutting 
out all the gristle and soft fat. Chop 
it fine with some of the hard fat. 
Mince potatoes which have been 
boiled in pot liquor. Use three times 
as much potatoes as meat. Chop 
with the potatoes a small quantity of 



894 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



the cabbage and some of the beets; 
For 2 quarts potatoes use 4 pint cab- 
bage and 1 large beet. Mix thor- 
oughly with the meat. Pour some 
milk into a frying pan and turn in 
the hash, using enough to moisten 
thoroughly. Add 2 tablespoonfuls 
butter and season with pepper and 
salt if necessary. Be sure it is heated 
through. Serve with brown bread and 
pickles. — H. Annette Poole. 

Tongue Sandwiches. 

1 cupful finely chopped tongue, 
1 teaspoonful made mustard, 
1 tablespoonful soft butter, 
J teaspoonful paprika, 
fSTolk 1 hard-boiled egg. 
Juice J lemon. 
Dash nutmeg. 



Chop the tongue fine, and mix thor- 
oughly with the other ingredients. 
Spread between thin slices of bread. 

Beef Kissoles. 

Roll pie crust as thin as possible 
and cut into rounds with a large bis- 
cuit cutter. Mince cold beef or steak, 
season with salt and paprika, and 
moisten with stock or gravy to make 
the meat stick together. Put a spoon- 
ful of this mixture into each round of 
paste, pinching the edges together 
carefully so that not a particle of the 
meat may escape. Brush egg over 
the outside, and fry like doughnuts 
in deep lard. They will take eight 
minutes to brown. Drain on thick 
paper, and serve hot in Of folded 
napkin. 



CHAPTER XLII 



LAMB AND MUTTON 



Mutton Stew (Irish recipe), 
li pounds neck mutton, ' 
2 quarts potatoes, 
4 onions, 

2 cupfuls boiling water. 
Pepper and salt. 

Cut the mutton in pieces, and put 
in saucepan with the onions cut in 
rings, also the hot water and salt. 
Let it boil, then simmer gently for 
two hours. Parboil the potatoes, cut 
them in halves, put in the saucepan 
with the meat, about half an hour be- 
fore it is done. In serving, put the 
potatoes round the dish, with the 
meat and onions in the center, and 
pour the gravy over. 

Roast Lamb. 

Wipe the meat with a damp towel, 
place in a baking pan, dredge with 
pepper, salt, and flour. Add a cup- 
ful boiling water and a teaspoonful 
salt to the pan. Baste every ten min- 
utes, and bake fifteen minutes to the 
pound in a hot oven. "When done set 
the meat on a platter, and serve with 
mint sauce and green peas. 

Boiled Leg of Lamb. 

Choose a hind leg, put into a ket- 
tle, and cover with boiling water. Set 
over the fire, let come to a boil, pour 
in a pint cold water and simmer gen- 
tly until done. Take the meat up on 
a hot dish, and serve with caper 
sauce. 

Stuffed Shoulder of Lamb. 

Bone a shoulder of lamb, leave the 
knuckle, and fill the cavity with rich 
bread stuffing; tie neatly in shape 
and wrap in a buttered paper. Lay 
in a deep pan with 4 tablespoonfuls 



butter, a sliced carrot and turnip, an 
onion stuck with cloves, and a bunch 
sweet herbs. Pour on sufficient stock 
to cover the bottom of the pan. Set 
over a slow fire and simmer gently; 
baste every ten minutes. When near- 
ly done, lift from the pan, remove 
the paper ; brush the meat with melted 
glaze and set in the oven to brown. 
Take up the shoulder on a heated 
dish. Strain the gravy, and pour 
around it. Garnish with furSe of 
green peas, and serve with maitre 
d'hotel sauce. — Eliza Parker. 

Pressed Lamb. 

Put a shoulder of lamb on to boil, 
with water to cover; when tender, 
season with salt and pepper. Boil 
until tender, when the juice will be 
nearly boiled out. Chop the meat, 
and season. Put it in p bowl with a 
plate on top and press out all the 
juice; set in a cool place to harden. 
Slice thin when serving. Soup can 
be made of the broth. 

Broiled Breast of Lamb. 

Trim a breast of Iamb and put it 
in a saucepan, cover with stock, add 
a bunch sweet herbs, a slice onion, a 
piece mace, and 2 or 3 cloves; sim-, 
mer gently until tender. Take up, 
dredge with salt and pepper, brush 
over with beaten egg and grated 
cracker, and broil over a clear fire 
until brown on both sides. Take up 
on a heated dish, pour over a little 
melted butter and garnish with as- 
paragus tips. 

Imitation Barbecue of Mutton. 

Remove the skin from a leg of mut- 
ton, sprinkle with salt, and dredge 
with flour. Place in the pan and 



895 



896 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOE 



roast. Allow the meat twenty miil- 
utes to the pound. One hour before 
serving, prepare the following mix- 
ture: 

J cupful Worcestershire Sauce, 

J cupful tomato catsup, 

J cupful vinegar, 

^ teaspoonful pepper, 

2 teaspoonfuls mustard. 

Stick the meat all over witK a 
sharp-pointed knife, pull the cuts 
open and fill with this hot mixture. 
Baste with the liquor which gathers 
in the pan, and pour it over the meat 
before sending it to the table. 

Army Stew. 

1 tablespoonful chopped parsley, 

2 potinds forequarter lamb, 
1 teaspoonful pepper, 

1 tablespoonful salt, 
4 onions, 

2 turnips, 
2 carrots, 
4 potatoes, 

1 cupful milk, 

2 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder, 

1 egg. 

2 cupfuls flour. 

Cut lamb in pieces, place in a 
saucepan, cover with boiling water, 
cook two minutes, remove, drain and 
plungp into cold water, drain and re- 
turn the meat to the saucepan. Cover 
again with boiling water, add salt, 
pepper, and onions, boil an hour and 
a half, add turnips, peeled and cut 
into quarters, carrots and potatoes, 
cut into quarters; boil till done. Ten 
minutes before serving, mix flour with 
baking powder, egg and milk, cut 
with teaspoonful small portions from 
the mixture and drop them in the 
stew; cover, and cook five minutes; 
then remove the saucepan to side of 
stove, where it stops boiling, other- 
wise the dumplings will become heavy; 
add parsley, and serve. 

Haricot Mutton (English recipe)^ 
IJ pounds neck mutton, 
1 onion, 
1 carroty 



1 turnip, 

4 tablespoonfuls butter, 

2 tablespoonfuls flour. 
Pepper and salt to taste, 
2 cupfuls hot water. 

Divide the meat into small joints, 
and cut the vegetables in small square 
pieces. Put the butter in a saucepan, 
add the meat, and fry brown with the 
onions. Pour oJBf the fat, add the 
vegetables, flour, water, and a little 
salt. Let it boil; then simmer gently 
from one and a half to two hours. In 
serving, put the meat on a hot dish, 
pile the vegetables on top, and pou£ 
the gravy round about* 

Breaded Chops. 
4 loin chops, 
1 egg, 

1 cupful bread crumbs, 
1 teaspoonful salt. 
Dash pepper, 

1 tablespoonful chopped parsley. 
Cut chops three quarters of an inch 

thick. Dip each in beaten egg and 
lay on a meat board. Mix bread 
crumbs with salt and pepper, minced 
parsley, and a little grated nutmeg. 
Roll the chops in the bread crimibs 
and fry in boiling fat until light 
brown. Garnish with slices of lemon 
and sprigs of parsley. 

Curry of laiftb (Southern recipe). 
Breast lamb, 

2 onions, 
1 carrot. 
Bunch parsley, 

1 bay leaf, 

4 tablespoonfuls butter, 

3 tablespoonfuls curry powder, 

2 dozen sweet potatoes, 

2 tablespoonfuls flour, 

3 tablespoonfuls grated cocoa- 
nut, 

3 dashes Mcllhenny's Tabasco 
Sauce. 

Cut lamb in inch squares, trim, and 
put on fire with enough water to cov- 
er; add onion, carrot, parsley, and 
bay leaf; cook half an hour. Prepare 



LAMB AND MUTTON 



897 



butter in saucepan with curry pow- 
der, simmer five miinutes, add flour, 
moisten witii stock of lamb strained; 
add pieces of lamb, also sweet pota- 
toes, cocoanut, salt, and tabasco. 
Cook fifteen minutes, and serve with 
garnishing of boiled rice. Chicken, 
veal, or mutton may be prepared in 
the same way. 

Lamb Chops a la Boulangere (French 

recipe). 
10 or 12 cutlets, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
i cupful cream. 

Salt, pepper, and cayenne, 

1 tablespoonful chopped chervil, 

1 lemon. 

Trim the cutlets, season with salt, 
pepper, and a little cayenne, dip in 
olive oil, then in flour. Broil over a 
slow fire. While they are cooking, 
put cream in a stewpan, and when 
boiling add butter, chervil, the juice 
of i lemon, and a little pepper and 
salt; stir quickly till it forms a 
smooth sauce; pour it over the cut- 
lets when done, and serve quickly. 
Fillets of veal or rabbit are good 
cooked in this way. 

Miitton Chops a la Cleveland. 
8 mutton chops, 

3 tablespoonfuls sweet oil, 
3 tablespoonfuls butter, 

1 onion, 

1 pint mushrooms, 

i pint strained tomatoes. 

Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco 

Sauce, 
Salt, 
Chopped parsley. 

Fry the chops in the oil and butter. 
Put them on a hot platter while you 
make the sauce. Chop the onion and 
mushrooms fine; put them in a sauce- 
pan with a little butter and fry until 
brown. Add the tomatoes, and boil 
five minutes ; add the tabasco, salt, 
pepper, and parsley. Lay the chops 
in a circle; pour the sauce in the cen- 
ter, and garnish with points of toast. 



Broiled Iamb Chops. 

Have the chops cut thick, dust 
with salt and pepper; broil over a 
quick fire ; pile neatly on a hot plat- 
ter, and put a small bit of butter on 
each one. 

Stuffed Mutton Chops. 
10 mutton chops, 
1 tablespoonful butter, 
1 tablespoonful chopped onion, 
i cupful chopped mushrooms, 
1 teaspoon ful salt. 
Pinch pepper, 

1 tablespoonful flour, 

2 tablespoonfuls stock. 

Trim the chops, which have been 
cut very thick. With a sharp knife 
split each chop in two, without sepa- 




a, Brown-Bread or Pudding Mold; b, Waffle 
Iron ; c, Patty Pans. 

rating the meat from the bone. Put 
the butter in a pan, add the onion, 
and cook five minutes; add to this 
the chopped mushrooms, salt, and 
pepper, and cook five minutes longer. 
Add the flour and stock. Cook for a 
few minutes; stuff each chop with 
this mixture after it has cooled; press 
them tightly together, and broil. 

Mutton Cutlets with Mushrooms. 

Take the bones from mutton chops, 
and use the round, lean portions. 
Brush with melted butter and broil. 
Serve them on rounds of toasted 
bread, with mushroom sauce poured 
over. Sauce. — Peel 1 pint mush- 
rooms, cut in pieces, season, and 
cook in cream sauce for ten minutes. 



898 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Iamb Fricassee (German recipe). 
2 breasts lamb, 
2 ounces butter, 

2 tablespoonfuls chopped onion, 
2 teaspoonfuls salt, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

2 tablespoonfuls flour. 

Dip the lamb breasts into boiling 
water, then instantly into cold water; 
cut the meat into two-inch pieces. 
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add 
the onions, and cook five minutes 
without browning; season the meat 
with the salt; add it to the saucepan; 
cook ten minutes, cover with boiling 
water, put on the lid, and cook until 
done. Shortly before serving, melt 
i tablespoonful butter, add the flour, 
stir, and cook a few minutes; add it 
to the fricassee, and boil a few min- 
utes longer. — Gesine Lemcke. 

Beviled Kidneys (German recipe). 
6 lamb kidneys, 
1 ounce butter, 

S tablespoonfuls chopped onions, 
% bruised clove garlic,, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 
1 cupful stock. 
Yolks 3 eggs, 

1 teaspoonful chopped parsley, 
Cayenne pepper. 

Split the kidneys, remove the white 
part in center and chop fine. Place 
the butter in a saucepan, add the 
onions, and cook three minutes; add 
the kidneys and salt; stir, and cook 
three minutes; then add the stock, 
and cook three minutes longer. Re- 
move from the fire, add the eggs, 
parsley, and a little pepper. Fill this 
mixture into 6 ramequins, sprinkle 
over each i tablespoonful fresh grated 
bread crumbs and a little melted but- 
ter. Place the ramequins in a tin 



pan, set it in a hot oven, and bake 
brown. — Gesine Lemcke. 

Kidneys a la Maitre d'hotel (French 

recipe). 

Split and cut in two, lengthwise, 
iamb's kidneys. Run a skewer 
through to keep them flat. Dip in 
melted butter and fine bread crumbs; 
season with salt and pepper. Broil 
five minutes. Serve with maitre 
d'hotel butter. 

Lamb-Heart Stew (French recipe). 
3 lambs' hearts, 
1 tablespoonful butter, 
i peeled lemon, 
i bay leaf. 
Salt, 
Pepper. 

"Wash the hearts and slice, cutting 
across the grain of the meat. Dry 
'slightly and dust with flour. Put the 
butter in a stewpan and when hot add 
the meat ; stir and cook about ten 
minutes. Add enough water to near- 
ly cover the meat, the lemon cut in 
slices, and bay leaf. Cover the ket- 
tle, and cook gently half an hour, 
stirring often and adding more wa- 
ter, if needed; add salt and pepper; 
remove the bay leaf and lemon^ 
thicken, and serve. 

lamb's liver Curried. 
1 lamb's liver, 
1 onion. 

Few slices pork, 
i teaspoonful curry powder. 

Cut the lamb's liver in slices, soak 
in salted water for five minutes, take 
from the water, and dry in a cloth. 
Slice the onion and fry with pork. 
Take out the pork and fry the liver. 
Brown well, add the curry powder 
to the sauce, stir smooth, and serve. 



CHAPTER XLIII 



LAMB LEFT-OVERS 



Lamb can be used in nearly every 
recipe given for beef. It is especially 
good for croquettes and makes a sav- 
ory stew. Save every drop of gravy 
or liquid from the platter when set- 
ting a roast of lamb away. It re- 
quires all the enriching it can have 
and always plenty of seasoning. 

Potatoes with Lamb Stuffing. 
8 large baked potatoes, 
1 cupful cold chopped lamb, 
4 tablespoonfuls chopped ham, 
i cupful thin white sauce, 
Q tablespoonfuls cream. 
White 1 egg. 
Salt and pepper. 



Mix lightly with a fork the chopped 
meat, potato, onion, and seasonings. 
Heap it in a mound in the middle of 
a shallow baking dish. Cover with 
buttered crumbs and bake till brown= 
When ready to serve, pour around it 
a cup of green peas drained and sea« 
soned. 

lamb-and-Rice Croquettes. 

3 cupfuls chopped lamb, 

1 cupfid cold rice, 

1 tablespoonful lemon juice, 

1 tablespoonful chopped parsley. 

Pepper and salt, 

1 cupful white sauce. 



Bake 8 large, perfect potatoes. Mix the lamb and rice with the sea- 



While they are cooking, chop the 
lamb and ham, mix lightly together, 
add the seasonings, and moisten with 
white sauce. When the potatoes are 
soft, cut a thin slice from the end of 
each and scoop out the inside. Put it 
at once through a potato ricer and 
set away to keep warm. Fill the po- 
tato skins almost to the top with the 
meat mixture. Add to a cup of the 
mashed potato the cream and beaten 
white of the egg. Pepper and salt, 
and on the top of each potato put a 
spoonful, leaving it in a small, rocky 
mound. Bake till the top is a deli- 
cate brown. Serve the potatoes piled 
on their ends in a shallow dish, with 
a plentiful garnish of parsley. 

Hound of Lamb with Peas. 

2 cupfuls cold chopped lamb* 
1 small onion, 

I cupful cold potatoes, 
■ Pepper and salt, 

3 tablespoonfiils stock, 

f cupful buttered crumbs, 
1 cupful green peas. 



sonings and stir into a hot, thick, 
white sauce. Cool. Roll into cone- 
shaped croquettes. Flour, egg, and 
crumb. Fry in deep fat. Garnish 
with parsley. 

Lamb in Savory Stew. 

1^ cupfuls cold lamb, 

4 tablespoonfuls butter, 

1 tablespoonful flour, 

i onion, 

1 cupful gravy or brown stock, 

^ cucimiber pickles. 

Pepper, salt, cayenne. 

Into a granite saucepan put the 
butter, onion, and flour, and rub to a 
paste. When it grows light brown, 
add the gravy or stock, salt and pep- 
per, and allow to simmer for two 
minutes. Cut the pickles in small 
pieces, add to the sauce and the lamb 
cut in neat slices. Let it heat through, 
then serve in a deep platter sur- 
rounded by a ring of hot boiled rice 
or mashed potatoes. 



899 



CHAPTER XLIVj 



VEAL 



Roast Breast of Veal. 

1 cupful stale bread, 

3 tablespoonfuls butter, 

2 tablespoonfuls minced onion, 
I teaspoonful salt, 

i teaspoonful thyme, 

1 egg, 

Small breast veal (about 3 

pounds), 
f tablespoonful cornstarch. 

Soak stale bread in cold water; 
when soft, put it in a towel, press out 
the water, place butter with minced 
onion over the fire, stir and cook five 
minutes without browning, then add 
the bread, stir five minutes longer, 
season with salt, pepper, thyme, and 
1 egg, and mix. Have the butcher 
prepare the veal for filling, wash and 
wipe the meat dry, season inside and 
out with 1 tablespoonful salt and ^ 
teaspoonful pepper, then stuff the 
breast, sew it up, lay the meat in 
a roasting pan, with slices of pork 
under if, spread over with butter, 
and lay a few slices of pork on 
top. Place the pan in hot oven, 
roast until the meat becomes light 
brown, basting frequently with its 
own gravy, add 1 cupful boiling wa- 
ter, roast about two hours longer, 
basting frequently until done; add 
more water should the gravy brown 
too much. Ten minutes before serv- 
ing, lay the meat on a platter, re- 
move the fat from the gravy, mix 
cornstarch with | cupful cold water, 
add to it the sauce, stir,and cook three 
minutes, then strain, pour a little of 
the sauce over the meat, and serve the 
remainder in a gravy boat. 

Veal Roasted with ]ffushrooms. 

Bone a loin of veal. Remove the 
kidneys and fat, and lay them, after 



splitting in two, inside the loiri. Sea- 
son inside with pepper and salt, and 
fold over the flap to inclose the kid- 
neys. Roll and tie securely with 
string, making the roast oblong shape. 
Cover the bottom of the roasting pan 
with thin slices of fat pork, a sliced 
onion, and chopped parsley. Lay the 
meat on top, and moisten with a lit- 
tle cream. Have the oven rather slow 
at first, basting the veal frequently 
with a little cream. When nearly 
done, sprinkle with fine bread crumbs, 
moisten with melted butter, and let it 
brown. Take out the veal, untie, 
sprinkle Parmesan cheese over it, set 
im a very hot oven, surround with 
broiled mushrooms, and pour over the 
strained liquid left in the roasting 
pan. 

Veal Savory (French recipey. 
11 pounds ham, 
3 pounds raw veal, 
6 hard-boiled eggs, 
1 tablespoonful butter, 
1 tablespoonful flour. 

Cut the veal and ham into small 
pieces. Cut eggs in slices, lay part 
of them in the bottom of a well-but- 
tered earthenware dish, sprinkle with 
minced parsley, then put in a layer 
of veal and ham, with salt and pep- 
per to season. Proceed with these 
alternate layers until all is used, then 
add just enough water to cover it, 
with butter rolled in flour and divided 
into tiny portions dotted over the top. 
Tie a buttered paper over the dish, 
and bake one hour in a hot oven. Re- 
move the paper, lay a plate over the 
meat with a weight to keep it in 
place, and let it remain another hour 
in a slow oven. When cold, turn out 
and garnish with small lettuce leaves 



.,900 



VEAL 



901 



filled with cold peas dressed with a 
little mayonnaise. 

Veal Loaf. 

4 pounds raw lean veal, 

I pound ham, 

^ pound salt pork, 

1 cupful stale bread crumbs, 

i cupful melted butter, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

1 teaspoonful paprika, 

1 teaspoonful onion juice, 

^ teaspoonful allspice, 

^ teaspoonful nutmeg, 

^ teaspoonful cloves, 

1 lemon, juice and ririd, 

9 eggs. 

Chop very fine the veal, ham, and 
salt pork. Mix with meat the bread 
crumbs soaked in milk, butter, sea- 
sonings, and well-beaten eggs. Press 
into a buttered bread pan, cover the 
top with lardoons of salt pork; bake 
one hour. Cut when cold into thin 
slices. 

Curried Veal Cutlets. 

Trim cutlets into uniform shape 
and size; dip in the beaten yolks of 
eggs, and cover with grated bread 
crumbs that have been mixed with 2 
tablespoonfuls curry powder and a ta- 
blespoonful salt. Fry in butter till 
brown. Take out of the spider, and 
in it melt and brown a little butter 
and flour, add a cujsful water, and 
pour over the cutlets. 

Veal Hearts (Spanish recipe). 
4 slices bacon, 
1 sliced onion, 
4 veal hearts, 
1 cupful stock, 
f minced pimento, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 
I bay leaf. 

Fry bacon to a crisp, remove from 
the spider, and crisp the sliced onion 
in the hot fat. Trim and wash hearts, 
slice them, roll in flour, and fry in 
hot fat. Add to the fat in the pan 
the stock, pimento, salt, and bay leaf. 
Pour the mixture over the hearts, and 
cook two hours. Five minutes before 
serving, add the bacon. 



Brown Stew. 

2 pounds veal, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 

2 tablespoonfuls flour, 

1 pint water, 

1 teaspoonful salt. 

Dash pepper. 

Slice onion, 

1 teaspoonful kitchen bouquef. 

1 bay leaf. 

Cut the veal into cubes and roll in 
flour. Put 2 tablespoonfuls butter 
into a pan; when hot, add the meat, 
and stir constantly until browned. 
Dust with the flour, mix, add the wa- 
ter; stir, add the salt and pepper, 
onion, kitchen bouquet, and bay leaf. 
Cover, and simmer gently for an 
hour. 

Veal Cutlets. 

Divide the cutlet into pieces about 
four inches square; dip in egg, then 
in crumbs; fry for five minutes. Add 
•J cupful boiling water, and let sim- 
mer for an hour. Dish, and serve 
with bits of lemon. 

Ragout of Veal. 

Cut the meat in thin slices, put 2 
tablespoonfuls butter in a pan, dredge 
with flour, and fry light brown. Take 
out the meat and put into the pan a 
cupful cold stock or gravy, season 
with salt and pepper and a table- 
spoonful tomato catsup. Lay a few 
slices of cold ham in the gravy, also 
the veal. Serve very hot. 

Veal Oysters. 

Cut IJ pounds veal cutlets into 
pieces the size of large oysters; sea- 
son with 1 tablespoonful salt, dust 
with flour, dip into beaten egg, roll 
in bread crumbs, and fry light brown 
on both sides. Serve on a hot dish; 
garnish with lemon quarters. 

Veal Sirds (English recipe). 

Cut thin slices of veal into pieces 
two and a half by four inches. Chop 
the trimmings of the meat fine with 
one small slice of fat salt pork and 
half as much cracker crumbs as there 



902 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



is meat. Season highly with salt, 
cayenne, and onion juice, moisten 
with beaten egg and a little hot wa- 
ter. Spread each slice of veal with 
this mixture and roll tightly; fasten 
with a toothpick. Dredge with flour, 
pepper, and salt, and fry slowly in 
hot butter. Add ^ cupful cream, and 
simmer twenty minutes. Remove the 
fastenings, put the birds on toast, 
pour the cream over them, garnish 
with points of lemon, and serve. 

Wiener Schnitzel (German recipe). 
3 pounds veal steak, 
1 egg, 

5 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 tablespoonful lard, 

§ teaspoonful capers, 

6 anchovies. 
Lemon. 

Cut the veal in slices half an inch 
thick and three inches square; pare 
the corners round; beat lightly to 
flatten; season with salt and dust 
with flour; dip each cutlet in egg, 
cover with fine crumbs, and pat 
smooth with a knife. Fifteen min- 
utes before serving, place a pan with 
the butter and lard over the fire; as 
soon as hot, put in the cutlets, fry 
light brown. Arrange on a warm 
dish; lay in the center of each schnit- 
zel J t&'aspoonful capers. Soak the 
anchovies in cold water; remove the 
skin and bones; divide in halves, roll 
them up; place 2 of these rolls on 
each schnitzel with | lemon cut in 
two. Garnish with water cress or par- 
sley, and serve. 

Smothered Veal. 

Place in the bottom of a baking 
pan 2 slices salt pork cut fine, a lay- 
er of sliced potatoes, a little chopped 
onion, a layer of finely chopped un- 
cooked veal, pepper, and salt. Con- 
tinue until the dish is full. Spread 
over the top bits of butter. Bake 
forty-five minutes. 

Veal Stew. 

3 pounds breast veal, 
3 tablespoonfuls butter. 



Q tablespoonfuls flour. 
Bunch parsley, 
3 carrots, 

2 cupfuls cooked green peas. 

Cut up the veal and fry light 
brown in a pan with the butter; drain 
off most of the butter; sprinkle the 
flour over the meat; mix well and fry 
a little longer, add 1 pint water and 
let boil; take out the meat, put it in 
another pan, strain the sauce over it. 
Add the parsley chopped fine, car- 
rots cut fine, and peas. Boil up 
again, and serve. 

Veal CoUops (Scotch recipe). 
IJ pounds veal, 
S tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 tablespoonful chopped onioiij^ 

3 cupfuls stock, 

1 can green peas. 
Salt and pepper. 

Trim off skin and fat from the 
veal and put through a meat chopper. 
Melt the butter and brown the onion, 
then add the stock; season to taste 
and simmer five minutes. Fry the 
chopped raw meat in a spider. Stir 
until the butter is absorbed; strain 
over it the stock in the saucepan; 
cover, simmer for twenty minutes, 
stirring occasionally. Place the peas 
in a saucepan with butter, salt, and 
pepper, and heat. When the meat 
has absorbed the liquor, turn it into 
the center of a hot platter; sprinkle 
with finely chopped parsley and sur- 
round with the peas. 

Calves' Tongue with. Tomato Sauce. 

2 calves' tongues, 

1 tablespoonful flour, 
1 cupful water, 

4 tablespoonfuls vinegar, 
1 bunch parsley, 

1 onion, 

3 cloves. 

Soak the tongues in warm water 
an hour; drain and parboil, cool, pare, 
and scrape off the white skin. Put 
the flour in a saucepan, stir into it 
gradually the water. When it boils, 
add the tongues with vinegar, parsley, 



VEAL 



903 



onion, and cloves. Cover and cook 
slowly an hour. Serve with tomato 
sauce. 

Stevi^ed Calf's liver. 
1 calf's liver, 
1 turnip, 
1 carrot, 
1 stalk celery, 
1 onion, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 
1 tablespoonful browned flour. 

Wash and cut the liver in slices. 
In a saucepan put the turnip, carrot, 
celery, and onion (all sliced); lay the 
liver on top of the vegetables; 
sprinkle salt and pepper over it, and 
pour on a pint boiling water; cover, 
and let stew until the liver is tender. 
When done, take out the liver and 
put on a hot platter; thicken the 
gravy with butter and flour; strain, 
and pour over the meat. 

Broiled liver. 

Cut calf's liver into half inch slices, 
cover with boiling water, let stand 
five or six minutes, drain, and wipe 
dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper 
and broil in a greased broiler five 
minutes. Put on a hot platter and 
spread with bits of butter. Serve 
very hot. 

Braised Calf's liver. 

I calf's liver, 

II onion, 

ounces bacon, 

3 tablespoonfuls flour, 

1 sliced carrot, 
i bay leaf, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

1 cupful stock, 

I cupful strained tomatoes. 

In the liver make many small slits 
with a paring knife and insert slices 
of onion and bits of sliced bacon. 
Heat in a spider 3 tablespoonfuls ba- 
con drippings and add flour to the 
fat. Brown the flour in the fat, then 
add the liver, and roll it on all sides 
imtil it is seared in the fat and cov- 
ered with fat and flour. Place the 
iiver in the heated casserole, add car- 



rot, bay leaf, salt, stock, and toma- 
toes. Bake two hours and a half. 

Calf's liver and Bacon. 

Saut6 calf's liver in bacon fat, and 
when done, make a gravy from it 
with flour and hot water. Heat a 
pan, and drop in slices of bacon. If 
the pan is very hot, they will curl 
into rolls and brown in a few min- 
utes. Arrange the liver, and garnish 
with parsley. 

Veal Kidney Omelet. 
1 veal kidney, 
1 tablespoonful butter, 
i teaspoonful salt. 
Dash pepper, 
4 eggs, 
1 tablespoonful warm water* 

Remove the fat and tubes from a 
kidney and chop fine. Place in a fry- 
ing pan with butter, salt, and pepper, 
and shake over a hot fire until the 
meat is golden brown. Beat the eggs 
without separating; add the warm 
water. Heat the butter in a spider, 
pour in the eggs, and shake over the 
fire till the mixture begins to set. 
Draw back — so the omelet may set 
without burning; turn the cooked 
kidney over the center, fold up, and 
serve on a hot platter. 

Veal Kidneys Deviled. 

Split in half 3 veal kidneys and 
take out the fibrous parts. Spread 
both sides with a mayonnaise, season 
highly, roll in bread crumbs, dip in 
melted butter, and broil over a hot 
fire. Serve at once. 

Fried Sweetbreads. 

1 pair sweetbreads, 
1 tablespoonful butter, 
1 tablespoonful flour, 
1 cupful milk. 
Salt and pepper. 

Parboil the sweetbreads; when cold, 
dip them in beaten egg and cracker 
crumbs, sprinkle salt over them, and 
fry in hot fat. Stir together the but- 
ter and flour, then set the pan back a 



904 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



little and add gradually the milk; 
stir until smooth. Season with salt 
and pepper, finely chopped celery, and 
cook about two minutes. Strain the 
sauce over the sweetbreads. 

Sweetbread Croquettes. 
2 sweetbreads, 
1 can mushrooms, 
1 tablespoonful flour, 
1 tablespoonfid butter, 
§ cupful cream, 
S yolks eggs. 

Parboil the sweetbreads and cut 
them in small pieces ; also cut the 
mushrooms. Put into a saucepan the 
flour and butter, and when made 
smooth, add the cream; heat, then add 
the sweetbreads and mushrooms. 



Sweetbreads a la Newburg. 
1 cupful cream, 
1^ cupfuls sweetbreads. 
Yolks 3 eggs, 
i teaspoonful salt, 
Few grains cayenne. 

Heat the cream; add the sweet- 
breads parboiled and cut in cubes. 
Beat the yolks of the eggs; add the 
salt and cayenne, and stir into the 
cream. Stir until thickened slightly; 
serve at once. 

Sweetbread Fritters. 

Parboil sweetbreads, cut in small 
pieces, season with salt, pepper, and 
chopped parsley; dip in fritter bat- 
ter and fry in deej) fat. 



CHAPTER XLV 



VEAL LEFT-OVERS 



Veai is the flesh of an immature 
creature, and will not keep fresh as 
long as that of an older animal. A 
left-over of beef may be kept a day 
or two before serving again; it is bet- 
ter to see to the condition of veal 
twenty-four hours after cooking, es- 
pecially in hot weather, and serve it 
as soon as convenient. Veal has lit- 
tle flavor, and requires considerable 
seasoning. Brown sauce is the gen- 
eral accompaniment to veal at the 
first cooking. Save every spoonful 
of sauce to use with it when warming 
over. If there is no brown gravy, 
white sauce may take its place. Veal 
makes an excellent ragout, seasoned 
with onion juice and cayenne, minced 
and poured on toast for breakfast; 
in a salad or croquettes, it tastes very 
much like chicken. Add to it a few 
mushrooms or 2 or 3 spoonfuls left- 
over sweetbreads, and you have de- 
licious rissoles. It is excellent com- 
bined with oysters in a scallop. When 
preparing it for a salad, be careful 
to reject all morsels of gristle as 
well as brown or hard meat. One- 
half measure each of cold veal and 
finely chopped white cabbage is de- 
licious with a horse-radish dressing. 
Marinate for two hours, else you will 
find the salad a tasteless one. 

Nut Balls. 

1 cupful cold chopped veal, 

12 chopped blanched almonds, 

i teaspoonful salt, 

1 egg. 

Pepper, 

Paprika, 

1 cupful tomato sauce. 

Mix the meat, almonds, and season- 
ing, and moisten with the well-beaten 



egg. Roll into balls the size of a 
walnut and set in a baking pan. Pour 
over them the hot tomato sauce. 
Cook in a hot oven for twenty min- 
utes. Serve on a platter garnished 
with water cress. 



Windermere Croquettes (English 
recipe). 

IJ cupfuls milk, 

li tablespoonfuls butter, 

3 tablespoonfuls flour, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 
Dash cayenne, 

2 cupfmls cold chopped veal, 

1 tablespoonful chopped parsley, 
i cupful cold rice, 

Yolks 3 hard-boiled eggs. 

Make a white sauce from the milk, 
flour, butter, and seasonings. To 1 
cupful sauce add the chopped meat 
and parsley. Spread on a plate to 
cool. Into the ^ cupful sauce beat the 
rice and the yolks of the eggs pushed 
through a potato ricer. Spread on a 
plate to cool. Take a tablespoonful 
meat mixture and flatten into a cake. 
Inside this put a teaspoonful rice mix- 
ture rolled in a tiny ball. Wrap the 
meat around it till covered. Roll in 
flour, egg, crumbs, and fry in deep 
fat. Pile cannon-ball fashion on a 
platter. Garnish with parsley. — Mary 
Kendall. 

Calf's Liver Terrapin with Mush- 
rooms. 

2 cupfuls cold liver, 

1 cupful stock, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter^ 

3 eggs, 

i teaspoonful salt. 



905 



906 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



I teaspoonful paprika, 

i teaspoonful kitchen bouquet, 

i teaspoonful mustard, 

3 drops Mcllhenny's Tabasco 

Sauce, 
1 cupful mushrooms, 
3 truffles. 

Boil the eggs hard. Rub the yolks 
smooth with the butter, salt, paprika, 
kitchen bouquet, mustard, and ta- 
basco. Add the liver cut in small 
pieces and the stock. Cook five min- 



utes, add the mushrooms and truffles, 
and serve garnished with whites of 
eggs cut in rings. 

Veal Omelet. 

If you have a cupful of cold roast 
veal left over, chop it fine, season 
with pepper, salt, and a dash of pap- 
rika; then tuck it between the folds 
of an omelet. Pour over it before 
sending to the table a cup of hot, 
well-seasoned tomato sauce. 



CHAPTER XLVI 



PORK 



Roast Pork. 

Selkct a piece of loin from a young 
pig, 3 pounds in weight; score the 
rind across one eighth of an inch 
apart, season with i tablespoonful 
salt and i teaspoonful pepper; lay 
the porlc in a roasting pan, place it 
in a medium hot oven, roast till light 
brown, basting with its own gravy; 
then add | cupful boiling water; con- 
tinue to roast and baste till nearly 
done, turn the meat over, so the rind 
lies in the gravy, roast ten minutes, 
turn it again, so the rind is on the 
top; let it remain five minutes longer 
in the oven, transfer to a hot dish, 
free the gravy from fat, mix 1 tea- 
spoonful cornstarch with | gill cold 
water, add it to the gravy, stir two 
minutes, add suflBcient boiling water 
to make creamy sauce, strain, and 
serve with the meat. 

Pork Tenderloins with Sweet Pota- 
toes. 

Wipe tenderloins, put in a dripping 
pan and brown quickly in a hot oven; 
then sprinkle with salt and pepper, 
and bake forty-five minutes, basting 
every fifteen minutes. 

Pare six potatoes and parboil ten 
minutes, drain, put in pan with meat, 
and cook until soft, basting when 
basting meat. — Fannie M. Farmer. 

Pork Chops, Sauce Robert. 

Take 8 rib chops, trim them neat- 
ly; have ready some finely chopped 
onion and parsley; sprinkle each 
chop on both sides with this, also salt 
and pepper, and beat lightly with a 
broad knife, to make all adhere. Dip 
each one into slightly beaten egg, 
then roll into fine bread crumbs; let 
stand five minutes; dip into melted 



butter, and roll again in the crumbs. 
Arrange in a wire broiler and broil 
seven minutes over a clear fire. Chop 
fine 3 large onions, place in a stew- 
pan with 1 tablespoonful butter, and 
cook slowly until well colored; add 1 
tablespoonful flour, stir, and brown 
again, add slowly 1 J cup fuls beef stock 
and 2 tablespoonfuls vinegar. When 
smooth and thick, simmer until re- 
duced to 1 cupful, add 1 teaspoonful 
mixed mustard, salt, and pepper to 
taste. Pour this around the chops as 
they are dished. 

Bobble Gash (German recipe). 
1 pound lean pork, 
1 pound veal, 
1 tablespoonful lard, 
3 onions, 
5 potatoes, 
1 cupful cream, 
1 tablespoonful flour. 

Cut the pork and veal in small 
pieces. Put the lard in a kettle; 
when hot, add the onions sliced. As 
they commence to brown, drop in 
the meat and stir constantly until 
brown; then cover with water and 
boil three fourths of an hour. Sea- 
son with salt and pepper. Pare and 
cut in small dice the potatoes; 
when boiled, add them to the meat 
with the cream. Thicken with flour. 

Boston Pork and Beans. 

Pick over and wash a quart of 
dried beans the night before you bake 
them. Put them to soak in cold wa- 
ter. In the morning, pour off the wa- 
ter, put them in a kettle, then cover 
with plenty of cold water, and set 
to boil. Cook till perfectly tender; 
turn off the bean water; put them 



907 



908 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



into a pot; score in lines the rind of 
a piece of porli and bury it, all but 
the surface of the rind, in the middle 
of the beans. Add enough boiling wa- 
ter to the beans to cover. Stir in 3 
tablespoonfuls molasses and a tea- 
spoonful fresh mustard. Cover the 
pot and put in the oven. Bake mod- 
erately, but steadily, five hours. If 
the water wastes away so as to be be- 
low the surface of the beans, supply 
enough just to cover them. Toward 
the end of the time, it may be allowed 
to dry down enough to permit the 
pork to brown. Uncover the pot for 
a little while for this purpose. 

Eoast Fig. 

A pig for roasting should not 
weigh over 6 or 7 pounds after being 
cleaned. When it has been prepared 
by the butcher, lay it in cold water 
for fifteen minutes, then wipe dry, 
inside and out. Make a stuffing as 
for a turkey, adding two beaten eggs. 
Stuff the pig to his original size and 
shape. Sew him up, bend his fore 
legs backward, his back legs for- 
ward under him, and skewer into 
shape. Dredge with flour and set, 
with a little salt water, into a 
covered roaster. At the end of twen- 
ty minutes remove the cover again, 
rub the pig with butter, and brown 
for ten minutes. Serve verjr hoi SV^ith 
apple sauce. 

Homemade Sausage. 

Take of lean young pork IJ pounds 
tenderloin, the rest any lean cut, 
4 pounds, and fat, 2 pounds; put it 
through a sausage grinder — twice, 
perhaps three times, until of the de- 
sired fineness. Use for each pound 
of meat, 1 teaspoonful powdered, 
dried leaf sage, 1 teaspoonful salt, J 
teaspoonful pepper, and J nutmeg; 
nutmeg may be omitted if preferred. 
A quantity of sausage may be made 
at a time and preserved for regular 
use if one has a cold storeroom in 
which to keep it. It should be packed 
in jars and covered an inch thick with 
melted lard, which will preserve it. 



Sauerkraut with Spareribs. 

Cover the kraut with cold water, 
add a little salt if necessary, and 
place to boil three hours before us- 
ing it. About an hour before it is 
done, put spareribs in and let them 
boil until the meat falls from the 
bones. Remove the spareribs, and 
stir in the kraut a grated raw po- 
tato from which the water has been 
drained. Let it come to a boil after 
this, being careful it does not burn; 
remove from stove, and serve. 

To Boil a Ham. 

Twenty-four hours before a ham is 
to be used, scrub it thoroughly with 
a vegetable brush and cold, weak 
borax water. Put in cold water and 
soak twenty-four hours. If it is to 
be baked, it requires four hours' boil- 
ing. Use a big kettle, as the ham 
must be covered all over with water. 
Let it come to the boil very slowly. 
Remove the scum. When it begins 
to boil, add 12 whole cloves, 1 bay 
leaf, 12 peppercorns, the outside 
stalks of 1 bunch celery, 2 chopped 
onions, 2 cloves garlic, 1 chopped car- 
rot and turnip, 2 blades mace, 13 all- 
spice berries, and 1 quart cider or a 
cupful vinegar. Never allow the 
ham to boil, merely simmer slowly; 
that is one secret of making it per- 
fectly tender. Allow twenty-five min- 
utes or half an hour to the pound. If 
the ham is to be used cold, you can 
add to its tender juiciness by allow- 
ing it to stand in the pot liquor till 
nearly cold. Then lift -it out, peel off 
the skin and roll in dried bread 
crimibs with which 3 tablespoonfuls 
brown sugar have been sifted. Set it 
in the oven till the crumbs form a 
crisp brown crust. If the ham is to 
be baked, take it from the water, 
drain thoroughly, then take off the 
skin except around the shank, where 
it may be cut in Vandykes with a 
sharp-pointed knife. Cover with 
crumbs and stick it full of cloves, set 
in a moderate oven, and bake two 
hours. If you prefer the ham glazed, 
allow it to cool as for boiled ham, 
theii skin, wipe dry, and brush all 



PORK 



909 



over with beaten egg. Mix 1 cupful 
sifted cracker crumbs, a dash salt and 
pepper, 3 tablespoonfuls melted but- 
ter, and cream enough to make 
crumbs into a paste. Spread it even- 
ly over the ham, set in a moderate 
oven, and bake till brown; serve hot 
with brown sauce. When a baked or 
boiled ham goes to the table, wrap 
about the unsightly bone a ruffle of 
white tissue paper, and garnish with 
hard-boiled eggs cut in quarters. 

Ham Steak. 

Put slices of raw ham in a frying 
pan with ^ cupful water to make 
them tender. When the water has 
boiled out and the ham is light brown 
on both sides, dust with flour and 
pour on the following dressing, pre- 
viously made: A cupful milk and 
cream mixed, a little butter, a tea- 
spoonful mustard, and a dash Mcll- 
henny's Tabasco Sauce. As soon as 
it boils, serve. 

Broiled Ham and Eggs. 

Slice the ham thin, take off the 
rind, and soak the slices in hot water. 
Broil carefully and place on a hot 
platter. Break as many eggs as you 
require into a pan of boiling water; 
when the white is done, dip out care- 
fully and lay the egg on ham. 
Sprinkle pepper and salt over each 
egg and serve. 

Sausage Holls. 

Make a dough as for baking-pow- 
der biscuit; roll out and cut in large 
rounds with a biscuit cutter; lay 
sausage meat on half of each piece ; 
turn the other half over and pinch to- 
gether; bake half an hour. Serve 
with brown sauce poured around it. 

Toad in the Hole (English recipe). 
1 cupful flour, 
1 egg, 

1 cupful milk, 
Salt and pepper, 
1 teaspoonf ul Calimiet baking 

powder, 
9 tablespoonfuls butter. 
Sausages. 



Put the flour in a basin with the 
salt and make a well in the center. 
Break the egg and put it in with a 
quarter of the milk. Beat well, then 
add the remainder of the milk by de- 
grees, beating all the time. Melt the 
butter in a pudding tin. Parboil the 
sausages, cut them in halves, and put 
them in the tin. Add the baking 
powder to the batter, and pour it 
over the sausages. Bake in a hot 
oven half an hour. 




a, Bread Eaiser; b. Fluted Cake Tin with Tube 
in Center; c. Crown Mold for Jellies. 

Sausage and Apple. 

Prick the skins of the sausages, 
simmer in a frying pan fifteen min^ 
utes, drain, and brown in the oven; 
make a sirup of 1 cupful each sugar 
and water, and in it cook pared ap- 
ples, cut lattice fashion, a few at a 
time, to preserve the shape. Serve the 
sausage on the apple. 

Broiled Pigs' Feet. 

Scrape the feet and wash them 
thoroughly, soak in cold water two 
hours, then wash and scrape again. 
Split each in half lengthwise, and 
tie the pieces separately in pieces 
of cheese cloth. Place in a deep 
saucepan, cover with boiling wa- 
ter, add 1 tablespoonful salt, and 
simmer slowly until the feet are 
tender, usually about four hours. 
Take them from the liquor and set 
aside until cold; remove the cloths; 
they are ready then to be broiled in 
tlie following: 

Q tablespoonfuls butter, 

1 tablespoonful lemon juice, 

i teaspoonful salt, 



010 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco 

Sauce, 
^ tablespoonful finely chopped 
parsley. 
Cream the butter. Work gradu- 
ally into it lemon juice, salt, tabasco, 
and parsley. After removing the 
cloth from each piece, brush with 
melted butter and dust with salt and 
pepper. Broil over a clear fire for 
six minutes. Transfer to a hot plat- 
ter, and spread with prepared butter. 
The pigs' feet may be prepared the 
day before needed. 

Tried Salt Pork, Cream Gravy, 
i pound salt pork, 
1 cupful cream. 



1 teaspoonful fIour« 
Pinch pepper. 

Wash the pork, trim off the rind, 
and with a sharp knife cut in thin 
slices. Spread in a large spider and 
place at the side of the fire until the 
fat is well fried out, then draw gradu- 
ally forward until the slices begin to 
color. Transfer them to a heated 
platter and keep hot. Pour off most 
of the fat, leaving about 3 table- 
spoonfuls in the pan; stir into this 
the cream, and when it comes to the 
boiling point, thicken slightly with 
flour blended with a little cold milk. 
Season with pepper ; boil ug oncej and 
pour over the gork. ■- 



CHAPTER XLVII 



PORK AND HAM LEFT-OVERS 



Cold pork, in the estimation of 
some persons, is better than when it 
is hot. Serve it in neatly cut slices 
for tea or luncheon at the second 
meal, then take stock of the remains 
and look to the future. Roast-pork 
bones make an excellent brown stock, 
almost as rich as that of roast beef. 
Trim the scraps from the bones and 
consign them to the soup kettle. Cut 
with a keen knife all the fat from the 
meat that is not to be served cold. 
This fat rendered down makes an ex- 
cellent dripping to saute potatoes. 
Chop, and allow it to melt, strain, and 
set away in the refrigerator. The 
tender white meat of pork makes a 
salad which tastes very much like 
chicken. Sometimes if one has a few 
bits of chicken left over, they may 
be combined with the pork, cut in 
neat cubes, and the fraud can scarce- 
ly be detected. Pork makes excellent 
croquettes or is good sliced and re- 
heated in a cup of its brown gravy. 
It may be minced, enriched by a few 
spoonfuls of gravy, and poured on 
toast for a breakfast dish. Cold ham 
has a multitude of uses. A few scraps 
may be converted into a delicious 
sandwich or gives an excellent flavor 
to a salad omelet or egg dish. Even 
cold sausage has its uses, while a 
slice or two of cold broiled bacon put 
through a meat chopper and added 
to croquette mixtures provides an 
agreeable seasoning. 

Ham Souffle. 

Take 2 cupfuls cold minced ham, 
add the white of 1 egg and beat till 
smooth. Then put in a dash of pap- 
rika, 1 cupful whipped cream, and 2 
whites of eggs beaten stiff. Pour into 



an oiled melon mold, bake, and serve 
with tomato sauce poured around it. 

Ham Griddlecakes. 

1 cupful minced ham, 

2 cupfuls stale bread crumbs, 

3 eggs. 
Pepper, 

1 cupful scalded milk. 

Mix the ham and crumbs with the 
milk and well-beaten eggs. Drop by 
spoonfuls on a hot buttered griddle. 

Ham Balls. 

Mince remains of lean ham, and 
mix with an equal quantity of mashed 
potatoes. Mold into small, flat cakes, 
roll in flour, and brown in a spider 
with slices of salt pork fried out. 

Ham Toast. 

2 cupfuls cold ham, 
2 eggs, 

i cupful cream, 

J teaspoonful mustard. 

Pepper. 

Chop very fine the cold ham, add 
the well-beaten eggs, cream, a little 
pepper and mustard. Heat this 
mixture till almost at the boiling 
point, and spread on slices of but- 
tered toast. 

Shredded Ham. 

^ tablespoonful butter, , 

5 tablespoonfuls currant jelly. 
Dash cayenne, 
1 cupful cold ham. 

Cut the ham into narrow strips. 
Put the butter and currant jelly in a 
saucepan. As soon as they are melted, 



911 



912 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



add the cayenne and ham, and sim- 
mer five minutes. 

Ham Sandwiches. 

3 cupfuls finely chopped ham, 

1 cucimiber pickle, 

2 teaspoonfuls made mustard, 
2 tablespoonfuls butter, 

i teaspoonful jjepper. 

Put the ham through a meat chop- 
per, using the finest knife. Mix per- 
fectly smooth with the butter and 
seasonings and spread between slices 
of bread from which the crusts have 
been cut. 

Ham-and-Potato Pie. 

1 cupful cream sauce, 

2 cupfuls cold potatoes, 

1| cupfuls cold chopped ham, 
J cupful dried bread crumbs. 

Chop the ham coarsely and cut the 
potatoes into dice. Butter a vege- 
table dish, put in a layer of cold po- 
tato, then a layer of ham, and pour 
over it J cupful cream sauce. Cover 
with another layer of potato and 
ham. Pour in the remainder of the 
sauce, and cover with buttered 
crumbs. Bake twenty minutes. 



Block Island Croquettes. 
1 cupful minced ham, 
1 cupful stale bread crumbs, 
3 cupfuls chopped cold pota- 
toes, 
1 tablespoonful butter, 

1 egg. 

Mix the ham, crumbs, and potatoes 
with the butter and egg, make into 
small balls, flour, egg, crumbj and frj; 
in hot fat. 

Pork Cutlets. 

2 cupfuls chopped cold pork, 
2 eggs, 

f cupful cracker crumbs, 
1 teaspoonful minced parsley, 
1 teaspoonful minced onion, 
1 tablespoonful cream. 
Pepper and salt. 

Beat the eggs thoroughly, mix with 
the cream, stir in the chopped pork, 
cracker crumbs, onion, parsley, and 
seasoning. Form into cutlet-shaped 
croquettes, roll in flour, egg, and 
crumbs. At the small end of the cro- 
quette stick in a few inches of maca- 
roni. Fry in deep fat, and serve with 
tomato sauce. 



CHAPTER XLVIII 



POULTRY 



Iir selecting a chicken, feel of the 
breastbone; it ought to be smooth and 
soft as cartilage and bend easily. A 
young chicken has soft feet, a 
smooth skin, and abundance of pin- 
feathers. Long hairs, coarse scales 
on the feet, and an ossified breast- 
bone are pretty sure signs that it is 
an old fowl. By the same marks you 
may choose a tender, young turkey, 
also ducks. To dress and clean poul- 
try, hold the bird over a flame, either 
alcohol, gas, or burning paper, and 
blaze off all the hair and down. Cut 
off the head and pick out the pin- 
feathers with a fine-pointed knife. 
With an old fowl or turkey it is 
worth while to pull the tendons. This 
operation makes the dark meat so 
much more tender. Find the portion 
just behind the leg joint where there 
are a bunch of tendons, with a fine- 
pointed scissors, cut very carefully the 
cartilage skin that covers them, and 
strip it down till you leave exposed 
the bunch of white sinews. If the 
bird is fairly tender, they can be 
pulled by inserting a stout steel 
skewer, lifting each tendon by itself 
and twisting it until it snaps. A tur- 
key will frequently require something 
as strong as a screw-driver. To admit 
the hand, make an incision through 
the skin j ust below the breastbone and 
remove the gizzard, heart, etc.; be 
very careful not to break the gall 
bladder, as even a drop of its con- 
tents would give a bitter flavor to 
everything it touches. Pull out the 
lungs — ^they lie inside the ribs — also 
the kidneys, crop, and windpipe. 
Draw the neck skin down and cut 
the neck off close to the body, leav- 
ing skin enough to cover the open- 
ing. Cut out the oil bag in the 



tail, then wash fRe fowl by allot*'- 

ing cold water to run through it. If 
the chicken is to be cut up, sever 
the skin between the leg and body, 
bend the leg back, and cut through 
the flesh. Separate the second joint 
from the drumstick, take off the 
limbs and cut the breast away from 
the back, starting just below the 
breastbone and letting the knife pass 
between the small ribs on either side 
through to the collar bone. When 
trussing a fowl for roasting or boil- 
ing, draw the legs close to the body 
and insert a skewer under the middle 
joint, running it straight through un- 
til it comes out opposite. Cross the 
drumsticks, tie them with a long 
string together and fasten to the 
tail. Put the wings close to the body 
and keep them in place by a second 
skewer. Draw the skin of the neck 
under the back and pin down with a 
toothpick. Now turn the bird on its 
breast, take the string attached to 
the tail and tie to the lower skewer, 
cross it, draw through the upper 
skewer, and cut off the ends. 

Braised Chicken. 

Truss a plump chicken, fry in the 
fat of salt pork, place on a trivet in a 
deep pan; into the fat put a carrot 
cut in squares, | onion, J bay leaf, 
and a sprig parsley. Add 2 ta- 
blespoonfuls butter and allow the 
vegetables to fry delicately brown. 
Pour this over the chicken. Add 2 
cupfuls hot chicken broth, cover, and 
set in a moderate oven. Baste fre- 
quently, adding water to the stock, 
if necessary. Lift the chicken to a 
hot platter, skim off the fat, thicken 
the gravy and season, then strain 
over the fowl. 



91J 



914 



MRS. CXTRTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Broiled Chicken. 

Sprinkle a chicken, which has been 
cut up, with salt and pepper, dip 
into melted butter, then place in a 
broiler. Cook twenty minutes over a 
bright fire, turning the broiler so the 
pieces may be equally brown. Put 
on a platter spread with soft butter, 
sprinkle with pepper and salt, and 
set in the oven for a few minutes be- 
fore serving. 

Grilled Chicken. 

Choose small chickens, split down 
the back, and soak each in olive oil, 
seasoned with salt and pepper, for an 
hour or two. Coat with flour, and 
broil over a clear fire till done. Into 
a saucepan put 1 cupful water and 
an onion; let cook fifteen minutes, 
take out the onion, and pour the 
sauce over thin slices of toast, oni 
which arrange the chickens. Garnish 
with fried parsley. 

Chicken with Dumplings (New Eng- 
land recipe). 

3 or 4 pound chicken, 
1 tablespoonful salt, 

1 teaspoonful pepper, 

2 onions, 

1 tablespoonful flour, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
i cupful milk, 

2 ,cupfuls prepared flour. 

Cut chicken in 10 pieces and place 
in saucepan. Add salt, pepper, and 
onion, cover with boiling water, and 
cook till tender; then mix flour with 
butter, and thicken the gravy. Ten 
minutes before serving, mix pre- 
pared flour with butter and milk, and 
2 eggs beaten to a stiff froth; cut 
with a tablespoon small portions 
from the dough, drop them into the 
gravy, cover, and boil six minutes; 
remove the saucepan to side of stove, 
where they may stop boiling. In 
serving, arrange the chicken on a 
platter, and lay the dumplings in a 
circle around it. Sprinkle 1 table- 
spoonful chopped parsley over the 
whole, and serve. This dough will 
make 12 dumplings. 



Chicken Baked in Milk. 

Prepare a chicken as though tov 
roasting. Mix a dressing — using 
crumbed bread, butter, salt, and pep- 
per. Stuff the chicken with this 
mixture; place it in a baker. In the 
bottom of the pan put 3 quarts rich 
milk; cover, and bake slowly, until 
the chicken is very tender, turning 
and basting as often as necessary. 
Thicken the gravy in the pan, season- 
ing with salt and pepper. 

Chicken in Cassefole. 
21-pound chicken, 
1 can mushroomSjj 
1 carrot, 
1 onion, 
1 stalk celery, 

i tablespoonful chopped parsley, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 
^ teaspoonful pepper, 
1 teaspoonful beef extract, 

1 tablespoonful flour, 

2 cupfuls boiling water. 

Clean and truss the chickeii, and 
steam until tender. Melt the butter 
in a frying pan, add the vegetables 
chopped fine, cook five minutes, then 
add the flour. Dissolve the beef ex- 
tract in boiling water, add the sea- 
sonings, and pour it into the frying 
pan. Cook five minutes. Put the 
chicken in a casserole, dredge with 
flour, dust with salt and pepper, and 
pour the contents of the frying pan 
over it. Place it in the oven, and 
cook until the chicken is thoroughly 
browned. Remove from the oven, 
cover, and serve in the casserole. 

Panned Chicken. 

Prepare a chicken as for broiling, 
slightly flatten it, cover with bits of 
butter, and place in a moderate oven. 
When nearly done, sprinkle with salt 
and pepper and dredge with flour; 
return to the oven and brown, first 
on one side, then on the other. Keep 
hot while you make the sauce. Pour 
a cupful hot milk into the pan, and 
add 1 tablespoonful grated bread 
crumbs, also a few drops onion juice. 
Stir the sauce vigorously, let it boil 



POULTRY 



915 



one minute, turn over the cliicken, 
garnish with parsley, and serve. 

Pried Chicken (Southern recipe). 

Cut a young chicken into neat 
pieces, drop in cold water, then roll 
in flour seasoned with salt and pep- 
per. Put it in a saucepan with fat 
which has been fried out of salt pork, 
and cook, turning once or twice till 
it is well browned. Skim off as much 
of the fat as possible, add a cupful 
cream or rich milk, thicken with a 
little flour, seasoning if necessary, 
and strain over the chicken. 

Chicken with Almond Sauce (South- 
ern recipe). 

1 young chicken, 

1 tablespoonful lard, 

1 tablespoonful flour, 

S cupfxils cream, 

1 tablespoonful finely chopped 
parsley, 

1 cupful chopped blanched al- 
monds. 

Cut up the chicken as for fricas- 
see; fry golden brown in hot lard. 
Put it on a hot platter and make the 
sauce. Thicken the lard (in which 
the chicken was fried) with the flour; 
when the flour is cooked, add the 
cream, parsley, and almonds. Let it 
boil five minutes, and pour around 
the chicken. 

Chicken with Peanuts (Spanisb 

recipe). 

Cut a young chicken into small 
pieces, roll in flour, and fry brown in 
lard or butter. When the chicken is 
done, pour over it a cupful sweet 
cream and sprinkle liberally with 
roasted peanuts coarsely powdered. 

Creamed Chicken and Sweetbreads. 
4-pound chicken, 
4 sweetbreads, 
1 can mushrooms, 
1 quart cream, 

4 tablespoonfuls butter, 

5 tablespoonfuls flour, 
^ grated onion. 
Nutmeg, salt, and pepper. 



Boil chicken and sweetbreads; when 
cold, cut them up. In a saucepan 
put cream; in another butter and 
flour. Stir until melted, then pour 
on the hot cream, stirring until it 
thickens; add onion and nutmeg, and 
season highly with pepper and salt. 
Put chicken and other ingredients, 
with sweetbreads and mushrooms, in 
a baking dish, cover with bread 
crumbs and butter, then bake twenty 
minutes. 

Chicken Pie. 

Stew a cut-up chicken in enough 
boiling water to cover, adding pep- 
per and salt. When parboiled, re- 
move to a deep earthen dish and 
cover with a crust. Use a recipe for 
rich baking-powder biscuit. Instead 
of putting a blanket of the dough on 
top of the pie, cut it into rounds, as 
for biscuit. Have the chicken laid 
lightly so the gravy will not touch 
the dough, and cover as closely as 
possible. Bake in a moderate oven 
until the crust is well risen and 
brown. This is an improvement on 
the old style of all-over crust, partly 
because it allows plenty of escape for 
steam. The biscuit can be easily 
served, and the paste is not made 
heavy by cutting with a knife, 

Roast Turkey. 

Remove the crusts from a stale loaf 
of bread. Break the loaf in the mid- 
dle and grate or rub the bread into 
fine crumbs. Season highly with salt 
and pepper. Add a cup of diced 
celery, cooked tender. With a fork 
mix celery and seasoning through the 
crumbs, then sprinkle with them 3 
or 4 tablespoonfuls melted butter. 
With a spoon put the prepared 
crumbs in the place from which the 
crop was removed until the breast be- 
comes plump. Put the remaining 
crumbs in the body. Do not pack 
the crumbs closely either in crop or 
body, but allow room for them to 
swell when moistened by the steam 
from the turkey in cooking. Fold 
back the wings. Press the legs close 
to the body, crossing the drumsticks 



916 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



in front of the tail. With small 
skewers and strong cord fasten in. 
proper shape. Place the turkey, back 
up, on a rack in the roasting pan. 
When the back is browned, turn the 
turkey over, and when the breast and 
sides are nicely browned, baste with 
a thin gravy every ten or fifteen min- 
utes until the fowl is cooked. An 8- 
pound turkey vnll cook in two hours. 
Use the water in which the celery 
was cooked to make basting gravy 
for the turkey. — Emma P. Ewing. 

Koast Chicken. 

4-pound chicken. 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

1 tablespoonful cornstarch, 

i cupful boiling water. 

Singe the chicken, wash it quickly 
in cold water, then dry with a towel; 
season inside and out with salt, fill 
the body and crop with bread dress- 
ing, sew it up, and spread butter over 
the breast. Cover the breast with 
thin slices of larding pork; bend the 
wings backward, put skewers through 
the thigh and body, and place it in 
a roasting pan. Set the pan in a 
medium-hot oven and roast until the 
chicken has become a fine brown all 
over, basting frequently with its own 
gravy;,, then add ^ cupful boiling 
water; continue the roasting and 
basting till the chicken is done, which 
will take from one to two hours, ac- 
cording to the age of the fowl. If 
the gravy gets too brown, add a lit- 
tle more water. The chicken feet, 
neck, and giblets may be used to 
make rice soup. Shortly before serv- 



ing, lay the chicken on a dish, remove 
the skewers and thread, free the 
gravy from fat, mix the cornstarch 
with cold water, add it to the gravy, 
stir, and cook for a few minutes; 
then add sufficient boiling water to 
make a creamy sauce. Cook three 
minutes, strain, chop the boiled gib- 
lets fine and add to the sauce. 

Bread Dressing. 

i pound stale bread, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 

2 tablespoonfuls chopped onioo^ 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

i teaspoonful pepper, 

1 teaspoonful thym^ 

1 egg. 

Soak bread in cold water, place a 
saucepan with butter and onions over 
the fire; cook five minutes without 
browning ; inclose the bread in a towel 
and press out all the water, add it 
to the saucepan, stir over the fire five 
minutes, then remove; when cold, add 
salt, pepper, thyme, and eggj mix 
well and use as stuffing. 

Roast Duck. 

Pick, singe, and wipe outside of 
duck. Salt and pepper the inside 
after carefully drawing and wiping. 
Cut oif the wings at the second point 
and truss the duck neatly. Roast in 
a very hot oven from one and a half 
to two hours in a baking pan con- 
taining a little water; baste fre- 
quently. Celery, onions, or apples, 
cored and quartered, are sometimes 
placed inside the duck to improve the 
flavor. 



CHAPTER XLIX 



LEFT-OVER CHICKEN AND TURKEY 



Chicken, even at twenty cents a 
pound, is not more extravagant than 
roast beef, when one considers that 
everj morsel of it can be used, even 
to the bleaching of the bones in a 
soup. The carcasses of two good 
chickens or one turkey will make a 
quart or two of excellent stock. This 
means, of course, that every bone, the 
giblets, and every morsel of skin shall 
be saved. A careful housewife gath- 
ers all these remains into a clean 
bowl and they stand in the refriger- 
ator until ready to be used. Cover 
them with cold water, add the sea- 
sonings suitable for chicken soup, and 
set far back on the stove, where it 
will take at least an hour to begin to 
simmer. In four hours it will be 
ready to strain. Never add salt to a 
soup till after it has cooked. Cool 
the stock as quickly as possible, but 
never by putting it steaming hot into 
the refrigerator. I have seen that 
plan followed in more than one house- 
hold; then I have heard the cook ex- 
claim in wonder over spoiled stock 
and other foods ruined. Still, the 
sooner stock cools, the longer it will 
keep. Do not break the cake of fat 
on top until ready to use; it excludes 
the air and helps keep the soup sweet. 

There is no meat so suitable for 
rdchauffes as chicken. It makes ex- 
cellent croquettes and timbales. 
Creamed, it loses none of its delicate 
flavor. It is excellent in pates or on 
toast. It is good scalloped, deviled, 
curried, in fritters, or as sou^e, while 
on hot summer days it appeals to the 
appetite as a salad, in aspic jelly, in 
a mousse, or potted. The meat of 
turkey, game, duck, and goose may 
be treated in many instances as chick- 
en. The flavor of a turkey salad is 



not as delicate as a chicken salad, 
still it is a dish not to be despised. 
The same rule ought to apply to the 
warming over of poultry as to other 
meats. Do not cook it a second time; 
all it requires is reheating. 

Scalloped Turkey. 

Into small ramequin dishes sprinkle 
dried bread crumbs browned in but- 
ter. Over this put a layer, one and 
a half inches deep, of chopped, cold 
turkey moistened by a spoonful 
giblet gravy. Cover with browned 
crumbs, and bake till chestnut brown. 

Chicken-and-Ham Mold. 

2 cupfuls cold chopped chicken, 
1 cupful chopped ham, 

1 cupful cold boiled macaroni, 

3 eggs, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 
1 cupful gravy. 
Pepper and salt. 

Mix the chicken, ham, and maca- 
roni, moisten with the eggs, melted 
butter and gravy, season highly. But- 
ter a mold, pour the mixture in, put 
on cover tightly, and boil two hours. 
Dip the mold into cold water for a 
minute and turn out on a hot dish. 
Serve with tomato sauce. 

Chicken Omelet. 

3 tablespoonfuls milk, 

4 eggs. 

Salt and pepper, 

1 cupful chopped cold chicken. 

Beat the eggs till light, add milk 
and seasoning. Just before pouring 
into the pan, add the chicken to the 
egg mixture. Melt the butter in an 



917 



918 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



omelet pan, cook, and fold exactly 
like an omelet. 

Chicken Gallosch (Hungarian 
recipe). 
2 potatoes (raw), 
1 tablespoonful butter, 
^ teaspoonful paprika, 
1 cupful brown stock, 
^ teaspoonful salt, 
^ clove garlic, 
1 cupful cold chicken. • 

Pare 3 small potatoes, cut into 
dice, and fry in melted butter in the 
spider. Toss about in the butter till 
they begin to brown, add the season- 
ing, stock, and chicken. Simmer 
slowly. Serve as SOOn as the pota- 
toes are soft. 




o, Spoon for Beating Cake; 6, Wire Toaster ; 
c. Puree Sieve. 

Chicken and Macaroni (Italian 
recipe). 

1 cupful cold macaroni, 

5 cupfuls cold chicken, 

6 mushrooms, 

i cupful cream, 

i cupful chicken stock, 

i cupful dried bread crumbs, 

Pepper and salt, 

1 tablespoonful butter. 

Into a buttered dish put a layer of 
macaroni, then a layer of chicken cut 
in small strips. Sprinkle with pep- 
per and salt and the mushrooms cut 
in quarters. Cover with a layer of 
macaroni, another of chicken, then 



pour over it the cream and stock. 
Sprinkle buttered bread crumbs over 
the top, and bake brown. If it 
browns too quickly, cover with a 
plate, and pour a little more stock in. 

(Chicken Souffle. 

2 tablespoonfuls flour, 
$ tablespoonfuls butteFi 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

% teaspoonful pepper, 

2 cupfuls scalded milk, 

2 cupfuls cold chicken, 

J cupful stale bread crumbs, 
1 tablespoonful chopped parsley, 

3 eggs. 

Make a white sauce from the but- 
ter, flour, salt, pepper, and milk. 
Add the crumbs, and cook until 
thick. Take from the fire and stir 
in the chicken, parsley, and yolks of 
the eggs beaten till thick and lemon- 
colored. Whip the whites until stiff 
and dry and fold in. Pour in a but- 
tered dish and set in a pan of hot 
water to bake in a hot oven thirty- 
five minutes. 

Chicken Croquettes. 

IJ cupfuls chopped chicken, 

1 cupful chopped ham, 
6 chopped mushrooms, 

4 tablespoonfuls flour, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 cupful chicken stock, 
1 tablespoonful cream, 
Pepper and salt. 
Nutmeg, 

1 teaspoonful lemon juice. 

Put in a saucepan the flour and 
butter. Mix till the butter absorbs 
the flour, then add stock made from 
boiling up the bones of the chicken, 
and stir till it becomes a thick paste. 
Add cream, pepper and salt enough 
to season, a little nutmeg and lemon 
juice. Stir in the chopped chicken 
and mushrooms. Mix well and turn 
on a plate to cool. When quite cold, 
roll a tablespoonful mixture in 
oblong shape, dip in egg and bread 
crumbs, and fry in hot fat. — Mab- 
CARET Bailey, 



CHAPTER L 



MEAT OR FISH SAUCES 



Celery Sance. 

1 tablespoonful flour, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 

2 cupfuls milk, 
1 head celery. 

Cut celery into pieces two inches 
long and boil in salted water for an 
hour. Mix smoothly tiour, butter, and 
milk, stir until boiling; add the celery 
pulp, season with salt and pepper and 
a iittle mace; let it boil quickly for 
two minutes. Strain. 

Anchovy Sauce. 

Bone 4 anchovies and bruise in a 
mortar to a smooth paste; stir them 
in a drawn-butter sauce, simmer five 
minutes, or stir in 2 teaspoonfuls es- 
sence of anchovy. A little cayenne 
is an improvement. 

Cardinal Sauce. 

3 tablespoonfuls butter, 

1 tablespoonful flour, 

2 cupfuls stock, 

J teaspoonful onion juice, 
1 bay leaf. 

Cardinal sauce is, as a rule, made 
from lobsters and colored with coral; 
so, if possible, purchase lobsters con- 
taining coral. Boil the lobster, open 
and remove the coral, and press it 
through a sieve. Put the butter into 
pan and let melt. Add flour without 
browning, then add stock, onion juice, 
and bay leaf. Stir constantly until 
it boils. Take out bay leaf, add salt 
and pepper, the coral, and a little of 
the red part of the lobster chopped 
fine. 

Sauce Soubise. 

3 onions, 

3 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 tablespoonful flour. 



Peel and chop onions, simmer with 
butter for three quarters of an hour, 
but do not let them color very much. 
Add flour, salt, pepper, and a pinch 
of mace, and mix all together; moist- 
en with a cup of fish liquor and the 
same quantity of hot cream or milkt 
Serve in tureen. 

Sauce Allemande. 

4 tablespoonfuls butter, 
4 tablespoonfuls flour, 
2 cupfuls white stock. 
Yolks 3 eggs. 

Melt butter and mix thoroughly 
with flour over a gentle fire; add 
stock and a little salt and pepper; 
stir, boil fifteen minutes, remove from 
fire, skim off grease carefully, add 
eggs mixed in a little water, and stir 
in with egg beater to make sauce 
light. 

Spanish Sauce. 

4 tablespoonfuls butter, 

4 tablespoonfuls flour, 

2 cupfuls white stock, 

2| tablespoonfuls lean raw ham, 

1 carrot, 

1 onion sliced, 

1 stalk celery, 

2 cloves. 

Melt butter in saucepan, add flour, 
and stir over a gentle fire until nicely 
browned; mix with white stock, ham, 
carrot, sliced onion, celery, cloves, a 
pinch of salt and pepper; stir until 
beginning to boil, then simmer gently 
on back of stove for one hour; skim 
off grease before serving. 

Sauce Piquante. 

4 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 small carrot, 
6 shallots, 



919 



920 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



1 bunch savory herbs^ 
Parsley, 

i bay leaf, 

2 slices lean bacofl^ 

2 cloves, 

6 peppercorns, 
1 blade mace, 

3 allspice berries, 

4 tablespoonfuls vinegar. 
1 cupful stock, 

^ teaspoonful sugar, 
Cayenne and salt to taste. 

Put the butter into saucepan with 
the carrot and shallots cut into small 
pieces, add the herbs, bay leaf, spices, 
and ham minced fine; let these in- 
gredients simmer slowly until the bot- 
tom is covered, with a brown glaze, 
keep stirring and put in remaining 
ingredients, simmer gently fifteen 
minutes, skim off every particle of 
fat. This is an excellent recipe when 
a sharp but not too acid sauce is 
required. 

Cucumber Cream Sauce. 

1 cucumber, 

■I teaspoonful salt, 

f teaspoonful chopped parsley, 

i teaspoonful chopped onion, 

1 tablespoonful tarragon vinegar, 

f cupful cream. 

Chop cucumber, season with salt, 
parsley^ onion, and vinegar. Mix 
thoroughly and drain in colander 
half an hour. When ready to serve, 
add cream beaten stiff. 

Sauce Tartare. 

1 cupful mayonnaise, 

2 sweet pickled cucumbers, 

3 olives, 

1 tablespoonful chopped water 

cress, 
1 teaspoonful capers, 
J teaspoonful onion juice. 
Stir into the mayonnaise the cu- 
cumbers, olives, water cress, capers, 
and onion juice. 

Brown Sauce. 

1 tablespoonful butter, 
i tablespoonful flour, 



2 cloves, 

1 bay leaf, 

1 teaspoonful chopped onioii, 

1 teaspoonful chopped parsley. 

/ Heat stock; blend together butter 
and flour, add to hot stock with 
cloves, bay leaf, parsley, and onion. 
Cook for a few minutes. Strain, and 
serve hot with cannelon of beef or 
rolled beef. 

HoUandaise Sauce.; 
i cupful butter. 
Yolks 2 eggs, 
J cupful boiling watefji 
i teaspoonful salt. 
Dash cayenne, 
1 tablespoonful lemon juice. 

Cream the butter, add yolks of eggs 
one at a time, beating it thoroughly, 
then add water. Cook in a double 
boiler till it thickens to the consist- 
'ency of a custard. The seasoning, 
which consists of salt, cayenne, and 
lemon juice, is added just before the 
boiler is lifted from the fire. 

Bechamel Sauce. 

IJ cupfuls white stock, 

1 slice onion, 

1 slice carrot. 

Bit bay leaf. 

Sprig parsley, 

6 peppercorns, 

4 tablespoonfuls buttei; 

4 tablespoonfuls flour, 

1 cupful scalded milk. 

Salt and pepper. 

Cook v\'hite stock twenty minutes 
with onion, carrot, bay leaf, parsley, 
and peppercorns, then strain. It 
should be cooked down to about 1 
cupful liquor. Melt butter, add 
flour, add the hot sauce tQ scalded 
milk, and season. 

"White Mushroom Sauce. 
4 tablespoonfuls butter^ 
1 slice carrot, 
1 slice onion. 

Bit bay leaf, ' 

Sprig parsley. 



MEAT OR FISH SAUCES 



921 



6 peppercorns, 

4 tablespoonfiils flour, 

2 cupfuls white stock, 

i can mushrooms, 

i teaspoon ful lemon juice, 

Salt and pepper. 

Melt butter, add carrot, onion, bay 
leaf, parsley, peppercorns, flour, and, 
slowly, white stock. Cook five min- 
utes, remove seasonings, and add 
mushrooms cut in pieces. Add lemon 
juice, salt, and pepger. 

Shrimp Sauce. 

1 cupful shrimps, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

1 tablespoonful flour. 

Salt, pepper, paprika, 

1 teaspoonful anchovy paste. 

Pound shrimps, skins and all, in a 
mortar. Boil afterwards for ten 
minutes in a cupful water. Press the 
liquor through a pur4e strainer. Mix 
butter and flour to a paste; pour over 
it the shrimp liquor. Season with 
salt, pepper, and paprika; add an- 
chovy paste. Just before serving, 
add six shrimps. cut in inch pieces. 

Drawn-Biitter Egg Sauce. 
1 tablespoonful butter, 
1 tablespoonful flour, 

1 cupful fish stock, 

6 slices hard-boiled egg, 
Salt and pepper. 

Cook together until well mixed the 
butter and flour. Add fish stock. 
Simmer five minutes, season with 
salt and pepper, and serve in a tu- 
reen in which have been placed the 
slices of hard-boiled egg. 

Thin White Sauce. 

2 cupfuls milk, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
2 tablespoonfuls floui^ 
Pepper and salt. 

Put the butter in a small saucepan, 
and let it melt over a slow fire. Add 
the flour, and blend to a paste with a 



wire whisk. Add the seasonings, 
then the scalded milk, and beat till 
the sauce gets creamy. 

Tomato Sauce. 

^ can tomatoes, 
1 slice onion, 
J cupful butter, 

3 tablespoonfuls floujj 
Pepper and salt. 

Cook the tomatoes with onion for 
ten minutes, squeeze through a po- 
tato ricer, and to the pulp add tlie 
butter and flour rubbed to a paste, 
also the seasoning, then beat till 
creamy. 

Horse-Eaciisli Sauce. 

I cupful grated horse-radish, 

4 tablespoonfuls powdered 
cracker, 

i cupful cream, 

1 tablespoonful powdered sugar, 

i teaspoonful mustard, 

3 tablespoonfuls vinegar, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

J teaspoonful pepper. 

Blend all the ingredients together, 
heat over boiling water, and ser\e 
with boiled beef. 

Cold Horse-Radish Sauce. 

^ tablespoonfiils grated horse- 
radish, 

1 tablespoonful vinegar. 

Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco Sauce, 

^ teaspoonful salt, 

I cupful thick cream. 
Mix the horse-radish, vinegar, and 
seasonings, then beat in with a fork 
the cream, which has been whipped 
to a stiff froth. 
Mint Sauce. 

I cupful sugar, 

I cupful vinegar, 

1 cupful fresh mint. 
Strip the mint free from its tough 
leaves and stalks; chop it slightly, 
wash and put in the vinegar, melt the 
sugar in a tablespoonful boiling wa- 
ter, add it to the sauce, and serve 
cold with roast lamb. 



CHAPTEK LI 



VEGETABLES 



Potatoes, peas, corn, beans, and 
many of the vegetables which are 
universally used, receive fair treat- 
ment, but in American kitchens there 
is still much to learn on the subject 
of how to make the best of what a 
country cook calls " greens." In the 
spring, one craves this sort of food 
for the well-being of the body and 
because appetite demands it. The 
earth yields with the seasons exactly 
the sort of food we ought to eat, and 
eat liberally, for it is nature's own 
medicine. First, let us divide vege- 
tables into classes. There are such 
cereals as rice, then corn, and le- 
gumes, which include the large fam- 
ily of beans, peas, and lentils. In 
the root class we have beets, carrots, 
parsnips, turnips, and radishes. Green 
vegetables include a variety of things 
herbaceous, from cabbage to dande- 
lions. In bulbs there is the onion 
family and garlic; then what are 
called fruit vegetables, eggplant, pep- 
pers, okra, cucumbers, and squash. 
There is also the fungous class, such 
as mushrooms and truffles. Each 
class has a different food value; they 
require different treatment in cook- 
ery and are suited to accompany dif- 
ferent foods, although our nation 
would be in no way the loser, either 
in health or economy, if it learned, 
like the French people, to make an 
excellently cooked vegetable serve for 
one course. 

Before we consider the cooking of 
vegetables, let us study what their 
properties are and what they do 
for our bodies. Every vegetable 
contains more or less of what is 
called cellulose tissue. This helps 
to keep the stomach and intes- 
tines perfectly healthy. For instance, 



when we eat meat, we pTit into our 
stomachs a highly concentrated food 
that requires the addition of other 
foods, bulky and less easily digested, 
to make a perfectly balanced meal. 
Strange as it may seem, the value of 
vegetables lies in the fact that they 
are made up largely of a membranous 
substance so bulky and full of refuse 
that the stomach expels it to the in- 
testines almost in an unchanged con- 
dition. Meanwhile, the blood has 
taken to itself such mineral matter 
and salts as are necessary to the hu- 
man system. While digestion is in 
'progress, the loose mass of cellulose 
is keeping up the peristaltic action 
that goes on for several hours after 
eating in the healthy stomach. It is 
not necessary • that there be nourish- 
ment in everything we eat. We re- 
quire the pure distilled water and 
salts of green vegetables just as much 
as we do the proteid of meat and the 
nitrogen of legumes. 

To get the fullest value from vege- 
tables, they must be fresh. The coun- 
try woman, who can pick green things 
from her garden before the dew has 
dried from them, is lucky indeed. 
The best that can be done by a city 
housewife is to do Her own market- 
ing intelligently and carefully. In 
marketing, beware of root vegetables 
which are overclean about the roots. 
The greengrocer has his method of 
reviving stale goods; roots are soaked 
from a withered condition back to a 
fresh appearance. Cabbage and let- 
tuce are skillfully stripped of their 
outer leaves, and although dirty, 
sandy spinach is less attractive in 
looks than cleaner leaves, it is apt to 
be fresher than that which has been 
revived by washing. Even cuciunbers, 



922 



VEGETABLES 



923 



eggplant, and tomatoes can be re- 
vived by an ice-water bath. Within 
thin, membranous walls vegetables in- 
close a semifluid mass that stores up 
minute cells of starch or other ma- 
terial. As soon as the tender growth 
of the young jalant is over, these cells 
grow woody and tough. 

Yeu can readily see this process in 
old asparagus, something we hesitate 
to eat; yet in thousands of families 
stale vegetables, which have devel- 
oped the same conditions as if they 
were old, are ttsed for economy's 
sake. It would really, in such a case, 
be better to omit vegetables from a 
menu. One is eating woody fiber, 
which can be torn apart like threads, 
and is almost as easy as thread to di- 
gest. Suppose we see for ourselves 
just what this fibrous mass is like. 
Take two messes of peas, one of them 
green things fresh from the pod. Cook 
in boiling water. They will be ready 
for the table in ten minutes, but first 
make them into a puree by forcing 
the pulp through a potato ricer. They 
contain little but pulp. Nothing ex- 
cept skins is left in the strainer. The 
value of fresh green peas lies in the 
sugar and mineral salts they contain. 
Now, take old dried peas such as are 
used as a base for soup. They have 
been soaking for twenty-four hours 
in cold water. Afterwards long, slow 
cooking softens them so they can be 
squeezed through the ricer. Then it 
actually takes muscle to get a pur^e 
from them, and it is small in propor- 
tion to the residue retained by the 
strainer. They are not only the dry, 
husky skins of the peas, but a quan- 
tity of pure waste which no stomach 
can properly digest. Still, this pulp 
made into a soup is a nutritious dish. 
That is why so many people with slow 
digestion can take in soup such vege- 
tables as corn, tomato, beans, lentils, 
and celery, whien the vegetable in its 
entirety would cause no end of dis- 
tress. 

Every vegetable is almost lacking 
in fat; the legumes have the largest 
proportion, and they average only 
three per cent. Therefore, fat in 



some form is added to every vege- 
table dish. We beat cream or butter 
into mashed potatoes, bake beans with 
a bit of pork on top of them, and 
pour oil over s^alads. 

Now to the various methods of 
preparation and cooking of vege- 
tables. Probably root vegetables are 
used most largely in every household. 
Keep two utensils for their thorough 
cleaning, a small stiff brush, and a 
square of rough burlap. The brush 
scrubs earth from every crevice. Bur- 
lap is also a splendid cleaner. Put 
your vegetables into cold water and 
rub them thoroughly with it. It will 
bring the skin off clean from new 
potatoes. Carrots, parsnips, and sal- 
sify require scraping after they have 
had a rubbing with the burlap. Tur- 
nips, kohl-rabi, and celeriac should be 
pared. Beets must be well cleansed, 
but not broken anywhere, not even 
have the tops cut, or they will 
" bleed," thus losing their fine sweet 
flavor. With most of the root vege- 
tables, except potatoes, white and 
sweet, the only method for cooking is 
to boil them by dropping them into 
water at a bubbling boil. Turnips, 
carrots, parsnips, kohl-rabi, and ce- 
leriac will cook in half an hour if 
they are young and fresh; winter 
vegetables require from forty to sixty 
minutes. Young beets take an hour; 
old beets require boiling all day. The 
best way to cook them is to consign 
them to the fireless cooker. You can 
make these root vegetables as palat- 
able as skilled French cooks do by the 
simple process of blanching. 

Blanching means bleaching; it re- 
moves from winter vegetables their 
strong, acrid flavor. Then it improves 
their quality. Let us blanch turnips, 
for instance; then you can apply the 
same process to a variety of vegeta- 
bles. Have a large saucepan with 2 
quarts water at a rapid boil; add 1 
tablespoonful salt; drop into it the 
pared turnips and bring the water 
back to the boiling point as quickly 
as possible. Cook rapidly, uncovered, 
for thirty minutes. Drain off the wa- 
ter, put the turnips in a strainer, and 



924 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



cool them under the cold-water faucet ; 
then set away in a covered dish until 
you are ready to prepare them for the 
table. Cut them into rather large 
pieces, put in a saucepan with a ta- 
blespoonful butter, a dash pepper, a 
teaspoonful salt, and 4 tablespoonfuls 
meat stock or milk. Cook over a hot 
fire until the vegetables have absorbed 
both seasonings and liquid. Serve at 
once. 

Blanching of vegetables means a 
saving of time, because they may be 
cooked in the leisurely hours of the 
morning, then quickly reheated when 
dinner is being prepared. Cabbage, 
cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, string 
beans, peas, onions, celery, kohl-rabi, 
carrots, parsnips, spinach, Swiss 
chard, artichokes, and salsify are 
vegetables which may be blanched be- 
fore the final cooking. 

Before using vegetables which form 
heads, such as lettuce, cabbage, cauli- 
flower, kale and Brussels sprouts, 
cleanse thoroughly by soaking half 
an hour, head down, in cold, salted 
water, with a few tablespoonfuls vine- 
gar in it. This makes insects or 
worms concealed among the curly 
leaves crawl out. Spinach requires 
no end of washing. The best way to 
cleanse it is to keep filling two pans 
with cold water and washing the 
greens till not a grain of sand settles 
in the bottom. Celery also requires 
thorough washing, as considerable dirt 
clings to both stalks and roots dur- 
ing the blanching process. 

Different vegetables require differ- 
ent methods of boiling. All of them 
should be dropped into water M'hich 
is vigorously bubbling. For a few 
minutes the process will be inter- 
rupted, but set it over a hot part of 
the stove, where it will begin to boil 
again rapidly. This must be con- 
tinued for herbaceous vegetables, 
young peas, and beans. Root vege- 
tables and cauliflower require gentler 
treatment. To quote a French cook, 
" Do not let the water grin ; keep it 
smiling." 

As soon as vegetables are tender, 
lift them off the fire and drain, never 



allowing anything to stay in hot wa- 
ter a minute after it has been cooked. 
This soaking process is what so often 
makes vegetables indigestible, when, 
if properly treated, they would be 
perfectly wholesome. While cooking 
vegetables of any kind, leave the 
saucepan uncovered; volatile bodies 
liberated by heat pass off in steam. 
Cabbage and onions closely lidded 
are sure to fill the house with an un- 
pleasant odor as soon as they are un- 
covered ; if cooked without a lid, odors 
are scarcely noticeable. When peas 
and beans are so ripe as to be slight- 
ly tough, they may still be made ap- 
petizing and digestible if | teaspoon- 
ful soda is added to the water. TMs 
helps to make them tender as well as 
retain the color, "jut beware of adding 
too much soda; it will give the food 
an exceedingly nasty flavor. When 
possible, a skilled cook boils every 
vegetable in distilled water. The 
country cook who has clean, soft, cis- 
tern water at her command, should 
always use it in boiling vegetables. 
The housewife who is compelled to 
use very hard water to cook vegeta- 
bles should soften it slightly by add- 
ing a dash of soda. 

Vegetables are invaluable for mak- 
ing cream soups. Take green peas, 
for instance. Boil 1 quart peas and 
1 small onion in 3 pints water. When 
soft, squeeze the pw^e through a po- 
tato ricer; add it to the liquor in 
which the vegetables were boiled. Rub 
together 1 tablespoonful flour with 2 
tablespoonfuls butter. This makes 
sufficient thiCixCning. Season with 2 
level teaspoonfuls salt and J tea- 
spoonful pepper; then add 1 quart 
scalding-hot milk. Cook ten minutes, 
stirring frequently. Serve with crou- 
tons or wafers. The outside stalks of 
celery, corn, beans, onions, potatoes, 
cauliflower, spinach, leeks, tomatoes, 
or lettuce may often be economically 
converted into cream soups. In this 
way a vegetable left-over is deli- 
ciously re-served. 

Boiling potatoes is such an every- 
day task that it seems almost un- 
necessary to offer a recipe for it, yet 



[VEGETABLES 



925 



how seldom do we find a cook make 
the best of potatoes. If potatoes are 
" new," they should merely have their 
skins rubbed off with the burlap 
scrubber; if old, wash them well, soak 
half an hour in cold water, then pare 
off a ring lengthwise around the po- 
tato. This allows the skin to be ta- 
ken off easily after boiling. Put 
them in a saucepan with plenty of 
boiling water, add a tablespoonful 
salt, boil another fifteen minutes, then 
drain off every drop of water, and 
leave them to dry for ten minutes 
covered with a folded towel. A fav- 
orite method for serving many vege- 
tables is in cream sauce. A dish of 
creamed cauliflower will illustrate 
how potatoes, carrots, cabbage, peas, 
parsnips, artichokes, salsify, celery, 
onions, Brussels sprouts, and aspara- 
gus may be cooked. Blend 1 table- 
spoonful butter with 1 tablespoonful 
flour; then add gradually 1 pint hot 
milk, and beat till creamy. Add 1 
teaspoonful salt, a dash pepper, and 
a small head blanched cauliflower 
broken into branches. Set it at the 
back of the stove where it may cook 
slowly for ten minutes. 

The best way to cook spinach for 
preserving its refreshing and laxative 
qualities is not to add water, for af- 
ter thorough washing the leaves re- 
tain enough moisture to steam it. Put 
it dry in a saucepan over the fire; ia 
ten minutes it will be ready to drain 
and chop. Afterwards return it to 
the pan and season with 2 table- 
spoonfuls butter and a teaspoonful 
salt. Let it simmer ten minutes be- 
fore serving. Old, tough spinach is 
better if blanched before it is sea- 
soned and served. 

Boiled Lettuce. 

Wash 4 or 5 heads lettuce, remov- 
ing thick, bitter stalks and retaining 
all the sound leaves. Cook in boiling 
salted water for ten or fifteen min- 
utes, then blanch in cold water. 
Drain, chop lightly, and heat in a 
stewpan with butter and pepper to 
taste, or the chopped lettuce may be 
heated with a pint of white sauce 



seasoned with salt, pepper, and grated 
nutmeg. After simmering for a few 
minutes in the sauce, draw to a cooler 
part of the range and stir in well- 
beaten yolks of 2 eggs. 

Beet Greens. 

Wash thoroughly, put into a stew- 
pan, and cover with boiling water. 
Add a teaspoonful salt for every 3 
quarts greens. Boil rapidly for thir- 
ty minutes. Drain off the water, 
chop rather coarsely, season with but- 
ter and salt. 

Asparagus Tips in Cream. 

Cut the tender part of asparagus 
into short pieces. Add boiling water 
enough to cover the vegetable, and 
cook fifteen minutes. Serve in a 
cream dressing. 

Boiled Peas with Butter. 

Put 1 quart shelled peas in a stew- 
pan and add enough boiling water to 
cover them generously. When they 
begin to boil, draw back where the 
water will bubble gently. When ten- 
der, add 1 teaspoonful salt and 3 ta- 
blespoonfuls butter. Cook ten min- 
utes longer. If the peas arg oot the 
sweet kind, add a tea5£.0,oaf;4 sugai. 

Feas with Porfe. 
1 quart peas, 
A ounces pork, 
a tablespoonful buttef, 
^ cupful water, 
,'2 small white onions, 
'I teaspoonful pepper. 

Cut pork into small bits. Put but- 
ter into stewpan; when it melts add 
the pork and cook gently until light 
brown, then add the water, peas, 
onion, and pepper. This is a good 
way to cook peas when they are old. 

Peas with Xettuce (French recipe). 

1 quart peas, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 

1 head lettuce (the heart), 

1 small onion, 

1 teaspoonful sugar, 

i cupful water. 



926 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Put the vegetables into a stewpan, 
cover, and cook for five minutes. 
Draw the pan back where the corir 
tents will simmer slowly for half an 
hour, drain, season, and serve hot. , 

Sugar Peas in the Pod. 

Gather the pods while the peas are 
very small. String them like beans 
and cut into two or three lengths. 
Cover with boiling water, and boil 
gently twenty-five or thirty mihutes. 
Season with salt and butter, and 
serve at once. 

Shelled Beans Stewed. 

1 quart shelled beans, 

J pound salt pork, 

1 onion, 

§ teaspoonful pepper, 

1 tablespoonful flour, 

1 quart boiling water. 

Salt to taste. 
Cut the pork in slices and fry ten 
minutes in a stewpan. Add the 
onion, cut fine, cook twenty minutes. 
Cover the beans with boiling water 
and boil ten minutes. Drain off the 
water. Put the beans and flour in 
the stewpan with the pork and onion, 
and stir over the fire five minutes. 
Add the boiling water and pepper. 
Place the saucepan where its contents 
will simmer for two hours. 

Green lima Beans. 

Cover 1 quart shelled beans with 
boiling water. Place on the fire 
where they will boil up quickly, then 
draw back where they will simmer 
until done. When tender, pour off 
part of the water. Season with a 
teaspoonful salt and 2 tablespoonfiils 
butter. 

Dried Beans Sauted. 

Soak beans over night, and cook 
until tender, but not broken. Drain 
when soft. For 1 quart beans put 3 
tablespoonfuls butter in a stewpan. 
When hot, put in the beans, which 
have been seasoned with a tablespoon- 
ful salt and i teaspoonful pepper. 
Cook for fifteen minutes, frequently 
turning the beans with a fork. Cover^ 



and let cook slowly for half an hou¥. 
If they are liked moist, add a cupful 
meat broth, then cook for half an 
hour. 

Baked lentils. 

1 quart lentils, 

1 quart water, 

6 ounces mixed salt pork, 

1 clove garlic or 1 small onion, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

I teaspoonful pepper. 

Pick over and wash the lentils. 
Soak in cold water over night. In liie 
morning pour off the water and put 
them in a stewpan with 3 quarts cold 
water and place on the fire. As soon 
as the water begins to boil, the len- 
tils will rise to the top. Take them 
off with a skimmer and put in a deep 
earthen dish, with the pork and onion 
in the center. Mix the pepper and 
salt with a quart boiling water and 
add. Put the dish in a moderate 
oven, and cook slowly four or five 
hours. The lentils must be kept 
moist, and it may be necessary to add 
a little water from time to time. — 
Maria Paeloa. 

Stewed Okra. 

Use only the small green pods, not 
more than two and a half inches 
long. Wipe the pods, cut off the 
stems and tips, if the latter be dis- 
colored. Put them into boiling salted 
water and cook gently for twenty 
to thirty minutes. Drain off the wa- 
ter, add 1 tablespoonfid butter, 1 ta«. 
blespoonful vinegar, and a little pep- 
per and salt. Let them simmer at the 
back of the range until the butter is 
absorbed, then turn out without 
breaking the pods, and serve hot. 

Baked Hubbard Squash. 

Select a thoroughly ripened squash, 
cut in halves and remove the seeds, 
scraping the inside thoroughly. Bake 
one and a half hours in a moderate 
oven, remove the thin brown skin and 
with a spoon scrape the squash out of 
the shell into a hot dish, mashing it 
with butter, salt, and pepper to taste 



VEGETABLES 



927 



Scalloped Onions. 

Boil 6 or 8 onions till tender, 
changing the water once. Separate 
them with a fork and arrange in lay- 
ers in a buttered earthen dish, al- 
ternating the layers with buttered 
bread crumbs. Season with salt and 
pepper, pour over milk to nearly 
cover, spread with melted butter, and 
brown in a moderate oven. 

Yankee Fried Parsnips. 

Scrape parsnips thoroughly and 
parboil in salted water; cut in slices 
lengthwise, dip each piece in mo- 
lasses, and fry in fat. 

Tomatoes Stuffed with Succotash. 

Wash, wipe, and remove a thin 
slice from the stem end of 6 toma- 
toes, scoop out the inside, sprinkle 
with salt, invert, stand half an hour. 
Mix the pulp with 1 cupful succo- 
tash; stuff the tomatoes and arrange 
them in a buttered pan, sprinkle the 
top of each with buttered cracker 
crumbs. Bake in a hot oven twenty 
minutes. Baste with melted butter. 

Peppers with Macaroni (Italian rec- 
ipe). 

Cut the tops from green peppers, 
remove seeds and core, and let stand 
ten minutes in boiling water. Chop 
cooked macaroni into small pieces 
and mix with a thin cream sauce. 
Drain the peppers, fill with macaroni, 
adding to each a generous spoonful 
of grated cheese. Bake in a granite 
dish with very little water until the 
peppers are tender. Serve with to- 
mato sauce made from fresh or canned 
tomatoes pressed through a sieve and 
thickened with melted butter to 
which a tablespoonful flour has been 
added. Salt and a few drops of 
onion juice should be added, but no 
pepper. 

Fried Turnips. 

Peel the turnips, cut in inch cubes, 
boil until tender, drain, and fry in 
butter untU golden brown on both 
sides. 



Potatoes Hashed with Green Peppers. 
To hashed brown potatoes add 
chopped bacon in the proportion of 
one slice to each person, and minced 
red or green peppers. 

Stuffed Cucumbers and White Sauce. 
Peel large cucumbers and cut 
lengthwise; scoop out the centers; 
fill with bread-crumb stuffing, plain 
or mixed with chopped meat; put 
side by side in a pan, and bake in a 
hot oven, basting frequently with 
melted butter and hot water. When 
the cucumbers are soft, remove, and 
put a spoonful white sauce over each 
as it is served. 

Corn Custard. 
6 ears corn, 
3 eggs, 

1 cupful milk, 
I teaspoonful sal^ 
Dash cayenne. 

Scrape the corn from the ears, beat 
the eggs, add the milk to the corn, 
then add a seasoning of salt and 
cayenne, and mix the eggs in lightly; 
bake in a deep buttered dish in a pan 
of hot water in the oven till a knife 
blade put into the custard comes out 
dry. Serve at oncCi 

Pepper Hings. 

Cut a large pepper in 4' ri'ngs, re- 
moving the seeds; boil fifteen min- 
utes; cut 4 rounds of stale bread and 
brown them in the oven. Butter the 
slices, lay a ring of pepper on each 
and fill the center with well-seasoned, 
cold minced meat. Moisten with wa- 
ter in which the pepper was boiled, 
adding salt and butter to season, and 
set in the oven. 

Chile con Came (a Mexican recipe). 
Soak 1 pint dried Lima beans over 
night; in the morning arrange in the 
bean pot with 1 pound solid lean 
beef, 3 ounces sweet fat or suet, a red 
pepper cut in rings, and ^ onion, 
shaved. Cover with water, season 
with salt, I teaspoonful mustard wet 
up with vinegar, a dash Mcllhenny's 
Tabasco Sauce, and bake slowly in a 



028 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



moderate oven for three or four 
hours. 

To Boil Cabbage. 

Cut a head of cabbage in 4 parts. 
Soak half an hour in a pan of cold 
water to which has been added a 
tablespoonful salt; this will draw out 
insects or worms that may be hidden 
in the leaves. After soaking, cut in 
slices. Have a large stewpan half 
full of boiling water; put in the cab- 
bage, pushing it under the water with 
a spoon. Add 1 tablespoonful salt, 
and cook twenty-five to forty min- 
utes. Turn into a colander and 
drain; put in a chopping bowl and 
mince. Season with butter, pepper, 
and more salt if required. Allow a 
tablespoonful butter to a pint cooked 
vegetable. 

Cabbage Cooked with Pork. 

For a small head of cabbage use 
I pound salt pork. Boil the pork 
gently for three or four hours. Pre-^ 
pare the cabbage, and boil rapidly 
till tender. Serve the pork with the 
cabbage. 

Creamed Cabbage. 

2 cupfuls boiled and minced cab- 



1 cupful hot milk, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

1 teaspoonful flour, 
ij. teaspoonful salt, 

i teaspoonful pepper. 

Put the cabbage, hot milk, salt, and 
pepper in a stewpan. Beat the but- 
ter and flour together until creamy, 
then stir into the contents of the 
stewpan. Simmer ten minutes; serve 
very hot. 

Cabbage and Potato Puree. 

2 cupfuls boiled finely minced 
cabbage^ 

6 medium-sized potatoes, 
2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
2 teaspoonfuls salt, 
i teaspoonful pepper, 
1 cupful hot milk. 

Peel the potatoes and put them in 
a stewpan with enough boiling water 



to cover. Cook thirty minutes. Pour 
oflf the water and mash fine. Beat in 
the hot milk, seasoning, and cabbage. 
Cook five minutes longer. 

Boiled Cauliflower. 

Remove the green leaves and the 
greater part of the stalk. Put the 
head in a pan of cold water which 
contains to each quart a teaspoonful 
salt and a teaspoonful vinegar. Let 
it soak an hour or more. Put the 
cauliflower in a large stewpan, stem 
down, and cover with boiling water. 
Add a tablespoonful salt, and cook 
with the cover of the saucepan par- 
tially off, boiling gently all the time. 
A large, compact head requires half 
an hour, small heads from twenty to 
twenty-five minutes. Cauliflower be- 
gins to deteriorate the moment it is 
overcooked. 

Creamed Cauliflower. 

2 cupfuls cooked cauliflower, 

2 cupfuls milk, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 
J teaspoonful pepper, 
1 tablespoonful butter, 
J tablespoonful flour, 

3 slices toasted bread. 

Break the cauliflower into branches 
and season with half the salt and 
pepper. Put the butter in a sauce- 
pan. When hot, add the flour, and 
stir until smooth, then add the milk, 
stirring all the time. When the sauce 
boils, add salt, pepper, and cauli- 
flower. Cook ten minutes; serve on 
toast. 

Brussels Sprouts Blanched. 

Remove wUted or yellow leaves 
from the sprouts, cut the stocks close 
to the head, and soak in salted cold 
water for an hour or more. Drain 
and put into boiling water. Allow 1 
teaspoonful salt to 2 quarts waterf 
Boil rapidly for fifteen minutes. 
When done, turn into a colander and 
pour cold water over them. They are 
ready now to serve with any kind of 
sauce, or can be seasoned with butter, 
salt, and pepper. 



a 



VEGETABLES 



929 



Brussels Sprouts Sauted. 

1 quart Brussels sprouts, 
3 tablespoonfuls butter, 

^ teaspoonful salt, 
i teaspoonful pepper. 

Blanch the sprouts and drain well. 
Put them in a saucepan with butter 
and other seasonings. Place over a 
hot fire and shake frequently. Cook 
five minutes; serve hot. 

Kale Boiled with Pork. 

Cook kale the same as cabbage 
with pork. 

Hinced Kale (Scotch recipe). 

Remove old or tough leaves. Wash 
the kale thoroughly and drain; then 
put to cook in a kettle of boiling 
water to which has been added 1 
tablespoonful salt to 4 quarts water. 
Boil rapidly till tender. Pour off the 
water, and chop the kale fine; put 
back into the kettle, add 1 table- 
spoonful butter and 2 tablespoonfuls 
meat broth for each pint minced 
vegetable. Cook ten minutes, and 
serve at once. The time required for 
cooking kale varies irom thirty to 
fifty minutes. 

To Boil Spinach. 

To clean spinach, cut off the roots, 
break the leaves apart and drop in a 
pan o2 water, rinsing them well. Con- 
tinue washing in clean water until 
there is no sand left in the bottom 
of the pan. Drain and blanch. For 
i peck spinach have 3 quarts boiling 
water and 1 tablespoonful salt. Let 
it cook ten minutes, counting from 
the time it begins to boil. Put the 
spinach in a colander, and pour cold 
water over it. Drain well, and chop. 

Spinach with Cream. 

2 cupfuls boiled spinach, 
2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 tablespoonful flour, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 
^ teaspoonful pepper, 
1 cupful scalded cream. 

Mince the spinach. Put the butter 
in a saucepan on the fire. When hot. 



add the flour and stir 'until smooth, 
then add the minced spinach and salt 
and pepper. Cook five minutes; then 
add cream, and cook three minutes 
longer. 

Spinach with "Egg. 

2 cupfuls boiled spinach, 

3 tablespoonfuls butter, 
i teaspoonful pepper, 

2 eggs, 

3 teaspoonfuls salt. 

Drain the blanched spinach and 
chop fine, return to the saucepan, and 
add salt, pepper, and butter. Place 
on the fire, and cook ten minutes. 
Heap in a mound on a hot dish, and 
garnish with hard-boiled eggs cut in 
slices. 

Spinach Cooked without Water. 

Young, tender spinach can be 
cooked without water. When well 
washed, put in a stewpan over the 
fire; cover, and cook for ten minutes. 
Turn it several times during the 
cooking. Put it in a chopping bowl 
and mince fine. Return to the stew- 
pan and add seasonings, allowing for 
J peck spinach 2 generous table- 
spoonfuls butter and a teaspoonful 
salt. Simmer ten minutes; if very 
tender, five minutes will be sufficient. 

Cucumber Sauted. 

Boil pared and quartered cucum- 
bers for three minutes. Drain the 
pieces, and season with salt and pep- 
per. Roll in flour, and cook in a 
saucepan with butter for twenty min- 
utes. This dish may be varied by 
adding minced parsley and chives 
about five minutes before the cooking 
is finished. 

Stewed Tomatoes. 

Peel tomatoes and cut in small 
pieces. Put into a stewpan on the 
fire. Boil gently twenty minutes or 
half an hour. Season five minutes be- 
fore the cooking is finished. Allow 
for each quart tomato 1 teaspoonful 
salt and sugar and 1 tablespoonful 
butter. 



930 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Scalloped Tomatoes, 

2 cupfuls peeled and cut toma- 
toes, 
S cupfuls grated bread crumbs, 
1 level teaspoonful salt, 
1 tablespoonful butter. 
Dash pepper. 

Reserve 3 tablespoonfuls bread 
crumbs, and spread the remainder on 
a pan. Brown in the oven. Mix the 
tomato, browned crumbs, salt, pep- 
per, and half the butter together, and 
put in a shallow baking dish. Spread 
the unbrowned crumbs on top, and 




a, Teller Knife ; b. Cutter for Potato Balls ; 

c. Butter Brush for Greasing Cake Tins; 

d, Pancake Turner ; e, Bent Spoon for Giv- 
ing Medicine. 



dot with the remainder of the butter, 
cut into bits. Bake in a moderately 
hot oven half an hour. 

Stuffed Green Peppers (Italian 
recipe). 
6 sweet peppers, 
i^pint soaked stale bread, 
S teaspoonfuls salt, 
1 tablespoonful fine herbs, 
g teaspoonful sweet basil and 

summer savory, 
S tablespoonfuls butter. 

Cut off the stem end of the pepper 
and remove the interior, being care- 
ful to take out every seed. Fill the 
peppers with the dressing. Place 
them on end in a shallow dish, and 
pour around them a sauce prepared 
as follows: 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

1 tablespoonful flour, 

ij cupfuls meat stock, 

1 teaspoonful salt. 

Heat the butter; add the flour. 
Stir until smooth and brown, then 



add the meat stock. Season with salt. 
Cook five minutes, pour around the 
stuffed peppers. Put the dish in a 
moderately hot oven and bake the 
peppers one hour, basting with the 
sauce in the dish. Peppers may be 
filled with a well-seasoned dressing 
of chopped meat, with or without the 
addition of bread crumbs or rice. 

Beans in a Casserole (Spanish 
recipe). 

2 cupfuls white or pink beans, 

1 onion. 

Small piece pork or bacon, 

1 cupful canned tomatoes, 

2 shredded chili peppers. 

Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco Sauce. 

Soak the beans over night. In the 
morning boil fifteen minutes and 
drain. Fry the onion with the pork 
or bacon. Add these to the beans, 
also the tomato, peppers, salt, and 
sufficient hot water to cover well. 
Boil briskly for ten minutes, then 
put in a casserole, and bake in a slow 
oven four hours. 

Cauliflower Browned. 

Soak cauliflower in cold water for 
a few hours, boil one hour in salted 
water, drain, and sprinkle with a few 
drops of vinegar mixed with salt and 
pepper, and dust with soft bread 
crumbs fried in butter till brown. 

Boiled Turnips. 

Peel and slice the turnips; drop in 
a stewpan with boiling water enough 
to cover. Cook until tender, then 
drain. Mash with a wooden vegeta- 
ble masher. Season- with salt, butter, 
and pepper. Serve at once. 

Hashed Turnips. 

Chop drained turnips in large 
pieces. Return to the stewpan, and 
for 1^ pints turnips add a teaspoonful 
salt, I teaspoonful pepper, a table- 
spoonful butter, and 4 tablespoonfuls 
water. Cook over a hot fire until the 
turnips have absorbed the seasonings. 
Serve at once. Or the salt, pepper, 
butter, and a tablespoonful flour may 
be added to the hashed turnips, then 



VEGETABLES 



931 



the stewpan be placed over the hot 
fire and shaken frequently to toss up 
the turnips. When the turnips have 
been cooking five minutes in this 
manner, add ^ pint meat stock or 
milk, and cook ten minutes. 

Carrots with White Sauce. 

Scrape carrots lightly, then cut into 
large dice. Put in a stewpan with 
salted water and boil until tender. 
Young carrots will cook in thirty 
minutes, old ones in forty-five. Drain, 
put back in the stewpan, and for 
every pint add 1 tablespoonful but- 
ter, 1 teaspoonful sugar, i teaspoon- 
ful salt, and 1 gill meat stock. Cook 
until they have absorbed the season- 
ings and liquid. 

Salsify. 

To prevent salsify from turning 
dark, drop it as soon as pared and 
cut into a mixture of flour and water 
made slightly acid with vinegar. Cook 
thirty minutes, drain, and serve in a 
white sauce. Or mix 1 tablespoonful 
butter, I teaspoonful salt, 1 teaspoon- 
ful lemon juice, and 1 teaspoonful 
minced parsley. Add this to the 
drained salsify, and serve at once. 

Beets with Butter. 

Wash beets, being careful not to 
break the skins. Put in a stewpan, 
cover with boiling water, and boil im- 
til tender. Young beets will cook in 
one hour. When tender, take from 
the boiling water and drop into cold 
water. Rub off the skins. Cut in 
thin slices and season with salt and 
butter. Serve at once. 

Boiled Kohl-Eabi. 

Wash and pare the vegetable, then 
cut in thin slices. Put in salted boil- 
ing water and boil until the vegetable 
is tender. This will take from thirty 
to fifty minutes. Pour off the water, 
and season with butter, s&lt, and 
pepper. 

Stewed Celery. 

Remove the leaves from the stalks. 
Scrape rusted or dark spots, cut into 



pieces three inches long, and put in 
boiling water. Add 1 teaspoonful 
salt for 2 quarts water. Boil rapidly 
fifteen minutes. Pour off the water, 
rinse with cold water, then drain. 
Finish in the following manner: Put 
the celery in the stewpan with 1 
tablespoonful butter, and 1 teaspoon- 
ful salt for each quart celery. Cover, 
and cook slowly for fifteen minutes. 
Shake the pan frequently while the 
celery is cooking. Serve hot. — Maria 
Paeloa. 

Boiled Onions in White Sauce. 

Peel the onions and drop in cold 
water. Put in a stewpan with boil- 
ing salted water. Cook rapidly for 
ten minutes. Drain off tlie water 
and cover the onions with hot milk. 
Simmer half an hour. Beat together 
1 tablespoonful butter and 1 level 
tablespoonful flour. Add 1 teaspoon- 
ful salt and ^ teaspoonful white pep- 
per. Gradually beat in i cupful of 
the milk in which the onions are cook- 
ing. When smooth, stir the mixture 
into the onions and milk. Let it cook 
ten minutes longer. 

Stewed Onions. 

Cut the onions in slices and boil in 
salted water ten minutes. Drain, 
add 2 tablespoonfuls butter, 1 tea- 
spoonful salt, I teaspoonful pepper. 
Cover the stewpan, and cook over a 
hot fire five minutes, shaking the pan 
occasionally. Set it back where it 
will cook slowly for forty minutes. 

Stewed Cucumbers. 

Stew pared cucumbers, cut in 
quarters, for fifteen minutes, with a 
little water and a small minced onion. 
Pour off the water; stir in flour, but- 
ter, and salt; heat for two or three 
minutes, then serve. 

Baked Eggplant. 

For baked eggplant make a dress- 
ing as for stuffed peppers, except 
that a little more salt, pepper, and 
butter are used. Cut the eggplant in 
two lengthwise, scrape out the inside, 
and mash fine, then mix with the 



932 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



dressing and return to the shells. 
Place on a pan in the oven. Cook 
forty-five minutes. — ^Mabia Pahloa. 

Tried Eggplant. 

Cut the vegetable in slices half an 
inch thick and pare. Sprinkle with 
salt and pile them upon one anotlier; 
put a plate with a weight on top. 
Let them rest an hour, then remove 
weight and plate. Add 1 tablespoon- 
ful water, i tablespoonful salt, and 
I teaspoonful pepper to an egg. Beat 
well. Dip the slices of eggplant in 
the egg, then in dried bread crumbs. 
Fry in deep fat. 

Broiled Eggplant. 

The eggplant is sliced and drained; 
then spread the slices on a dish, sea- 
son with pepper, baste with salad oil, 
sprinkle with dried bread crumbs, 
and broil. 

Summer Squash. 

Wash the squash, cut into small 
pieces, and cook in boiling water or 
steam. The cooked squash is mashed 
fine and seasoned with saltj, pepper, 
and butter. 

Boiled Corn on the Cob. 

Free the corn from husks and 
" silk." Drop into boiling water, and 
cook ten minutes. 

Corn 'Cut from Cob. 

Corn may be cut from the cob and 
heated with butter, pepper, and a lit- 
tle milk. First cook the ears five 
minutes in boiling water to set the 
juice. Then with a sharp knife cut 
through the center of each row of 
grains, and with the back of a knife 
press the grains from the hulls. Put 
it in a saucepan and season with salt, 
pepper, and butter. Add enough hot 
milk to moisten well, and cook ten 
minutes. 

Beans with Gravy (Mexican recipe). 
Soak 2 cupfuls beans Over night; 
in the morning add a small onion and 
boil gently until soft; take out the 
©nion and drain the beans. Put a 



tablespoonful lard in a skillet, and 
when sizzling hot add the drained 
beans. Mix beans and lard thor- 
oughly until each bean seems to have 
a coating of the fat and begins to 
burst. Add a cupful liquid in which 
the beans were boiled, and gently 
crush a few of the beans with the 
spoon to thicken the gravy. Add the 
remainder of the bean liquor and a 
chopped chili pepper, and simmer un- 
til the beans are dry. 

Cidracayote (Mexican recipe)'. 

Take young summer squash, wash 
and cut into dice. Put in a stewpan 
a tablespoonful lard, and when hot 
add ^ teaspoonful finely minced 
onion; stir, then put in the squash, 
salt, and black pepper. Fry for ten 
minutes, stirring often, add tender, 
sweet corn fresh from the cob, J cup- 
ful corn to a pint squash. Cook until 
sufiiciently soft to mash. — May E. 

SOUTHWORTH. 

Ejotes con Vino (Mexican recipe). 

Cook string beans until tender in 
boiling salted water. Fry a little 
chopped onion and green pepper in 
oil till brown; add the beans, with a 
seasoning of salt and pepper. 

Estilo Seco (Mexican recipe). 

Boil a pint pink beans until tender. 
Put in a frying pan a heaping table- 
spoonful lard and butter mixed ; drain 
the beans and put into the boiling 
fat; add a sliced onion, salt, and red 
pepper. Stir and brown slightly. 
Ten minutes before taking from the 
frying pan, add -7 fablespoonfuls 
grated American cheese. Serve with 
thin slices of hot buttered toast and 
sliced cucumbers with oil and vine- 
gar. — May E. Southworth. 

Suculento (Mexican recipe). 

Fry i pound chopped salt pork 
with a sliced onion and 6 green pep- 
pers cut small. When brown, add a 
can of corn and 4 small summer 
squashes sliced. Cover with milk, and 
cook slowly two hours, without stir- 
ring. 



VEGETABLES 



933 



Beans a la Bretonne (French reciT>e). 
Boil i pint haricot beans till tender; 
slice 4 large onions, and fry them in 
butter till brown. Put the beans and 
onions together in a stewpan, and add 
a little strong stock, pepper and salt, 
and finely minced parsley. Serve hot. 

Beans a la Poulette (French recipe). 
Put young, tender beans in a stew- 
pan with plenty of water, and a 
handful salt, and set them over a 
strong fire. When done, blanch, 
drain, and put in a stewpan with a 
bit of butter, an onion or two cut in 
dice, and previously fried in butter. 
Sprinkle in a tablespoonful flour; let 
them stew a few minutes, but do not 
allow them to brown; add a spoonful 
stock, some minced parsley and green 
onions, with salt and pepper. Let 
them come to a boil, stirring well, 
and thicken with the yolks 2 eggs, 
beaten in a little cream. Just before 
serving, add the juice of a lemon. 

Turnips Glace au Sucre (French 

recipe). 

Clean young, tender turnips, put 
them in a stewpan with a small piece 
of butter, 3 tablespoonfuls sugar, a 
little salt, and | pint stock. Simmer 
forty minutes. When nearly done, 
place the stewpan over a brisk fire to 
reduce the sauce to a glaze, rolling 
the turnips about in it, but with great 
care to avoid breaking them; dish, 
and pour the glazed sauce over them. 

Stewed Red Cabbage. 

Split a red cabbage, cut in thin 
slices, soak in salt and water, then 
put in a saucepan with some stock 
and a little butter blended with flour ; 
add pepper and salt, a glass of vine- 
gar, and a bit of bacon. Stew till 
tender, take out the bacon, and serve. 

Shredded Red Cabbage (Dutch 

recipe). 

Cut a red cabbage in shreds and 
boil till tender; drain as dry as pos- 
sible; put in a stewpan with a table- 
spoonful pure olive oil, a tablespoon- 
ful butter, 3 tablespoonfuls vinegar 



and water, an onion cut small, some 
pepper and salt. Let it simmer till 
all the liquor evaporates. This is 
eaten in Holland hot or cold. 

Chouffleurs au Gratin ( 1*' r e n c H 
recipe). 

1 cauliflower, 

2 tablespoonfuls grated I'arme- 
san cheese, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter. 

Dash pepper and salt, 

2 tablespoonfuls lemon juice. 

Yolks 2 eggs. 
Boil the cauliflower, drain, put it 
on the dish in which it is to be served ; 
prepare a sauce of the cheese, butter, 
pepper, and salt, lemon juice, and 
yolks of eggs beaten; beat and mix 
together, pour it over the cauliflower, 
grate Parmesan cheese over the top, 
put in the oven, and bake twenty min- 
utes. Brown the top. 

Artichokes a la Creme (French 

recipe). 

Boil artichokes in salted water; 
when they are done, drain. About 
half an hour is sufficient to cook them 
if they are tender. Toss in butter in 
a stewpan, add some cream and a lit- 
tle chopped parsley. Thicken the 
sauce with the yolk of an egg; season 
with salt and cayenne. 

Leland Tomatoes (English recipe). 

Wipe 4 tomatoes, pare, and cut in 
3 slices. Sprinkle with salt and pep- 
per, dredge generously with flour, 
and saute in butter, first on one side, 
then on the other. Remove to a hot 
serving dish and pour over them the 
following sauce: Melt 2| tablespoon- 
fuls butter, add 2^ teaspoonfuls flour, 
and stir until blended; then pour on, 
while stirring or beating constantly, 
1 cupful milk. Bring to the boiling 
point, season with salt and pepper. 

Tomato Surprise. 
6 tomatoes, 
2 hard-boiled eggs, 
2 tablespoonfuls red pepper, 
2 tablespoonfuls green pepper, 
1 shallot. 



934 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



1 clove garlic, 
4 anchovies. 

Wipe tlie tomatoes, cut a slice from 
the stem end of each, scoop out the 
inside, invert, and stand thirty min- 
utes. Add the eggs, peppers, shallot, 
garlic and anchovies finely chopped. 
Moisten with mayonnaise dressing. 
Fill the tomato cases with the mixt- 
ure, mask with mayonnaise, and gar- 
nish with anchovies. Serve as a first 
course at dinner. 

Broiled Tomatoes. 

Wipe and cut tomatoes in halves 
crosswise; then cut a thin slice from 
the rounding part of each. Sprinkle 
with salt and pepper, dip in crumbs, 
egg, and crumbs again, place in a 
well-buttered broiler, and broil six to 
eight minutes. 

Baked Tomatoes. 

Wipe 6 smooth, medium-sized to- 
matoes and remove a thin slice from 
the stem end of each. Take out the 
seeds and pulp and drain off most 
of the liquid. Add to the pulp an 
equal quantity of buttered cracker 
crumbs, and season with salt, pepper, 
and a few drops of onion juice. Re- 
fill the tomatoes with the mixture, 
place in a buttered pan, sprinkle with 
buttered cracker crumbs, and bake 
twenty. minutes in a, hot oven. 

Deviled Tomatoes. 

4 tablespoonfuls butler, 

2 teaspoonfuls powdered sugar, 

1 teaspoonful mustard, 

i teaspoonful salt. 

Few grains cayenne, 

Yolk hard-boiled egg, 

1 egg slightly beaten, 

2 tablespoonfuls vinegar. 

Wipe, peel, and cut tomatoes Is 
slices. Sprinkle with salt and pep- 
per, dredge with flour, and saute in 
butter. Remove to a hot serving 
dish, and pour over a dressing made 
from the above ingredients. Cook 
over hot water, stirring constantly, 
until the mixture thickens. 



Pried Corn. 

Scrape corn carefully from the coB. 
Cut through the center of the kernel, 
so that all the pulp and juices may 
be extracted without the removal of 
the hulls. Sift a little flour over the 
corn, with salt and pepper to taste. 
Place some slices of bacon over the 
fire in frying pan, until all the grease 
has been extracted. Remove the meat 
and put the corn in the pan to fry in 
the bacon fat until it becomes deli- 
cately brown and tender; it must be 
stirred constantly for fifteen ob 
twenty minutes. 

Corn. Patties Garnished with Husks. 
Green corn, 
3 eggs, 

1 cupful fine cracker crumbs, 
i teaspoonful sugar. 
Pepper and salt. 

This calls for enough green corn 
' .fter it has been grated to make a 
pint. To the corn add 3 eggs and 
the cracker crumbs, season with salt 
and pepper — about i teaspoonful 
pepper and a teaspoonful salt. Add 
the sugar and form the mixture into 
cakes about the size of a large oyster ; 
then roll in egg and afterwards in 
cracker crumbs. Wash the corn 
husks and shred the ends with a fork 
for about two inches. Arrange them 
on a platter with the fringe hanging 
over the sides. Cook the patties in 
smoking-hot lard until brown and 
crisp; then heap in a mound in the 
center of the platter and serve at 
once. — Maria ParloA, 

yegetarian Sausages. 

1^ cupfuls Lima beanSj 
3 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 teaspoonful salt. 
Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco 
Sauce. 

Soak the beans over night, cook in 
salted water until soft. Drain per- 
fectly dry, then squeeze the pulp 
through a potato ricer. Beat in the 
butter and seasonings. If not moist 



VEGETABLES 



935 



enough, add a beaten egg or as much 
of it as required, make the paste so 
soft it can be rolled into croquettes. 
Shape like small sausages, dip in 
beaten egg and flour, then fry in but- 
ter, rolling the sausages over in the 
pan till brown on all sides. Serve 
with cold slaw. 



Beans a la Bretonne (French recipe). 

J pint haricot beans, 

4 large onions, 

9 tablespoonfuls butter, 

1 cupful brown stock, 

Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco 
Sauce, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

1 teaspoonful finely minced pars- 
ley. 

Boil the beans till tender; slice the 
onions thin, and fry in butter till 
brown. Put the beans and onions in 



a stewpan and add the stock, pepper, 
salt, and parsley. Serve very hot. 

rrench Beans a la Poulette (French 

recipe). 

Put young, tender beans in ^ 
stewpan with plenty of salted water. 
When cooked, blanch, drain, and re- 
turn to stewpan with a bit of butter. 
Sprinkle in a tablespoonf ul flour ; let 
them stew a few minutes, but do not 
allow them to brown; add a table- 
spoonful stock, minced parsley, and 
green onions with salt and pepper. 
Let them come to a boil, stir well, 
thicken with yolks 9 eggs, beaten in a 
little cream. Just before serving, 
add juice of a lemon. 

Curried Onion. 

Fry sliced onions in butter or fat; 
salt and pepper, then add 1 teaspoon- 
ful curry, 3 raw eggs, and a few 
drops lemon juice. Serve hot. 



CHAPTER LII 



LEFT-OVER VEGETABLES 



The possibilities for utilizing cold 
vegetables are greater than for any 
dish that comes to the American ta- 
ble. Almost every vegetable in com- 
mon use, from the ragged outside 
leaves of lettuce to a cupful cold 
string beans, may reappear as a tasty 
hot dish or a tempting salad. Left- 
over spinach, corn, lettuce, tomato, 
string beans, peas, squash, cauliflower, 
carrots, onions, or beans may be con- 
verted into savory soups, and nearly 
every vegetable in the market when 
cold can reappear as a salad. If the 
left-overs are many and small, the 
result may be a Macedoine salad. 
This is the name given to a salad in 
which cold boiled vegetables are com- 
bined. Each vegetable is kept sepa- 
rate, and generally the dish can be 
arranged in such a charming scheme 
of color that it is a pleasure to the 
eye. Vegetables may be cut in cubes, 
strips, triangles, tiny balls, or in 
fancy shapes, formed by a vegetable 
cutter. During the summer, when 
young " beets, turnips, carrots, and 
green vegetables are at their best, 
these salads may be had in perfection. 
If left-overs of vegetables come from 
the table coated with cream sauce or 
mayonnaise, put each by itself in a 
colander. Wash off in cold water, 
drain thoroughly, chill before using, 
and it will be as good as if freshly 
cooked. Plenty of u, crisp green 
vegetable, lettuce, water cress, or 
parsley, is necessary to make a Mace- 
doine salad perfect. 

Spinach in Molds. 

2 cupfuls cold spinach. 
Pepper and salt, 
1 tablespoonful lemon juice, 
J tablespoonful melted butter. 



Drain the spinach and chsp fine. 
Season and stir in the melted butter. 
Butter Dario molds and pack in the 
mixture. Set on ice until chilled. 
Remove from the molds and arrange 
the spinach on thin slices of cold 
boiled tongue cut in rounds. Garnish 
the base of each with parsley, and 
serve on top a spoonful sauce tar- 
tare. 

Baked-Bean Sandwiches. 
^ cupful baked beans, 
1 tablespoonful horse-radish, 
1 teaspoonful celery and parsley 

minced fine, 
^ teaspoonful onion juice, 
^ teaspoonful mustard. 
Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco Sauce. 

Press the beans through a potato 
ricer, mix with the seasoning, and 
spread between slices of entire-wheat 
bread. 

CoriL ijoup. 

1 quart veal stock, 

1 cupful green corn cut from the 
cob and chopped. 

Acid the corn to the stock and sim- 
mer slowly for twenty minutes. Add 
pepper and salt to tast^ thicken 
slightly, and strain. 

Pea Soup. 

2 cupfuls cold green peas, 
4 cupfuls veal stock, 

1 slice onion, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

i teaspoonful pepper, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 

3 tablespoonfuls flour. 

Add the peas and onion to the stock 
and simmer till they begin to fall to 



936 



LEFT-OVEK VEGETABLES 



937 



pieces. Rub through a sieve, reheat, 
season, and bind with butter and 
flour rubbed together. Peas that are 
too old to serve as a vegetable may- 
be used for soup. 

Cream-of-Corn Soup. 

2 cupfuls cold corn, 

3 cupfuls boiling water, 
Q cupfuls milk, 

1 slice onion. 
Sprig parsley, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
Q tablespoonfuls flour, 
Pepper and salt. 

Put the corn through a meat chop- 
per. Add the boiling water and sim- 
mer for twenty-five minutes. Rub 
through a sieve. Scald the milk with 
the onion and parsley. Remove the 
seasonings, and pour the milk over 
the corn pulp. Melt the flour and 
butter together and use for binding. 
Season with pepper and salt. 

iBaked-Bean Soup. 

3 cupfuls cold baked bean^ 
2 cupfuls water, 

4 cupfuls stock, 

2 slices onion, 

3 stalks celery, 

1^ cupfuls canned tomatoes, 

2 drops Mcllhenny's Tabasco 

Sauce, 
Salt and pepper, 
2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
2 tablespoonfuls flour. 

Put the beans, celery, onion, to- 
matoes, with the stock and water, 
into a saucepan and simmer half an 
hour. Rub through a sieve, leaving 
nothing in the sieve except the skins 
of the beans and tiie seeds of the to- 
mato. Add the seasonings, bind with 
the butter and flour melted together. 

Wilted Lettuce. 
• 1 slice ham, 
i cupful vinegar, 
1 egg, 

i teaspoonful mustard, 
Pepper and salt. 
Outside leaves 2 heads lettuce. 



Fry a slice of ham with some fat 
on. When done, remove the ham, 
leaving the fat gravy in the frying 
pan Have ready the vinegar, beaten 
egg, mustard and pepper and salt to 
taste. Add the egg to the vinegar 
slowly so it will not curdle. When 
well mixed, pour slowly into the ham 
gravy, stirring well. Let it come to 
a boil. Put the lettuce in with a 
fork, toss and thoroughly mix with 
the hot mixture in the frying pan for 
two minutes. Cover the pan for two 
minutes, then turn out in a deep dish. 

Vegetable Hash. 

From the remains of a boiled diii- 
ner there are generally enough left- 
overs to make a vegetable hash. 




a. Meatchopper; b. Wire Spoon for Beating 
Sauces f c. Potato Ricer; d. Glass Measuring 
Cup; e. Cream Whip. 

Chop coarsely cabbage, turnips, pars- 
nips, potatoes, and f a carrot. Com- 
bine in equal quantities and to each 
pint of the vegetable use a tablespoon- 
ful butter melted in a spider. Pep- 
per a-d salt to taste and add 2§ 
tablespnnfuls brown stock. Cook 
slowly, and let it just come to a boil. 
Serve hot with pickled beets. 

Spuce Robert. 

2 drops Mcllhenny's Tabasco 

Sauce, 
8 tablespoonfuls oil mayonnaise, 
4 tablespoonfuls French mustard, 
2 tablespoonfuls vinegar, 
2 cold boiled onions. 

Chop the onions iiue and mix with 
the other ingredients. This is a deli- 
cious accompanioient to pork tender- 
loin, veal cutlet, lamb chops, or 3> 
steak. 



938 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Cabbage Jelly (German recipe). 

Drain cold boiled cabbage perfect- 
ly dry, chop fine, add butter, pepper, 
and salt to taste. Press the whole 
closely into a small pudding dish, and 
bake an hour. 

Corn Omelet. 

1 cupful cold corti, 

3 eggs, 

J cupful milk, 

i teaspoonful salt. 

Dash pepper, 

1 tablespoonful butter. 

Chop the corn slightly. Beat the 
yolks of the eggs till thick, mix with 
the milk, salt and pepper. Add the 
corn and fold in the whites of the 
eggs beaten dry. Melt the butter in 
an omelet pan, pour in the mixturCj, 
and cook exactljr as ^ou jyould aa 
omelet. 

Corn Fritters. 

1 cupful cold chopped corn, 

1 cupful milk, 

1 teaspoonful Caliunet baking 

powder, 
HTolks 2 eggs, 

4 tablespoonfuls flourj, 
i teaspoonful salt, 

i teaspoonful pepper^ 
Whites 3 eggs. 

Beat the yolks till thick and lemoii- 
colored„.add the milk and seasoning, 
then the corn, flour, and baking pow- 
der. Last of all, cut in the whites of 
eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Drop 
from a tablespoon into hot lard, and 
fry a delicate brown. 

Curried Vegetables. 

1 cupful cold potatoes,) 
1 cupful cold carrots, 
i cupful cold turnips, 
i cupful cold peas, 

5 tablespoonfuls butter^^ 
S slices onion, 

$ tablespoonfuls flour, 

f tablespoonful salt, 

i teaspoonful curry powdsit 

J teaspoonful pepper. 

Dash celery salt. 



1 cupful milk, 

1 teaspoonfiil chopped parsley. 

Cut the potatoes, carrots, and tur- 
nips into tiny cubes; add the peas. 
Pour over them the onion cooked in 
the butter for five minutes. Add 
flour, and seasonings, and pour on 
slowly the scalded milk. Sprinkle 
with finely chopped parsley. 

Spinach Rechauffe (French recipe)^ 

2 cupfuls cold spinach, 

4 tablespoonfuls butter, 

3 tablespoonfuls flour, 
I cupful chicken stock, 

1 teaspoonful powdered sugar. 
Salt and pepper. 
Grated nutmeg. 
Grated lemon rind* 

Chop the spinach fine, Tcheat in a 
idouble boiler with the butter, in 
iwhich has been melted the flour and 
chicken stock. Add the seasonings. 

Saked-Bean Earebit. 

5 tablespoonfuls butter, 
5 teaspoonfiil salt, 

§ teaspoonful paprika, 

1 cupful cold baked beans, 

^ cupful milk, 

S drops Mcllhenny's Tabasco 

Sauce, 
% cupfuls chopped cheese. 

Press the beans through the potato 
ricer and sprinkle the pulp with the 
seasonings. Put in an omelet pan with 
the butter, and when hot add the 
milk and cheese. Stir till thoroughly 
blended. Serve on slices of toast laid 
on very hot plates. 

jOnion SoufSe. 

i cupful stale bread crumbs, 

1 teaspoonful chopped parslej^ 

1 cupful cold boiled onionc, 

iYolk 1 egg, 

1 tablespoonful butter^ 

1 tablespoonful flour, 

^ teaspoonful salt 

Paprika, 

1 cupful milK, 

iVVhites 3 eggs. 



LEFT-OVER VEGETABLES 



939 



Chop the onions fine. Make a 
white sauce from the butter, flour, 
seasonings, and milk. When it boils, 
add. to it the bread crumbs, parsley, 
chopped onion, and beaten yolk of 
the egg. Beat the whites of the eggs 
to a stiff froth and fold them into 
the onion mixture. Pour into a but- 
tered dish and bake fifteen minutes 
in a moderate oven. Serve with 
cream sauce. 

Scalloped Tomatoes and Onions. 
IJ cupfuls cold boiled onions, 
6 tomatoes, 
Pepper and salt, 
1 cupful buttered crumbs. 

Cut the tomatoes into thin slices 
and chop the onions fine. Butter a 
baking pan. Put in a layer of sliced 
tomatoes, season with pepper and 
salt. Cover with a sprinkling of but- 
tered crumbs, cover with sliced 
onions, then a layer of tomatoes. Make 
the last layer onion slices covered lib- 
erally with crumbs. Bake in a mod- 
erate oven three quarters of an 
hour. 

Monday's Soup: 

J can tomatoes, 

6 boiled or baked potatoes, 

J onion, 

1 stalk celery. 

Few celery tops. 

Pepper and salt, 

1 tablespoonful vinegar, 

1 cupful hot milk, 

Pinch soda. 

Boil vegetables together until they 
are soft. Put through a potato ricer, 
add pepper, salt, and soda. Just be- 
fore serving pour in the milk with a 
pinch of soda dissolved in it. Sift 
over the top dry bread crumbs. 

Green-Pea Soup. 

Take what remains of the peas 
cooked for dinner the day before and 



a little of any kind of soup left, and 
boil together until the peas are soft. 
If you have a heaping cupful peas 
you can make soup enough for four 
or five persons. Put in salt and pep- 
per and onion. The quantity of each 
must depend upon the character of 
the soup which you have put in. Put 
a tablespoonful butter into a frying 
pan, and when it is hot, put a hand- 
ful stale bread cut in dice. Stir un- 
til they are quite brown. Strain the 
soup, rubbing the peas through a 
colander. Sprinkle in a little chopped 
parsley and a few celery tops cut up 
fine. Put the fried bread in the tu- 
reen, and pour in the soup. 

Savory Cauliflower (Dutch recipe). 

Steam cold boiled cauliflower until 
it is hot, and pour over it a sauce 
made as follows: Boil 1 cupful thin 
cream, thicken by adding 1 teaspoon- 
ful flour, stirred smooth in a little 
cold cream; let the mixture boil up, 
stirring constantly, add a pinch salt, 
a little pepper, and a small quantity 
nutmeg. 

Cauliflower au Fromage (French 

recipe). 

Put cold boiled cauliflower in a 
bake dish, and turn over it enough 
drawn butter to moisten; grate 
cheese over the top, cover with sifted 
bread crumbs, put small bits of but- 
ter on top, and bake until light 
brown. 

Asparagus Omelet. 

Put a tablespoonful butter Iri a 
frying pan; when melted, pour in 3 
eggs which have been beaten just 
enough to mix the yolks with the 
whites; stir constantly; when the 
mixture thickens, take from the fiire, 
season with salt and pepper, and stir 
into it what you have left of cold 
boiled asparagus cut into small bits. 



CHAPTER LIII 

POTATOES 



Boiled Potatoes. 

In boiling potatoes, choose tubers, 
if possible, which are of the same 
size. When this cannot be done, put 
the larger potatoes at the bottom of 
the saucepan, the small ones on top. 
Wash, pare, and put in cold water to 
prevent them from becoming discol- 
ored. During the winter, when pota- 
toes grow old and soft, soak for two 
hours before cooking. Put in boiling 
salted water and cook until soft. 
Drain and serve in a dish with 
folded napkin over them. 

Baked Potatoes. 

Select the smoothest and most 

wholesome potatoes for baking. 
Scrub with a vegetable brush and lay 
in a baking pan. They will require 
forty minutes in a hot oven. Serve 
immediately or they are apt to be- 
come soggy. 

Hashed Potatoes. 

Take boiled potatoes and put them 
througli a potato ricer, add butter, 
milk, pepper, and salt, and beat with 
a fork until fluffy. Heap lightly in a 
dish and, if you wish, brown them 
over the top. 

Scalloped Potatoes. 

Cut potatoes in thin slices, put in 
layers in a baking dish sprinkled with 
pepper and salt, dredged with flour, 
and with a little butter here and 
there. Pour hot milk over it, until 
the milk can be seen through the po- 
tatoes, sprinkle with bread crumbs 
and bake in a hot oven for an hour. 

Potatoes Baked on Half Shell. 

Bake 6 or 8 good-sized potatoes; 
as soon as they are soft, cut in halves 



lengthwise, scoop out the inside, mix 
with butter, cream, pepper, and salt, 
and the whites of 2 eggs beaten to a 
stiff froth. Whip the potato until 
white and fluffy, then put back into 
the skins and rake them with a fork 
until they have a rough appearance 
on top. Return to the oven, and bake 
until brown on top. 

Potato Oiuelet. 

Prepare mashed potatoes; put them 
in a spider in which a tablespoonful 
butter has been melted, smooth with 
a palette knife, allow them to cook a 
'few minutes over a moderate fire; 
when delicately crusted underneath, 
score in the center, fold omelet fash- 
ion, then put on a hot platter. 

Potatoes a la Hollandaise (French 
recipe). 

IJ cupfuls white stock, 

3 cupfuls potato cubes, 

4 tablespoonfuls butter, 
i teaspoonful salt. 

Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco Sauce, 

1 tablespoonful lemon juice, 

1 tablespoonful shredded parsley. 

Pare the potatoes, cut into small 
cubes, and soak for- half an hour in 
cold water. Cook until almost soft in 
the white stock, drain, and add the 
lemon juice, butter, and seasonings. 
Cover the saucepan and set back on 
the stove where it will not cook for 
five minutes. Serve in a vegetable 
dish sprinkled with the parsley. 

Boasted Brown Potatoes. 

Wash and pare potatoes, soak in 
cold water, boil for seven minutes, 
then remove from the kettle and lay 
in the gravy of a roast about half an 



i 



940 



POTATOES 



d41 



hour before the meat is to be taken 
from the oven. Baste with fat two 
or three times. Sweet potatoes may 
be cooked in the same way. 

Chambrey Potatoes (French recipe). 
Wash and pare potatoes, then cut 
into thin flakes on a vegetable slicer, 
soak for half an hour in ice water, 
drain, and dry in a towel. In an iron 
spider fry out a couple slices salt 
pork, cook 2 slices onion delicately 
brown, lift out the onion, then put in 
the potatoes, having the spider more 
than half full, season with pepper 
and salt and dot over the top with 
bits of butter. Set the spider back 
on the stove where there is moderate 
heat. Cover tightly until the potatoes 
are softened and brown. Occasion- 
ally, while cooking, turn them over 
to prevent burning. 

Hongroise Potatoes (French recipe). 

1 cupful scalded milk, 
4 tablespoonfuls butter, 
3 cupfuls potato cubes, 

2 tablespoonfuls flour, 
i teaspoonful salt, 

i teaspoonful lemon juice. 
Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco Sauce. 

Soak the potato cubes in ice water 
half an hour. Parboil three minutes, 
and drain. Put the butter in a spi- 
der, and saute the potatoes delicately 
brown. Add the seasonings, dust on 
the flour, and pour in the hot milk; 
allow it to cook for a few minutes, 
then turn into a hot dish and sprinkle 
with shredded parsley. 

Potatoes Brabanconne (French rec- 
ipe). 

Into 2 cupfuls mashed potatoes, 
stir a tablespoonful finely chopped 
chives, 1 teaspoonful chopped pars- 
ley, a dash pepper, teaspoonful salt, 
2 teaspoonfuls butter, and a table- 
spoonful cream. Turn out on a plat- 
ter, shape into a mound, dust over it 
grated cheese and stale bread crumbs. 
Cover with bits of butter, and brown 
In the oven. 



POTATOES WHICH ARE FRIED 

Saratoga Chips. 

Pare potatoes, slice into thin shav- 
ings on a vegetable cutter, and allow 
to soak in ice water for an hour. 
Lift from the water, dry in a towel, 
fry in deep fat or oil until they curl 
and are delicately brown. Shake as 
free from fat as possible before lift- 
ing frying basket from the kettle, and 
put to drain on absorbent paper. 
Dust with salt. Be careful that the 
fat is not too hot, as the potatoes 
must cook before they brown, also 
allow the fat to reheat each time be- 
fore fryinj; another portion of pota- 
toes. 

Prench Fried Potatoes. 

Wash and pare potatoes, cut them 
into lengthwise strips, and soak an 
hour in ice water. Drain and dry, 
then fry in hot fat. When taken 
from the kettle, shake them on a 
sheet of brown paper to absorb the 
fat, and dust with salt. Be careful 
not to cook too many potatoes at a 
time, as the fat is apt to become 
chilled and the potatoes grease- 
soaked. 

Fried Potato Balls. 

2 cupfuls hot mashed potatoes, 

i teaspoonful salt, 

I teaspoonful celery salt. 

Dash cayenne, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

1 egg, 

1 teaspoonful shredded parsley^ 

Into the hot potatoes beat the but- 
ter and seasonings. Allow it to cool 
for a few minutes, then add the pars- 
ley and egg. Whip with a fork until 
thoroughly blended, roll between 
the hands into small balls, dip in 
flour, fry in hot fat, and drain on 
brown paper. 

Potato Croquettes. 

Prepare mashed potatoes aS foi 
fried balls, adding a little onion 
juice and a dash Mcllhenny's Ta- 



942 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



basco, make into cork-shaped cro- 
quettes, roll in flour, egg, an^^ finely 
sifted bread crumbs. Fry delicately 
brown in hot fat, then draiii and ab- 
sorb on paper. 

Kartoffelklosse (German recii^e). 
3 cupfuls mashed potatoes, 
1 cupful toasted bread crumbs, 
S eggs. 
Dash pepper, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 
1 tablespoonful chopped parsley, 
i teaspoonful nutmeg. 

Beat the bread crumbs into the 
mashed potatoes, add the seasoning 
and parsley, moisten with the yolks 
of eggs beaten thick and lemon-col- 
ored. Whip the whites of eggs to a 
stiff froth, then blend with the po- 
tato. Mold into small balls and fry 
until delicately brown in hot fat. 
Kartoffelklosse has sometimes a tea- 
spoonful baking powder added to the 
mixture and they are boiled like 
dumplings in salted water, when they 
puff up till half as large again; then 
they are served with tomato sauce 
poured about them and a sprinkling 
of crisp, buttered bread crumbs. 



SWEET POTATOES 

Boiledr Sweet Potatoes. 

Select potatoes which are of about 
the same size; if wished, they may be 
boiled in skins and peeled before go- 
ing to the table, or pare them, and , 
cook twenty minutes in salt water. 

Baked Sweet Potatoes. 

Wash potatoes, wipe, dry, and bake 
quickly in a hot oven. If they cannot 
be served immediately, prick with a 
fork and allow the steam to escape 
Jo prevent becoming soggy. 



Sweet Potato (Southern style). 

Bake medium-sized potatoes; when 
they are soft, cut in two lengthwise 
and scoop out the inside with a spoon. 
Put it through a potato ricer, have 
butter, salt, pepper, and enough thick 
cream to moisten. Whip with a fork 
until light and fluffy, refill the skins, 
heaping the potato into rough little 
mounds, and bake delicately brown. 

Sweet Potatoes in Cream (Southern 

recipe). 

When baking sweet potatoes, re- 
move a large one from the oven while 
still firm. When cool, pare it, and 
chop to the size of peas; season with 
salt and butter and heap lightly in a 
buttered baking dish. Pour over it 
3 or 4 tablespoon fuls cream, spread 
the top with melted butter and dust 
with powdered sugar. 

Sweet-Potato Croquettes. 

Two cupfuls mashed, boiled, 
steamed, or baked potatoes; add the 
beaten yolks of 2 eggs, and season to 
taste. When cold, form into small 
croquettes, roll in egg and bread 
crumbs, and fry in hot lard to an 
amber color. Serve on a napkin. 

Broiled Sweet Potatoes. 

Steam, pare, and cut in slices three 
eighths of an inch thick, lay the slices 
in a double broiler; salt, cover with 
melted butter, and broil over a slow; 
fire. 

Glazed Sweet Potatoes. 

Boil sweet potatoes tintil nearly 
cooked, then peel and cut into quar- 
ters lengthwise. Lay on a baking 
platter, sprinkle over them salt, 
brown sugar, and melted butter, add 
a few tablespoonfuls boiUng water. 
Set in a hot part of the oven, and 
bake till the potatoes are covered 
S^ith a thin brown glaze. 



CHAPTER LIV 



LEFT-OVER POTATOES 



S-resr all sorts of methods for 
making warmed-up potatoes good 
and so different that they will not 
taste alike twice. One day there may 
be a suspicion of onion about the 
dish, another the rich flavor given by 
a spoonful beef extract, a dash 
chives, parsley, cayenne, or celery, or 
they may appear au gratin with a 
delicate cheese flavor. Mashed potato 
may be warmed again or reappear in 
a dozen different ways. 

There are a few rules to remember 
in the keeping of left-over potatoes. 
Never put them hot into the refrig- 
erator. Do not allow them to stand 
in an uncovered dish. They will ac- 
quire a tough, disagreeable skin, and 
are reduced to nothing by paring. 
Use cold potatoes before they are two 
days old. In hot weather they will 
not keep more than twenty-four 
hours. The sense of smell will speed- 
ily reveal to you if they have soured. 

In hot weather use potatoes as of- 
ten as possible in a salad. In this, 
too, seek variety. There are endless 
recipes for potato salads. Do not 
make a salad of old potatoes, the 
newer they are the more satisfactory 
the salad. In Germany, potatoes for 
a salad are always boiled in their 
skins, and it is a fact that they taste 
better than when pared before cook- 
ing. The neatest method for prepar- 
ing them is to cut the potatoes into 
cubes about half an inch square or in 
tiny baUs with a potato scoop. Do 
not cut them too thin or small. They 
break, and nothing looks more unin- 
viting than a mushy potato salad. 

Potatoes absorb a great deal of 
dressing, and they ought to marinate 
at least an hour before being served. 
One of the most acceptable of potato 



salads is a combination of potato an<3 
pickled beet with Worcestershire 
Sauce and onion juice. Another is 
made with finely sliced onions as a 
flavor, and a sprinkling of chopped 
tarragon, parsley, and chervil. A 
third has celery and chopped cabbage 
with minced pickle and a hard-boiled 
egg. Mushrooms and minced pickle 
are a favorite addition to a potato 
salad, while lettuce or celery enters 
into the make-up of others. There 
are a few things among vegetables 
that will combine well with potatoes. 
Cold peas are good, so are tomatoes, 
green peppers, olives, asparagus, red 
cabbage, cauliflower, capers, turnips, 
carrots, cucumbers, or string beans. 
Sometimes a relish is added to the po- 
tato salad by a few slices of salt sal- 
mon, several anchovies, or sardines. 

Sweet potatoes may be put through 
the potato ricer and converted into 
croquettes or a pudding or pie. They 
may be glazed with sugar and butter, 
warmed in cream, or make an excel- 
lent smij^S. Another way is to cut 
them in thick slices, dip in flour, egg, 
and crumbs, and fry in deep fat, or 
slice them into a fritter batter, and 
fry. 

Delmonico Potatoes. 
5 cold potatoes, 
1 tablespoonful butter, ) 
1 tablespoonful flour, 
1 cupful milk, 
^ teaspoonful salt. 
Dust pepper, 
i cupful grated cheese. 

Cut the potatoes into fine dice, 
make a white sauce from the butter, 
flour, milk, and seasonings, and toss 
the potatoes lightly into the sauce. 
Turn into a baking dish, sprinkle with 



94^ 



944 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



grated cheese, ard bake till light 
brown. 

Potato Puffs. 

2 cupfuls finely chopped cold po- 
tatoes, 
Q tablespoonfuls cream, 
1 egg, 

Pepper and salt, 
S tablespoonfuls flour. 

Mix the potatoes thoroughly with 
the seasonings, flour, egg, and cream. 
Drop by spoonfuls in hot fat in a 
spider. 

Stewed Potatoes. 

Cut cold potatoes in neat small 
slices. Scald 1 cupful milk, 1 table- 
spoonful butter, and seasoning of 
salt and pepper. Add the potato. 
Let it boil up, and serve very hot, 

Lyonnaise Potatoes. 

1 onion, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, ^ 
5 cold potatoes. 
Pepper and salt. 

Chop the onion, and fry five min- 
utes in the butter. Into this put 5 
potatoes cut into dice, season with 
pepper and salt. Serve when ,brown 
and crisp. 

Browned Potato. 

Boil a pint or 3 of the tiny po- 
tatoes left in a barrel and let them 
cool. Skin and saute in 2 tablespoon- 
fuls clarified butter. Pepper and salt 
while in the spider. When well 
browned, put in a heated vegetable 
dish and sprinkle with choppea pars- 
ley. 

Creamed Potatoes. 

2 cupfuls cold boiled potatoeSs 
IJ cupfuls white sauce. 

Cut the potatoes into fine slices, 
and heat in the white sauce. 

Chartreuse Potatoes. 

3 cupfuls cold boiled potatoes. 
Pepper and salt, 

^ teaspoonful onion juic^ 
^ cupful flour, 
i teaspoonful salt, 
% cupful milk^ 



Mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Add 
the milk gradually and well-beaten 
egg. Cut the potatoes into quarter- 
inch slices. Sprinkle with salt, pep- 
per, and onion juice. Put together 
in pairs. Dip into the batter. Fry 
in deep fat and drain. 

Potatoes with Hard-Boiled Eggs. 

6 cold boiled potatoes, 

6 hard-boiled eggs. 

Pepper and salt, 

Q cupfuls thin white sauce, 

1^ cupful buttered cracker 
crumbs. 
Cut the potatoes and eggs into 
quarter-inch slices. Put a layer of 
potatoes in a buttered baking dish. 
Sprinkle with pepper and salt. Cover 
with a layer of eggs cut in slices, 
then a layer of potatoes. Pour over 
it the white sauce. Cover with 
crumbs, and bake until brown. 

Whipped Potato. 

If you have 3 cupfuls cold mashed 
'or riced potato, put a tablespoonful 
butter and 4 tablespoonfuls milk or 
cream in the double boiler, then add 
the potato. Leave the lid off. In ten 
minutes it will be hot. Beat with a 
silver fork till light and fluffy. Serve 
as ordinary mashed potato or use it 
as a border for any dish. It tastes 
like newly cooked potato. 

Duchesse Potatoes. 

2 cupfuls cold mashed potatoes, 

1 egg, 

2 tablespoonfuls cream. 

Beat the yolk of the ^gg till very 
thick, add the cream to it, and work 
into the potaroes. Shape in small 
pyramids. Rest each one on the 
broad end in a buttered tin. Beat 
the white of the egg slightly; add to 
it a teaspoonful milk and brush each 
cone with the mixture. Bake till 
golden brown. Serve on a hot platter 
garnished with parsley. 

Potato Croquettes. 

8 cupfuls cold mashed potatoes 
1 tablespoonful butter, 
^ cupful cream, 
\yhites a eggs. 



LEFT-OVER POTATOES 



945 



Salt and pepper. 
Grating nutmeg. 

"Warm the potatoes, add the butter, 
cream, well-beaten eggs, salt and pep- 
per to taste, and a slight grating of 
nutmeg. Let the mixture cool, then 
shape, roll in egg and cracker 
criambs, and fry. 

Potato Scones (Scotch recipe). 

Take cold mashed potatoes, moisten 
with cream, and work in sufficient 
flour, with which baking powder is 
mixed, to make a firm dough, adding 
a pinch salt. Roll out the potato 
paste, sprinkle with dry flour, roll in 
beaten egg, again in flour, cut into 
rounds, and bake on a hot griddle 
for ten minutes ; butter while hot, and 
serve. 

Potato-and-Tomato Salad. 

1 cupful boiled new potatoes, 
i cupful fresh tomatoes, 

1 green pepper. 

Cut the potatoes in neat cubes, the 
tomatoes in quartered slices. Arrange 
in layers on a nest of lettuce leaves, 
sprinkle each layer with chopped 
green pepper, salt, and powdered sug- 
ar. Pour over it a French dressing. 

Glazed Sweet Potatoes. 
6 cold sweet potatoes, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 

2 tablespoonfuls brown sugary 
Pepper and salt. 

Pare the potatoes and cut in two 
lengthwise, dusting with pepper and 
salt. Melt the butter and sugar to- 
gether; dip the slices of potatoes in 
this. Arrange in a baking pan, and 
bake till they are rich brown. 

Sweet Potatoes (Cuban recipe). 
8 cold sweet potatoes, 
i cupful water, 
1 cupful brown sugar, 
1 teaspoonful butter. 

Pare cold sweet potatoes that have 
been boiled or baked. Put them in a 
sirup made from the water, sugar, 
■ butter, and a dust of cinnamon. Bake 
untU the potatoes are covered with a 
fine, brown glaze. 



Sweet-Potato Salad. 

2 cupfuls cold sweet potatoes, 
1 cupful celery, 
6 olives, 

1 tablespoonful minced parsley. 

Cut the potatoes into small cubes 
and the celery into inch pieces. Mix 
and finish with French dressing. 
Sprinkle with sliced olives and pars- 
ley. 

Sweet Potatoes au Gratin. 

IJ pints cold sweet potato, 

2 tablespoonfuls brown sugar, 
2 tablespoonfuls butter. 
Pepper and salt, 

1 cupful buttered crumbs. 

Cut the potatoes into tiny cubes 
and arrange in a loose layer in the 
bottom of a buttered baking dish. 
Sprinkle with pepper, salt, sugar, 
and morsels of butter. Repeat with 
another layer of potato; on top put 
a layer of buttered crumbs. Bake 
till well browned. 

Hashed Brown Potatoes. 
§ cupful fat salt pork, 

2 cupfuls cold boiled potatoes, 
^ teaspoonful pepper, 

J teaspoonful salt. 

Try out the fat salt pork, cut in 
small cubes, remove scraps. Add the 
potatoes, finely chopped, pepper, and 
salt. Mix potatoes thoroughly with 
fat; cook three minutes, stirring con- 
stantly; brown underneath. Fold as 
an omelet, and turn on hot platter. 

Curried Potatoes. 
i cupful butter, 

1 small onion, 

3 cupfuls cold boiled potc^tc 
cubes, 

2 cupful white stock,, 

J tablespoonful curry powder^ 
Juice 1 lemon, 
Salt and pepper. 

Cook the butter with the onion un- 
til yellow; add the potato and cook 
until it has absorbed butter, then add 
the stock, cur-y powder, lemon juice, 
salt and pepper to taste, — Fannie M» 
Faemee, 



CHAPTER LV; 

SALADS 



It is not so many years ago tfiat 
salads were considered a luxury only 
to be found on the tables of the 
wealthy; to-day a wider knowledge of 
cookery has taught the housewife who 
has to set a table with a small in- 
come that there is no more economi- 
cal, wholesome dish than a well-made 
salad. She is beginning to realize, as 
the French do, that almost anything 
can be put into a salad, and that even 
cheap materials with a mayonnaise 
or a simple French dressing make a 
palatable as well as a cheap and most 
sightly dish. There are four essen- 
tials to a good salad; everything that 
goes into it must be ice cold, the 
green vegetable used must be per- 
fectly clean and crisp, the ingredients 
of a mayonnaise must be properly 
proportioned and thoroughly blended 
and the salad materials should be 
well mixed just before the Clsh is 
served. 'If these rules are followed, a 
Dimple head of lettuce with a plain 
French dressing is a perfect dish. 
No nicer way can be found to serve 
a vegetable salad than to bring the 
materials to the table crisp, fresh, and 
green, and dress it at the time it is 
to be served. For this purpose a 
large salad bowl, accompanied by a 
wooden knife and fork, and a small 
tray containing a cruet of oil and 
vinegar with pepper and salt, are a 
necessity. 

For nearly every salad, lettuce is 
used as a base. If a whole head is 
not required at once, it may be kept 
fresh for several days. As soon as it 
comes from the market, sprinkle it 
and put it away tightly covered in the 
refrigerator. A good receptacle to 
keep for lettuce is a 5-pound lard 



pail with a tight lid. When required, 
clip off with shears the ragged, with- 
ered ends of the outside leaves, for 
often the portion nearest the stem is 
good enough to put into the base of 
the salad, to eke out quantity even if 
it is not to be eaten. Separate the 
rest of the leaves, wash thoroughly, 
and leave them for fifteen minutes to 
crisp in ice-cold water. Look over 
each leaf carefully in search of dirt 
or any of the insects that are to be 
found clinging to green stuff. Dry by 
shaking lightly in a wire basket, see- 
ing that none of the leaves are bruised 
or broken. 

Cold cooked vegetables or any left- 
over that is to be utilized in a salad, 
such as string beans, potatoes, or 
peas, are best if marinated for an 
hour or two before being used in a 
French dressing, leaving them in a 
cold place. If the salad is to be 
Macedoine, make a blend of various 
vegetables, marinate each one by it- 
self, and only put together before 
sending to the table. Meat that is to 
go in a salad is much improved by 
standing for a short time in French 
dressing before using. Fish should 
be flaked or cut in neat cubes. 

There is a strong prejudice among 
many people against oil. This is 
owing largely to the fact that some- 
times one may have tasted a mayon- 
naise made of strong rancid oil. If 
you appreciate a salad, it pays to be- 
come a judge of good oil. Our Cali- 
fornia oils are now of the finest qual- 
ity and are sold at a more moderate 
price than Italian oils. Good oil has 
a fresh, pleasant odor and a pale- 
green tinge. For people who really 
find the taste of oil obnoxious, there 



946 



SALADS 



947 



are various recipes for a boiled dress- 
ing in which butter takes the place of 
oil and makes very good salad. A 
cook can make a blend of boiled 
dressing with a tablespoonful oil 
mayonnaise in which it is almost im- 
possible to detect any taste of oil. 
An excellent way is to make a pint of 
each dressing (if a salad comes to 
the table once each day, as it should) 
and keep them in the refrigerator 
tightly corked. Sometimes a few ta- 
blespoonfuls cream, whipped stiff, add 
a certain deliciousness to a mayon- 
naise that nothing else can give. It is 
especially nice where sour apples or 
celery are blended. Do not use " any 
old vinegar" in a salad; the best is 
none too fine; a colorless white-wine 
vinegar is required for any sort of 
mayonnaise. 

During the summer, when all sorts 
of fresh green vegetables are abun- 
dant, it is a good plan while cooking 
what is to be used for dinner to dou- 
ble the amount needed and have 
something left for the next day's sal- 
ad. This applies to such vegetables 
as green peas, string beans, cauli- 
flower, turnips, carrots, new pota- 
toes, spinach, asparagus, artichokes, 
beets, okra, or Brussels sprouts. In 
winter there need be no dearth of 
salads, for we have constantly with 
us cabbage, celery, and many of the 
boiled vegetables, as well as apples. 

Every salad must be gently han- 
dled. It cannot be stirred as one 
would do when cooking a dish nor 
should it be molded or pattied. To 
break lettuce leaves makes them not 
only unsightly, but renders them 
tough. Pour the dressing over what 
ingredients are to be served in salad 
fashion, and toss with two forks till 
each particle is coated with mayon- 
naise or a French dressing, still not 
made mussy or broken. A variety of 
flavorings is a boon to the housewife 
who has not a great number of ma- 
terials within her reach. Day by 
day even a plain potato or lettuce 
salad may be made a different dish 
by the use of some small addition as 
a flavor, such as chives or tiny pickled 



onions strewn over it, or make a dif- 
ference in the seasoning, a mere hint 
of garlic one day, tarragon vinegar 
the next, or mint which can be added 
to a salad or two. The cook can 
make very cheaply for herself a num- 
ber of flavored vinegars which will 
serve for a long time. To obtain any 
flavor, put the herb desired in a bot- 
tle, cover with white-wine yinegarn 




a, Mortar and Pestle ; b. Double Boiler ; c. Whisk 
for Beating Eggs ; d. Ice-cream Mold ; e. Po- 
tato Masher; f, Handled Casserole, Individuai 
Size. 



cork, and set the bottle in cold water, 
bringing it to a boil. Tarragon, cher- 
vil, nasturtium, cucumber, sweet ba- 
sil, chives, onion, celery, simimer sav- 
ory, garlic, or peppers can be used in 
this way. 

Oil Mayonnaise. 
Yolk 1 egg, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 
1 teaspoonful powdered sugar, 
1 tablespoonful lemon juice, 
1 cupful olive oil, 
1 teaspoonful mustard, 
1 tablespoonful vinegar. 
Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco Sauce. 

Rub a bowl with the cut side of an 
onion, set in a pan of ice water, put 
in the dry ingredients and stir them 
together, then mix to a paste with a 
teaspoonful vinegar. Blend with the 
yolk of egg, stirring till perfectly 
smooth. Now, begin to put in the oil, 
a few drops at a time, beating con- 
stantly with a Dover egg beater. Al- 
ternate the oil with a little vinegar 
and lemon juice, until all ingredients 
have been used. When finished, the 



948 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



mayonnaise ought to be like a thick 
jelly. 

DRESSING OB SAUCES FOR SALABS 

French Dressing. 

1 tablespoonful vinegar, 
4 tablespoonfuls olive oil, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

J teaspoonful pepper. 

Put the salt and pepper in the 
salad bowl, or in a small bowl if the 
sauce is to be served separately. Add 
a little oil, stir well, then gradu- 
ally add the remainder of the oil, 
beating constantly. Last of all stir 
in the vinegar, which should be di- 
luted with water ii very strong. This 
dressing may be modified to suit dif- 
ferent vegetables. 

Cooked Salad Dressings 

2 eggs, 

i cupful vinegar, 

1 cupful milk, 

1 tablespoonful oil or butter, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

I teaspoonful pepper. 

Put the oil and dry ingredients in 
a bowl and mix well. Add the eggs, 
and be^t for five minutes. Now add 
the milk, place the bowl in a pan of 
boiling water, and cook till the sauce 
thickens like thin cream. Stir the 
sauce constantly while cooking, and 
bottle what you do not require for 
immediate use. If butter is substi- 
tuted for oil, add it just before tak- 
ing the dressing from the fire. 

Sour-Cream Dressing. 

1 cupful sour cream, 

2 tablespoonfuls lemon juice, 
2 tablespoonfuls vinegar, 

1 scant tablespoonful sugar, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

i teaspoonful pepper, 

1 teaspoonful mixed mustard. 

Beat the cream with an egg beater 
until thick. Mix the other ingre- 
dients and gradually add the cream, 
beating all the while. 



Catsup Cream Dressing. 
1 cupful cream, 
^ cupful tomato catsup, 
S tablespoonfuls olive oil, 
S tablespoonfuls vinegar, 
1 tablespoonful sugar, 
1 teaspoonful salt. 

Mix the dry ingredients, oil, salt, 
and vinegar together, then add ths 
catsup and cream, beating it in grad- 
ually. 

Cream Dressing. 

^ tablespoonful salt, 

i tablespoonful mustardj, 

I tablespoonful sugar, 

1 egg slightly beaten, 

2^ tablespoonfuls melted butter, 
f cupful sugar, 
^ cupful vinegar. 

Mix dry ingredients, add vinegar 
very slowly. Cook over boiling wa- 
ter, stirring until the mixture thick- 
ens, strain, and cool. Add before us- 
ing it an equal quantity of whipped 
cream. 

CMcken-Salad Dressing. 

^ cupful rich chicken broth, 
i cupful vinegar. 
Yolks 5 eggs, 

2 tablespoonfuls mixed mustard, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 

i teaspoonful pepper. 
Few grains cayenne, 
i cupful thick cream, 
J cupful melted butter. 

Reduce stock in which a fowl has 
been cooked to ^ cupful. Add vine- 
gar, yolks of eggs slightly beaten, 
mustard, salt, pepper, and cayenne. 
Cook over boiling water, stirring con- 
stantly until mixture thickens. Strain, 
add cream and melted butter, then 
cool. — Fannif, M. Farmer. 

Oil Dressing, Boilqd. 

1^ teaspoonfuls mustard, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

2 teaspoonfuls powdered sugar. 
Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco Sauc©» 

3 tablespoonfuls oil. 



SALADS 



949 



J cupful vinegar diluted with 

cold water to mc.ke i cupful, 
2 eggs slightly beaten. 

Mix dry ingredients, add egg and 
oil gradually, stirring 'constantly un- 
til thoroughly blended; then add di- 
luted vinegar. Cook over boiling wa- 
ter until mixture thickens. 



ITomato Mayonnaise. 

2 solid tomatoes. 
Yolks 2 hard-boiled eggs, 
Yolk 1 raw egg, 
i cupful oil. 

2 drops Mcllhenny's Tabasco 
Sauce, 

3 drops onion juice. 

Peel the tomatoes; cut them in 
halves and press out all the seeds, re- 
taining the solid portion. Chop and 
press through a sieve. Mash the yolks 
of the hard-boiled eggs until very 
fine; add the yolk of the raw egg; 
when thoroughly mixed, add the oil 
a little at a time. When thick and 
smooth, add the dry pulp of the to- 
mato (which has been draining while 
you are making the dressing) « Add 
the tabasco and onion juice. This is 
a delicious dressing for cold beef or 
mutton. 

Sidney Smith's Salad Bressing, 

1 boiled or baked potato. 
Yolk 2 raw eggs, 

i teaspoonful salt. 

Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco Sauce, 

6 tablespoonfuls oil, 

2 teaspoonfuls tarragon vinegar, 
1 teaspoonful lemon juice. 

Press the freshly boiled or baked 
potato through a potato ricer; rub 
it down with a palette knife until 
perfectly smooth; drop in the yolk of 
1 egg; rub thoroughly; then add the 
second yolk and rub again. Add the 
salt and pepper, oil, vinegar, and 
lemon juice. This dressing is im- 
proved by a suspicion of garlic or 
onion, and is excellent with celery or 
tomatoes. 



SALADS 

Water Cress and String-Bean Salad. 
Arrange water cress on a fiat dish; 
in the middle put a small heap of 
cream-cheese balls; around these lay 
in regular piles cooked and seasoned 
string beans; cover with French 
dressing, 

Cucumher-and-Tomato Salad in Cu- 
cumbers. 

Cut lengthwise large cucumbers; 
scoop out the centers in good-sized 
bits; mix with equal parts of peeled 
tomatoes cut into small bits, and re- 
fill the cucumber shells. Set on let- 
tuce, and cover with French dressing. 

Crab Salad. 

1 dozen crabs, 

1 cupful mayonnaise 

2 heads lettuce, 
1 green pepper. 

Put the crabs in warm water, add 
a tablespoonful salt, stand the kettle 
over a brisk fire, and boil thirty min- 
utes. When cold, pick out the meat 
and put it away until wanted. Wash 
and dry the lettuce carefully. Stand 
on the ice until wanted. When ready 
to serve, mix the crab meat, pepper 
cut into fine strips, and mayonnaise 
lightly together. Garnish the dish 
with lettuce leaves, place the mixture 
in the center, and serve. 

Camp Salad. 

Prepare a mixture of salad vege- 
tables, or the following; lettuce torn 
into bits, dandelion nicely bleached, 
chives, and parsley minced fine, tiny 
cooked string beans or peas, a small 
onion or a bit of leek, and a tomato 
or a bit of celery. Cut 6 or 8 thin 
slices of bacon into bits and let them 
cook in a spider until crisp. Add 1 
tablespoonful tarragon vinegar; pour 
the hot fat with the bacon over il.'i 
salad mixture, and serve at once. 

Celery, Apple, and Nut Salad. 

Clean the celery and lettuce and 
set it to crisp in a wet napkin on the 
ice. When readtr to serve, cut the 



950 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



celery in thin, crescent-shaped pieces; 
cut the apples in eighths, remove 
core, skin and slice crosswise in thin 
pieces, then crumble the pecans or 
walnuts. Take equal parts celery 
and apple and i part nuts. Mix with 
mayonnaise to hold together. Ar- 
range the mixture on a platter in a 
mold with lettuce around the edge, 
cover with mayonnaise and garnish 
with thin rings or crescents of red- 
skinned apples and celery tips. 

Ensalada (Mexican recipe). 

Slice 2 Spanish onions in thin rings, 
cut 2 fresh chilis across in rings, re- 
moving the seeds, and slice 3 ripe, 
firm tomatoes. Put these in alter- 
nate layers in a shallow bowl, sprin- 
kle parsley and bread crumbs over 
the top, and cover with a dressing 
made of 3 parts oil to 1 vinegar, 
seasoned with salt. Serve ice cold. — 
May E. Sherwood. 

Summer Salad. 

2 stalks celery, 

2 seeded green peppers, 

2 tomatoes, 

2 tablespoonfuls cream, 

2 tablespoonfuls mayonnaise. 

Vinegar, 

Salt and pepper. 

V- 

Finely slice the celery and peppers, 
add the tomatoes skinned and cut in 
quarters. Beat the cream until stiff, 
add to the mayonnaise, with vinegar, 
salt, and pepper to taste. Mix with 
the vegetables, and arrange on a bed 
of escarole. 



round of truffles in the center and a 
dozen shrimps radiating from it, dec- 
orate the sides with a ring of shrimps 
alternating with slices of truffle; set 
these with a little more aspic. Add 
to the mayonnaise its own bulk of 
the jelly and put in the mold a layer 
of the mixture, then a layer of fish 
just as you lift it from the marinade; 
strew with capers, add another layer 
of sauce, then fish, till the mold is 
full; garnish with cauliflower and 
water cress seasoned with French 
dressing. — Anne Warner. 

Salmon Salad. 

Place on a bed of lettuce the con- 
tents of I can salmon, freed from oil 
and bones, and flaked. Pour over 
the fish boiled salad dressing or 
mayonnaise, then garnish with slices 
of hard-boiled eggs and lemon. 

Garcia Salad (Spanish recipe). 

Cut celery, apples, and fresh to- 
matoes in thin strips about two 
Inches long; serve on lettuce leaves 
with French dressing. A slice of 
truffle on the top adds to the appear- 
ance and flavor, — Good Housekeep- 
ing. 

Savarian Salad. 

Shred very fine 3 heads lettuce, 
chop 2 onions fine, and cut 1 cold 
beet into cubes. Make a layer of the 
lettuce, toss together the beets and 
onion and pile on lettuce. Marinate ■ J 
with a French dressing, pour over 1 

the top an oil mayonnaise, garnish 
with sliced olives. 



No-name Salad. 

Make a mayonnaise, a small amount 
of aspic, and a French dressing. 
Flake any cold cooked fish, either of 
one kind or mixed, and lay for an 
hour in a deep plate sprinkled with 
oil and vinegar. Line a plain, flat- 
topped mold with liquid aspic by 
pouring in a small quantity and tip- 
ping the mold in a bed of cracked 
ice till every part is thickly coated; 
therj set on ice. Ornament the bot- 
tom (which will be the top) with a 



Potato-and-Pepper Salad. 

3 large cold potatoes, 

1 green pepper, 

4 tablespoonfuls vinegar, 

2 tablespoonfuls ice water^ 

J teaspoonful powdered sugar. 

Dash pepper, 

i teaspoonful salt, 

2 tablespoonfuls oil. 

Cut the potatoes into half-inch 
dice. Remove the seeds from the 
pepper and chap fine. Mix the vine-. 



SALADS 



951 



gar, water, sugar, salt, and pepper. 
Put a layer of potatoes into the salad 
dish, then a layer of chopped pepper, 
and sprinkle over it a tablespoonful 
oil. Put in another layer of potatoes 
and peppers, add the other table- 
spoonful oil, and pour over all the 
vinegar. Set in the refrigerator for 
fifteen minutes to marinate. — Maria 
WiLLETT Howard. 

Chicken Molded with Mayonnaise. 

Stew a 4-pound chicken in 2 quarts 
cold water, add 4 slices carrot, 1 
onion stuck with 8 cloves, 3 stalks 
celery, bit bay leaf, i teaspoonful 
peppercorn, 1 teaspoonful salt. Bring 
quickly to the boil till tender. Re- 
move meat from bones and chop 
(there should be 2J cupfuls. Re- 
duce stock to 1 cupful, cool, soak IJ 
teaspoonfuls granulated gelatin in 2 
teaspoonfuls cold water and dissolve 
in stock which has been reheated; add 
to meat, season with salt, pepper, cel- 
ery salt, and onion juice. Pack in 
buttered ^-poimd baking-powder tins 
and chill. Remove from molds, cut 
in rounds, put on lettuce, and gar- 
nish with mayonnaise. — Fannie M. 
Farmer. 

Tomato-and-Pea Salad. 

Scoop out skinned tomatoes, fill 
with cold boiled peas and English 
walnuts marinated with French dress- 
ing or mayonnaise. Serve on lettuce. 

Cucumber Salad. 

Pare cucumbers and cut crosswise 
in quarter-inch slices. Let them stand 
in ice water an hour, then take a 
sharp knife and pare round and 
round the slices very thinly, just as an 
apple would be pared, until there is 
a long, thin-curled strip. Put these 
strips on ice to harden, then put each 
one on a single lettuce leaf and serve 
on small plates. Put a spoonfid 
mayonnaise on each plate and pass 
prepared horse-radish, vinegar, and 
oil with it. Brown bread cut in long 
narrow strips and spread with soft 
cheese is delicious with this salad. 
Most soft cheeses must be thinned 



with cream to make them spread 

easily. 

Grand ITnion Cabbage. 

Select a small, heavy cabbage and 
roll back the outside leaves. Cut out 
the center, leaving the shell entire. 
With a sharp knife slice the heart of 
the cabbage thin and soak in ice wa- 
ter till crisp. Drain and dry between 
towels. Add 3 green peppers cut in 
fine strips and mix with a French 
dressing. Pour over the cabbage and 
peppers, then refill the cabbage bowl. 
— Stella A. Downing. 

English-Walnut-and-Chicken Salad. 

For this salad there will be re- 
quired 24 English walnuts, onion, 
parsley, chicken liquor, celery, cold 
cooked chicken, French dressing, and 
mayonnaise. Take 1 pint chicken and 
1 pint celery cut into dice, and par- 
boil the English walnuts long enough 
to remove the skins. In boiling the 
nuts, add a slice onion, a sprig pars- 
ley, and a little chicken liquor, then 
drain, remove the brown skins, and 
mix them with the celery and chicken. 
Pour over this a cupful French dress- 
ing and put in the refrigerator for 
an hour or more. At serving time 
stir J pint mayonnaise into this. 
Make shells of crisp lettuce leaves, 
put a tablespoc_:fid salad into each 
and a teaspoonful mayonnaise on top, 
and serve. — Ella E. Woodbridge. 

011a Podrida Salad (a Spanish 
salad). 

2 small apples, 

2 medium-sized onions, 

6 tomatoes, 

2 cold boiled potatoes, 

1 tablespoonful vinegar, 

2 tablespoonfuls oil. 
Little powdered sugar. 
Salt and pepper, 

2 hard-boiled eggs. 

Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco Sauce, 

Peel the apples and onions, and 
chop fine. Peel and chop 3 tomatoes, 
mixing the pulp with the apples and 
onions. Rub a few bread crumbs on 



95^ 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



a clove garlic, and add them to the 
salad, also the potatoes, which have 
been sliced and chopped. Add to the 
salad the vinegar, oil, sugar, salt, 
pepper, and tabasco. Mix thoroughly 
together, and let stand about an 
hour. Cut the remainder of the to- 
matoes in slices, also the eggs, ar- 
range on top of the salad^ then mask 
with mayonnaise. 

Egg Salad. 

Boil the eggs hard, remove the 
shells, cut in halves lengthwise, and 
take out the yolks. Mash the yolks, 
using a silver fork; season with 
minced chowchow; add a little mus- 
tard sauce, a dash Mcllhenny's Ta- 
basco Sauce, melted butter, salt and 
pepper, and, if desired, minced 
olives. Return to the whites of eggs, 
arrange on a bed of lettuce or cress, 
dress with French dressing or mayon- 
naise. If no olives have been used in 
filling the eggs, a few pimolas scat- 
tered over the salad add to its deco- 
ration. 



1 tablespoonful cream. 

Salt, 

Cayenne, 

1 teaspoonful capers, 

1 pimento cut in strips. 

Mash the cheese, add the olives, 
capers, and pimentoes; moisten with 
cream, season with salt and cayenne, 
form into small balls. Marinate with 
a French dressing. Serve on shredded 
lettuce, and garnish with pimentoes 
cut in strips. 

Cauliflower Salad. 

Stand a firm white cauliflower in 
salt water for half an hour, then cook 
it in boiling water until tender but 
not quite done. Drain, cool, cut into 
sprigs and arrange neatly in a salad 
bowl lined with lettuce leaves. Mash 
the yolks oi 4 hard-boiled eggs and 
cut the whites into petals; arrange 
these like dt isies over the cauliflower, 
and pour ov r a plain French dress- 
ing. Serve \cry cold. — Mart Fosxee 
Snider. 



Jardiniere Salad. 

Cut into fine strips new turnips, 
carrots, and potatoes, and put them 
with a few green peas into a sauce- 
pan to fry lightly in a little butter. 
Cover with chicken stock and cook 
till quite tender. Drain and put in a 
salad dish. Pour over them French 
dressing. Set aside for an hour; in 
serving, coat with mayonnaise. 

Beet Salad in Cups. 

Boil the largest beets you can find 
with their skins on; peel them as soon 
as the beets are done. Cut a slice off 
the top and scoop out the center to 
form a cup. Chop celery fine, cut 
cucumbers in dice, and use a portion 
of the chopped beet. Mix and fill the 
beet cups. Put a spoonful mayon- 
naise on top. Place the cups on let- 
tuce leaves, and serve ice cold. 

Ncufchatel Salad. 

2 rolls Neuf chatel cheese, 
2 tablespoonfuls finely chopped 
olive?. 



Salad in Boats. 

Select 6 fresh cucumbers all the 
same size. Pare, cut in halves length- 
wise, scoop out the centers, and lay in 
water till wanted. Dry and fill with 
a mixture of sweetbread and peas, 
dressed with mayonnaise. Set on a 
green lettuce leaf or individual 
plates.— Anne Warner. 

Spinach Salad on Tongue. 

Pick over, wash, and cook i peck 
spinach. Drain and chop fine. Sea- 
son with salt, pepper, and lemon 
juice, and add 1 tablespoonful melted 
butter. Butter small tin molds 
slightly and pack solidly with the 
mixture. Chill, remove from mold, 
and arrange on thin slices of cold 
boiled tongue, cut in circular pieces. 
Garnish base of each with parsley, 
and serve on top of each sauce tar- 
tare. — Stella A. Downing. 



Sweetbread Salad. 

1 cupful mayonnaise, 
1 pair sweetbreads. 




SALADS 



953 



1 cupful celery, 

1 head lettuce. 

Soak the sweetbreads in cold water 
for twenty minutes, then parboil in 
salted water. Cool and cut in slices, 
mix with 1 cupful celery cut in small 
pieces, cover with French dressing, 
and chill for half an hour. Serve in 
nests made of the inner leaves of let- 
tuce, and garnish with mayonnaise. 

Tomato Jelly with Celery Salad. 

2 cups tomatoes, 
1 slice onion, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

i teaspoonful pepper, 

2 tablespoonfuls granulated gel- 
atin, 

I cupful cold water. 

Cook the tomatoes with the onion, 
salt, and pepper twenty minutes, then 
strain; add the gelatin, which has 
been soaked in cold water, and stir 
until dissolved; pour into a border 
mold which has been previously 
dipped in cold water. Serve with a 
garnish of white lettuce, and fill the 
center with celery salad. 

S'otato Salad (German recipe). 

Cut cold boiled, rather waxy, pota- 
toes into moderately thick slices, put 
in a bowl, and add to every pound a 
tablespoonful vinegar, 3 tablespoon- 
fuls oil, I teaspoonful salt, ^ tea- 
spoonfxil pepper, and a little minced 
parsley. Slices of beet root and 
onions are a great improvement to 
the salad. 

Ox-Cheek Salad (German recipe). 

The bones having been removed, the 
ox cheek is rubbed thoroughly with 
salt, and put into a deep dish in salt 
for a week. It is then boiled in 
plenty of water with vegetables and 
a sprig parsley for five hours. The 
liquor poured from this makes an ex- 
cellent soup. The meat is cut into 
dice and put into a salad bowl, with 
new potatoes also diced, and the same 
quantity of beet root and celeriac 
blanched for five or six minutes in 



salt water. Mix the vegetables, sea- 
son with salad dressing and a spoon- 
ful whole capers. 

Galad of Shad Roe and Cucumbers. 

Cover a pair of shad roes, a sliced 
onion, and a bay leaf with boiling wa- 
ter to which has been added lemon 
juice or vinegar, and cook for twen- 
ty minutes. Drain and dry the roes, 
cover them with a tablespoonful lem- 
on juice, 2 tablespoonfuls oil, and a 
dash pepper and salt. When cold, 
cut into small cubes (if they are not 
too tender). Rub a salad bowl with 
a clove garlic. Cut a thoroughly 
chilled cucumber in dice. Put a bed 
of lettuce into the bowl. Arrange the 
cucumber and lettuce, and over that 
the roe, well drained from the marin- 
ade. Garnish with a few delicate tips 
of lettuce and whole cucumber 
slices. Serve very cold, 

Ked-Apple Salad. 

Select large red apples of uniform 
size, scoop into cups, and put in cold 
water in which there is a little lemon 
juice until time to fill them. Mix the 
chopped apple with celery, grape- 
fruit carpels, and mayonnaise dress- 
ing, and fill the apples. Garnish 
with Maraschino cherries and broken 
walnuts, and lay on leaves of lettuce. 
Serve with wafers spread with cream 
cheese, 

Potato-Salad Balls. 

Add to left-over mashed potatoes 
2 or 3 tablespoonfuls vinegar, the 
same of oil, and 2 teaspoonfuls grated 
onion. Make into little balls by us- 
ing butter-ball paddles. These may 
be served with croquettes or patties. 
Or they may be placed on a leaf of 
lettuce as a salad course with A 
spoonful mayonnaise. 

Pepper-and-Chieken Salad. 

1 cupful tender green pepper, 

1 cupful chopped celery, 

2 cupfuls chicken, 
2 hard-boiled eggs, 
1 cucumber pickle. 
Salt and pepper. 



954 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Chop the peppers fine, add the cel- 
ery and chicken, mix well; add the 
eggs, cucxunber pickle, salt, and pep- 
per to taste. Set away to chill. When 
ready to serve, pour over it a rich 
mayonnaise. Garnish with parsley 
and olives. 

Salad Provengal (French recipe). 
1 cold carrot, 
1 cold turnip, 

1 cupful cold chicken meat, 
12 mushrooms, 
i cupful asparagus tips, 
i cupful Brussels sprouts. 

Cut the carrot, turnip, and chicken 
into inch strips. Mix lightly with a 
fork. Arrange in a nest of lettuce 
leaves on a flat dish. Moisten with 
mayonnaise and mask the top with a 
few spoonfuls. Garnish with cluster 
of mushrooms, asparagus tips, and 
Brussels sprouts. 

Chilfonade Salad (French recipe), 
i head lettuce, 
i cupful cold beets, 
i cupful cold carrots, 
i cupful cold string beans, 
1 tablespoonful chives. 

Hake a nest of lettuce and cut the 
vegetables into neat cubes. Chop 
the chives fine, scatter them on top, 
marinate with a French dressing, 

Beet-and-Cabbage Salad 
i head raw cabbage, 
6 cold beets. 
Pepper and salt. 

Shred the cabbage finely, soak for 
half an hour in iced water, drain 
thoroughly. Mix with the beets cut 
into fine cubes. Sprinkle with salt, 
pepper, and minced onioc« Serve 
with French dressing. 

Moscow Salad (Russian recipe). 
1 cupful cold red beets, 
1 cupful cold potatoei^ , 
g onions, ^ 

1 cupful celery, 
1 head chicory, ^ 

1 teaspoonful capers. 



1 teaspoonful pickled nasturtium 

seeds, 
6 olives. 

Cut the beets and potatoes into 
fine cubes, slice the onions fine, cut 
the celery into inch-length pieces, 
tear the chicory into fine strips, cut 
the olives into thin slices. Toss light- 
ly together, add the capers and nas- 
turtium seeds. Lay in lettuce leaves. 
Serve with French dressing or may- 
onnaise. Garnish with rings of hard- 
boiled eggs and sprinkle over the top 
a tablespoonful yolk of egg put 
through a potato ricer. — Helen Sas- 



Aspic Salad (Russian recipe). 
1 cupful green peas, 
i cupful cold carrots, 
1 tablespoonful capers, 

1 cupful aspic jelly. 

Cut the carrots into tiny cubes. 
Ornament the bottom of a mold 
with the peas, carrot, and capers, and 
fix them with aspic jelly. When 
hard, fill the mold with jelly. Let 
it grow solid, then scoop out a small 
hollow with a hot spoon and fill with 
mayonnaise. 

Red-Vegetable Salad (Russian rec- 
ipe). 

3 cupfuls cold beets, 

2 cupfuls cold boiled potatoes, 
2 cupfuls raw red cabbage, 

I teaspoonful salt, 
6 tablespoonful* oil. 

Chop the beets and potatoes fine. 
Pour over them the red vinegar in 
which the beets have been pickled. 
Add the cabbage shredded very fine. 
Sprinkle with salt and oil. Toss to- 
gether, and stand in the refrigerator 
half an hour before serving. Just 
before serving, add | cupful French 
dressing flavored with onion juice. 



Cauliflower-and-Potato £alad. 
S cupfuls cold potatoes, 
i cupful cold cauliflower. 

Cut the pf^tato into fine cubes antl 
mince the cauliflower coarsely. Toss 



m 



SALADS 



955 



lightly, and serve with a French 
dressing. Garnish with slices of cu- 
cumber. 

Summer Salad. 
6 tomatoes, 
3 cucumbers, 

1 onion, 

3 green peppers, 

2 apples. 

Slice the tomatoes, cucumbers, and 
apples; chop the onion and peppers 
fine. Blend with a French dressing. 

^MaT iRWIlf. 

Baked-Sean Salad. 

2 cupfuls cold baked beans, 

3 ripe tomatoes, 

3 tablespoonfuls vinegar, 

6 tablespoonfuls oil, 

I teaspoonful mustard. 

Dash Mcllhenny's Tabasco Sauce, 

J teaspoonful onion juice. 

Make a dressing from the vinegar, 
oil, and seasonings. Heap the beans 
on lettuce, garnish with sliced toma- 
toes and over all pour the dressing. 

Tomato Salad (German recipe). 

Peel medium-sized tomatoes, re- 
move a thin slice from the top of 
each, take out the seeds and some of 
the pulp, sprinkle inside with salt, in- 
vert, and let stand thirty minutes. 
Shred ^ head small cabbage. Let 
stand two hours in 1 quart cold wa- 
ter to which 2 tablespoonfuls salt 



have been added. Cook slowly for 
thirty minutes J cupful each cold 
water and vinegar, a bit bay leaf, § 
teaspoonful peppercorns, | teaspoon- 
ful mustard seed, and 6 cloves. 
Strain, and pour over the cabbage 
drained from salt water. Let stand 
for two hours, again drain, and r»fill 
the tomatoes. 

Tomato-Pineapple Salad. 

Peel medium-sized tomatoes, re- 
move a thin slice from the top of 
each, take out the seeds and some of 
the pulp. Sprinkle inside with salt, 
invert, and let stand thirty minutes. 
Fill the tomatoes with fresh pineap- 
ple cut in small cubes and English 
walnut meats, using § pineapple and 
J nut meats, mixed with mayonnaise. 
Garnish with maj^onnaise halves of 
nut meats and slices cut from the tops 
of tomatoes. Serve on a bed of let- 
tuce leaves. 

Shaddock Salad. 

2 green peppers, 
1 head romaine. 

Pulp 1 large grape fruit, 

3 tomatoes. 

Cook the peppers in boiling water; 
cool, and shred. Shred the romaine; 
remove the pulp from the grape 
fruit; peel the tomatoes and cut in 
quarters lengthwise. Arrange in a 
salad bowl, and pour over French 
dressing. 



CHAPTEK LVI 



PUDDINGS MADE FROM STALE BREAD AND CAKE 



The variety of puddings into which 
stale bread enters is endless. It be- 
gins with the old-fashioned, economi- 
cal pandowdy and ends with the 
queen of puddings, rich in jam and 
lovely in merinque. For puddings, 
use only stale bread or crumbs, re- 
jecting crusts. Do not add the oven- 
dried crumbs, or you will have a pud- 
ding as tough as a door mat. Left- 
overs of fruit, fresh berries, peaches, 
plums, gooseberries, apples, prunes, 
apricots, almost anything can enrich 
a bread puduing. A cupful canned 
or stewed fruit or a few spoonfuls 
jam or marmalade give a morsel of 
delicious flavoring. The good cook 
uses common sense and the material 
she has at hand. If the recipe calls 
for red raspberries and she has noth- 
ing but dried apples, she can season 
them with spices, and the dessert will 
be a success. The base of any bread 
pudding light as a souffld and large 
enough for a family of 4 consists of 
1 cupful stale-bread crumbs, 2 cup- 
fuls milk, and 1 egg. This may be 
enriched by almonds, chocolate, nut 
meats, raisins, currants, and peel or 
fruit of any description. 

Stale cake, especially sponge cake 
or lady's fingers, may he converted 
into delicious puddings. 

Where the pudding is to be steamed 
or baked, cut the cake in fingers or 
break it into crumbs. If the pudding 
is to be soaked with wine, have a cus- 
tard, fruit juice, or cream poured 
over it, after cutting it in slices. Re- 
ject icing; it generally makes a pud- 
ding sweeter than is desirable. A 
good plain pudding is made by put- 
ting slices of stale cake in a steamer 
and, when moist, serving with a 
spoonful strawberry or marmalade 



sauce. It may be covered when cold 
with hot stewed berries and served 
with cream. Stale sponge cake 
serves as a foundation for charlotte 
russe and cabinet pudding, or, if 
steamed, may be covered with straw- 
berries and whipped cream, when it 
makes an excellent imitation of straw- 
berry shortcake. 

Bread-Plum Pudding. 
1 cupful suet, 
1 cupful raisins, 
1 cupful currants, 
i cupful citron and candied 

orange peel, 
1 cupful sugar, 
8 cupfuls stale-bread crumbs, 
<4 eggs, 

% cupful milk^ 
a teaspoonful cinnamon, 
^ teaspoonful each allspice, cloves, 

and nutmeg. 
Grated rind 1 lemono 

Chop the suet fine. Seed the rai- 
sins. Slice the citron and orange 
peel, mix with the currants, sugar, 
and bread crumbs, moisten with eggs 
well beaten, and milk, then add the 
seasonings. Pour into a buttered 
mold. Steam four hours, and serve 
with hard sauce. 

Orange Pudding. 

IJ cupfuls stale-bread! crinabs, 
1 cupful cold water, 
1 cupful sugar, 

1 cupful orange juice, 
Juice ^ lemon, 

2 eggs, 

3 tablespoonful melted bTlftefs 
^ teaspoonful salt, 

2 tablespoonfuls powdered sugar, 
i teaspoonful orange extract. 



i 



956 



STALE BREAD AND CAKE PUDDINGS 



957 



Soak the crumbs in water twenty 
minutes, then add the sugar, orange, 
and lemon juice, the yolks of eggs 
slightly beaten, the butter and salt. 
Beat till thoroughly mixed, pour in a 
buttered dish, and bake in a moder- 
ate oven till the pudding is firm. Al- 
low it to cool slightly and cover with 




a, Saratoga Chip Kettle ; b, Tea Kettle Steamer. 

a meringue made from the whites of 
the eggs, sugar, and orange flavor- 
ing. Brown delicately, and serve hot 
or cold. 

Walnut Pudding. 

Meats from 19 English walnuts, 

1 cupful stale brown-b read 
crumbs, 

2 cupfuls milk, 

2 tablespoonfuls sugar, 

3 eggs, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Scald the milk in a double boiler, 
and add to it the crumbs and chopped 
walnut meats. Allow the mixture 
to simmer gently five minutes, then 
take from the fire. When cool, stir 
in the yolks of eggs beaten with the 
sugar. Add vanilla and the whites 
of eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Pour 
in a buttered mold, and bake thirty 
minutes. Serve hot with vanilla 
sauce or hard sauce. — Margaret 
Bailey. 

Lemon-Meringue Pudding. 

2 cupfuls stale-bread crumbSj 
2 cupfuls cold water, 

1 lemon. 



§ cupful sugar, 
3 eggs, 

1 cupful chopped suet, 

3 tablespoonf ids powdered sugar. 

Soak the crumbs in water thirty 
minutes, then add juice and grated 
rind of the lemon. Beat the yolks of 
eggs till thick and lemon-colored, add 
sugar and suet, and mix thoroughly. 
Add the other ingredients. Bake an 
hour. Beat the whites of eggs to a 
dry froth and make a meringue with 
3 tablespoonfuls powdered sugar. 
Heap lightly on top of the pudding, 
dust with powdered sugar, and brown 
delicately. Serve with a liquid saucCo 

Prune-and-Bread Pudding. 

Q cupfuls prunes, 

8 slices buttered bread, 

S eggs, 

4 tablespoonfuls sugar, 

5 cupfuls milk. 
Nutmeg. 

Soak the prunes over night, and in 
the morning remove the stones. Cover 
the bottom of a buttered baking dish 
with a layer of buttered bread cut in 
wide fingers. Cover with prunes and 
a dust of nutmeg and sugar. Put in 
another layer of buttered bread, then 
prunes with sugar and nutmeg. Let 
the crust be bread with the buttered 
side up. Beat the eggs well, add the 
milk, and pour over the pudding. 
Bake an hour, covering the pudding 
with a plate for half an hour, then 
leaving it uncovered to crust. Serve 
with hard sauce or lemon sauce. 

Apple-Custard Pudding. 

2 cupfuls pared and quartered 
apples, 

1 cupful stale-bread crumbs, 

4 tablespoonfuls sugar, 

1 tablespoonful flour, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

1 egg, 

i lemon, 

i cupful water. 

Put the apples with water in a 
granite saucepan and cook till the 
fruit mashes easily. Remove from the 
fire, add sugar, butter, and the grated 



958 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



rind and juice of a lemon. Mix the 
flour with bread crumbs and stir into 
the mixture. Beat the egg till light, 
and add it last. Turn into a buttered 
dish, and bake in a moderate oven 
three quarters of an hour. Serve hot 
with hard sauce. 

rig Pudding. 

1 cupful chopped figs, 

I cupful finely chopped suet, 

1 cupful chopped apple, 

i cupful brown sugar, 

I cupful stale-bread crumbs, 

I cupful milk, 

3 eggs, 

I cupful flour. 

To the suet add the sugar, apple, 
and figs. Pour the milk over the 
bread crumbs, and add the yolks of 
eggs well beaten. Combine the mix- 
tures, add the flour and the whites 
of eggs beaten until stiff. Turn into 
a greased pudding mold and steam 
in a covered steamer four hours. 

Orange-Marmalade Pudding. 

1 cupful stale-bread crumbs, 
1 cupful orange marmalade, 
i cupful chopped suet, 
1 teaspoonf ul Calumet baking 
powder, 

1 Cupful flour, 
J cupful sugar, 
li cupfuls milk. 

Toss the dry ingredients together. 
Add the suet and marmalade, then 
stir in the milk and egg. Beat five 
minutes. Put into a buttered mold, 
cover tightly, and steam two hours. 

Scalloped Apples. 

6 large tart apples, 

2 cupfuls stale-bread crumbs, 
2 tablespoon fuls molasses, 

i cupful hot water. 

Pare the apples and cut in gener- 
ous slices. Into a buttered baking 
dish put a layer of bread criunbs, 
then a layer of sliced apples, and a 
top layer of crumbs. Add the hot 
water to the molasses and pour it 



over the pudding. Bake twenty min- 
utes. 

Bread Pudding with Haspberry 
Sauce. 
2 cupfuls stale-bread crumbs, 

2 cupfuls milk, 

3 eggs. 
Salt. 

Soak the crumbs half an hour in 
milk. Beat the yolks of the eggs till 
thick and lemon-colored and add to 
the soaked crumbs with a pinch salt. 
Cut in the whites of eggs beaten to a 
stiff froth, and bake, setting in a pan 
of hot water in a moderate oven, 
forty minutes. Put no sugar in this 
pudding; the sauce supplies all the 
necessary sweetness. 

Raspberry Sauce. 

3 tablespoon fuls powdered sugar, 
IJ tablespoonfuls butter, 

1 cupful red raspberries. 
Juice 1 lemon. 

Cream the sugar and butter to- 
gether. Mash the fruit, and beat in 
with the sugar and butter. Add the 
lemon juice, and beat till very light 
and frothy. 

Apple Dowdy. 

i loaf stale brown bread, 
8 large tart apples, 
i teaspoonful cinnamon, 
^ cupful dark-brown sugar, 
i cupful cold water, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter. 

Cut the bread in thin slices and 
pare off the crusts. Butter each 
slice. Lay them into a buttered bak- 
ing dish till it is neatly lined. Inside 
put the apples, pared and sliced, sug- 
ar, cinnamon, dust of salt, and pour 
water over all. Cover the top with 
bread, buttered side up. Bake slowly 
an hour. Serve hot with liquid or 
hard sauce. 

Chocolate Soizifle. 

1 cupful stale-bread crumbs, 

5 cupfuls scalded milk, 

1 square liunkel's Chocolate, 



STALE BREAD AND CAKE PUDDINGS 



959 



I cupful sugar, 
1 egg, 
Dash salt, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Pour the milk over the crumbs ajid 
allow them to swell half an ho'ar. 
]\Ielt the chocolate in a bowl in the 
mouth of a boiling kettle, add to the 
sugar, and scrape it into the soaked 
bread, beating well. Add the salt, 
vanilla, and egg slightly beaten. 
Turn into a buttered dish and bake 
three quarters of an hour. Serve hot. 

Jam Pudding. 
Stale bread, 

2 cupfuls milk, 
i cupful sugar. 
Salt, 

1 egg. 

Cut stale bread in slices, remove 
crusts, spread with butter or cream, 
and quince or plum jelly; put to- 
gether like sandwiches. Place in a 
baking dish in layers. Pour over a 
custard of milk, egg, sugar, and a 
little salt. Bake, covered, half an 
hour; then uncover, and brown. Serve 
warm or cold, with cream. 

Caramel Pudding. 

2 cupfuls bread crumbs, 
li cupfuls milk, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 

3 eggs, 

1 cupful sugar, 

1 tablespoon ful caramel. 

Mix together, and add whites of 
eggs beaten with tablespoonful sugar 
jus* before pouring into mold. Steam 
three hours in a buttered mold. 
Serve with apple jelly and caramel 
sauce. 

Apricot Pudding. 

1 cupful stale-bread crumbs, 
1 cupful fresh or preserved apri- 
cots cut in dice, 
'i cupful sugar, 
i cupful butter, 
■} cupful water, 

4 cupful apricot sirup. 



Butter a baking dish; cover the 
bottom with layer of crumbs, over it 
place the fruit; cover with crumbs, 
dot with bits of butter, then apri- 
cots, and so on, until the dish is full. 
The upper layer should be of crumbs, 
covered thickly with bits of butter. 
Pour over a portion of the liquid, or 
add it in mixing the pudding; place 
in a pan of water, and bake half an 
hour; take from the water, and finish 
baking fifteen or twenty minutes. 
Serve with cream or apricot sauce. 

Brown-Bread Pudding. 

1 cupful brown-bread crumbs, 

2 cupfuls milk, 

3 eggs, 

2 tablespoonfuls maple sugar. 

Soak the crumbs in i cupful milk 
fifteen minutes; make a custard of 
the remainder of the milk, eggs, and 
sugar; pour it hot over the crumbs; 
beat the whites of 3 eggs, with 1 ta- 
blespoonful sugar and 1 or 2 table- 
spoonfuls thick cream; stir lightly 
into the custard. Bake half an hour 
in a moderate oven; eat with cream. 

Cocoanut Pudding. 

2 cupfuls scalded milk, 

3 eggs, 

1 tablespoonful cornstarch, 
1 tablespoonful sugar, 

1 cupful grated cocoanut, 

S tablespoonfuls powdered sugar. 

Cut stale bread in slices, spread 
with butter and honey, and cover with 
grated cocoanut. Line a baking dish 
with the sandwiches. Pour over a 
custard made with milk, eggs, corn- 
starch, sugar, grated cocoanut, and 
a little salt. Bake in a moderate 
oven half or three quarters of an 
hour. Co%'er with a meringue of the 
whites of 3 eggs and powdered sugar. 
Brown delicately. Serve with cream. 

Chocolate Whips. 
9 eggs, 

2 tablespoonfuls Sugar, 

1 tablespoonful Himkel'a Choco- 
late grated. 



960 



MRS. CUHTIS'S COOKBOOK 



1 tablespoonful sugar, 

1 tablespoonful hot water, 

2 cupfuls milk. 

Beat the yolks of the eggs and sug- 
ar till light. Dissolve sugar and 
chocolate in hot water; when dis- 
solved, add slowly milk heated to 
boiling; pour this mixture over the 
beaten eggs and sugar, and cook in 
a double boiler, stirring constantly 
until it thickens. When cool, flavor 
with Mcllhenny's Vanilla and place 
on ice. When ready to serve, half fill 
small punch glasses with the custard 
and whipped cream, sweetened and 
flavored, over it. 

Sponge Cake a la Chantilly. 
1 stale sponge cake, 
S cupfuls fresh or canned fruit, 

1 cupful cream, 

2 tablespoonfuls powdered sugar, 
^ teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

From the top of a stale sponge 
cake cut a thin slice. Remove the in- 
side, leaving a wall one and a half 
inches thick. Into this put any fresh 
fruit sprinkled with sugar, or canned 
fruit from which the bulk of the juice 
has been drained. Beat the cream 
till thick. Add the sugar and vanil- 
la, and pour over the cake just be- 
fore serving. Save the inside of the 
loaf; it may be utilized in various 
ways. 

Cocoanut Sponge Pudding. 

2 cupfuls scalded milk, 

IJ cupfuls sponge-cake crumbs, 

1 cupful grated cocoanut, 

1 cupful sugar. 

Grating nutmeg, 

1 tablespoonful rose water, 

3 eggs. 

Pour the hot milk over the sponge- 
cake crumbs, sugar, beaten yolks of 
eggs, cocoanut. Allow it to stand half 
an hour. Add the nutmeg, rose wa- 
ter, and whites or eggs beaten to a 
dry froth. Bake three quarters of an 
hour in a buttered mold. Serve with 
Svine saucco — ^Margaret Bailey. 



Marmalade Sponge Cake. 
1 stale sponge cake, 
4 dry lady's fingers, 
1 cupful powdered sugar, 
i cupful butter, 
I cupful orange marmalade. 

Cut a stale sponge cake in two, in 
layer style, and set it in a steamer ten 
minutes. Make a hard sauce by 
creaming the butter gradually, add- 
ing the sugar, and beating it till 
smooth and white. Add the marma- 
lade at the last. Dry the lady's fin- 
gers in a moderate oven till light 
brown, then roll into crumbs with a 
rolling-pin. Spread the hard sauce 
on a layer of the cake, cover with the 
other half of the cake, spread with tiie 
remainder of the sauce, and scatter 
thickly with sifted lady's finger 
crumbs. Serve immediately. Almost 
any kind of jam can be used instead 
of orange marmalade. If it is a very 
rich, sweet preserve, use | cupful less 
sugar. The sauce is also excellent if 
made with | cupful orange juice 
beaten into the hard sauce, 1 table- 
spoonful lemon juice, and ^ teaspoon- 
ful orange extract. 

Cream in a Crust. 

Make a sponge cake, and bake in 
a solid loaf, either round or oblong. 
When cool, take out the center, leav- 
ing the crust an inch thick on the 
sides and bottom. Make an icing of 3 
ounces chocolate, a - cupful sugar, ^ 
cupful water, and Mcllhenny's Va- 
nilla to flavor. Melt the chocolate 
and add to it slowly the sugar and 
water boiled to a sirup which will 
spin a thread. Flavor, and brush 
with it at once the entire cake, inside 
and out, until it is well coated. Just 
before serving, fill with rich, sweet 
cream (about a ctipful), whipped, 
sweetened, and flavored. 

Pineapple Pudding. 
Slices of stale cake, 
1 pineapple, 
^ cupful sugar, 
X cupful cold water. 




Courtesy, The Kellogg Fmit Co. 



STALE BREAD AND CAKE PUDDINGS 



961 



Line a buttered pudding dish with 
slices of stale cake. Pare and slice 
the pineapple thinly. Cover each 
layer of cake with the fruit, sprink- 
ling it with sugar; cover with Cake, 
then pineapple. Make the top layer 
cake, and over all pour the water. 
Cover, and bake slowly two hours. 
Eat hot with hard sauce. 

Cabinet Pudding. 

3 cupfuls cake, 

1 cupful milk, 

2 eggs. 
Salt, 

2 tablespoonfuls sugar, 

I cupful raisins, nut meats, and 
citron. 

Butter a quart melon mold and 
scatter over it a few currants, raisins, 
nut meats, or tiny bits of citron. Fill 
the mold almost to the top with bro- 
ken bits of cake, and sprinkle a little 
fruit through it if the pieces are of 
plain cake. Beat 2 eggs, stir in 2 ta- 
blespoonfuls sugar, a dash salt, and 
the milk. Pour this custard over the 
cake in the mold, turning in a little 
at a time to allow the cake to absorb 
the liquidj until all the custard is used. 
Put on cover and place the mold in 
a kettle of boiling water, not allowing 
the water to come quite to the top of 
the mold. Place a lid on the kettle 
and let it boil an hour. Serve the 
pudding hot, with wine or fruit sauce. 

Crumb Pudding. 

3 eggs, 

I cupful sugar, 

1 cupful soft bread crumbs, 
i cupful farina, 

^ cupful broken nut meats, 

i cupful butter, 

i cupful powdered sugar, 

2 tablespoonfuls milk, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Beat the yolks of eggs until I'ght 
and lemon-colored. Gradually add 
sugar, bread crumbs, and farina. Mix 
perfectly, fold in the whites of eggs 
beaten stiff, and nut meats. Pour 
into 2 layer-cake pans which have 



been buttered and floured. Bake half 
an hour in a slow oven. When slight- 
ly cooled, put the layers together 
with a creamy sauce made as follows: 
Cream ^ cupful butter, add gradually 
I ou^jful powdered sugar and 2 ta- 
blespoonfuls milk, add drop by drop. 
Flavor with 1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's 
Vanilla. Serve hot. — Katherine A. 
French. 

Peach Crumb Pudding. 

1 pint stale-bread crumbs, 

1 tablespoonful melted butter, 

2 eggs, 

^ cupful sugar. 

On a pint of stale-bread crumbs 
pour boiling water and stir in melted 
butter. After standing till thor- 
oughly soaked, add eggs and sugar. 
On the bottom of a buttered dish put 
a thin layer of this batter, over it a 
layer of sliced peaches, and so on, 
dredging each layer of peaches with 
sugar, till the dish is full, having 
batter at the top. About an hour 
in a moderate oven will be required 
for the baking. Serve with sweet- 
ened cream. 

Suet Cherry Roly-Poly, 
5 ounces suet, 
f pound flour, 
i teaspoonful salt. 

Remove the fiber and skin from 
suet, chop fine, add flour and salt, 
mix well. Add suflScient cold water 
to make it stick, and roll out on a 
well-floured board. Cover with pitted 
cherries, dust with sugar, and roll 
quickly; tie in a well-floured cloth, 
leaving room for it to swell. Place 
in a kettle of boiling water and keep 
it boiling steadily two hours, or it 
may be steamed two hours and a half. 
Serve hot with any sweet sauce, or 
sweetened cream. 

Marmalade Pudding-. 

i pound bread crumbs, 

i pound brown sugar, 

A pound suet, 

4 eggs, 

1 small jar orange marmalade. 



962 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK: 



Mix together, put in a mold with 
tight-fitting cover, and boil three 
hours. 

Huckleberry Pudding. 

Line pudding dish with buttered 
slices of bread. Fill with huckle- 
berries, sprinkle over sugar and the 
grated rind and juice of a lemon. 
Place on top of buttered bread. Set 
in a pan of water in a hot oven ; cover 
the pudding with a plate, and bake 
one and a half hours. When the pud- 
ding is done, cover with a meringue 
made of the whites of 3 eggs beaten 
to a stiff froth and 2 tablespoonfuls 
powdered sugar. Return to the oven 
to brown lightly, and serve hot. 

Plain Plum Pudding. 
4 cupfuls flour, 

1 pound currants, 

2 cupfuls sugar, 
] pound raisins, 

% pound candied lemon peel 

chopped fine, 
1 pound suet chopped fine, 

1 teaspoonf ul Calumet baking 
powder. 

Nutmeg and cinnamon. 

Sift the flour, baking powder, 
spices, and salt; add other ingre- 
dients. When well mixed, add suffi- 
cient cold water or milk to make a 
batter just thick enough to spoon into 
the mold. Leave room for it to rise. 
Cover closely, and boil six hours. 

Fluff Pudding. 

2 tablespoonfuls gelatin, 
2 cupfuls cream, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 

2 cupfuls milk, 
8 eggs, 

§ cupful sugar. 

Soak the gelatin in cold water half 
an hour. Scald the milk, and dissolve 
the gelatin in it. Beat the yolks and 
sugar together, stir into the boiling 
milk, and cook two minutes. Take 
from the fire, add the vanilla, and 
turn into a bowl to cool. Stand the 



bowl in a pan of cracked ice, and stir 
constantly until it thickens; then add 
the whipped cream; turn into a mold 
and set away to harden. Serve with 
whipped cream. 

Snow Pudding. 

2 tablespoonfuls gelatin, 

1 cupful sugar, 

2 eggs. 

Juice 2 lemons, 
2 cupfuls milk, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 
1 cupful boiling water. 

Let the gelatin soak half an hour 
in cold water, pour over it boiling 
water, add sugar, and stir till dis- 
solved; add the lemon juice, and 
strain; set in ice water. When 
cold, whip with an egg beater until 
white as snow; beat the whites of 
eggs to a stiff froth, and stir them in. 
Dip a mold in cold water, pour the 
pudding into it, and set in a cold 
place till it hardens. 

Sauce for Pudding. 

Scald the milk; beat tlie yolks of 
eggs and a J cupful sugar together, 
stir into the boiling milk. Cook two 
minutes, add vanilla, and pour out to 
cool. Dish the pudding with the 
sauce poured about it. 

Bananas and Tapioca. 

J cupful minute tapioca^ 
1 pint boiling water, 
§ cupful sugar, 
i teaspoonfid sall^ 
Juice 2 lemonSji 
Whites 2 eggs, 
5 bananas. 
Whipped cream. 

Mix the sugar and tapioca, stir into 
the boiling water and salt; cook, stir- 
ring occasionally, until the tapioca is 
transparent, then add the lemon juice 
and fold in the whites of eggs. When 
the eggs are evenly distributed 
throughout the mixture, fold in the 
pulp of the bananas cut in thin slices. 
Serve with cream, whipped or plain. 



STALE BREAD AND CAKE PUDDINGS 



963 



orange Tapioca Fluff. 

^ cupfiil minute tapioca, 
1 cupful sugar, 

1 pint water, 
3 oranges, 

2 eggs. 

Boil tapioca, sugar, and water in 
a double boiler till clear, stirring of- 
ten. Add the orange juice about three 
minutes before removing from the 
stove. When cool and beginning to 
"jell," stir into it the well-beaten 
whites of eggs. Serve with a soft 
custard. 

Raspberry Jelly. 

3 tablespoonfuls minute topioca, 
3 tablespoonfuls sugar, 

2 cupfuls hot water. 
Juice 1 lemon, 

1 cupful raspberry juice. 

Cook tapioca until clear with sugar 
in boiling water, add the lemon juice 
and raspberry juice. When begin- 
ning to "jell," beat smooth with a 
spoon. 

Danish Pudding. 

3 cupfuls hot water, 

i cupful minute tapioct, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

I cupful sugar, 

1 tumbler currant jelly. 

Cook the tapioca and water fifteen 
minutes. Add sugar, salt, and cur- 
rant jelly. Stir until jelly is dis- 
solved. Pour into glass dish and 
keep on ice. Serve very cold with 
sugar and cream, in summer 1 pint 
ripe strawberries used in place of 
jelly makes a pleasing change. 

Grape Blancmange. 

1 cupful grape juice, 
3 tablespoonfuls cornstarch. 
Whites 3 eggs, 
I cupful sugar. 
Yolks 3 eggs, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 
l.pint inilk. 



Put the grape juice and 1 cupful 
"Water in a double boiler; when boil- 
ing, stir in the cornstarch previously 
dissolved in cold water; cook five 
minutes, stirring till smooth and 
thick; remove from fire, fold in the 
stiffly beaten whites and sugar. Make 
a custard of the yolks of eggs, sugar 
to sweeten, a teaspoonful vanilla and 
milk, and serve with the grape blanc- 
mange. Turn it from the mold into 
a glass dish, and pour the custard 
around it. 

Winter Fruit Pudding. 

3 tablespoonfuls gelatins, 

6 oranges, 

1 can pineapple, 

3 bananas. 

Sugar to taste. 

Slice the bananas, cut the pine- 
apple in small pieces, and spoon the 
pulp from the oranges. Drain off 
the juice; in part of this soak the 
gelatin five minutes, stand in hot 
water until dissolved, add to the rest 
of the juice, and pour over the fruit 
arranged in a salad bowl. Set on ice 
until jellied, then sprinkle with grated 
cocoanut. 

Coffee Jelly. 

3 tablespoonfuls gelatin, 
i cupful cold water, 
3 cupfuls coffee, 
f cupful sugar. 

Soak the gelatin in cold v/ater five 
minutes and dissolve in the hot cof- 
fee; add the sugar, stir until dis- 
solved, and turn into a mold. Serve 
with whipped cream. 

Cocoanut Cream Tapioca. 

1 quart hot milk, 

2 tablespoonfuls minute tapioca, 

3 tablespoonfuls cocoanut, 
1 cupful sugar, 

S t;iblespoonfuls powdered sugar, 
lYolks 3 eggs. 

Boil fifteen minutes in a double 
boiler, stirring frequently, the milk, 
tapioca, cocoanut, and sugar. Add 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



the -beaten yolks of eggs and remove 
at once from the stove. Cover with 
whites of eggs beaten to a stiff froth 
with powdered sugars and brown in a 
quick oven. 

Indian Tapioca Pudding. 

2 tablespoonfuls minute tapioca, 
1 quart milk, 

3 tablespoonfuls cornmeal, 
•I cupful molasses, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 
1 tablespoonful cinnamon. 
Nutmeg to tastCj 

1 egg? 

1 cupful cold milk. 

Cook tapioca in milk ten minutes. 
While boiling, stir in cornmeal wet 
with a little milk, molasses, butter, 
bait, cinnamon, nutmeg, and egg. 
Pour in a dish, add cold milk, and 
bake two hours. 

Coffee Tapioca. 

3 cupfuls coffee infusion, 
^ cupful minute tapioca, 
i cupful sugar. 
Salt, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Cook tapioca in coffee fifteen min- 
utes ^ith sugar and salt. Flavor 
with vanilla, and serve cold with 
cream and sugar. 

Apple Tapioca. 
6 tart apples, 
1 cupful sugar. 
Salt, 

i cupful minute tapioca, 
1 quart water. 

Pare and quarter apples. Place in 
dish and pour over sugar and salt. 
Cook tapioca in double boiler in a 
quart water with pinch salt fifteen 
minutes. Pour this over the apples. 
Cover the dish, and bake half an 
hour. Serve with cream and sugar. 

B,othe Griitze (German recipe). 
i cupful minute tapioca, 
1 cupful sugar. 



i teaspoonfut sa'rt, 
IJ cupfuis hot water, 
2 cupfuis rhubarD. 

Put tapioca in double boiler with 
sugar, salt, and hot water. Add rhu- 
barb that hu3 been washed and cut in 
small pieces, without peeling. Cook 
till the rhubarb is tender. Mash with 
a fork, and pour, while hot, into a 
cold, wet earthen or granite mold. 
Keep in a cold place a few hours, 
turn out, and serve with cream. 
This may be molded in individual 
cups. 

Hot Chocolate Pudding. 

2 cupfuis stale-bread crumbs, 

2 cupfids milk scalded^ 
IJ ounces chocolate, 

^ cupful sugar, 

1 egg» 
Dash salt, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Pour the hot milk, in which the 
chocolate has been melted, over the 
bread crumbs, add to it sugar and 
salt. Beat the yolk of egg till thick 
and lemon-colored, stir it in, add the 
vanilla, last of all the white of egg 
beaten to a stiff froth. Pour the 
mixture into buttered custard cups, 
set in a pan of boiling water, then in 
a moderate oven bake about half an 
hour. Serve hot with hard sauce. 

Chocolate Tapioca. 

^ cupful minute tapioca, 
i cupful sugar, 
^ teaspoonful salt, 

3 cupfuis milk, 

1 ounce chocolate, 
I teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Soak the tapioca over night, scald 
the milk in a double boiler, aJd tlie 
tapioca, sugar, and melted chocolate. 
Cook half an hour, stirring frequent- 
ly. When taken from the fire, add 
the vanilla, and pour into a mold. 
Serve the pudding ice cold, with 
whipped cream or chilled custard. 



I 



STALE BREAD AN1> CAKE PUDDINGS 



965 



OBaked Chocolate Custard. 
Q cupfuls milk, 

1 ounce chocolatej, 

2 eggs, 

J cupful sugar^ 
Dash salt, 

I teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 

Melt the chocolate in a double boil- 
er. Pour the milk in and let it come 
to the scalding point. Pour over the 
slightly beaten eggs and the sugar 
and salt, strain into a buttered mold 
or custard cups; set them in a pan 
of hot water and bake in a moderate 
oven until a knife can be put into 
the middle of the custard and come 
out clean. Serve ice cold. 

Chocolate Spanish Cream. 

1 tablespoonfuL granulated gela- 
tin, 

3 cupfuls milk. 
Whites 3 eggs. 
Yolks 3 eggs, 

J cupful sugar. 

Dash salt, 

J teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mesd- 

can Vanilla, 
li squares chocolate. 

Melt the chocolate in a double 
boiler, add the sugar, and pour over 
it the scalded milk ; beat till perfectly 
blended, then pour over the fceaten 
egg yolks and back into the boiler, 
cooking till it thick-ens "Ska a cus- 
tard. Remove from the stove, add 
the salt, vanilla, and whites of eggs 
beaten to a stiff froth. Turn into in- 
dividual molds which have been 
dipped in cold water, and chill. Serve 
with a garnish of whipped cream. 

Chocolate Charlotte. 

Jl tablespoonful granulated gela- 
tin, 
5 cupful cold water, 
% cupful scalded cream, 
BJ squares chocolate, 
3 tablespoonfuls hot water, 
% cupful sugar. 
Whip 3 cupfuls cream. 



1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 
6 lady's fingers. 

Melt the chocolate in a double 
boiler, add half the sugar, dilute with 
boiling water, and put in the soaked 
gelatin. Stir till dissolved, add the 
scalded cream, and pour into a bowl; 
set in a pan of ice water and stir till 
it begins to thicken. Fold in the 
whip from the cream. Separate the 
lady's fingers and place them around 
the inside of a mold, crust side out. 
Turn in the chocolate mixture, and 
set it on ice. When very cold, turn 
out on a platter and garnish with 
whipped cream. 

Chocolate Blancmange. 
3 cupfuls scalded milk, 

5 tablespoonfuliS cornstarch^ 
^ cupful sugar. 

Dash salt, 
^ cupful cold milk, 
IJ squares chocolate, 
3 tablespoonfuls hot water. 
Whites 3 eggs, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Mix the cornstarch, sugar, and salt 
in the cold milk, pour it into the 
scalded milk in a double boiler. Cook 
ten minutes, stirring constantly till it 
thickens, add the chocolate melted in 
the hot w^ater, beat until smooth, add 
the whites of the eggs beaten stiff 
and vanilla, pour into a mold, and 
chill. Serve with whipped cream. 

Chocolate Pudding. 

6 eggs, 

1 cupful sugar, 

,-} teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 

2 pound Runkel's sweet chocolate 
grated, 

H cupful almonds chopped fine 

without blanching, 
1 cupful sifted bread crumbs, 
1 teaspoonful Calumet baking 

powder. 

Beat until light and thick the yolks 
of eggs, sugar, vanilla, chocolate, al- 



966 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



monds, bread crumbs, whites of eggs, 
and baking powder. Butter a pud- 
ding form, turn into it the mixture, 
and bake in a moderate oven thirty 
to forty minutes. Serve with mer- 
ingue sauce. To make meringue 
sauce, boil together ^ cupful sugar 
and ^ cupful water until the mixture 
forms a soft ball when dropped in 
cold water, then turn it slowly over 
the whites of 3 eggs. Beat well, and 




a. Covered BaJcing Dish ,° b. Small Covered Cas- 
serole; cShalldw Baking Dish; d,Clay Cas- 
serole ; e, Individual Ramrquin. 

flavor with vanilla. Turn out the 
pudding, and pile the sauce around 
its base, completely encircling it, and 
decorate, if desired, with chocolate 
candies. 

Charlotte Husse. 

1 quart thin cream, 

1 cupful powdered sugar, 

d teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 
12 lady's fingers, 

2 tablespoonfuls gelatin. 

Soak the gelatin in cold water half 
an hour. Beat the cream, and drain 
off the whip on a sieve. Line a mold 
with lady's fingers. Pour the cream 
in a basin and set it in a pan of ice 
water. Add to the soaked gelatin 
enough boiling water to dissolve it. 
Add the sugar carefully to the cream, 
then the vanilla, and last strain in the 
gelatin. Commence to stir imme- 
diately; stir from the sides and bot- 
tom of the basin until it begins to 
thicken, then pour into molds, and 
Bet on ice to harden. 



Poor Man's Pudding. 

2 cupfuls milk, 

4 tablespoonfuls rice, 
I cupful brown sugar. 
Dash salt, 

^ teaspoonful cinnamon, 
1 tablespoonful butter. 

"Wash the rice, add milk, sugar, 
butter, and seasoning. Bake several 
hours, stirring frequently till it is 
moist and brown. 

Cottage Pudding. 
^ cupful butter, 
1 cupfxd sugar, 

1 egg, 

2J cupfuls flour, 

3 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder. 

Cream the butter, add sugar grad- 
ually, and the egg well beaten; mix 
and sift flour, baking powder, and 
salt; add alternately with milk to 
first mixture; turn into gem pans, 
bake thirty minutes. Serve with va- 
nilla sauce. 

Steamed Apple Pudding. 

3 cupfuls flour, 

4 teaspoonfuls Caliunet baking 
powder, 

^ teaspoonful salt, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
I cupful milk, 

4 apples cut in eighths. 

Mix and sift the ingredients; rub 
in the butter, add milk gradually, 
toss on a floured board, pat and roll 
out, place apples on middle of dough, 
and sprinkle with sugar mixed with a 
dash of nutmeg and salt. Wrap the 
dough around the apples and lift 
into buttered molds. Cover and 
steam an hour and a half, and serve 
with vanilla sauce. 

Snowballs. 

i cupful butter, 

1 cupful sugar, 

% cupful milk, 

21 cupfuls flour, , 

31 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 

powder. 
Whites 8 eggs. 



STALE BREAD AND CAKE PUDDINGS 



967 



Cream the butter, add sugar grad- 
ually, then the milk and flour mixed 
and sifted with baking powder; last 
the whites of eggs beaten to a stiflP 
froth. Steam thirty-five minutes in 
buttered cups; serve with strawberry 
hard sauce. 

English Plum Pudding. 
1^ cupfuls flour, 
li cupfuls stale-bread crumbs, 
I pound raisins, 
f pound currantSs 
I pound suet, 
1| cupfuls sugar, 
1 cupfiil molasses* 



3 ounces candied orange peel, 

1 teaspoonful nutmeg, 

1 teaspoonful mace, 

6 eggs, 

1 teaspoonful salt. 

Mix all the dry ingredients, add 
the eggs well beaten, and stir ten 
minutes. Turn into a floured pud- 
ding cloth or mold. If the cloth is 
used, tie securely, leaving some space 
to allow the pudding to swell, and 
plunge into a kettle of boiling water. 
Cook five hours. Keep the pudding 
immersed in water during the entire 
cooking. Serve with hard sauce. 



CHAPTER LVII 



PUDDING SAUCES 



{Hot Scmces) 

Chocolate Sauce. 
1 cupful water, 
^ cupful sugar, 
1 stick cinnamon, 
1 square Runkel's Chocolate, 
^ cupful milk, 
IJ tablespoonfuls cornstarch. 
Dash salt, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vf.nilla. 

Cook together the water, sugar, and 
cinnamon, strain, add the chocolate 
which has been dissolved in hot milk, 
thicken with cornstarch, wet in a lit- 
tle water. Add the salt and beat till 
creamy. After taking off the fire, 
add the vanilla and serve hot. This 
is a very nice sauce to use with a hot 
plain pudding of any kind or with 
vanilla ice cream frozen hard. 

Poamy Sauce. 

i cupful powdered sugcr, 
3 whites eggs, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 

1 cupful boiling water. 

Beat the whites of eggs to a stiff 
froth, add the powdered sugar, flav- 
oring, and water, Stir carefully, and 
serve very hot. 

Orange Sauce. 

3 tablespoonfuls butter. 

Yolks 4 eggs, 

8 tablespoonfuls powdered sugar, 

3 cupful thick cream, 

2 cupful orange juice, 
£^rated riud 1 orange. 



Cream the butter and whip the sug- 
ar into it, put in a double boiler, add 
the yolks of eggs well beaten with the 
cream, stir constantly till it is like a 
thick custard, then take from the fire, 
and blend in orange juice and rind. 

Fruit Sauce. 

i cupful sugar, 
1 cupful boiling water, 
1 tablespoonful arrowroot, 
i can any preserved fruit. 

Boil sugar and water together, add 
the fruit, which may be anything 
you happen to have — strawberries, 
peaches, apricots, raspberries (red), 
or quinces will make a nice sauce. 
Cook in the sirup a few minutes, then 
press the pulp through a potato ricer, 
put back on the fire in a saucepan; 
when boiling, thicken with the arrow- 
root dissolved in cold water, beat till 
thick and creamy. This sauce may 
be served hot with any hot pudding, 
or when thoroughly chilled it is nice 
svith cold rice or vanilla ice cream. 



Hard Sauce. 

I cupful butter, 

1 cupful powdered sugar. 

Little nutmeg. 

Beat butter well, stir in slowly sug- 
ar, and beat to a cream. Pile on a 
plate, and grate over a little nutmeg. 
Keep cool. 

Strawberry Sauce. 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

li cupfuls powdered sugar. 

White 1 egg, 

1 pint mashed strawberries. 



968 



PUDDING SAUCES 



969 



Beat butter to a cream. Add grad- 
ually sugar and the whites of eggs. 
Beat till very light, and just before 
serving add strawberries. 

Soft Custard. 

^ cupfuls scalded milk. 
Yolks 4 eggs, 
S tablespoonfuls sugar, 
J teaspoonful salt. 

Cook over hot fire till it will mask 
the spoon, strain, cool, and flavor. 
Some puddings are improved by hav- 
ing the sugar browned as for cara- 
mel sauce. 

Maple Sauce. 

I pound maple sugar, 
I cupful water. 
Whites 2 eggs, 
I cupful thick cream, 

1 teaspoonful lemon juice. 

Boil water and sugar till it will 
spin. Whisk boiling hot into the 
beaten whites of eggs, add cream and 
lemon juice. 

Creme d' Amanda Sauce (French rec- 
ipe). 

2 cupfuls sweet cream, 

3 ounces sweet almond, 

2 drops extract bitter almond, 
J cupful powdered sugar, 

1 teaspoonful rose water. 

Chop almonds which have been 
blanched and browned in the oven, 
pound them very fine. Add sugar, 
almonds, and rose water to the cream. 
Beat until the sauce is very light. 

Aigre Diouz (French recipe). 

2 cupfuls sour cream. 

Juice and grated rind 1 lemon. 
Sugar to taste. 

Beat hard and long until the sauce 

is very light. 

Currant-Jelly Sauce. 

J cupful currant jelly. 
Whites 3 eggs, 
J cupful powdered sugar, 
i cupful thick cream. 



Beat the whites of eggs to a stiff 
froth, add sugar by degrees, and beat 
well. Soften the jelly by heating in 
a bowl set in hot water. When soft 
enough to drop from a spoon, beat it 
into the eggs and sugar. Add the 
cream. Stir in 2 tablespoonfuls jelly] 
cut in dice, and serve, 

lemon Sauce. 

1 cupful sugar, 

i cupful water. 

Rind and juice 2 lemons. 

Yolks 3 eggs. 

Boil the water, sugar, juice, and 
rind of lemons all together ten min- 
utes. Beat the yolks of eggs. Strain 
the sirup, stir the eggs into it, set the 
saucepan in boiling water, and beat 
rapidly until thick and smooth; re- 
move from the water, and beat five 
minutes. 

Orange Sauce. 

1 cupful sugar, 

1 cupful water, 

i teaspoonful cornstarclij 

I cupful orange juice. 

Juice 1 lemon, 

1 cupful orange pulp. 

Make a sirup of sugar and water, 
and thicken with cornstarch. Take 
from the fire, cool, add orange juice, 
juice of lemon, and orange pulp. 
Serve ice cold. 

Vanilla Sauce. 

1 cupful sugar, 
1 cupful water, 
1 apple. 

Pinch cinnamon, 

J teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 
i teaspoonful arrowroot, 
1 cupful whipped cream. 

Mix the sugar and water, and put 
over the fire. Peel and core the ap- 
ple, slice, cut into dice, and put at 
once in the hot sirup. Simmer gen- 
tly until soft. Take out, thicken the 
sirup with arrowroot, cook five min- 
utes, strain, add whipped cream. 



970 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



(Cold Sauces) 

Egg Sauce. 
3 eggs, 

1 cupful sugar, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Separate the eggs and beat the 
yolks till thick and lemon-colored, 
adding the sugar gradual^. Whip 
the eggs to a stiff froth, blend with 
the yolks, flavor with the vanilla, and 
serve ice cold. 

Whipped-Cream Sauce. 

1 cupful double cream, 
i cupful powdered sugar, 
White 1 egg, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Beat the cream till perfectly stiff, 
adding the sugar graduallJ^ Blend 
in the white of egg beaten to a froth, 
flavor with the vanUla, and serve cold. 

Jelly Sauce. 

Yolks 3 eggs, 
^ cupful powdered sugar, 
S cupfuls hot milk, 
1 tablespoonful gelatin, 
1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
'"can VaniUa. 

Beat the yolks of eggs till very 
thick, adding the sugar gradually, 
pour over it the milk, cook to a 
creamy custard, then add the gela- 
tin dissolved in a little cold water, 
and flavor with vanilla. 



Pistachio Sauce. 
1 cupful sugar, 

1 tablespoonful cornstarch, 

2 cupfuls boiling water, 
1 teaspoonful pistachio, 

i cupful chopped pistachio nuts. 

Boil the sugar and water together 
five minutes, thicken with cornstarch 
dissolved in cold water, flavor with 
pistachio, and stir in the nuts, and 
chill. If desired, this sauce may be 
served hot with a hot pudding. 

Creamy Sauce. 

1 teaspoonful butter, 

3 cupfuls powdered sugar, 

1 egg> 

^ cupful thick cream, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Rub to a cream butter, sugar, and 
egg, add cream and vanilla. If it 
should separate, set it over hot water 
and stir until smooth again. Keep on 
ice till wanted. 

Plain Hot Sauce. 

2 cupfuls water, 
1 cupful sugar, 

1 tablespoonful cornstarch, 
1 teaspoonful butter, 
1 lemon. 

Boil sugar, and water, stir in corn- 
starch, wet with water, butter, 1 
lump of sugar well rubbed on lemon 
rind, or any flavoring preferred. 
Care must be taken to cook corn- 
starch well or it wiU taste raw. 



CHAPTER LVIII 



FROZEN DESSERTS 



To the country housewife who has 
access to plenty of ice, nailk, cream, 
and fruit, raw or preserved, frozen 
desserts are not a luxury; besides, 
they require no more time to make 
than a pie. In hot weather at least 
they are very much to be preferred 
to pastry desserts, both hygienically 
and from a palatable standpoint. 
Cream is by no means a necessity in 
the making of frozen dishes — fruit 
can be frozen, delicious sherbets may 
be made from milk or fruit-flavored 
water, and are as inexpensive as they 
are good. In a home where there are 
children, the little ones will gladly 
come to aid during the freezing proc- 
ess when ice cream is in prospect, as 
every mother knows. 

First, there is the neces'sity of a 
good freezer. Never economize by 
purchasing a cheap one; the best is 
the truest economy in the end. Also 
provide a strong burlap bag and a 
mallet for smashing ice, as well as a 
dipper to measure salt and ice, for 
half the rapidity of the freezing 
process depends on the proper pro- 
portions being used. In winter, 
snow can be utilized instead of ice; if 
the salt does not act rapidly upon it, 
add a cupful cold water. Before 
pouring the stuff to be frozen into 
the can, adjust every part and give 
the crank a few twirls to insure the 
freezer being in first-class order. 
Then fill the can, adjust it again, 
and put in the crushed ice and salt 
in proper quantities. If there is 
only a small quantity to be frozen, 
the salt and ice need come no higher 
than the mixture inside. Never fill 
the can to the top; it will make a 
cream coarse-grained or it will spill 
out. At first, turn the crank stead- 



ily but rather slowly. When frozen 
to a mush, turn more rapidly, add- 
iHg more salt and ice if necessary. 
Never draw off the brine till the 
freezing process is accomplished, then 
remove the top and dasher, and pack 
solidly with a spoon, put a cork 
dipped in lard into the hole at the 
top so there will not be the slightest 
danger of brine working in, and re- 
pack the freezer with 4 measures ice 
to one salt. Cover with newspapers 
or a piece of carpet and leave it, if 
possible, for two hours to mellow and 
ripen. If nuts, fruit, or liquors are to 
be added to frozen stuff, do not put 
them in till the mixture is a mush. 
"When serving time comes, remove the 
can, wipe it off carefully before open- 
ing to make sure not a drop of brine 
can get inside, take off the lid, run a 
palette knife around the edge of the 
cream, invert the can on a platter, 
and the contents will slip out. If it 
should prove refractory, wring a 
cloth from hot water, wrap it about 
the can, and there will be no further 
trouble. 

Keep your freezer in perfect or- 
der. After using, wash it thoroughly 
and set the pieces in a moderate 
oven or over the stove to get per- 
fectly dry. Occasionally a drop of 
oil is needed to make it work well. 
There is a small hole in the cap cov- 
ering the gear; look into this end and 
turn the crank till you discover an- 
other hole in the top gear of the 
frame. Let a few drops of machine 
oil drop into it. 

Frozen dishes may be classified 
thus: 

Water Ice. — Sweetened fruit juice, 
diluted with water, requiref' 3 levd 
measures ice to 1 salt. 



971 



972 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Sherbet. — ^A water ice, to which has 
been added a small quantity of dis- 
solved gelatin or beaten whites of 
eggs. 

Frappe. — Water ice frozen to the 
consistency of mush. Frappe re- 
quires equal quantities of ice and salt 
to give it a granular consistency. 

Punch. — A vi^ater ice, to which has 
been added spirits or spices fOF 
stronger flavoring. 

rrozen Truits. — Fruit pulp frozen 
where ®ne or several kinds of fruits 
have been used. 

Philadelphia Ice Cream. — A cus- 
tard foundation thin cream, and fla- 
voring. 

Mousse (Parfait or Fruit Pud- 
ding). — Heavy cream, whipped stiff, 
sweetened, flavored, poured in a mold, 
packed in ice and salt (3 parts ice to 
1 salt), and allowed to stand three 
or four hours. Mousse is also made - 
from the whip off thin cream folded 
into a mixture containing a small 
quantity of gelatin. 



WATER ICES 
Cider Ice. 

1 quart cider, 

1 cupful orange juice, 
i- cupful lemon juice, 
IJ cupfuls sugar. 

Dissolve the sugar in the cider, add 
the fruit juice, mix the ingredients, 
and freeze. 

Orange Ice. 

4 cupfuls water, 

2 cupfuls orange juice, 
2 cupfuls sugar, 

i cupful lemon juice. 
Grated rind 2 oranges. 

Boil sugar and water twenty min- 
utes. Add fruit juices and grated 
rind; cool, strain, and freeze. 

Apple Water Ice. 

6 large tart applp^;, 
2 cupfuls sugar, 
4 cupfuls water, 
2 lemons. 



Put the apples, sugar, and water 
on to boil, add the grated yellow rind 
of 1 lemon. Cook until the apples 
are reduced to a pulp, take from the 
fire, drain carefully, without squeez- 
ing, add the juice of the lemons; 
when cold, freeze. 

Currant Water Ice. 

2 cupfuls red-currant juice, 

2 cupfuls sugar, 

2 cupfuls boiling water. 

Add the sugar to the boiling wa- 
ter, and stir until dissolved. When 
cold, add the currant juice, and 
freeze. 

Pineapple Water Ice. 

2 large yellow pineapples, 

3 cupfuls sugar, 

4 cupfuls water. 
Juice 2 lemons. 

Pare the pineapples, grate them, 
and add the juice of the lemons. BoU 
the sugar and water together five 
minutes. When cold, add the pine- 
apple, strain through a fine sieve, and 
freeze. 

Raspberry Water Ice. 

1 quart red raspberries, 
4 cupfuls water. 
Juice 2 lemons, 

2 cupfuls sugar. 

Add the sugar and lemon juice to 
the berries, stir, and stand an hour; 
then mash, add the water, strain 
through a cloth, arid freeze. 

iStrawberry Water Ice. 

1 quart strawberries, 

2 cupfuls sugar, 
4 cupfuls water. 
Juice 2 lemons. 

Add the sugar and lemon juice to 
the strawberries, mash them, and 
stand an hour; add the water, strain 
through a cloth, and freeze. 

Grape Water Ice. 

3 pounds Concord grape^;, 

4 cupfuls water, 
2 cupfuls sugar. 






I'llOZEN DESSERTS 



9^^ 



Boil the sugar and water together 
five minutes. Pulp the grapes, add 
the pulps and skins to the sirup; 
stand to cool. When cold, press 
through a fine sieve, being careful 
not to mash the seeds, and freeze. 

Ginger Water Ice. 

6 ounces preserved ginger, 
1 quart lemon water ice. 

Pound 4 ounces ginger to a paste. 
Cu": the remaining 2 ounces into very 
thjn slices and stir these into, the wa- 
ter ice. Repack, and stand to ripen. 

Xemon Water Ice. 

4 large juicy lemons, 
4 cupfuls water, 
1 orange, 
2i cupfuls sugar. 

Put the sugar and water on to 
boil. Chip the yellow rind from 3 
lemons and the orange, add to the 
sirup, boil five minutes, and stand 
to cool. Squeeze the juice from the 
orange and lemons, add to the cold 
sirup, strain through a cloth, and 
freeze. 

Barberry Water Ice. 

4 large juicy lemons, 

4 cupfuls water, 

1 orange, 

2| cupfuls sugar, 

1 cupful barberry juice. 

Add i pint barberry juice, slightly 
sweetened, to the recipe for lemon wa= 
ter ice, before freezing. 

Pomegranate Water Ice. 

1 dozen ripe pomegranates, 

2 cupfuls water, 
2 cupfuls sugar. 

Cut the pomegranates into halves, 
remove the seeds carefully from the 
inside bitter skin, press in a sieve 
without breaking the seeds. Add the 
sugar to the juice, and stir until dis- 
solved, add the water, strain, and 
freeze. 



Quince Water Ice. 

3 large ripe quinces, 

4 cupfuls water, 
1 cupful sugar. 

Pare the quinces and cut into thin 
slices, add with the sugar to the wa- 
ter, cover the saucepan, cook fifteen 
minutes, strain, and freeze. 

Italian Tutti-Frutti. 

1 pound mixed French candied 

fruits, 
4 cupfuls water, 
2^ cupfuls sugar, 

3 lemons, 

4 oranges. 

Chop the fruit fine. Put the sugar 
and water with chipped rinds of 3 
lemons and 1 orange to boU five min- 




a Round Fluted Mold; h. French Bread Pan; 
c. Melon Mold; d. Pudding Mold; e, Shell 
Mold for Jelly ; f, Deep Fluted Mold ; g. In- 
dividual Shell Mold for Jelly or Creamy 
ft. Individual Jelly Mold. 

utes. When cold, add the juice of Q 
lemons and oranges, strain, and freeze 
very hard; then stir in the fruit, 
stand thirty minutes, and it is ready 
to serve. 



SHERBETS 

lemon Sherbet. 
4 lemons, 
2 cupfuls sugar, 
1 quart boiling water. 

Shave off the peel from 2 lemons. 
Put the parings into a bowl, add the 
boiling water, and let stand ten min- 
utes closely covered. Cut the lemons 



974 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



in halves, remove the seeds, squeeze 
out the juice, and add w^ith the sugar 
to the water. Strain and freeze. 

lemon Sherbet with Gelatin. 
1 tablespoonful gelatin, 
3| cupfuls cold water, 
6 lemons, 
1 cupful sugar, 
I cupful boiling water. 

Soak the gelatin in ^ cupful cold 
water twenty minutes. Put the sug- 
ar and remaking cold water into a 
pitcher. Pale the lemons, cut in 
halves, remove the seeds, and press 
out the juice with a lemon squeezer; 
add it to the sirup. Dissolve the 
soaked gelatin in the boiling water, 
and add to the other mixture. Strain 
and freeze. 

Apple Sherbet. 

3 cupfuls sugar. 

Juice 2 lemons, 

1 pound apples, 

1 quart water, 

.White 1 egg, 

1 tablespoonful powdered sugar. 

Put the sugar, water, and rind of 
1 lemon, chipped, on to boil. Pare, 
core, and quarter the apples, add 
them to the sirup, and cook until ten- 
der; press through a fine sieve, add 
the juice of lemons, and, when cold, 
freeze the same as ice cream. Beat 
the white of 1 egg until frothy, add a 
tablespoonful powdered sugar, and 
beat until white and stiff. Remove 
the dasher, stir in the meringue, and 
repack. 

Apricot Sherbet. 
1 quart apricots, 
1 lemon, 
1 cupful sugar, 
1 cupful water. 

Boil the sugar and water five min- 
utes. Press the apricots through a 
sieve, add to the sirup, and lemon 
juice. When cold, freeze. Peach 
sherbet is made in the same manner. 



Banana Sherbet. 

1 dozen red-skinned bananas> 

2 cupfuls sugar, 
S oranges, 

1 quart water. 

Boil the sugar and water five min- 
utes, and add the juice of the 
oranges; when cold, stir in the ba- 
nanas mashed fine, and freeze. 

Cherry Sherbet. 

1 quart sour cherries, 

3 cupfuls sugar, 
1 quart water. 

Boil the sugar and water fifteert 
minutes. Stone the cherries, and add 
to the sirup when cold. Press through 
a sieve, and freeze. 

Ginger Sherbet. 
' 4 large juicy lemons, 
1 quart water, 
1^ pounds sugar. 

Make a lemon sherbet; when fro- 
zen, add a tablespoonful sirup from 
preserved Canton ginger. 

Orange Sherbet. 

1 pint orange juice?, 

2 tablespoonfuls gelatin^ 
2 cupfuls sugar, 

1 quart water. 

Cover the gelatin witK a little cold 
water and soak half an hour. Boil 
the sugar and water five minutes, add 
the gelatin, and allow to cool. Add 
the orange juice, and freeze. 

E.aspberry-and-Currant Sherbet. 

1 quart raspberries, 
^ pint currant juice, 

2 cupfuls sugar, 
1 quart water. 

^ Boil the sugar and water five min- 
utes. When cold, add the currant 
juice and the raspberries, mashed; 
strain through a cloth, and freeze. 

Pineapple Sherbet. 

S large pineapples or 1 quart Qan, 
Si cupfuls sugar, 



II 



M 



«l 



FROZEN DESSERTS 



975 



JTuice 3 lemons, 
1 quart water. 

Grate the pineapple. Boil the sug- 
ar and water five minutes, add the 
pineapple and juice of lemons. Strain 
and freeze. 

Pomona Sherbet. 

1 pint orange jui.ce, 

1 quart new cider, 

2 cupfuls sugar. 

Mix the cider and orange juice, 
stir in the sugar until thoroughly dis- 
solved; strain and freeze. 

Strawberry Sherbet. 

1 quart red strawberries, 

3 cupfuls sugar, 

1 quart water. 
Juice 2 lemons. 

Boil the sugar and water. Add 
the lemon juice to the strawberries 
and mash them. When the sirup is 
cold, pour it over the strawberries, 
strain and freeze. 

Pomegranate Sherbet. 

2 cupfuls sugar, 

1 teaspooonful gelatin, 
• 1 quart water, i 

i dozen blood oranges, 
1 lemon. 

Prepare a sirup as for lemon sher- 
bet; when cold, add lemon juice, 
freeze. 



Peach Sherbet. 


2 cupfuls sugar, 

1 teaspoonful gelatin. 


3 oranges, 
1 quart water, 
J peck peaches, 
1 lemon. 



To a sirup prepared as for lemon 
sherbet, add a pint peach pulp, also 
the orange and lemon juice. 

Blackberry Sherbet. 

3 quarts blackberries, 

1 tahlsspoonful gelatin, 

2 cupfuls granulated sugar, 
S lemons. 



Crush 3 quarts juicy blackberries 
with a cupful granulated sugar. Let 
stand an hour. Put the fruit and 
sugar through a vegetable press and 
strain the juice. There should be at 
least IJ pints. To this add another 
cupful sugar and a pint water, and 
stir until the sugar is dissolved. Have 
ready a tablespoonful gelatin which 
has been soaked half an hour in cold 
water, then dissolved in a little boil- 
ing water. Put this with the other 
ingredients, add the lemon juice, and 
freeze. 

Milk Sherbet. 

1 teaspoonful gelatiu, 
IJ cupfuls sugar, 
1 quart milk. 
Juice 4 lemons. 
Juice 1 orange. 

Soften the gelatin in ^ cupful mUk, 
dissolve over hot water, and strain 
into the rest of the milk; turn the 
milk into the can of the freezer 
packed for freezing; when thoroughly 
chilled, add the fruit juice and sugar 
stirred together; freeze. 

FRAPPES 

Iced Chocolate. 

4 ounces Runkel's Sweet Choco- 
late, 
Scant i cupful sugar, 
1 cupful water, 

1 quart cream, 

i teaspoonful Mclihenny*s Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

'' Put the chocolate, water, and sug- 
ar in a saucepan to melt; stir until 
perfectly smooth. Put the cream in 
a double boiler, and when hot, add 
gradually to the chocolate mixture, 
and beat until thoroughly mixed; 
when cold, strain, add the yanilla, 
and freeze. 

Iced Coffee. 

1§ cupfuls sugar, 
Q eupfuls water, 

2 cupfuls black eoffee, 
1 quart cream. 



976 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Boil the sugar and water together 
five minutes, add the coffee, then the 
cream, and when cold, freeze. Serve 
in glasses. 

Iced lemonade. 

3 cupfuls sugar, 

4 cupfuls water. 
Juice 4 large lemons. 

Melt the sugar and water together, 
add the lemon juice, and freeze lo t.ic 
consistency of soft snow. Serve in 
lemonade glasses. 

Iced Uaspberry Vinegar. 
Sugar, 

1 quart water. 
Raspberry vinegar. 

Mix the sugar, raspberry vinegar, 
and water according to taste, mak- 
ing it a little oversweetj freeze. 

Coffee Frappe. 

8 cupfuls water. 

2 cupfuls sugar, 

1 cupful coffee, 
"White 1 egg. 

Put the coffee in a farina boiler, 
pour boiling water over it, stir occa- 
sionally five minutes, then strain 
througji fine muslin, add the sugar, 
and stir until dissolved. When cold, 
add the white of egg unbeaten, and 
freeze to the consistency of wet snow. 
Serve in punch glasses. Tea frapp6 
may be made after the same fashion. 

Orange Granite. 
6 oranges, 

5 cupfuls orange juice, 

2 cupfuls sugar, 
2 cupfuls water. 

Boil the sugar and water five min- 
utes. Peel the oranges, remove every 
particle of white skin, separate the 
carpels and carefully remove the 
seeds. Drop these into the hot sirup, 
and stand an hour, then drain the 
sirup into another vessel, add the 
orange juice, mix, strain, and freeze. 
When frozen rather stiff, add the 



pieces of oranges, and serve in 
glasses. 

Strawberry Granite. 

2 cupfuls orange juice, 

S cupfuls strawberry juice, 
1 quart whole strawberries, 

3 cupfuls sugar, 
3 cupfxils water. 

Boil the sugar and water five min- 
utes. Drop the strawberries into this 
sirup, lift them carefully with a 
skimmer, and place on a platter to 
cool; then add to the sirup the straw- 
berry and orange juice. Strain and 
freeze. When frozen, stir in the 
strawberries, and serve in glasses. 

mOZEN FRTJITS 

Prozen Apricots. 

1 quart can apricots, 

2 tablespoonfuls gelatin, 
2 cupfuls sugar, 

2 cupfuls cream. 
Drain the apricots, cut them in 
pieces, measure the sirup, and add 
sufficient water to make IJ pints; 
add the sugar. Cover the gelatin 
with a little cold water and soak half 
an hour. Boil the sugar, sirup, and 
water together five minutes, skim 
carefully, add the gelatin, stir until 
dissolved, add the apricots, and stand 
to cool; then freeze, stirring slowly. 
When frozen, remove the dasher and 
add the cream whipped. Repack, 
cover, and stand two hours. Dried 
apricots, carefully cooked, can be 
used. 

Frozen Bananas. 

1 dozen red-skinned bananas, 

2 cupfuls sugar, 
2 cupfuls water. 
Juice 3 oranges, 
2 cupfuls cream. 

Peel the bananas, cut them in 
slices, then mash fine. Boil the wa- 
ter and sugar five minutes, strain, and 
when cool, add the orange juice and 
bananas. Freeze, turning slowly. 
When frozen, remove the dasher and 



« 



FROZEN DESSERTS 



977 



stir in carefully the cream whipped. 
Repack, and put away to ripen. 

Frozen Peaches. 

2 pounds peaches, 
4 cupfuls water, 

6 peach kernels, 

3 cupfuls sugar. 

Pare the peaches and take out the 
stones. Pound the kernels to a paste, 
add them with the sugar to the wa- 
ter, boil five minutes, strain, and cool. 
When cold, add the peaches, mashed, 
and freeze. Repack, and ^tand to 
ripen. 

rrozen Cherries. 

3 quarts morello cherries, 

4 cupfuls sugar, 
4 cupfuls water. 

Stone the cherries, mix thera with 
the sugar, and stand an hour; add 
the water, stir until the sugar is thor- 
oughly dissolved, put in the freezer, 
and turn rapidly until frozen. 

Trosen. Pineapples. 

2 large pineapples, 
4 cupfuls sugar, 
4 cupfuls water. 

Pare the pineapples, cut out the 

-eyes, and grate the flesh, rejecting 

the core; add the sugar and water, 

stir until the sugar is dissolved, and 

freeze. 

Frozen Raspberries. 

1 quart raspberries,'' 

2 cupfuls sugar. 
Juice 2 lemons, 
4 cupfuls water. 

Add the sugar and lemon juice to 
the berries, mash, and stand an hour; 
add the water, stir until the sugar is 
dissolved, and freeze. 

Frozen Strawberries. 

1 quart strawberries. 
Juice 2 lemons, 

2 cupfuls sugar, 
4 cupfuls water. 



Add the sugar and lemon juice to 
the berries, and stand an hour. Mash 
the berries, add the water, stir until 
the sugar is thoroughly dissolved, and 
freeze slowly. 

ICE cream: 

"Coffee Cream. 

i cupful very strong coffee,A 

1 pint milk, 

3 pints cream, 

2 cupfuls sugar. 

Heat the milk and half the cream 
in a double boiler. Put in the coffee 
and sugar, and stir until the latter is 
dissolved. Take from the fire, and 
when cool, put into the freezer with 
the uncooked cream. If you wish 
to have a light, more spongy cream, 
you may whip the uncooked cream, 
and stir this into the contents of the 
freezer when these have begun to 
congeal. Freeze, and when solid, pack 
for an hour before serving. 

Lemon Cream. 
1 pint cream, 
i teaspoonful salt^, 
1 cupful sugars; 

1 lemon. 

Pare the rind off a lemon, cut in 
halves, remove the seeds, and squeeze 
out the juice. Strain the jmce and 
mix it with the same amount of sug- 
ar. Boil until clear, stir through the 
cream, and freeze. 

Vanilla Ice Cream. 

3 cupfuls - milk, 

1| cupfuls whipped cream, 
f cupful sugar, 

2 eggs, 

1 tablespooonful Mcllhenny's 
Mexican Vanilla. 

Beat the eggs with the sugar, scald 
the milk, blend, and pour the mix- 
ture in a double boiler. Cook a few 
minutes to set the eggs, but not so 
the mixture thickens like a custard. 
Remove from the fire, cool, add the 
cream and vanilla. When cold, freeze. 



978 



iMRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK! 



pistachio Cream. 
1 quart cream, 
I pound pistachio nuts, 
1 quart milk, 
IJ cupfuls sugar, 
1 dessertspoonful pistache 
tract. 



ex- 



Shell the nuts and remove the out- 
side skins; chop fine and rub to a 
paste, adding gradually the extract. 
Add the sugar to the milk, and stir 
in a double boiler until the sugar is 
dissolved and the milk hot. Stand 
until cold. Add a little cream grad- 
ually to the nuts, continue rubbing 
constantly to a smooth paste, then 
add the entire quantity of cream. If 
the nuts are pale, add 2 drops green 
coloring. Add this to the jnilk, and 
freeze. 

Bisque Ice Cream. 
Yolks 8 eggs, 
1^ pints cream, 
Juice 1 orange, 
J cupful sugar, 
I saltspoonful salt, 
J pound macaroons. 

Beat the first 3 ingredients witK ai 
wire whip until the mixture is very 
smooth. Pour it into a saucepan, 
place <over a slow fire, and stir con- 
stantly untU it is a custard. Do not 
let it boil. Strain into a bowl which 
has been chilled; stir two minutes 
and freeze. Remove dasher, flavor 
with i teaspoonful grated rind of 
orange or lemon, add the cream 
whipped stiff, and the macaroons 
crushed fine. Pack in ice and salt. 

Strawberry Ice Cream. 

1 quart strawberries, 
1 quart cream, 
S cupfuls sugar. 

Put half the sugar and half the 
cream in a double boiler over the fire ; 
when the sugar dissolves, cool. Mash 
the strawberries, adding half the sug- 
ar, then stand an hour. Press through 
a colander. Add remaining half the 
cream to tlie sweetened cream and 



freeze moderately stiff, then add the 
berries, and repack. If canned straw- 
berries are used, half the sugar maj] 
be omitted. 

Pineapple Cream. 
1 quart cream, 
9 cupfuls sugar. 
Juice 1 lemon, 
1 large pineapple or 1 pint can. 

Scald the cream with half the sug- 
ar, stir until sugar is dissolved, and 
cool. Grate the pineapple, mix with 
the rest of the sugar, and stir until 
dissolved. Add the remaining pint 
cream to sweetened cream, and freeze; 
add the lemon juice to the pineapple, 
and stir into the frozen cream; beat 
thoroughly and pack. If canned pine- 
apple is used, add the lemon juice, 
and stir into the cream jvhen cold. 

IGinger Cream. 

6 ounces preserved ginger, 
S tablespoonfuls lemon juice, 
1 pint cream, 
I cupful sugar. 

Pound the sugar toi a paste with 
the lemon juice. Mix sugar and 
cream, add to the ginger, gress 
through a sieve, and freeze. 

Cocoanut Cream. 
1 quart cream, 
1 cupful sugar, 
1 tablespoonf ul ■ Mcllhetiny's 

Mexican Vanilla, 
1 cocoanut grated. 

Scald half the cream with the sug- 
ar. When cool, add the rest of cream, 
vanilla, and cocoanut; freeze. 

Manilla Cream with Extract* 

1 quart cream, , u, I fl 

1 cupful sugar, ^ ^ 

2 tablespoonfuls McIllienny*S 
Mexican Vanilla. 

Scald half the cream with sugar. 
When cold, add the remainder of the 
cream, vanilla, anO freeze. 



FROZEN DESSERTS 



979 



Ice Cream from Condensed Milk. 
1 can condensed milk, 
3 tablespoonfuls cornstarch, 
1 tablespoonf ul Mcllhenny's 
Mexican Vanilla. 

Add sufficient boiling water to 1 
can condensed milk to make it the 
proper consistency. Moisten 3 table- 
spoonfuls cornstarch with a little 
cold milk, add to the mixture, stir and 
cook five minutes, and take from the 
fire; when cold, add Manilla extract to 
flavor; freeze. 

Arrowroot Cream. 
1 pint cream, 
1 quart milk, 
IJ cupfuls sugar, 

5 tablespoonfuls arrowroot, 

1 tablespoonf ul Mcllhenn y's 
Mexican Vanilla, 

Moisten the arrowroot with a little 
milk; put the remainder in a double 
boiler; when hot, add the arrowroot, 
stir and cook ten minutes, add the 
sugar, take from the fire, add the 
cream and vanilla. When cold, freeze. 

Gelatin Cream. 

1 quart cream, 

1 pint milk, 

1^ cupfuls sugar, 
i box gelatin, 

2 tablespoonf Ills Mcllhenn y*s 
Mexican Vanilla. 

Cover the gelatin with the milk and 
stand in a cool place thirty minutes; 
put it in a double boiler; when hot, 
add the sugar, strain, add the cream 
and vanilla, and freeze. 

Caramel Cream. 

1 quart cream, 
1 cupful sugar, 

6 eggs, 

3 tablespoonfuls caramel, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Beat the yolks of eggs and the 
sugar together until light. Whisk 
the whites to a stiff froth, stir them 



into the yolks and sugar. Scald the 
cream, then stir and cook until the 
mixture begins to thicken. Take 
from the fire, and strain; when cold, 
add the vanilla, and freeze. 

Almond Cream. 

Yolks 6 eggs, 

1 quart cream, 

2 ounces Jordan almonds, 
IJ cupfuls sugar. 

Blanch the almonds and chop them 
fine. Put 2 tablespoonfuls granulated 
sugar with the chopped almonds in a 
saucepan, stir over the fire until the 
almonds are red brown, take from the 
fire and when cool, pound them to a 
paste. Put the cream in a double 
boiler. Beat the eggs and sugar to- 
gether until light, add to the hot 
cream, stir until thickened, take from 
the fire, add the pounded almonds« 
and freeze. 

Brown-Bread Ice Cream. 

2 slices brown breadj^ 

1 cupful sugar, 

2 lady's fingers, 
J pint milk, 

1 pint cream. 

Put the bread in the oven and 
brown, roll, and sift. Dry and roll 
the lady's fingers. Put the cream, 
milk, and sugar in a double boiler, 
and stir until the sugar is dissolved; 
when cold, freeze. When frozen, add 
the sifted crumbs, and repack. 

Raspberry-Jam Cream. 

1 pound raspberry jam^ 
Juice 1 lemon, 
1 pint cream, 
1 giU milk. 

Mix the lemon juice with the rasp- 
berry jam, add gradually the mUk 
and cream, strain through a sieve, 
and freeze. 

Burnt-Almond Cream. 
1 quart cream, 
1 cupful sugar, 
4 ounces shelled almonds. 



980 



Tims. cuRTis'S cookbook: 



1 teaspoonfu/ caramel, 

1 tablespoonf ul Mcllhenny's 
J.Iexican Vanilla. 

Blanch and roast the almonds, then 
pound them in a mortar to a paste. 
Put half the cream and the sugar on 
to boil, stir until the sugar is dis- 
solved, add the remaining pint of 
cream and the almonds; when cold, 
add the caramel and vanilla; freeze. 

(Chocolate Cream. 

2 cupfuls scalded milk, 
1 tablespoonful flour, 

1 egg, 

J cupful boiling water, 
IJ cupfuls sugar, 
J teaspoonful salt, 

3 squares Runkel's Chocolate, 
1 quart thin cream, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Mix 1 cupful sugar with the flour 
and salt. Add the egg slightly beat- 
en, and gradually the milk. Cook 
over hot water twenty minutes, stir- 
ring constantly at first. Put choco- 
late in saucepan, place over hot wa- 
ter, and when melted, add remaining 
sugar and boiling water. Add choco- 
late mixture to hot custard. Cool, 
add cream and flavoring, strain and 
freeze.'" One third cupful Runkel's 
Prepared Cocoa may be used in place 
of chocolate. 

Apricot Cream. 
1 quart cream, 
1^ cupfuls sugar, 
1 quart apricots or 1 pint can. 

Put half the cream to heat in a 
double boiler. When hot, add the 
sugar, and stir until dissolved. Take 
from the fire, add the remaining half 
of the cream, and when cold, freeze. 
Mash the apricots and stir them 
quickly into the frozen cream; turn 
the crank rapidly for five minutes; 
pack. 

Banana Cream. 
8 bananas, 
1 quart cream, 
1 cupful cream. 



Peel and mash the bananas. Put 
1 pint cream to scald in a double 
boiler. When hot, add the sugar, stir 
until dissolved, and cool. Beat and 
stir the bananas to a smooth paste, 
add to the cream and sugar; then 
add the remainder of cream, and 
freeze. 

Mandarin Cream. 
1 quart cream, 
1 cupful sugar. 
Juice 12 mandarins) 
Rind 3 mandarins. 

Put half the cream to scald iii la 
double boiler, add the sugar, and stir 
until dissolved. When cool, add the 
juice and rind of mandarins and the 
remaining half of cream; freeze. 

Raspberry Cream. 

1 quart cream, 
3 cupfuls sugar, 
1 quart raspberries. 
Juice 1 lemon. 

Put half the sugar and cream to 
boil; when sugar is dissolved, cool; 
add the rest of sugar and lemon juice 
to the berries, stand an hour, then 
strain. Add the remaining half of 
the cream to the sweetened cream, 
and freeze; when frozen, stir in the 
fruit juice, beat thoroughly, and 
pack. 

Peach Cream. 

1 quart cream, - 
I peck peaches, 
IJ cupfuls sugar, 
1 lemon. 

Scald 1 quart thin cream and 1 
cupful sugar; when cold, freeze to a 
mush, then add 1^ cupfuls peach 
pulp, mixed with ^ cupful sugar, and 
the juice of i lemon; finish freezings 

B^ckberry Ice Cream. 
1 quart milk, 
1 quart blackberries, 
1 lemon, 

1 pint double cream, 
1 cupful sugar, 
1 tablespoonful comstarcli. 



FROZEN DESSERTS 



981 



Stir cornstarch, mixed with the 
sugar, into the milk, which has been 
previously scalded. Cook until the 
mixture thickens. The mixture will 
be as thick as thin cream. Add the 
cream, and when cold, freeze to a 
mush. A tablespoonful lemon ex- 
tract may be added before freezing. 
Crush a basket of ripe, juicy black- 
berries, and press through a purie 
sieve to remove the seeds. Mix the 
pulpy juice, of which there should be 
a pint, with a cupful sugar, and set 
on the ice to chill. Add to the half- 
frozen mixture, and finish freezing. 



PARFAIT, MOUSSE, AND FROZEN 
PUDDING 

Apricot Pudding. 

1 quart cream. 

Yolks 4 eggs, 

IJ cupfuls sugar, 

12 apricots. 
Scald 1 pint cream. Beat together 
the egg yolks, and sugar, stir into hot 
cream, cook one minute, take from 
the fire, and add the remaining pint 
cream. When frozen, stir in the apri- 
cots, which should be pared and cut 
in small pieces. Peach pudding may 
be made in the same manner. 

Queen Pudding'. 

Line a melon mold two inches deep 
with vanilla ice cream or strawberry 
water ice. Have ready a pint frozen 
peaches; fill these into the center, 
cover with ice cream, put on the lid, 
bind the edges with a strip of but- 
tered cloth, pack and stand two 
hours. When ready to serve, wipe the 
outside of the mold with a warm 
towel, and turn the pudding out on a 
large dish. Dust with grated maca- 
roons, and serve immediately, 

Ohesterfield Cream. 
If cupfuls sugar. 
Rind 1 lemon, 
1 pint preserved damsons, 
1| pints cream. 
Yolks 3 eggs, 
S inch stick cinnamon. 



Scald the cream with the cinnamon 
and the rind of lemon chipped. Beat 
the sugar and yolks together, add to 
the hot cream, cook one minute, 
strain, and when cold, freeze. When 




a. Extension Strainer; b. Small Wire Strainer. 

frozen, stir in an extra pint cream 
whipped. Stand two hours. Serve 
with preserved damsons around it. 

Macedoine of Fruit. 

2 cupfuls sugar, 
1 quart water, 

3 bananas. 
Juice 2 oranges, 
1 lemon, 

1 small pineapple, 
12 large strawberries, 
1 gill strawberry jelly, 
3 tablespoonfuls gelatin. 

Cover the gelatin with a little cold 
water, and soak half an hour. Boil 
the sugar and water together ten 
minutes, add the gelatin, orange, and 
lemon juice, bananas cut into small 
pieces, pineapple picked into small 
pieces, strawberries cut into halves, 
and jelly cut ixito blocks. Freeze, 
turning the crank very slowly. 

Frozen Orange Souffle. 
1 quart cream, 

1 pint orange juice. 
Yolks 6 eggs, 

2 cupfuls sugar, 
I box gelatin. 

Cover the gelatin with | cupful cold 
water, and soak an hour, then dis- 
solve in ^ cupful boiling water. Mix 
the orange juice and the sugar to- 
gether. Whip the cream. Beat the 
yolks until light, add them to the 
orange juice and sugar; add the gela- 
tin, strain, and freeze. When frozen. 



982 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOE 



remove dasher, stir in the whipped 
cream, and stand two hours to ripen. 

Frozen Strawberry Souffle. 
1 pint strawberry juices 
IJ cupfuls sugar, 
!j box gelatin, 
^ cupful cold water. 
Yolks 6 eggs, 
1 quart cream. 

Mix the strawberry juiciS anS sug- 
ar until they form a sirup. Cover the 
gelatin with cold water, and soak half 
an hour, then add a cupful boiling 
water, and stir until dissolved. Beat 
the yolks of eggs, add them to the 
sirup, also the gelatin, and freeze. 
When frozen, stir in lightly the cream 
whipped to a stiff froth; repackn 

IFxozen Pudding:. 
1 quart milk, 
20 large raisins. 
Yolks 4 eggs, 

1 cupful sugar, 

2 ounces citron, 

3 ounces almonds, 

1 tablespoonf ul Mcllhenny's 

Mexican Vanilla. 
1 ounce preserved ginger. 

Put the milk and raisins in a double 
boiler and cook twenty minutes. Beat 
the y9lks and sugar together, add to 
the hot milk, cook one minute, and 
strain. When cold, add the citron 
chopped fine, the almonds blanched 
and grated, the vanilla and ginger cut 
into small pieces; freeze. 

Orange Mousse. 
6 oranges, 
1 pint cream, 
IJ cupfuls sugar, 
1 candied orange. 

Squeeze orange juice into a sauce- 
pan with the sugar; add the rind of 
1 orange, cut in pieces and 2 table- 
spoonfuls water. Place over the fire, 
stir with a wooden spoon until melted, 
strain, cool, and freeze. When fro- 
zen, remove dasher and add 1 pint 
Qream whipped stiff, also the candied 
Qrange cut into small pieces. Pack ia 



ice and salt for an hour and a Half, 
Garnish with small pieces candied 
orange cut in thin strips, alternating 
with angelica cut in the same fashion. 
Finish with a row of sliced oranges 
cut in halves and lapping over each 
other. 

ITutti-rrutti. 

3 cupfuls milK, 
Yolks 5 eggs, 

2J cupfids thin creamy 

f cupful sugar, 

J teaspoon ful salt, 

li tablespoonfuls Mcllhenny's 

Mexican Vanilla, 
If cupfuls fruit cut in small 

pieces. 

Make a custard of first 4 ingre- 
dients, strain, and cool. Add the 
cream and flavoring, then freeze to 
the consistency of mush, add the 
fruit, and continue freezing. Mold, 
pack in salt and ice, and let stand 
two hours. Candied cherries, pine- 
apple, figs, sultana raisins, and citron 
may be used. 

Pineapple Mousse* 

1 teaspoonful gelatin, 

1 pint double cream, 

1 cupful scalded pineapple juice, 

f cupful sugar. 

Juice ^ lemon. 

Soften the gelatin in 3 tablespoon- 
fuls cold water five minutes and dis- 
solve in the hot pineapple juice; add 
the sugar and let cool, then add the 
iemon juice and the cream; beat the 
mixture with an egg beater until 
thick. Turn into a chilled mold; 
press the cover down over wrapping 
paper, and let stand packed in equal 
measures of ice and salt three or four 
hours. Turn from the mold and sur- 
round with half slices pineapple sug- 
ared or dressed with a cold sugar 
sirup. 

Frozen Custard. 
1 quart milk, 

4 eggs, 

1 cupful sugar,) 



FROZEN DESSERTS 



98^ 



1 tablespoonful Mcllhenny's 

Mexican Vanilla, 

3 tablespoonfuls cornstarch. 

Scald the milk. Moisten the corn- 
starch with a little cold milk, add it 
to the hot milk, and stir until it be- 
gins to thicken. Beat the eggs and 
sugar together, add to the hot milk, 
cook one minute, take from the firCs 
add vanilla, when cold, freeze. 

Frozen Coffee Custard. 

4 eggs, 

i pint cream, 

1 cupful sugar, 

1 pint milk, 

J pint strong coffee. 

Scald the milk. Beat the eggs and 
sugar together until light; add them 
to the hot milk, cook, and instantly 
take from the fire, add the cream and 
coffee. When cold, freeze. 

Frozen Chocolate Custard. 
4 eggs, 
1 pint cream, 
1 pint milk, 
1 cupful sugar, 
3 ounces Runkel's Chocolate, 
1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Put the milk over the fire in a dou- 
ble boiler; add the chocolate grated. 
Beat the eggs and sugar until light, 
add to the hot milk, cook one minute, 
take from the fire, add the cream 
and a teaspoonful vanilla. When 
cold, freeze. 

Stuffed Mousse. 

1 quart strawberry water ice, 
1 pint cream, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 
^ cupful powdered sugar. 

Whip the cream to a stiff froth, 
drain, sprinkle over it the sugar and 
vanilla, mix carefully. Pack a 2- 
quart melon mold in salt and ice, line 
with the strawberry water ice, re- 
serving enough to cover bottom of 
the mold. Turn the whipped cream 



into the center, cover the water ice 
over the bottom, put on the lid, bind 
with a strip of buttered muslin, cover 
with salt and ice, and stand three or 
four hours. 

Nesselrode Pudding'. 

1 pint large chestnuts, 
1 pint cream, 

1 pint water. 
Yolks 6 eggs, 

2 cupfuls sugar, 

% pint grated pineapple, 

i pound mixed French candied 

fruit, 
1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexii* 

can Vanilla. 

Boil the chestnuts until tender, re- 
move the shells and brown skins, 
press the pulp through a colander. 
Boil the sugar and water together 
five minutes. Beat the yolks of eggs 
until light, add to the boiling sirup, 
take from the fire, and beat until 
thick and cool. When cool, add the 
candied fruit chopped fine, the va- 
nilla, pineapple, and chestnuts. When 
frozen, remove the dasher, and stir in 
the cream, whipped to a stiff froth. 

Iced Eice Pudding. 
i cupful rice, 
1 pint milk, 

1 quart cream, 

2 cupfuls sugar. 
Yolks 6 eggs, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi^ 
can VaniUa. 

Boil rice in 1 pint cold water ; drain, 
cover with the milk, and boil half an 
hour longer. While this is boiling, 
whip the cream. After you have 
whipped all you can, add the remain- 
der and what has drained from the 
other to the rice and milk. Stand the 
whipped cream in a cold place. Press 
the rice through a sieve, and return 
to the double boiler. Beat the yolks 
and sugar together, pour over the 
rice, stir, return again to the fire, and 
cook two minutes, or until it begins 
to thicken. Add the vanilla, stir in 
the whipped cream, remove the dasher. 



984 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



smooth down the pudding, repack, 
and stand two hours. 

Compote of Oranges. 

1 dozen sweet orangeSy 

2 cupfuls sugar, 
Juice i lemon, 

1 gill water. 

Put the sugar and water to boil; 
cook five minutes, skim, and add the 
lemon juice. Peel the oranges, cut 
in halves crosswise and cut out the 
cores with a sharp knife; put a few 
pieces at a time in the hot sirup, and 
lay them out singly on a flat dish ; 
pour over them the remaining sirup 
and stand on ice to cool. To dish the 
pudding, lift out the can and care- 
fully wipe off the brine. Wipe the 
bottom with a towel dipped in boiling 
water, put a dish over the top of it, 
turn it upside down, and remove the 
can. Heap the oranges on top and 
arrange them around the base of the 
pudding, pour the sirup over them, 
and serve. 

Puree of Apricots. 

1 quart can apricots, 
1 cupful sugar. 
Yolks 6 eggs, 
1 pint cream. 

Mash the apricots, beat the yolks 
of eggs and sugar together until 
light, then add them with the cream 
to the apricots; turn into a double 
boiler, and stir until the eggs begin 
to thicken. Strain, and whip to the 
consistency of sponge-cake batter. 
When cool, turn into a mold and set 
in ice and salt three hours. 

Plombiere. 

i pound Jordan almonds. 
Yolks 7 eggs, 
1 quart cream, 
I cupful sugar. 

Blanch and pound the almonds to 
a paste. Scald the cream in a double 
boiler, add the almonds, egg yolks 
and sugar beaten to a cream, and stir 
over the fire until they begin to 
thick; beat for three minutes. 



Strain and freeze. When frozen, re- 
move the dasher, make a small well 
in the center, fill with apricot jam, 
cover, and stand two hours. 

Montrose Pudding. 
1 quart cream. 
Yolks 6 eggs, 
1 cupfid sugar, 
1 tablespoonful Mcllhenny's 

Mexican Vanilla, 
1 pint strawberry water ice. 

Scald the cream, beat the yolks and 
sugar, stir into the boiling cream, and 
cook until it thickens. Take from the 
fire, add the remaining pint cream 
and the vanilla, stand until cool, and 
freeze. When frozen, pack into a 
round mold, leaving a well in the 
center. Fill with strawberry water 
ice, cover with some of the pudding 
you have taken out. Pack in salt and 
ice, and let stand two hours. Serve 
with the following sauce poured 
around it: 

Vanilla Sauce. 

1 tablespoonful gelatin, 
1 pint cream. 
Yolks 3 eggs, 
^ cupful sugar, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Cover the gelatin with a little cold 
water and soak half an hour. Scald 
the cream. Beat the yolks and sugar 
together, add the boiling cream, stir 
until it thickens, add the gelatin, stir 
until it dissolves; take from the fire, 
add the vanilla, and stand in a cold 
place until wanted. 

Prozen Chocolate with Whipped 
Cream. 
3 squares Runkel's Chocolate, 
1 cupful sugar. 
Dash salt, 
1 cupful milk, 
3 cupfuls thin cream, 
1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can VanUla. 

Melt the chocolate, scald the milk 
with the sugar and salt, and pour it 



FROZEN DESSERTS 



985 



over the chocolate. Add the cream, 
cool, freeze, and serve in glasses with 
a spoonful whipped cream in each. 

Chocolate Sauce to Serve with Va- 
nilla Ice Cream. 

1^ cupfuls water, 

i cupful sugar, 

6 tablespoonfuls Rimkel's Choco- 
late, 

1 tablespoonful cornstarch, 

i cupful cold water. 

Dash salt, 

^tablespoonful Mcllhenny's 
Mexican Vanilla. 

Boil the water and sugar five min- 
utes. Dissolve the cornstarch in cold 
water, add the grated chocolate, 
combine the miixtures, and cook in a 
double boiler till creamy. Flavor 
with vanilla, and serve hot with va- 
nilla cream frozen very hard. 

Frozen Plum Pudding. 

1 quart chocolate ice cream, 

I cupful candied fruit, 

I cupful blanched and chopped 

almonds, 
^ cupful raisins, 

I cupful macaroon crumbs 
toasted, 

1 cupful shredded figs, 

^ cupful chopped walnuts. 

Make the cream as directed in rec- 
ipe for chocolate ice cream; when al- 
most frozen, take off the lid, put in 
the fruit, turn the crank five minutes, 
then pack. This cream is so rich 
that it is at its best when served in 
small portions with a garnish of 
whipped cream. 

Chocolate Mousse. 

2 squares Runkel's Chocolate, 
1^ cupfuls sugan 

1 cupful cream, 

I tablespoonful granulated gela- 
tin, 

3 tablespoonfuls boiling water, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 
1 quart cream. 



Melt the chocolate with J cupful 
sugar and add 1 cupful cream. Scald, 
then put in the gelatin dissolved in 
cold water, the rest of the sugar, va- 
nilla, and a dash of salt. Strain into 
a bowl and set in a pan of ice water. 
Stir occasionally till it thickens, then 
add the whip from the rest of the 
cream. Pour into a mold, rubbing 
inside the lid of the mold with lard to 
form a waterproof coating so ho 
brine can enter, pack in ice and salt, 
and let stand four hours. 



Continental Pudding. 

li pints baked Indian-meal pud- 
ding, 
1 pint thick cream, 
1 cupful sugar, 
1 tablespoonful caramel, 
^ teaspoonful cinnamon. 

Stir the ingredients to a smooth 
paste, whip the cream, beat in the 
sugar, add the spice, mix with the 
pudding, and freeze without beating, 
scraping the frozen mixture from the 
sides of the can, and stirring smooth. 
Serve, when frozen, with cream. 



Angel-Cake Glace. 

1 quart cream. 

Whites 6 eggs, 

I^ cupfuls sugar, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 

I cupful water, 

J cupful finely sifted angel-cake 
crumbs. 

Cook the cream in a farina boiler, 
add sugar and flavoring, cool, strain, 
and I'reeze. Reserve ^ pound sugar 
and whites 4 eggs. Cook the sug- 
ar and water to the same degree re- 
quired for boiling icing, and pour hot 
upon the whites beaten to the stiffest 
possible froth. Stir this icing, with 
the cake crumbs, gently into the fro- 
zen cream. Line the bottom of a 
mold with slices of angel cake; upon 
these place a layer of the cream, 
then cake, so on until the mold is fuU. 



986 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Cover tightly, and pack in ice three 
hours. 

Fruit-Cake Glace. 
1 pint cream. 
Yolks 4 eggs, 
1 cupful sugar, 

^ teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 
J teaspoonful mixed spices, 
ounces browned almond pasta, 

4 macaroons, 

5 ounces dried and pounded fruit 
cakCj 



1 ounce chocolate, 

1 tablespoonful caramel. 

Make a custard of the cream, yolks, 
and sugar; add vanilla, sugar, spices, 
chocolate, and caramel; freeze, then 
stir in nuts and crumbs, mold in a 
cake pan — any ordinary oblong pan, 
two or two and a half inches deep, 
freeze in salt and ice. Turn out on 
platter, cover half an inch with al- 
mond jjaste mixed with little boiled 
icing. Serve in slices, with soft cus- 
tard. 



[CHAPTER LIX 



PUFF PASTE 



If you have a marble slab to work 
on when making puff paste, your 
work will be easier. A rolling-pin 
with movable handles makes the 
touch lighter. There can be no heavy- 
handed methods, or you will have a 
solid, indigestible substance. Scald 
an earthen bowl, fill with ice water; 
wash your hands in hot water, then in 
cold. Work 1 pound butter in a bowl 
cold water until it is waxy and nearly 
all the salt is washed out of it. Take 
out the butter, pat and squeeze till 
the water flies. Measure from it 2 
level tablespoon fuls, mold the rest 
into an oblong cake, then set it where 
it will grow hard and cold. Sift 1 
pound flour with | teaspoonful salt 
into the bowl. Rub between the fin- 
gers and thumb the 2 tablespoonfuls 
butter. Mix with ice water, stirring 
constantly till you have a' soft dough. 
Turn out on a marble slab, which has 
been dusted with flour. Knead with 
an even, light touch, till it feels elas- 
tic; then cover with a napkin, and 
set away to " ripen " five minutes. 
When the dough is ripened, you may 
begin work on it. Put the paste on 
the slab and, with the lightest possi- 
ble pats from the rolling-pin, shape it 
about half as wide as it is long, keep- 
ing the corners square. At one end 
lay the hardened piece of butter. 
Over this fold the rest of the dough. 
Tuck lightly around the edges, in- 
closing all the air possible. With 
light taps from the rolling-pin break 
up the butter, spreading it and roll- 
ing the paste into a longer strip. Be 
careful to keep the sides and ends of 
the paste even, and to break as few 
air bubbles as possible. When the 
strip is almost as long as the slab, 



fold it like the letter Z, and begin 
again rolling, folding, and turning 
until the process has been repeated 
six times. If the paste shows the least 
symptom of being soft, or the butter 
of breaking through, set it away to 
chill before you finish the process. 
Roll always in one direction, from 
you, with a long, sweeping motion. 
By cutting the paste across after the 
work is completed, you may see the 
texture which gives you a crust eight 
times as high after baking as before 
it was set in an oven. You will no- 
tice layer after layer of a waferlike 
thickness of butter and paste with tiny 
bubbles between. Wrap it in parch- 
ment paper and set away in a covered 
dish overnight. It will be all the 
more tender and flaky for twenty-four 
hours of " ripening." During the 
winter a batch of puff paste, wrapped 
and covered, may be kept for several 
weeks in a very cold place. Use it as 
desired, baking pates, vol au vents, 
or tarts as required. These will keep 
five or six days after making, being 
reheated before they are filled. 

The oven for baking puff paste 
should be as hot as for rolls, with the 
greatest heat underneath, so the fat6 
can rise to its full height before 
browning. As heat touches the pas- 
try the bubbles expand, lifting the 
thin layers higher and higher. When 
it has reached its height, and is baked 
delicately brown, you have what is 
properly called puff paste. 

NOTES ABOUT PUFF PASTS 

When using a cutter, always dip in 
flour between each cutting; it will 
insure neat edges. 



987 



988 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOltj 



if the work has to be done in a 
warm room, chill the paste between 
three pans, the upper one filled with 
broken ice, the second one set into 
another large pan, also filled with ice. 
Puff paste is always in good condi- 
tion if it slips easily on the slab. 

Should you wish to use is for a pie, 
bake it vol-au-vent fashion over the 
bottom of a pie-plate first, and fill 
after baking, or use ordinary pie 
paste for the bottom when the filling 
is to be baked. 

Build up the sides with puff paste; 
rich pastry never miakes a good un- 
dercrust — it soaks. 

When baking small pieces such as 
fats tops or cheese straws, do not 
put them in a pan with the larger 
pieces; they bake in less than half the 
time required by the others. 

If you wish pastry to have a glazed 
appearance, brush over with beaten' 
egg before putting it in the oven. 

Utilize trimmings for smaller 
things; never add them to the larger 
pieces of paste. 

Use the sharpest knife for cutting 
pastry; if it is dragged ever so 
slightly in the cutting it will not rise 
well. Also, in making two layers of 
pastry adhere, liever press it together 
or you will have a heavy spot. 

Always have puff paste ice cold 
when it is put in the oven. Let the 
heat be greatest at the bottom when 
the paste is put in; it must rise be- 
fore it begins to brown. 



trimmings stars, hearts, crescents, or 
any forms you can produce with a 
paste j agger. Brush the paste on the 
saucer lightly with cold water, and 
stick on the ornaments in any style 
desired. Chill the vol au vent and 
lid for half an hour, then bake in an 
oven which is very hot ''t first, but 
cooled slightly when the pastry has 
risen and is beginning to brown. 
Watch the baking with great care, as 
the paste will burn or become un- 
shapely if not turned occasionally, A 
vol au vent may be filled with any 
cream mixture or with a cooked; 
chilled fruit and rich sirup. 

Pates. 

Roll out the paste half an inch 
thick; shape two rounds with a 
patd cutter. From one round cut a 
smaller piece. Use the ring left to 
lay on the other round, brushing with 
water to make it stick. Bake and fill 
with a creamed mixture, using the 
small round as a lid. 

Cream Horns. 

Cream horns are made on fine-pointed 
tubes which are called ladylock irons. 
Cut the paste into ribbons with a 
knife or j agger and begin to wind at 
the small end, the edges scarcely 
touching. Bake delicately brown. 
They may be filled with cream and 
chicken or oysters and served as an 
entrSe, or with whipped cream as a 
dessert. 



PTJFF-PASTE DAINTIES 

Vol au Vent. 

Lay a mold upon a round of puff 
paste, rolled about half an inch thick, 
and cut out a circl6 as big as you 
think will be required to cover it. 
Set the mold upside down and tuck 
down the paste, handling carefully. 
Do not cover scantily anywhere or it 
will crack. Prick all over with a fork 
and set away in a cold place to chill 
thoroughly. Find a plate or saucer 
which fits the top of the mold and 
cover with puff paste. Cut from the 



Cheese Straws. 

Season some grated cheese with 
paprika and salt, then dust it over a 
piece of puff paste. Fold the paste 
and roll two or three times. Cut out 
in rings with a doughnut cutter or 
in straws with a j agger. The straws 
may be braided or baked singly. 

Plaky Pie Crust. 

3 cupfuls flour, 
i cupful butter, 

f cupful ice water, 

4 cupful lard. 



PUFF PASTE 



Sift the flour into a chopping bowl, 
add the butter and lard, and chop 
with a knife until no piece of the 
shortening larger than a pecan can be 
seen. Sprinkle the water here and 
there through the flour, and mix with 
a fork into a soft dough. Drop on a 
floured board, dust lightly with flour, 
press down with the rolling-pin, and 
roll back and forth until the paste 
becomes an oblong sheet not more 
than half an inch in thickness. Slip 
a broad-bladed knife under each end 
of this sheet, and fold over toward the 
center, thus forming three layers of 
the paste. Lift, with the knife, from 
the board, dust with fresh flour; 
lay the paste down again, dust with 
flour, roll, and again fold over as be- 
fore. Repeat the operation, and the 
paste is ready to use. When ice wa- 
ter is added to the flour and short- 
ening, the shortening becomes dis- 
tributed through the flour in small 
balls and is not packed together in a 
mass, and when the dough is drawn 
together and lightly pressed with the 
rolling-pin these balls flatten into 
flakes, which, by repeated foldings, 
are piled one upon another, and by 
gently rolling become thinner and 
more delicate. Three rollings and 
foldings are as much as these flakes 
will bear. Rolling and folding a 
great number of times causes them 
to become broken and packed, so that 
the paste will not rise and puff u]^, 
as it should, in baking. It is well to 
let the paste lie on ice, or in a cold 
place, for an hour before rolling it 
out for pies, as its quality is im- 
proved by so doing; and if the 
weather is warm it may advantage- 
ously be placed on ice ten minutes 
between each rolling out. If a tea- 
spoonful baking powder be sifted 
with the flour, less shortening can be 
used, but the pastry will not be as 
crisp and delicate. — Emma P. Ewing. 

Apple Pie. 

Roll pie crust to the thickness de- 
sired. Place upon a pie pan, shaping 
it carefully, and cut round the edges 
Svdth a sharp knife. Cover the bot- 



tom of the crust with a thin layer of 
sugar, dust with flour, then fill the 
crust with quarters of pared and 
cored apples. Dust with salt, add 
plenty of sugar — if the apples are 
very tart — roll an upper crust and 
lay over them, trim around the edges, 
press the upper and lower crusts to- 
gether, bake until the apples are soft 
and the top and bottom crusts are 
nicely browned. 

Raspberry Pie. 

To 2 cupfuls raspberries add 1 cup- 
ful ripe currants and 1 cupful gran- 
ulated sugar, with which a table- 
spoonful flour has been mixed; stir 
together. Line a plate with flaky pie 
crust, put in the fruit, cover with a 
tolerably thick sheet of paste, make 
several incisions for the escape of 
steam, and bake till the crusts are 
nicely browned. Serve cool. 

Cherry Pie. 

2 cupfuls sour cherries, 
1 cupful granulated sugar, 

1 tablespoonful flour. 

Pick over and wash the cherries, 
add sugar and flour, mix together. 
Line a pan with paste, fill with the 
cherries, and cover with a sheet of 
paste, rolled twice as thick as or- 
dinary pie crust. Make incisions near 
the center for the escape of steam, 
and bake till brown. If the cherries 
are sweet, use less sugar. 

Pumpkin Pie. 

2 cupfuls stewed pumpkin, 
1 cupful rich milk, 

^ cupful molasses, 
^ cupful granulated sugar, 
1 tablespoonful melted butter, 
1 tablespoonful ginger, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 

2 eggs. 

Stir well together, line a deep tin 
pie pan with paste rolled moderately 
thick, sift a little flour evenly over 
the bottom, and fill three quarters full 
with the prepared mixture. Bake un- 
til the pie is brown in the center. In 



990 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



preparing the pumpkin, use very little 
water. Cover the kettle in which it is 
cooking, and stew until the pumpkin 
is perfectly soft, then remove the cov- 
er and continue the stewing, stirring 
frequently until the moisture evap- 
orates and the pumpkin becomes a 
smooth paste. Rub through a fine 
sieve. 

Sweet-Potato Pie. 

3 cupfuls boiled sweet potato, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 

3 tablespoonfuls lemon juice, 
1 cupful sugar. 

Grated rind J lemon, 
1 tablespoonful ginger, 
1 tablespoonful cinnamon, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 
J grated nutmeg, 
3 cupfuls milk, 
Yolks 3 eggs. 

Rub potatoes through a sieve, add 
butter, lemon juice, sugar in which 
have been mixed the grated rind of 
lemon, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and 
grated nutmeg. Stir well together, 
add milk and the beaten yolks of 
eggs, and last the whites of eggs beat- 
en stiff. Fit the paste to the pan, dust 
with flour, fill, and bake. 

Custard Pie. 

^ cupful granulated sugar, 

1 tablespoonful cornstarch, 

2 cupfuls milk, 

3 eggs. 
Pinch salt. 

Add cornstarch to sugar, mix well, 
stir it into milk, boiling hot, and sim- 
mer five minutes. When cool, add 
eggs, well beaten, and salt. Line a 
deep pie pan with paste, dust with 
flour, and fill three quarters full with 
the mixture. Bake in a moderate 
oven until firm in the center. Grate 
nutmeg over the top, and serve cool. 

Crumb Lemon Pie. 

% cupful lemon juice, 
i cupful sugar, 
8 tablespoonfuls ^)utter, 
I eggs. 



Grated peel 1 lemon, 
1 cupful stale' sponge-cake 
crumbs. 

Strain the lemon juice over the 
crumbs and soak half an hour, cream 
the butter, add half the sugar, then, 
one at a time, the yolks of eggs, then 
the balance of the sugar, with the 
lemon peel, and a pinch salt. With a 
fork mix the crumbs well with the 
lemon juice, and stir them into the 
butter and sugar, beating well, then 
add the whites of eggs beaten stiff. 
Bake, and serve like custard pie. 

Lemon Pie. 

3 cupfuls boiling water, 

IJ cupfuls sugar, 

i cupful lemon juice, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

1 tablespoonful cornstarch. 

Grated peel 1 lemon, 

Yolks 3 eggs. 

Mix the sugar and cornstarch well 
together, add them to the boiling wa- 
ter, and cook five minutes. Remove 
Irom the fire, add butter, lemon juice, 
peel, and lastly the eggs beaten very 
lightly. Line a deep pan with the 
paste, dust with flour, fill three 
fourths full with the mixture, and 
bake in a moderate oven till firm in 
the center. When cool, cover with a 
meringue made from whites of eggs. 

Vanilla Cream Pie. 

1 tablespoonful cornstarch, 
i cupful sugar, 

2 cupfuls boiling milk, 
1 tablespoonful butter, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Mix together cornstarch, sugar, and 
boiling milk. Cook five minutes, then 
add, stirring rapidly while adding, 
well-beaten eggs. Continue cooking 
until the egg is delicately cooked but 
not curdled, remove from the fire and 
stir butter into the mixture. When 
the butter is perfectly mixed with the 
custard, add the vanilla, and pour 
into a freshly baked tart shell. 
Orange cream pie and lemnr pie may 



Jl 



PUFF PASTE 



991 



be made by using orange or lemon 
extract in place of vanilla. — Emma P. 
EwiNG. 

Lemon-and-Raisin Pie. 

1 cupful chopped raisins. 

Juice and rind 1 lemon, 

1 cupful sugar, 

1 cupful water, 

1 teaspoonful cornstarch. 

Boil the mixture ten minutes; bake 
between double crusts, 

Green-Currant Pie. 

1 cupful green currants, 

^ cupful sugar, 

1 tablespoonful butter. 

Yolks 3 eggs, 

1 tablespoonful flour, 

1 tablespoonful water. 

Mash currants and sugar, using a 
wooden potato masher. Beat to a 
cream butter and sugar, then add in 
successive order the yolks of eggs, 
flour, water, and the mashed cur- 
rants. Line a deep pan with pastry, 
fill with the currant mixture, and 
bake. When done, cool slightly and 
cover with a meringue made of the 
whites of 2 eggs, 3 tablespoonfuls 
sugar, and vanilla to flavor. Bake in 
a slow oven until delicately brown. 

Apple Pie with Pineapple Plavor. 
3 tablespoonfuls grated pine- 
apple, 
1 tablespoonful water, 
3 tablespoonfuls sugar. 

Bake an apple pie in the usual way, 
but without sweetening. While it is 
baking, take the pineapple, water, 
and sugar, and simmer together till 
the fruit looks clear. When the pie 
is taken from the oven, remove the 
top crust, spread the pineapple over 
the apple, replace the cover, and set 
the pie away to cool. 

German Cherry Pie. 

Make a cherry pie as usual, but 
omit the upper crust. When nearly 
done, beat an egg light and add it to 



a scant i cupful cream and a table- 
spoonful sugar. Pour over the top 
of pie, return to the oven, and bake 
until the custard is set. 
Date Pie. 

1 pound dates, 

3 eggs, 

1 teaspoonful cinnamon, 

2 cupfuls milk, 
1 cupful sugar. 

Soak dates in warm water over- 
night, then stew and sift the same as 
pumpkin. Into the pulp stir beaten 
eggs, cinnamon, milk, and sugar. 
Bake in one crust. 




a, Frying Basket ; b, Meringue Bag with Pastry 
Tubes; c, Vegetable Plane. 

Fig Pie. 

i pound figs, 

1 cupful water. 

Whites of 3 eggs, 

3 tablespoonfuls sugar, 

1 tablespoonful lemon juice. 

Make a rich bottom crust. Chop 
figs fine, cook with cupful water. 
Sweeten and flavor with lemon. When 
the figs are smooth, put into the 
crust and bake. Take a meringue of 
whites of 3 eggs, beaten stiff, with 3 
tablespoonfuls powdered sugar, fla- 
vor with McIIhenny's Mexican Vanil- 
la, and as soon as the crust is baked, 
spread this over the top; let browc 
a minute or two. 

Gooseberry Pie. 

Cut off the blossoms and stems of 
berries and fill a pie dish lined with 
plain paste, spreading over the top 



992 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



one third as much sugar as berries 
used. Slightly dredge with flour, and 
cover with a thin crust pricked with 
a fork. Bake half an hour. 

Prune Pie. 

^ pound prunes, 
^ cupful sugar, 

^ cupful currant jelly or 1 tea- 
spoonful lero.on juice. 

Stew prunes, remove stones, stir in 
sugar, currant jelly, or lemon juice. 
Dust flour over the fruit, and bake 
with an upper crust. 

Strawberry Pie. 

Line a pie plate with thin paste 
and set in the oven till nearly baked. 
Take from the oven and fill with sug- 
ared berries, dredge with flour, cover 
the top crisscross with narrow strips 
of paste, return to the oven, and fin- 
ish baking. 

Torto Frutas (Mexican). 

Line the sides of a baking dish 
with puff paste; cover the bottom 
with sliced pineapple; next a layer 
of sliced oranges, then sliced ba- 
nanas, then a few slices lemon. 
Sift sugar between each layer. Re- 
peat ,the layers until the dish is full, 
and cover the top layer with chopped 
nuts. Lay over the top narrow 
strips of the pastry, and bake slowly 
an hour. — Mat E. Southworth. 

Cocoanut Pie. 

2 cupfuls hot milk, 
2 well-beaten eggs, 
I cupful sugar, 
1 cupful grated cocoanut, 
1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Line a plate with paste, pour milk 
over eggs, set the bowl containing the 
mixture in boiling water, stir till 
thick, then take it out and stir in sug- 
ar, cocoanut, and vanilla. Fill the pie 
plate. Sprinkle top of pie with co- 
coanut, and bake till delicately 
brown. 



Orange Pie. 

1 cupful powdered sugar, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

2 tablespoonfuls cornstarch, 
i cupful cold milk, 

Grated rind and juice 1 orange, 

1 egg, 

2 oranges. 

Beat sugar and butter together till 
light. Moisten cornstarch with milk, 
cook and stir one minute, pour 
quickly on butter and sugar; add the 
rind and juice of orange; mix well- 
beaten egg; peel oranges, cut into 
slices, and cut each slice into quarters. 
Line plate with paste, and bake in a 
quick oven imtil done. Stir the 
orange slices quickly into the custard 
mixture, fill the baked crust with this, 
and place in a quick oven a few min- 
utes to brown. While it is browning, 
beat the whites of 2 eggs until light, 
add 2 tablespoonfuls powdered sug- 
ar, and beat until stiff. Spread this 
over the pie; dust thickly with pow- 
dered sugar, and stand again in the 
oven until delicately brown. 

Bried-Apple Pie. 

Soak the apples, put in a brown 
earthen pot, cover with water; cover 
the pot, and bake four or five hours; 
sweeten with sugar or molasses the 
last half hour and mash well with a 
spoon; when the apples are thor- 
oughly cooked, flavor with lemon juice 
and add a little butter. The pie can 
be baked between two crusts, or 
bands of the paste can be placed over 
the top. 

Banana Pie. 

Yolks 2 eggs, 
^ cupful sugar, 
2 large bananas. 

Beat the yolks of eggs and sugar 
to a cream. Peel and mash bananas, 
beat into the eggs together with milk. 
Bake with one crust; when done, 
cover with a meringue made of the 
2 whites and 2 tablespoonfuls sugar. 
Serve cold. 



PUFF PASTE 



993 



Rhubarb Pie. 

Wash rhubarb, cut in half-inch 
pieces, put in deep pie plate having 
narrow strip of paste around the 
edge, sprinkle with sugar mixed with 
flour, allowing J cupful sugar and 3 
tablespoonfuls flour to every cupful 
rhubarb. Cover with paste, and bake 
like apple pie. All juicy fruit pies 
should be made in the same way. 

Chocolate Pie. 

2 cupfuls scalding milk, . 

3 eggs, 

4 tablespoonfuls sugar, 

i cupful Runkel's Chocolate, 
1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Make a custard by pouring milk 
gradually upon eggs that have been 
well beaten and sugar. Return to 
fire, stir in chocolate, remove from 
fire, add vanilla, and pour the mix- 
ture into a pie plate lined with puff 
paste. Bake until set. Make a me- 
ringue of the whites of eggs and a 
tablespoonful powdered sugar, and 
spread on top of the pie. Brown 
delicately. 

Chocolate-Cream i^ie. 

1 tablespoonful cornstarch, 
i cupful sugar, 

2 cupfuls scalding milk, 

3 eggs, 

IJ squares Runkel's Chocolate, 
1 tablespoonful butter, 
1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Melt the chocolate in a double 
boiler Avith the sugar, pour over it the 
scalding milk, add the cornstarch, 
and cook five minutes; then beat in 
the whipped eggs. Cook till the mix- 
ture is custardy, add a dash salt, also 



butter and vanilla, pour into a fresh- 
ly baked pie shell. Serve ice cold. If 
you wish to enrich this delicious pie, 
you may serve it with a meringue or 
a top of whipped cream. 

Mince-Meat. 

2J pounds round of beef, 

2 quarts chopped apples, 
^ pint chopped suet, 

IJ pints raisins, 
1 pint currants, 
i pound citron, 

1 quart sugar, 
J pint molasses, 

3 pints cider, 

2 tablespoonfuls salt, 

4 tablespoonfuls cinnamon, 
1 tablespoonful allspice, 

1 tablespoonful mace, 
1 teaspoonful cloves, 
4 nutmegs grated, 
4 lemons. 

Put the beef in a small stewpan 
and cover with boiling water. Cook 
three hours, having the water only 
bubble at one side of the stewpan. 
Take from the fire and let the meat 
cool in the water, with the cover off 
the pan. When cold, remove fat and 
gristle, and chop the meat rather fine. 
Put it in a large bowl with all the 
other ingredients, except the cider, 
and mix thoroughly. Now, add the 
cider, and let the mixture stand in a 
cold place overnight. In the morn- 
ing turn the mince-meat into a porce- 
lain kettle and heat slowly to the 
boiling point; then simmer gently an 
hour. Put the mixture into stone 
jars and set away in a cold place; or 
it may be put in glass jars and sealed. 
It will keep for years in this way. 
When the pies are being made, 1 
tumbler jelly or marmalade to 3 or 
4 pies will be found a great improve- 
ment. — ^Maeia Pabloa. 



CHAPTER LX 

COOKIES, CAKES, AND DOUGHNUTS 



Maple Hermits. 

I cupful maple sugar, 
i cupful butter, 
2i cupfuls flour, 
1 egg, 

1 tablespoonful tiiilk, 
^ teaspoonful cloves, 
1 teaspoonful cinnamon, 
i teaspoonful soda, 
i cupful currants. 

Beat the butter to a cream, and 
gradually beat in the sugar and spices. 
Dissolve the soda in the milk, and 
beat this into the sugar and butter. 
Add the egg well beaten, finally the 
flour and currants. Roll oU£ an inch 
thick, and cut in squares. Bake in a 
quick oven twelve minutes. 



Sugar Cookies. 

a cupfuls sugar, 

1 cupful butter, 

3 eggs, 

3 cupfuls flour, 

1 teaspoonful Calumet baking 

powder, 
1 teaspoonful nutmeg, 
i teaspoonful cloves. 

Cream butter and sugar, beat in the 
whipped eggs and spices, add the flour 
gradually, working it in until the 
dough is stiflf enough to roll. Sprinkle 
flour over a pastry board. Make a 
ball of the dough, and lay it on the 
board. Rub the rolling-pin with 
flour and roll out the dough into a 
sheet quarter of an inch thick. Cut 
in round cakes, sift granulated sugar 
over each, and bake quickly. 



Ginger Snaps. 

2 cupfuls molasses, 

1 cupful sugar, 

1 cupful butter, 

5 cupfuls flour, 

1 teaspoonful ground ginger, 

1 teaspoonful allspice. 

Stir molasses, sugar, and butter to- 
gether in a bowl set in hot water till 
very light. Mix in spices and flour, 
and roll in a thin sheet. Cut into 
small cakes, and bake quickly. 

Chocolate Dominoes. 

i cupful pecan meat, 

i cupful English-walnut meat, 

i cupful figs, 

i cupful dates. 

Grated rind 1 orange, 

1 tablespoonful orange juice, 

1 square Runkel's Chocolate. 

Mix the nuts, dates, and figs, and 
put them through a food chopper. 
Wet with the orange juice, mix in the 
grated rind, and roU in a ball. Lay 
it on the baking board, which has 
been covered with sifted confection- 
er's sugar, and roll half an inch 
thick. Cut into shapes the size of a 
domino, and spread with melted 
chocolate. On top lay little rounds 
cut from blanched almonds to imi- 
tate dominoes. 

Sour-Cream Cookies. 

1 cupful sour cream, 

1 teaspoonful soda, 

1 cupful sugar. 

Dash salt. 

Flour, 

i teaspoonful nutmeg. 



994 



COOKIES, CAKES, AND DOUGHNUTS 



995 



Mix the ingredients with enough 
flour to roll. Roll thin, and bake a 
nice brown. 

Oklahoma Hocks. 

3 cupfuls brown sugar, 

i cupful butter, 

3 eggs, 

Salt, 

1 pound chopped nuts, 

1 pound raisins, 

1 teaspoonful soda in J cupful 

boiling water, 
1 teaspoonful cinnamon, 
J teaspoonful cloves. 
Flour to make stiff. 

Mix the ingredients as given, and 
drop in spoonfuls on a greased baking 
pan. 

Egg Cookies. 

1 cupful sour cream, 
1 cupful sugar, 
1 teaspoonful soda. 
Dash salt, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 
Flour enough to make soft dough. 

Mix the cream, sugar, and soda 
with flour, a dash salt and a little 
vanilla, then flour enough to roll thin 
easily without sticking. 

Boston Cookies. 

1 cupful butter, 

1| cupfuls sugar, 

3 eggs, 

1 teaspoonful soda, 

li teaspoonfuls hot water, 

3^ cupfuls flour, 

i teaspoonful salt, 

1 teaspoonful cinnamon, 

1 cupful chopped walnuts, 

J cupful currants, 

J cupful seeded chopped raisins. 

Cream the butter, add the sugar 
gradually and eggs well beaten. Add 
soda dissolved in water, half the flour 
mixed and sifted with salt and cinna- 
mon, then add nut meats, fruit, and 
remaining flour. Drop by spoonfuls 
an inch apart on a buttered sheet, and 



bake in a moderate oven. — Fannie 
M. Farmer. 

Christmas Fruit Cookies. 
i cupful lard, 
i cupful butter, 

1 cupful sugar, 

2 beaten eggs, 
J cupful milk, 
2 cupfuls flour, 

^ teaspoonful soda, 

1 cupful currants, 
f cupful raisins, 

2 cupfuls uncooked rolled oats. 

Cream the butter and lard, add the 
sugar, eggs, milk, flour, soda, cur- 
rants, raisins, and rolled oats. Mix 
thoroughly, drop a teaspoonful at a 
time in unbuttered pans, and bake in 
a slow oven. 

Chocolate Hearts. 

3 ounces Runkel's Chocolate, 
1 pound powdered sugar. 
Whites 3 eggs, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Melt the chocolate by standing over 
hot water; add the sugar, and mix 
thoroughly; work to a stiff paste 
with the unbeaten whites of eggs, 
then add the vanilla. If the paste 
seems too soft, add more sugar. Break 
off in small pieces and roll a quarter 
of an inch thick, sprinkling the board 
and paste with granulated sugar in- 
stead of flour. Cut with a heart- 
shaped cake cutter, and place on 
pans oiled just enough to prevent 
sticking. Bake in a moderate oven. 
When done, they will feel firm to the 
touch, a solid crust having formed 
over the top. They should be very 
light, and will loosen easily from the 
pan after being allowed to stand a 
moment to cool. 

Chocolate Cookies. 
1 cupful butter, 

1 cupful brown sugar, 

2 eggs, 

1 teaspoonful cinnamon, 
i teaspoonful cloves. 



996 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



1 cupful almonds cut fine, with- 
out blanching, 

1 cupful currants cleaned and 
dried), 

2 ounces Runkel's Chocolate, 
i cupful milk, 

2 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 

powder. 
Flour. 

Mix butter, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, 
cloves, almonds, currants, the choco- 
late dissolved in i cupful milk, and 
flour enough to roll; before adding 
the flour, put in baking powder. Mix 
in the order given; roll out about an 
eighth of an inch thick; shape with 
cake cutter, and bake in a moderate 
oven. Make a thick sirup of i cupful 
each granulated sugar and water 
boiled together, and brush the cakes 
with this sirup as soon as they are 
taken from the oven. 

Springerlein (German recipe). 
1 cupful powdered sugar, 
4 eggs. 

Grated rind 1 lemon, 
4 cupfuls flour, 

i teaspoonful Calumet baking 
powder. 

Beat the eggs thoroughly with the 
sugar, add the rind of lemon, flour, 
and 'taking powder sifted with the 
flour, and mix quickly into loaf shape 
without much handling. Set in a cool 
place two hours. Flour a baking 
board, roll out dough to quarter of 
an inch thick, dust the mold with 
flour, press the springerlein on it 
tightly but firmly, then turn it over 
and carefully remove the cakes. Cut 
ofp surplus dough, put in the remain- 
der, and mold more. Use as little 
flour as possible in rolling out. Put 
a cloth on the table, sprinkle it with 
aniseed, lay the cakes on it, and 
stand twelve hours in a cool room. 
Bake in buttered pans. 

One, Two, Three, Four Cookies. 

1 cupful butter, 

2 cupfuls sugar, 

3 cupfuls flour. 



4 eggs, 

IJ teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 

powder, 
J teaspoonful salt, 
2 tablespoonfuls caraway seed. 

Cream the butter and add half the 
sugar. Beat the yolks, add the re- 
maining half of the sugar, and beat 
with the butter, then add the beaten 
whites. Mix the soda, cream of tar- 
tar, spice, and salt with the flour, and 
stir into the butter mixture. Take a 
teaspoonful dough, make into a ball 
with floured hands, place the balls in 
a pan, press or flatten into a round 
cake, and bake ten minutes. 

Cream Cakes. 

1 cupful hot water, 
i teaspoonful salt, 
i cupful butter, 
1^ cupfuls flour, 

5 eggs, yolks and whites beaten 
separately. 

Boil the water, salt, and butter. 
When boiling, add the flour, and stir 
well five minutes; when cool, add the 
eggs. This is such a stiff mixture, 
many find it easier to mix with the 
hand, and some prefer to add the 
eggs whole, 1 at a time. When well 
mixed, drop from a tablespoonful qn 
a buttered baking pan, some distance 
apart. Bake twenty to thirty min- 
utes, or till brown and well pufl'ed. 
Split when cool, and fill with cream. 

Eclairs. — Bake the cream-cake mix- 
ture in pieces four inches long and 
one and a half wide. When cool, 
split and fill with cream. Ice with 
chocolate or vanilla frosting. 

Cream for Cream Cakes and Eclairs. 

1 pint boiled milk, 

2 tablespoonfuls cornstarch, 

3 eggs well beaten, 
I cupful sugar, 

1 saltspoonful salt or 1 teaspoon- 
ful butter. 

Wet the cornstarch in cold milk, 
^d cook in the boiling milk ten min- 



COOXIES, CAKES, AND DOUGHNUTS 



997 



utes. Beat the eggs, and add the 
sugar and the thickened milk. Cook 
in a double boiler five minutes. Add 
the salt or butter, and when cool, fla- 
vor with lemon, vanilla, or almond. 

Chocolate Fingers. 
3 eggs, 

1 cupful sugar, 
i cupful boiling water^ 
1 cupful flour. 

(For Icing.) 

3 cupfuls granulated sugar, 
1 cupful water, 
3 ounces Runkel's Chocolate, 
^ teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Beat the yolks of eggs and sugar 
until light, add in succession the 
flour, water, and whites beaten until 
stiff. Bake in moderate oven, in an 
oblong sheet, about half an inch 
thick; cut, when done, into strips 
about three and a half inches wide. 

To make the icing, boil the sugar 
and water until it spins a thread, 
then pour in a thin stream over the 
chocolate, which should be melted by 
standing over hot water; mix well 
and flavor with vanilla. Let the mix- 
ture cool slightly, beat with a wooden 
spoon until it grains, then stand in a 
pan of boiling water and stir con- 
stantly until it melts. Keep in hot 
water while coating the cakes. Dip 
each cake in the melted mixture, then 
in a saucer containing granulated 
sugar. Place, without touching each 
other, on a clean plate. If the choco- 
late mixture gets too thick, add from 
time to time a few drops hot water, 
keeping it melted during the process. 

Nun's Gems. 

1 cupful sugar, 

1 cupful butter, 

5 eggs, 

i teaspoonful cinnamon, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 

Grated rind 1 lemon, 

2 cupfuls flour. 



1 teaspoonful Calumet baking 

powder, 
1 cupful grated cocoanut. 

Cream the butter and sugar, mix 
the beaten yolks of eggs, and add the 
lemon, cinnamon, and vanilla. Sift 
the flour and baking powder, mix 
with the batter, then fold in the co- 
coanut, and the whites of eggs 
whipped to a stiff froth. Bake half 
an hour in gem pans; when cool, dip 
each cake in white or chocolate frost- 
ing. 

Hacarcons. 

li cupfuls almond paste. 
Whites 2 eggs, 

1 cupful powdered sugar. 

Mix the paste and sugar, then stir 
in the whites of eggs, which have been 
beaten stiff. Work with a spoon un- 
til the mixture is thoroughly blended, 
drop small teaspoonful paste into a 
pan which has been lined with but- 
tered paper, put half a peanut in the 
center of each, and bake in a moder- 
ate oven until delicately brown. Lift 
the pan from the oven, take out the 
paper with the macaroons, lay for a 
minute on a damp towel, then with a 
palette knife you can slip each one 
ofP. 

Cinnamon Strips. 

2 cupfuls brown sugar, 
4 eggs, 

i cupful shredded almonds. 

Grated peel 1 lemon, 

1 tablespoonful cinnamon, 

1 teaspoonful cloves, 

4 cupfuls flour. 

Cream the sugar and eggs till they 
are a light froth, add the shredded 
almonds, lemon peel, and spices, sift 
in the flour, mix to a stiff batter, roll 
out on a floured baking board, cut 
into long strips, and bake until brown. 

Chocolate Strips. 
i cupful butter, 

1 cupful sugar, 

2 eggs. 



998 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



1 J squares Runkel's Chocolate, 
1 teaspoon ful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 
1^ cupfuls flour. 

Cream the butter, sugar, and eggs, 
add the chocolate and vanilla, then the 
flour, beat thoroughly, pour into a 
shallow pan in a thin layer. Bake 
quickly, brush with white of egg, and 
dust with powdered sugar; while hot, 
cut into narrow strips. 



1 cupful currants, 

1 cupful raisins, 

1 teaspoonful cloves, 

1 teaspoonful cinnamon, 

1 nutmeg. 

Soak apples in as little water af 
possible over night; in the morning 
chop fine and boil half an hour in 
molasses. When cold, add butter, sug- 
ar and milk dissolved with soda, eggs, 
flour, fruit, and spices. Bake in a 
slow oven. 



CAKES MADE FROM SOUR MILE 

Mrs. Moberly's Sour-Cream Cake. 

1 cupful sugar, 

2 eggs, 

1 cupful sour cream, 
^ teaspoonful soda, 

2 cupfuls flour, , 
\\ teaspoonfuls baking powder, 

1 teaspoonful lemon extract. 

Beat sugar, egg yolks, and cream 
very light ; sift in flour, soda, and bak- 
ing powder. Flavor, add whites of 
eggs beaten to a stiff froth in a loaf 
cake. 

Cocoa Cake. 

\ cupful butter, 

2 cupfuls cofPee sugar, 
2 eggs, 

1 cupful sour milk, 

1 scant teaspoonful Calumet bak- 
ing soda, 

2 cupfuls flour, 

^ cupful Runkel's Cocoa. 

Beat the butter and sugar to a 
cream, then add the other ingredients. 
Bake in a moderate oven. Cover with 
chocolate icing. 

Dried-Apple Cake. 

2 cupfuls molasses, 

3 cupfuls dried apples, 
1 cupful butter, 

1 cupful sugar, 
1 cupful sour milk, 
1 teaspoonful soda, 

4 eggs, 

4 cupfuls flour. 



Spice Cake. 

1 cupful sugar, 

2 eggs, 

4 tablespoonfuls butter, 

\ cupful sour milk, 

\ cupful strong coffee, 

1 teaspoonful soda, 

1 teaspoonful Calumet baking 

powder, 
2| cupfuls flour, 
1 teaspoonful cinnamon, 

1 teaspoonful nutmeg. 

Cream sugar and butter, and add 
the milk, coffee, soda, baking pow- 
der, flour, spice, cinnamon, and nut- 
meg. Bake in a medium-sized pan, 
and frost with powdered sugar mixed 
with cream. 

Devil's Cake. 

2 cupfuls dark-brown sugar, 
\ cupful butter, 

2 cupful sour milk, 
I teaspoonful soda, 

3 cupfuls flour, 

1 teaspoonful Calumet baking 
powder, 

2 eggs, 

\ cupful Runkel's Chocolate, 
ground. 

Beat the butter and sugar until 
smooth. Add the milk, soda dissolved 
in a little warm water, then the flour, 
which has been sifted twice with the 
baking powder. Add the eggs well 
beaten. Stir thoroughly and add the 
chocolate. This makes three good- 
sized layers. Filling — 2 cupfuls 
bi'own sugar, \ cupful butter, \ cup- 



COOKIES, CAKES, AND DOUGHNUTS 



999 



ful sweet milk. Boil until it will 
thread, and spread between layers. If 
a very large cake is desired, two white 
layers may be added flavored with 
orange. 

Training-Day Ginger Cake. 
J cupful butter, 

cupful granulated sugar. 



cupful New Orleans molasses, 

cupful sour milk, 

teaspoon ful soda, 
3 cupfuls pastry flour, 
1 tablespoonful ginger. 



Beat the butter to a cream, add the 
sugar and egg well beaten, the mo- 
lasses, then the sour milk, to which 
the soda has been added and both 
stirred until the milk foams and there 
are no lumps remaining. Sift the 
flour and ginger, beat thoroughly, and 
turn into a shallow baking pan. Bake 
in a moderate oven; when it is well 
done, remove from the oven and 
spread with a thick layer of raw mo- 
lasses. Return to the oven for a 
short time till the coating of the mo- 
lasses has set, when the cake may be 
cut into squares. 

Crumb Gingerbread. 
1 teaspoonful soda, 
4 cupfuls flour, 

1 cupful butter, 

2 cupfuls sugar, 

1 cupful sour milk, 

2 eggs, 

i grated nutmeg, 

J teaspoonful cinnamon, 

1 teaspoonful ginger. 

Rub the flour and butter together 
imtil they are reduced to crumbs, as 
flour and lard are worked together 
for pie crust; then add the sugar and 
stir this in till the mixture is once 
more crumbly. Measure out 3 cup- 
fuls criunbs, and set away in a cold 
place until the batter is made. Into 
what remains of the crumbs stir in 
two well-beaten eggs, and add the 
sour milk and soda. When the soda 
is dissolved ancj the milk foams, tuv^ 



it into the mixing bowl with the rest. 
Add to the batter the nutmeg, cinna- 
mon, and ginger. Butter a dripping 
pan and measure out 1 cupful crumbs 
that was set aside; spread evenly on 
the bottom of the pan, pour the bat- 
ter over them as evenly as possible; 
spread the rest of the crumbs on top, 
and bake in a moderately hot oven; 
when done, cut into squares, and 
keep in a closely covered jar. 

Aunt Dinah's Cake. 
i cupful butter, 
i cupful sugar, 
i cupful molasses, 
2 cupfuls flour, 
J cupful sour milk, 
i teaspoonful ginger, 
i teaspoonful salt, 
1 teaspoonful cinnamon, 
i teaspoonful soda, 
i nutmeg grated. 
Juice and rind i lemon, 
1 egg. 

Beat the butter and sugar to a 
cream, add the spices, lemon, and mo- 
lasses. Dissolve the soda in 1 table- 
spoonful cold water, and stir into the 
sour milk. Add this and the egg well 
beaten, then the flour, and beat brisk- 
ly. Pour into a well-buttered pan, 
and bake in a moderate oven fifty 
minutes. This cake will keep moist 
some time. One half cupful stoned 
raisins and ^ cupful currants may be 
stirred lightly into the batter just be- 
fore it is put in the pan, if you wish 
a fruit cake. 



Blackberry-Jam Cake. 


A cupful butter. 


§ cupful sugar. 


1 cupful flour. 


S cupful stoned raisins. 


§ cupful blackberry jam. 


3 tablespoonfuls sour cream or 


milk. 


i teaspoonful soda. 


i nutmeg grated. 


2 eggs. 



Beat the butter to a cream, then 
beat in tlie sugar. When very light, 



1000 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



beat in the jam and nutmeg. Dis- 
solve the soda in 1 tablespoonf ul cold 
water, and add it to the sour cream. 
Add this and the egg well beaten to 
the other ingredients. Now add the 
flour and beat for half a minute. 
Sprinkle a tablespoonful flour over 
the raisins, and stir them in lightly. 
Pour the batter into a well-buttered 
pan, and bake fifty minutes. This 




a. Dover Egg-beater ; b. Grater; c. Omelet Pan. 

makes one small loaf. This cake may 
be put away to be used as a pudding 
when convenient. Steam it an hour, 
and serve with a wine sauce. It is 
almosjt as good as a plum pudding. 

Maple-Sugar Gingerbread. 
1 egg, 

1 cupful thick maple sirup, 

2 cupfuls flour, 

J cupful sour milk, 
i cupful butter, 
^ teaspoonful ginger, 
I teaspoonful soda, 
^ teaspoonful salt, 
Rind and juice J lemon. 

Beat the butter to a cream, and 
add the sirup and flavoring. Dissolve 
the soda in 1 tablespoonful cold water 
and stir into the sour milk. Add this 



and the egg well beaten to the other 
ingredients, then the flour. Beat well ; 
pour into a buttered pan. This quan- 
tity will make one small loaf or a 
thin sheet. If baked in a loaf, leave 
in oven fifty minutes; if in a sheet, 
twenty-five minutes. — Miss Parloa. 



Holiday Cake. 




1 cupful butter. 




1 cupful sugar. 




1 cupful molasses. 




I teaspoonful salt, 




1 teaspoonful mixed 


spices. 


1 egg. 




1 cupful sour milk. 




1 teaspoonful soda. 




Flour, 




I cupful raisins and 


currants. 


Small quantity citron 





Mix together the butter, sugar, mo- 
lasses, salt, spices, and egg; beat well, 
then add the sour milk with the soda 
stirred in, and flour enough to make 
quite thick; add the raisins, currants, 
and citron. This makes two medium 
loaves, and will keep for weeks. 

Marble layer Cake. 

J cake Runkel's Chocolate, 

1 teaspoonful baking soda, 
4 cupful warm water, 

2 cupfuls maple sugar, 
2 eggs, 

J cupful butter, 
1 cupful sour milk, 
2J cupfuls flour. 

Melt the chocolate over hot water, 
dissolve the soda in the warm water; 
beat the butter to a cream. Add the 
eggs beaten without separating, and 
beat in gradually the sugar — beat for 
at least ten minutes. Pour the soda 
and water in the sour milk; add this 
with the melted chocolate to the egg 
mixture; now stir in the flour. Beat 
and bake in three layers. When cold, 
put together with maple or caramel 
filling. 



CHAPTER LXI 



CAKE 



If one has mastered the art of 
measuring, mixing, and baking cake, 
there are only four cakes you have 
to know: sponge, butter, fruit, and 
raised cake. 

Every other cake among a hundred 
recipes belongs to one of these classes ; 
there is only a slight variation in its 
being richer or plainer, differently fla- 
vored, or differently named. When 
children are taught cake making in 
a cooking school, the teacher tabulates 
for them on a blackboard quantities 
and directions, something after the 
fashion illustrated here: 



One of the most important things 
to learn about cake making is to have 
all the utensils and ingredients on 
hand before you begin work. The 
cake process will not wait, if you have 
to search for things. A half-beaten 
batter will fall flat before you are 
ready to attend to it again. Make up 
the fire so the oven will carry you 
through the baking process for at 
least an hour. Have the flour sifted, 
pans greased and floured, the eggs 
sei^arated, and everything ready to 
work with. Let us think of the uten- 
sils which to-day an up-to-date cook- 



Name of 
Cake. 


But- 
ter. 


Sugar. 


Eggs. 


Milk. 


Flour. 


Soda or 
Baking 
Powder 


Flavor- 

ING. 


Mo- 
lasses. 


Fruit. 


Loaf or Lay- 






















1 cup- 
ful. 


2 cup- 
fuls. 


4 


1 cup- 
ful. 


3§ cup- 
fuls. 


•5 teaspoon- 
fuls baking 


1 teaspoon- 
ful vanilla. 






Cake 




















powder. 








Sponge Cake 




1 cup- 
ful. 


4 




1 cup- 
ful. 




1 table- 














spoonful 




















lemon juice 






Dark Fruit 


i cup- 


1 cup- 


2 


4 cup- 


2 I'up- 


J teaspoon- 


1 teaspoon- 


i cup- 


i cupful 


Cake 


ful. 


ful. 




ful. 


luis. ful soda. 


ful cinna- 


ful. 


raisins; 






brown 










mon; i tea- 




i cupful 






sugar. 










spoonful 
all-spice; 
i teaspoon- 
ful mace; 
} teaspoon- 
ful cloves; 
i teaspoon- 
ful lemon 




currants; 

J cupful 

citron. 
















extract. 







It seems such an excellent method, 
that I printed for my own kitchen a 
large card holding our favorite rec- 
ipes, and it has saved maids, as well 
as myself, much time in looking up 
recipes. I left some space at the 
bottom, and occasionally add to it 
new and good ones. 



ing school demands for cake making. 
There is a bowl for beating the bat- 
ter, I prefer the white enamel bowl 
to one made of earthenware, partly 
because it is light enough' to handle 
easily, then it is unbreakable, and it 
can be kept beautifully clean. This 
bowl must be deep and narrow enough 



1001 



1002 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



at the bottom to allow the spoon to 
turn over the ingredients and do its 
work thoroughly. The ideal cake- 
mixing spoon is a wooden one with a 
slitted bowl, just long enough for the 
top of the handle to reach your el- 
bow. The old-fashioned spoon col- 
lects butter and sugar in a lump, 
while a slitted spoon constantly 
drives the creamed mass through it, 
and that, of course, makes it lighter. 
The slitted spoon beats without any 
noise, and leaves no black marks on 
the bowl. Then for the other utensils, 
you need a good flour sifter, cake 
pans which have been used long 
enough to become rather black — for 
new tin will never make a good crust 
— two glass measuring cups, a small 
bowl, a Dover egg beater with which to 
beat the yolks of eggs, a large pliable 
Teller knife, a flat wire egg whipper, 
which is called the Daisy beater, and' 
a wire cake cooler, with feet which 
raise it high enough for the air to cir- 
culate around the cake and carry oflf 
the steam. ' 

The only way always to have a 
good cake is to stick to the level 
measurements, as is taught to-day in 
all the leading cooliing schools. 
Flour, sugar, butter, indeed every in- 
gredient, is leveled off perfectly flat 
with 'the Teller knife. Grease your 
cake tin with lard or olive oil, using 
a butter brush (butter is not satis- 
factoiy for this, as it blackens the 
crust), then sprinkle flour inside the 
tin. Jar the pan lightly on the ta- 
ble, tipping it around so the flour will 
adhere to the greased surface. This 
gives a perfectly even surface to the 
bottom of the cake. If you wish to 
line the tin with paper, use parch- 
ment paper, which comes by the roll. 
Lay the tin upon it, top down, mark 
around with a pencil, then cut it an 
inch or two larger. Fringe the paper 
with a scissors down to the pencil 
line, and slip into a greased pan. Pa- 
per is frequently used with a fruit 
cake, because that cake burns more 
readily than any other. By using it 
for other cakes, you can get a nice, 
smooth surface for icing. 



Before we begin the process of 
cake mixing, let us see what makes a 
cake light. Compared with the mak- 
ing of bread, cake raising is a swift 
process. It is brought about partly 
by blending an acid with an alkali. 
Air bubbles are created that make the 
mixture frothy before it is poured 
into the pans; heat begins to expand 
the bubbles and later to set them. 
Eggs thoroughly well beaten add 
further to the lightness of cake, for 
air is entangled liberally when the 
albumen is whipped. 

According to what other ingre- 
dients are used in a cake, we add bak- 
ing powder, soda, and cream of tar- 
tar, or soda alone for the raising 
power. Baking powder is simply a 
scientific mixture of cream of tartar 
and soda with the addition of a little 
flour to preserve it from getting 
lumpy. It must always be used with 
sweet milk. The same combination, 
of course, is made with cream of tar- 
tar and soda, the formula general- 
ly given in older cookbooks. Soda 
alone is used when there is some 
powerful acid in the liquid, such as 
sour milk or molasses. If one has 
nothing but sweet milk on hand and 
no cream of tartar, the soda will 
do its work almost as well by add- 
ing a smafl quantity of vinegar or 
lemon j nice. 

It is never economy to use poor in- 
gredients in cake. Strong butter and 
eggs that are not absolutely fresh 
cannot have their flavor concealed by 
the most liberal addition of vanilla. 
Also, when you possibly can, use pas- 
try flour. You can easily tell the dif- 
ference between it and the flour with 
which we make bread, by gathering 
up a handful. It will stick together 
in a lump within your hand, while 
bread flour falls apart. Bread flour 
may be used in a contingency, but af- 
ter measuring it, take out 3 level ta- 
blespoonfuls from each cupful as your 
batter is liable to be too thick, and 
the cake may crack as soon as it be- 
gins to crust. 

Now for the simplest form of cake 
— a good sponge cake. Separate the 



CAKE 



1003 



eggs, flrop the yolks into a mixing 
bowl, and the whites upon a large 
platter. If the eggs have been kept 
in a refrigerator or cold pantry, they 
wUl froth much more quickly. With 
the wooden spoon, beat the yolks 
fiteadily till they begin to grow thick 
and lemon-colored, adding gradually 
1 cupful sugar. Put in 1 tablespoon- 
ful lemon juice and the grated rind 
of i lemon, then 1 cupful sifted flour 
with i teaspoonful salt in it. This 
amount of salt ought to be added to 
every cake. It overcomes the flat 
taste which it would otherwise have. 
Beat the batter thoroughly, till it is 
bubbly and well mixed. If an assist- 
ant, meantime, has been whipping the 
whites of eggs for you, so much the 
better. A Dover egg beater does not 
begin to achieve the amount of frothy 
white you can get by whipping with 
a Daisy egg beater. Tip the platter 
slightly downward as it begins to 
froth. Swing the arm upward and 
downward; turn over the mass of 
froth, which will grow larger every 
second. When the latter is fairly 
heaped and every foam speck has a 
dry appearance, it is ready to add to 
the batter. Scrape it with a Teller 
knife and with this useful utensil, cut 
the froth in, across this way and that, 
lifting it lightly, until it is thorough- 
ly blended and looks like delicate 
foam. If it should be beaten at this 
point, you will simply destroy all the 
bubbles of albumen you achieved by 
the whipping process. Scrape every 
particle of cake batter with the knife 
cleanly from the bowl into a cake pan, 
preferably a deep one. Let the mix- 
ture rise a little higher on the sides 
than in the middle, then set to bake 
in a slow oven. 

The first process in baking is to get 
a cake thoroughly heated through, 
during which time it ought to rise 
steadily without crusting. When it 
has been half an hour in the oven, the 
rising process should have finished 
and a delicate crust have begun to 
form on top. The last half hour is 
given to its becoming solid, brown, 
and crusty. 



Fudge Cake. 

(An original recipe from the Copper 
Kettle Lunch Room at Smith Col- 
lege.) 

1 cupful sugar, 
i cupful butter, 

2 eggs, 

i cupful milk, 

li cupfuls flour, 

2i teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 

powder, 
2 ounces melted chocolate. 

Cream together the butter and sug- 
ar, add the beaten yolks of eggs, then 
the milk and flour sifted with the 
baking powder. Beat well, add 
chocolate and the whites of eggs 
whipped to a stiff froth. Bake in a 
shallow pan in a moderate oven. 
When cool, pour over it a fudge 
frosting and mark in squares before 
the frosting has hardened. 

Fudge Frosting. 

2 cupfuls sugar, 

^ cupful milk, 

1 tablespoonful butter, 

I cupful Runkel's Chocolate, 
grated, 

1 teaspoonful McIIhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 

1 cupful chopped walnuts. 

Put the sugar, milk, butter, and 
chocolate into a granite saucepan and 
stir occasionally till the mixture 
reaches the boiling point. Boil with- 
out stirring eight minutes, then take 
from the fire and beat till creamy. 
At this point add the nuts and va- 
nilla, then pour over the cake. This 
recipe makes a delicious fudge. 

Feather Cake. 

4 tablespoonfuls butter, 

1 cupful sugar, 
li cupfuls flour, 

2i teaspoonfuls baking powder, 

2 eggs, 

i cupful milk, 

1 teaspoonful McIIhenny's Mexi- 
can VaniUa. 



1004 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Put butter in mixing bowl, work it 
with a spoon till creamy, add sugar 
gradually, and continue creaming. 
Sift flour and baking powder to- 
gether; separate yolks of eggs from 
whites, beat yolks till light-colored 
and thick, then add milk and egg 
mixture to creamed butter and sugar, 
alternately with flour. Add flavoring, 
stir and beat well; lastly add whites 
of eggs beaten stiff. Put in a shal- 
low greased and floured pan, or one 
lined with buttered paper. Bake 
about thirty minutes or till cake 
shrinks from the pan, and does not 
stick when tried with a straw. The 
feather cake may be varied and made 
into a number of diiferent kinds, for 
instance: 

Spice Cake. — Before adding the 
beaten whites, put in | cupful seeded 
raisins that have been washed, dried, 
cut in halves, and rolled in a little of 
the flour reserved for the purpose. 
Flavor with | teaspoonful ground 
cloves, ^ teaspoonful cinnamon, and 
a grating nutmeg instead of vanilla. 

Marble Cake. — Color half the 
feather-cake mixture with J table- 
spoonful Runkel's Chocolate melted. 
Mix the white and dark part when 
putting it in the pan, so they will be 
well mingled though distinct. 

Hibbon Cake. — To one third the 
feather-cake mixture add ^ teaspoon- 
ful mixed spices and ^ cupful seeded 
raisins cut in pieces. Bake in a shal- 
low pan, and the remainder in two 
other shallow pans. When done, put 
the fruit cake between the others 
with a layer of jelly or frosting be- 
tween. 

layer Cake. — Bake feather-cake 
mixture in round tins and put a 
cream, chocolate, or other filling be- 
tween. 

Nursery Cake. 

3 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 cupful sugar, 
1 egg, 

1 cupful cold water, 

2 cupfuls flour. 



4 teaspoon fuls Calumet baking 
powder, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Cream the butter, add half the sug- 
ar, and continue creaming. Beat egg 
till light and add with the water and 
rest of the sugar to the creamed but- 
ter. Add flour mixed with baking 
powder. Flavor, beat well, and bake 
in a shallow pan about half an hour. 



Surprise Cake. 

4 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 cupful sugar, 
1 egg, 

1 cupful milk, 

2 cupfuls flour, 

4 teaspoonfuls baking powder, 
1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Mix carefully, and bake like nur- 
sery cake. 



Plain Wedding Cake. 

^ cupful butter, 

IJ cupfuls sugar. 

Yolks 3 eggs, 

4 cupful milk, 

2i cupfuls flour, 

3J teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 

powder, 
1 teaspoonful cinnamon, 
^ teaspoonful ground cloves, 
J teaspoonful grated nutmeg, 
^ teaspoonful powdered mace, 
I cupful seeded raisins washed, 

dried, and cut in pieces, 
I cupful currants washed, and 

dried, 
I pound citron cut in small, thin 

pieces. 
Whites 3 eggS; 

Roll fruit in ^ cupful flour, and sift 
the rest with baking powder and 
spices. Mix like feather cake, adding 
the floured fruit just before the 
stiffly beaten whites of eggs. Bake in 
a thick loaf, in a moderate oven. 
Cover with a plain, white icing. 



CAKE 



1005 



lemon Sponge Cake. 

Yolks 2 eggs, 

1 cupful sugar, 

I cupful hot water, 

1 teaspoonful lemon juicej 

Grated rind 1 lemon, 

1 cupful flour, 

IJ teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 

powder, 
I teaspoonful salt. 
Whites 2 eggs. 

Beat yolks till light-cdlored and 
thick, add half the sugar gradually, 
and continue beating; then the hot 
water, the rest of the sugar, the lemon 
juice and rind. Beat well, add flour, 
mixed with baking powder and salt; 
lastly cut and fold in the stiffly beat- 
en whites of eggs. Put in shallow 
greased and floured pan, and bake 
in a moderately hot oven twenty-five 
minutes. 

Chocolate Cake. 

1 cupful sugar, 
i cupful butter, 

2 eggs, 

i cupful milk, 

1^ cupfuls flour, 

2i teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder, 

2 squares Runkel's Chocolate, 

^ teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 

Dash salt. 

Beat the butter and sugar together 
to a cream, add the yolks of eggs 
which have been well beaten, then the 
milk, the flour sifted with the baking 
powder and salt. Beat till light and 
frothy, add the vanilla and melted 
chocolate, last the whites of eggs 
whipped stiff. Bake in a long narrow 
pan, and when cool, cover with a 
white frosting. 

Chocolate layer Cake. 

1 cupfuls sugar, 

2 tablespoonfuls butter, 
1 egg, 

i cupful milk, 
IJ cupfuls flour. 



2 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder, 

Dash salt, 

i teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Cream the butter and sugar to- 
gether, add the egg beaten to a froth, 
then the milk, flour sifted with bak- 
ing powder, and vanilla. Bake in one 
deep layer cake tin; when the cake is 
cool, split in two shortcake fashion, 
and cover the smooth top of each 
layer with a chocolate frosting. 



Cocoa Sponge. 

i cupful butter, 
1 cupful sugar, 

3 eggs, 

i cupful Runkel's Cocoa, 

1 teaspoonful cinnamon^ 
^ teaspoonful cloves, 

% cupful milk, 
S cupfuls flour, 

S teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder. 

Cream the butter and sugar, beat 
in the cocoa, the yolks of eggs well 
beaten, cinnamon, cloves, and milk, 
then the flour sifted with the baking 
powder; last add the whites of eggs 
whipped to a stiff froth. Bake in a 
7~>oderate oven. 

Devil's Pood. 

2 cupfuls sugar, 
i cupful butter, 

4 eggs, 

1 cupful milk, 
2^ cupfuls flour, 

4 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder, 

2 squares Runkel's Chocolate, 

I teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Beat the butter and sugar to a 
cream, add the well-beaten yolks of 
eggs, then alternately mix with milk 
and flour sifted with the baking pow- 
der, stir in the melted chocolate and 
vanilla, then the whites of eggs, whip 
to a dry froth. Bake fifty minutes 



1006 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



in a long narrow pan. Cover with a 
boiled white icing. 

Chocolate Marshmallow Cake. 

Use the recipe given either for 
chocolate cake, devil's food, or cocoa 
sponge, and bake in a shallow pan, 
letting the batter half fill. It ought 
to rise to the top of the pan. As 
soon as the hot cake is taken from 
the oven, turn it out and cover the 
top with marshniallows, which have 
been pulled apart; the soft inside of 
the sweetmeats will run together into 
a sort of frosting. When cool, pour 
over them a frosting made of Run- 
kel's Sweet Chocolate melted over hot 
water. 

Spanish Cake. 

1 cupful sugar, 
§ cupful butter, 

2 eggs. 



§ cupful milk. 

If cupfuls flour, 

@ teaspoonfuls Calumet 

powder. 
Dash salt, 
1 teaspoonful cinnamon. 



baking 



Cream the butter and sugar, beat 
in thev-yolks of eggs, then the flour, 
with which has been sifted cinnamon, 
salt, and baking powder, alternating 
with it the milk; the whites of eggs 
whipped to a stiff froth may be added 
the last thing. Bake in a large shal- 
low pan and cover the top with cara- 
mel frosting. 

Coffee Cake. 

2 cupfuls sugar, 

1 cupful butter, 

2 tablespoon fuls molasses, 
li cupfuls cold cofPee, 

3| cupfuls flour, 

1 teaspoonful cinnamon, 

i teaspoonful cloves, 

I teaspoonful nutmeg, 

i teaspoonful allspice, 

6 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 

powder, 
I cupful raisins. 



1 cupful currants, 
i cupful citron, 

5 eggs. 

Cream the butter and sugar, add 
the molasses and well-beaten yolks of 
eggs, then sift together the flour, 
spices, and baking powder. Beat in 
alternately with the coffee. Dredge 
the fruit with flour, stir it in, then 
the whites of eggs. Pour into deep 
cake tins and bake slowly in a mod- 
erate oven. 

Pound Cake. 

2 cupfuls butter, 
2 cupfuls sugar, 
10 eggs, 

4 cupfuls flour, 

i teaspoonful mace, 

2 tablespoonfuls milk. 

Cream the butter and sugar, add 
the yolks of eggs beaten till thick, 
then the milk, flour, and whites of 
eggs. Pour into a square tin and 
bake an hour. 

Angel Cake. 

1 cupful whites of eggs. 
Dash salt, 
1 cupful sugar, 
1 teaspoonful almond extract, 
I teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 
1 cupful flour, 
1 teaspoonful cream of tartar. 

Whip the whites of eggs on a large 
platter until they become a heap of 
dry froth. Then blend the sugar 
with them very carefully so the bub- 
bles will not break. Sift the flour 
and cream of tartar three times and 
add to the egg mixture, stirring as 
little as possible, so as to keep it very 
frothy. Add the flavoring, pour into 
an unbuttered pan with a center tube, 
and bake forty minutes in a moder- 
ate oven. Do not move the cake un- 
til you are ready to take it from the 
oven, as it is very easy to make it fall. 
Invert the pan on a cake cooler and 
brush the cake with the white of egg 
beaten with a few tablespoonfuls 



CAKE 



1007 



powdered sugar. Allow this covering 
to harden before you frost it. 

Sunshine Cake. 
Yolks 5 eggs, 
1 cupful sugar. 
Dash salt, 
f cupful flour, 

i teaspoonful cream of tartar. 
Whites 7 eggs, 
1 lump sugar, 
1 teaspoonful lemon juice, 
1 tablespoonful orange juice. 

Beat the yolks of eggs till thick 
and lemon-colored, and add the sug- 
ar and flour, sifted with the cream of 
tartar and salt. Rub the lump of 
sugar over the rind of lemon, then 
dissolve it in the fruit juice; this con- 
stitutes the flavoring which may be 
stirred in and followed by the whites 
of eggs whipped to a dry froth. Bake 
the cake in a deep pan. 

2Tew England Raspberry Cake. 
I cupful butter, 
1 cupful sugar. 
Yolks 2 eggs, 
I cupful milk, 
Q cupfuls flour, 

1 teaspoonful Calumet baking 
powder. 

This old-fashioned, delicious cake 
is baked in layers. Mix the butter 
and sugar to a cream, add the yolks 
of eggs well beaten and the milk ; then 
stir in the flour, in which has been 
sifted the baking powder. Bake in 
jelly-cake pans. For the filling, 
crush slightly 1 quart raspberries, 
add whites 3 eggs, 1 cupful pow- 
dered sugar, and a few drops lemon 
juice. Whip until thick; spread be- 
tween layers and over the top. To be 
eaten with cream. 

lady Baltimore Cake. 

1 cupful butter, 

2 cupfuls powdered sugar, 
1 cupful milk. 

Juice 1 lemon. 
Whites 6 eggs, 



4 cupfuls flour, 

2 teaspoonf uls Calumet baking 
powder. 

Rub the butter and sugar to a 
cream, and add the milk; when well 
mixed, stir in the juice of the lemon 
and whip very light; stir in alter- 
nately the stiff ened whites of eggs and 
flour, sifted with the baking powder. 
Bake in jelly-tins. When cold, put 
together with this filling, and frost 
the top: Boil 3 cupfuls granulated 
sugar with a ^ cupful water until a 
drop hanging from the tip of a 
spoon threads in the air. Pour while 
hot over the whites 3 eggs whipped 
to a standing froth. Whip until you 
have a thick cream and stir in 
gradually a cupful each minced rai- 
sins and chopped pecans with 5 figs 
that have been soaked soft in luke- 
warm water, then dried and minced. 

Cocoannt Cake. 
1 cupful sugar, 
J cupful butter, 

1 cupful milk, 

3 eggs, 

S| cupfuls flour, 

2 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder, 

1 grated cocoanut. 

Cream the sugar and butter; take 
the milk of the cocoanut and, if not 
enough, add sweet milk to make | 
cupful. Add the beaten yolks, then 
flour and baking powder sifted, then 
beaten whites, and lastly the grated 
cocoanut, reserving some for the frost- 
ing of the loaf. This is to be baked 
in a deep tin. 

Orange Cake. 

2 cupfuls sugar, 
i cupful butter, 

i cupful cold water. 

Yolks 5 eggs, 

2J cupfuls flour, 

2 teaspoonfuls baking powder, 

Juice and rind 1 orange. 

Whites 3 eggs. 

Bake in layers; use boiled icing 
flavored with orange juice. 



1008 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Gingerbread with Chocolate Glaze; 

I cupful butter, 

1 cupful sugar, 

3 cupfuls flour, 

1 cupful dark molasses, 

1 cupful black coffee, 

1 teaspoonful ginger, 

^ teaspoonful cloves, 

1 teaspoonful bicarbonate of 

soda, 
3 eggs. 

Mix the spices with the molasses. 
Dissolve the soda in a little boiling 
water and add to the coffee. Cream 
the butter and sugar, add the eggs, 
one at a time, and beat each one well. 
Add the molasses, then the coffee and 
flour, a little at a time, alternately. 
Bake in bread tins in a moderate 
oven forty to sixty minutes, or until 
the cake leaves the sides of the pans. 

Gingerbread with Whipped Cream. 

Use the gingerbread recipe given 
above, substituting a cupful boiling 
water for the colfee and using half 
butter and half lard; or 3 cupfuls 
molasses may be used, and the sugar 
omitted. In the latter case 3 tea- 
spoonfuls soda instead of one should 
be dissolved in a cupful boiling wa- 
ter. Serve the cake very fresh, and 
cover the top just before serving with 
whipped cream. The cake may be 
broken into squares, and the pieces 
fitted together and covered entirely 
with whipped cream. It can then be 
served as a dessert. — Mary Ronald. 

Quick Cake. 

J cupful soft butter, 
IJ cupfuls brown sugar, 
Q eggs, 

^ cupful milk. 
If cupfuls flour, 
3 teaspoonfuls baking powder, 
i teaspoonful cinnamon, 
i teaspoonful grated nutmeg, 
i pound dates stoned and cut in 
pieces. 

Put ingredients in a bowl and beat 
all together for three minutes, using a 
wooden cake spoon. Bake in a but- 
tered and floured cake pan thirty-five 



to forty minutes. If directions are 
followed, this makes a most satisfac- 
tory cake; but if the ingredients are 
added separately, it will not prove a 
success. — Fannie M. Farmer. 

Black Angel Cake. 

1 cupful Runkel's Chocolate 
grated, 

4 cupful milk, 

2 cupfuls brown sugar. 
Yolk 1 egg, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
ican Vanilla, 

^ cupful butter, 

2 cupfuls flour, 

2 eggs, 

3 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder. 

Stir together in a saucepan the 
grated chocolate, milk, 1 cupful sug- 
ar, yolk 1 egg, and teaspoonful va- 
nilla; cook slowly and cool. Take 1 
cupful sugar, the butter, flour, milk, 
3 eggs — cream butter and sugar with 
yolks of eggs; add milk, sifted flour, 
whites of eggs beaten stiff, beat to- 
gether, then stir in the custard, lastly 
add the soda, dissolved in warm wa- 
ter. This cake will keep a long time. 
Another way is to bake in layers with 
the following filling: One cupful 
brown sugar, 1 cupful white sugar, 1 
cupful water, 1 tablespoonful vine- 
gar. Boil until like candy, then stir 
in beaten whites 3 eggs and | pound 
marshmallows, boil again and place 
on cake, letting each layer cool before 
adding another. 

Pork Cake. 

1 potmd salt pork, 

3 cupfuls boiling water, 

2 cupfuls dark-brown sugar, 
1 cupful molasses, 

1 teaspoonful soda, 

1 pound raisins, 

1 pound chopped dates, 

:| pound citron shaved fine, 

4 cupfuls flour, 

1 teaspoonful cinnamon, 
1 teaspoonful cloves, 
1 teaspoonful allspice, 
1 teaspoonful nutmeg. 



CAKE 



1000 



Chop the pork so fine as to look al- 
most like lard, pour on it the boiling 
water, add the sugar, molasses, and 
soda, stir in the raisins, dates, and 
citron. Add the flour with the spices, 
pour the batter in loaf-cake pan, and 
bake in a moderate oven. 

Apple Sauce Cake. 

1 cupful butter, 

2 cupfuls sugar, 
4 eggs, 

3 cupfuls flour, 

IJ teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 

powder, 
1 cupful milk, 
6 apples, 
6 ounces sugar, 
1 teaspoonful butter. 

Rub butter and sugar to a cream, 
add 3 eggs at a time, beating hard. 
Sift flour and baking powder to- 
gether, add with milk, and mix into a 
batter. Bake in jelly-cake tins. Have 
apples peeled and sliced, and put on 
fire with sugar; when tender, rub 
through fine sieve, and add butter. 
When cold, use to spread between 
layers. Cover cake plentifully with 
sugar sifted over top. 

Banana Cake. 

I cupful butter, 

1 cupful sugar, 
i cupful milk, 

2 scant cupfuls flour, 

1| teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder, 

Whites 4) eggs, 

J teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Mix flour and baking powder. 
Cream butter and sugar, add milk 
and flour alternately, then vanilla and 
beaten whites. Bake in 3 layer tins 
in hot oven. To boiled icing add i 
cupful finely sliced bananas and use 
as filling. Dust top with ^jowdered 
sugar. 

Geranium Cake. 
J cupful butter, 
1 cupful sugar. 



§ cupful water, 
i teaspoonful salt, 
2 cupfuls flour, 

1 teaspoonful Calumet bakiiSg 
powder. 

Whites 4 eggs. 

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder. 
Cream butter and sugar, add alter- 
nately the water and flour, then whites 
of eggs, and whip hard five minutes. 
Line loaf pan with buttered paper, 
and rose-geranium leaves. Bake in 
a moderate oven. The leaves can be 
pulled off with the paper. 

lemon ftueen Cake. 

2 cupfuls sugar, 
2 cupfuls flour, 

1 cupful butter, 
8 eggs, 

2 lemons, 

J teaspoonful soda, 
I teaspoonful salt. 

Mix salt aij,d soda with flour. Beat 
butter to a light cream, and add 
lemon rind. Beat half the sugar into 
it. Beat yolks of eggs, then whites, 
then both together. Add sugar to the 
eggs and beat well. Put in lemon 
juice last. Bake in small cake tins. 

White Fruit Cake. 

1 cupful butter, 
IJ cupfuls sugar, 

3 eggs, 

2J cupfuls flour, 

2 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder, 

i cupful sweet cream, 
IJ pounds raisins, 
1 pound currants, 
J cupful citron, 
I cupful orange peel, 
i teaspoonful nutmeg, 
Dash salt. 

Cream the butter and sugar, add 
the beaten egg yolks, then alternately 
the cream and flour sifted with bak- 
ing powder. Stir in the fruit, which 
has been dredged with flour, also the 
nutmeg, last of all the whites of eggs 
beaten to a stiff froth. Bake in deep 
pans lined with paraffin paper. 



1010 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Walnut Mocha Cake. 
i cupful butter, 
1 cupful sugar, 
i cupful cold coffee, 
1| cupfuls flour, 
2J teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 

powder, 
Whites 3 eggs, 

1 cupful broken walnut meats. 

Cream tlie butter and sugar, mix 
alternately the cold coffee and flour 
sifted with the baking powder, then 
stir in the walnut meats and whites 
of eggs beaten stiff. Bake in a deep 
pan and cover with White-Mountain 
Frosting, garnished with half walnuts. 

Cider Cake. 

2 cupfuls sugar, 
1 cupful butter, 

3 eggs, 

I cupful cider, 

4 cupfuls flour, 

1 teaspoonful cloves, 

1 teaspoonful soda. 

Cream the butter and sugar, beat 
in the yolks of eggs, sift together the 
flour, soda, and spice, and mix al- 
ternately with the cider; last add the 
whites of eggs whipped to a stiff 
froth. 

Neapolitan Cake. 

2 cupfuls sugar, 
1 cupful butter, 

3 eggs, 

1 cupful milk, 
3 cupfuls flour, 

li teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder. 

Make this cake exactly after the di- 
rections given for other cakes, then 
divide the batter into 3 equal parts. 
Color one third brown with a square 
of Runkel's Chocolate melted, another 
part pink with a morsel of pink col- 
oring paste dissolved in ^ teaspoonful 
Mcllhenny's Vanilla, leave the third 
part uncolored; pour each portion 
into a layer-cake tin and bake in a 
moderate oven. Lay on a platter 
first the white cake, then the chocq- 



late, then the pink, putting each one 
together with White-Mountain Frost- 
ing; cover the top thickly with the 
same icing. 

Citron Cake. 

i cupful butter, 
1 cupful sugar, 
3 eggs, 

i cupful milk, 
3 cupfuls flour, 
1 cupful citron, 

1| teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder. 

Cream the butter and sugar, add 
the beaten egg yolks, then the flour 
sifted with the baking powder, al- 
ternately with the milk. Whip the 
whites of eggs to a dry froth, blend 
into the cake batter, add the finely 
shaved citron, and bake an hour in a 
moderate oven. 

Huckleberry Cake. 
i cupful butter, 

1 cupful sugar, 
3 eggs, 

f cupful milk, 

2 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder, 

2 cupfuls flour, 

1 cupful huckleberries. 

Cream the butter and sugar, add 
the beaten eggs, milk and flour sifted 
with the baking powder. Stir in a 
cupful huckleberries dredged with 
flour, and bake in a moderate oven in 
a deep cake pan. This cake may be 
eaten cut in slices or served hot as a 
dessert with vanilla sauce. 

Cocoanut-and-Citron Cake. 
I cupful butter, 

1 cupful sugar, 

2 eggs, 

li cupfuls flour, 

2 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 

powder, 
i cupful milk. 

Cream the butter and sugar, add 
the beaten egg yolks, then the milk 



CAKE 



1011 



with the flour and baking powder; 
last of all stir in the whites of eggs 
whipped to a stiff froth. Bake the 
cake in two layers. Prepare the frost- 
ing after this fashion: Whip i pint 
double cream till stiff, blend with i 
cupful powdered sugar and stir in 
2 cupfuls finely grated cocoanut. 
Spread between the cake, also on top, 
scattering it with shaved citron. 
This cake must be eaten soon after it 
is made, else it becomes sour and 
soggy. 

Gold Cake. 

i cupful butter, ^ 

^ cupful sugar. 

Yolks 5 eggs, 

1 teaspoon ful orange extract, 

J cupful flour, 

li teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 

powder, 
I cupful milk. 

Cream the butter, add sugar slow- 
ly, and continue beating. Add the 
yolks of eggs beaten until thick and 
lemon-colored, and the orange ex- 
tract. Mix and sift the flour with 
the baking powder, and add alter- 
nately with milk to the first mixture. 
Bake in a buttered and floured tin. 

Hickory Cake. 

1 cupful butter, 

2 cupfuls sugar, 

1 cupful cold water. 
Yolks 4 eggs, 

1 teaspoonful ground mace and 
cinnamon mixed, 

2 teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder, 

3 cupfuls flour, 

2 cupfuls hickory-nut kernels. 

Cream the butter with the sugar, 
add the cold water, well beaten yolks 
of eggs, mace, and cinnamon, baking 
powder and flour, stirred in alter- 
nately with the stiffened whites of 
eggs. Add the nuts, thoroughly 
dredged with flour. Stir in quickly, 
and turn into a loaf tin. Bake in a 
steady oven, covering the cake with 
brown paper for the first half hour it 



is in the oven. When cold, turn out, 
and cover with a plain icing. Arrange 
half kernels of hickory nuts at regu- 
lar intervals on top of the icing. 

Ground-Rice Cake. 
Yolks 12 eggs, 
Whites 6 eggs. 
Grated peel 2 lemons, 
2 cupfuls ground rice, 
2 cupfuls flour, 
2 cupfuls sugar. 

Beat the yolks and whites of eggs 
with the lemon, mix in the rice, flour, 
sugar; beat up with the eggs, using 
a wooden spoon; butter a pan, and 
bake in a moderate oven half an hour. 




a, Ham Boiler; b, Fish Kettle with RemovabU 
Tray. 

Jelly Holl. 
3 eggs, 

1 cupful sugar, 
I teaspoonful milk, 
1 teaspoonful baking powder, 
^ teaspoonful salt, 
1 cupful flour, 
1 tablespoonful melted butter. 

Beat eggs until light, add sugar 
gradually, milk, flour mixed and 
sifted with baking powder and salt, 
then butter. Line the bottom of a 
di-ipping pan with paper; butter jja- 
per and sides of pan. Cover bottom 
of pan with mixture, and spread 
evenly. Bake twelve minutes in a 
moderate over.. Take from oven and 
turn on a paper sprinkled with pow- 
dered sugar. Quickly remove paper. 



1012 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



and cut off a. thin strip from sides 
and ends of cake. Spread with jelly 
or jam which has been beaten to con- 
sistency to spread easily, and roll. 
After cake has been rolled, wrap paper 
around cake that it may better keep 
in shape. The work must be done 
quickly, or cake will crack in rolling. 

Homemade Wedding Cake. 
2 cupfuls butter, 

2 cupfuls light-brown sugar, 
12 eggs, 

1 cupful molasses, 

4 cupfuls flour, 

1| teaspoonfuls mace, 

4 teaspoonfuls allspice, 

4 teaspoonfuls cinnamon, 

1 grated nutmeg, 

i teaspoonful soda, 

3 pounds raisins, 
1^ pounds citron, 

2 pounds sultana raisins, 
1 pound currants, 

§ candied lemon peel, 
^ candied orange peel, 

4 squares Runkel's Chocolate, 
1 tablespoonful hot water, 

1 cupful milk. 

Before beginning to make the cake, 
prepare the fruit required, seed the 
raisins,,and cut them into halves with 
a scissors. Shave the citron, orange, 
and lemon peel into thin strips. 
Dredge them with flour, and set the 
chocolate to melt over boiling water. 
Sift together the flour, spices, and 
soda, and separate the eggs. Cream 
the butter and sugar very light, 
add the yolks of eggs beaten till stiff 
and lemon-colored, stir in the mo- 
lasses, then the milk. Sift in the 
flour and spices, beat thoroughly, add 
the fruit, melted chocolate, whites 
of eggs whipped to a stiff froth, 
and the soda dissolved in hot water. 
Pour into a large round pan, which 
has been lined with paraflBn paper and 
steam four hours. An excellent meth- 
od to thoroughly cook such a large, 
rich cake as this to the heart is to 
steam it for an hour, then set into 
the tireless cooker, and leave it there 
over night. The saucepan which fits 



into the United States Cooker is al- 
most the size to contain this recipe, 
and the cake could be baked right in 
it. When the steaming process is fin- 
ished, the cake needs drying. Take 
off the lid, and leave it uncovered an 
hour or two in an oven which is 
merely warm. Turn out on a cake 
cooler, and when cold, ice with White 
Mountain Frosting. 

Chocolate Snow Cake. 

;|' cupful butter, 

1 cupful sugar, 

J cupful milk, 

1§ cupfuls flour, 

Qi teaspoonfuls Calumet baking 
powder. 

Whites 2 eggs, 

i teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Cream the butter and sugar, add 
the milk alternately with the flour 
and baking powder sifted together. 
Flavor with vanilla, and cut in the 
whites of eggs beaten to a stiff froth. 
Bake in layer tins. Fill with choco- 
late filling, and cover with chocolate 
frosting. 



CAXES RAISED BY YEASI 

Old-rashioned Raised Cake. 
i pound currants, 
6 cupfuls flour, 
2 cupfuls warm" milk, 
i yeast cake, 

1 teaspoonful salt, 
i cupful butter, 

2 cupfuls sifted brown sugar, 
4 eggs, 

1 tablespoonful mixed spice, 
1 cupful raisins. 

I.Iix salt with half the flour; add 
yeast, then gradually warm milk, 
beating to a batter, and set to rise 
over night. In the morning cream 
the butter and sugar, add also spice \ 
and beaten eggs to the risen batter, 
put in the remainder of the flour, 
gradually mixing thoroughly with the 
hand. Add fruit last. Let it rise 



CAKE 



1013 



until perfectly light. Scrape down 
and stir; fill pans two thirds full; let 
stand in a warm place. It will not 
rise perceptibly in the pans, but the 
process will have begun afresh in 
them and will complete in the baking. 
Bake an hour or more. 

loaf Cake without Eggs. 

2 cupfuls warm milk, 

3 cupfuls sugar, 
1 cake yeast, 

1 cupful butter, 

1 cupful lard. 

Raisins, 

Spices, 

1 teaspoonful Calumet baking 

powder. 
Flour. 

Dissolve the yeast in a cupful wa- 
ter, add to the milk and 1 cupful sug- 
ar; make a stiff batter and let it rise 
over night; then add the rest of the 
sugar, butter, and lard; also raisins 
and spices and the baking powder. 
Let it rise again before baking. 

Long Meadow loaf Cake. 
5 cupfuls sugar, 
IJ cupfuls butter, 
1 cupful lard, 

4 cupfuls warm milk. 
1 yeast cake. 
Whites 4 eggs. 
Flour, 

1 teaspoonful nutmeg, 
1 teaspoonful soda, 
IJ pounds raisins, 
i pound citron. 

Cream the sugar, butter, and lard. 
Mix thoroughly, divide, and to the 
smaller part of this mixture add the 
warm milk, yeast dissolved in the 
milk, and flour enough to make a 
batter which will be hard to stir with 
a spoon. Let it rise over night in a 
warm place. In the morning add the 
rest of the sugar and shortening, the 
whites of eggs, nutmeg, and soda. 



Let it rise again till light — ^it may 
take four hours — then add the rai- 
sins and citron. When risen the last 
time, bake slowly an hour. — Mas. E. 
Brewer, 

English Whigs. 

i cupful butter, 
6 cupfuls flour, 
3 eggs, 

1 yeast cake, 

2 cupfuls milk, 

1 cupful sugar, 

i pound currants. 

Rub the butter into the flour, beat 
the eggs with the yeast, the batter, 
and add the milk; beat all until 
smooth, cover the batter and let it 
stand three hours; then stir in the 
sugar and currants. Allow it to 
stand an hour, then pour in small tins, 
fill half full, and stand till risen. A 
quarter of an hour in a quick oven iS 
suflBcient to bake them. 

Irish. Barn Bake. 

2 cupfuls bread dough, 

3 ounces caraway seed^^ 
1 cupful sugar, 

4 eggs, 

I cupful butter. 

Add as much flour to the dough as 
will make it a fit consistency to mold. 
Shape into loaves, let them rise, and 
bake. 

Yorkshire Cake. 
3 pounds flour, 
IJ pints warm milk, 

5 ounces butter, 
1 yeast cake, 

3 eggs. 

Beat the flour, milk, yeast cake, 
and eggs well together, and let it 
rise; then form the cakes round; 
place them on the baking tins and 
let them rise again before putting 
them in the oven, which must be of a 
moderate heat. The butter may be 
warmed with the milk and added. 



CHAPTER LXII 



CAKE FILLINGS AND ICINGS 



;Wliipped-Cteam Filling. 

Pour a cupful double cream into 
a bowl and whip with a Dover egg 
beater till stiff. Stop as soon as it 
begins to be quite thick or it will 
change to butter. Sweeten with 3 
tablespoonfuls powdered sugar and 
flavor with ^ teaspoonful Mcllhenny's 
Mexican Vanilla. This may be spread 
between layers of cake, then the top 
ornamented with a little of the cream 
squeezed through a pastry bag. 

Maple-Cream Filling. 

Boil i cupful maple sirup until 
quite thick. Then add to it a tea- 
spoonful granulated gelatin which 
has been dissolved in 2 tablespoonfuls 
cold water. Allow it to cool, and as 
soon as it begins to thicken, beat with 
a fork, then add it to a cupful thick 
cream which has been beaten stiff. 
1- 

jChocolate-Cream Filling, 
1 cupful sugar, 
§ cupful flour. 
Dash salt. 



1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 

1 square Runkel's Chocolate!, 

2 cupfuls milk. 

Put into a bowl the sugar, flour, 
and salt, blend thoroughly, then mix 
with the eggs well beaten. Scald the 
milk in a double boiler and add to it 
the egg mixture, beating steadily till 
it thickens. As soon as it is taken 
from the fire, stir in the melted choco- 
late and vanilla. Pour between lay- 
ers of a cake when it has cooled, 



Caramel Filling. 

1 tablespoonful butter, 
i cupful sugar, 
I cupful cream, 
i cupful caramel, 
1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Boil together the butter, sugar, and 
cream until it spins a thread. Then 
add the caramel and vanilla, beat un- 
til cool, and pour between the cake. 

Cream Filling. 

li cupfuls milk, 

1 teaspoonful butter^; 
Dash salt, 

2 eggs, 

i cupful sugar, 

3 tablespoonfuls cornstarch, 

1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla. 

Scald the milk with the butter, sug- 
ar, and salt; add the eggs beaten to- 
gether with the cornstarch. As soon 
as the mixture becomes creamy, beat 
it thoroughly, cool, and add the va- 
nilla. To make a- coffee filling, use 
this recipe exactly as given, only add- 
ing I cupful very strong black coffee 
and leaving out J cupful hot nulk. 

Orange Filling. 

Juice and grated rind 1 orange 

1 teaspoonful lemon juice, 

1 teaspoonful orange extract. 

Whites 2 eggs, 

i cupful powdered sugar, 

1 teaspoonful gelatin, 

2 tablespoonfuls cold water. 

Put the gelatin to soak in the cold 
water, then set it into a bowl of boil- 



II 



1014 



CAKE FILLINGS ANt) ICINGS 



1015 



ing water until it dissolves, and add 
to the juice of the fruit. As soon as 
it begins to thicken, beat with a fork 
till fluflPy, and mix with the powdered 
sugar and whites of eggs beaten to a 
stiff froth. 

Feach Filling. 

1 cupful whipped cream, 
i cupful powdered sugar, 
1 cupful peach pulp. 

Cut up 2 or 3 very ripe, juicy 
peaches and squeeze them through a 
potato ricer. Add to the pulp the 
sugar and cream beaten to a stiff 
froth. Blend thoroughly and put be- 
tween layer cake. All recipes where 
whipped cream is added to a filling 
ought to be eaten as soon as possible 
after being made. The liquor soaks 
into a cake if it stands any time. 

Eed-Raspberry Filling. 

A cupful red raspberries. 
White 1 egg, 
J cupful powdered sugar, 
1 cupful thick cream. 

Whip the cream to a stiff froth, 
also the white of egg. Put the two 
together and with a fork stir the sug- 
ar in, blending it perfectly. At the 
last, just before spreading the cake, 
stir in the raspberries thoroughly 
mashed. Strawberries may be used 
in the same way or the pulp of fresh 
apricots. 

Tutti-Frutti Filling. 

1 cupful whipped cream, 
i cupful powdered sugar, 
1 cupful combination chopped 
walnuts, almonds, dates, rai- 
sins, and shaved citron. 

Whip the cream very stiff, beat in 
the sugar, then add the nuts and 
fruit, blending it thoroughly with a 
fork. 

Plain Icing, 

Pour 2 tablespoonfuls whipped 
cream into a bowl and sift over it 



sufficient confectioner's sugar to make 
an icing thick enough to spread. Fla- 
vor with any extract or fruit juice 
you desire to use. 

Egg Icing. 

White 1 egg, 

1 cupful confectioner's sugar, 

1 teaspoonful lemon juice. 

V/hip the white of egg until 
frothy, beat in the lemon juice, then 
the sugar, until the icing is of a con- 
sistency that will spread. 

White-Mountain Icing. 

1 cupful granulated sugar, 
1 teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 
J cupful water. 
White 1 egg. 

Bring the water to the boil, add 
the sugar, and let the sirup cook 
without stirring until it will thread 
when lifted on the tip of a spoon. 
Pour it boiling hot over the white of 
egg which has been beaten to a stiff 
froth. Whip the mixture till it is 
soft and creamy, add the flavoring, 
and pour over the cake, spreading it 
smooth with a palette knife dipped in 
cold water. 

Chocolate Frosting. 
J cupful cream, 

IJ squares Runkel's Chocolate, 
1 egg, 

i teaspoonful butter, 
i teaspoonful Mcllhenny's Mexi- 
can Vanilla, 
Confectioner's sugar. 

Put the chocolate in a bowl to melt 
over hot water, scald the cream and 
pour over it, add the beaten yolk of 
egg and butter. Beat with a fork 
and sift in enough confectioner's sug- 
ar to make it of the proper consist- 
ency; last of all put in the vanilla, 
and spread over the cake. This frost- 
ing used on layers of white cake with 
chocolate filling between makes a de- 
licious combination. 



1016 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Orange rrostiiig. 
Rind 1 orange, 

3 tablespoonfuls orange juice, 

1 teaspoonful lemon juice. 
Confectioner's sugar. 

Sift into the orange juice and rind 
enough confectioner's sugar to make 
this frosting spread. 

Coffee Frosting. 

Use the recipe given for White- 
Mountain frosting, only substitute J 
cupful strong coffee for boiling wa- 
ter, and leave out any flavoring. 

Caramel Frosting. 
i cupful cream. 
Dash salt, 

2 tablespoonfuls caramel, 

1 cupful light-brown sugar. 

Boil together the brown sugar and 
cream for five minutes, then add the 
caramel and salt. Beat till cool and 
creamy, and pour while warm ov^r 
the cake. 

Maple-Sugar Frosting. 

4 tablespoonfuls boiling water, 
i^ pound maple sugar. 

White 1 egg. 

Boil the sugar and water together 
tiU it spins a thread. Pour over the 



white of egg beaten till stiff, and 
whip till thick enough to spread. 

Fondant Icing. 

3 cupfuls sugar, 
i teaspoonful cream of tartar, 
1 cupful boiling water, 
1 tablespoonf ul Mcllhenny's 
Mexican Vanilla. 

Mix the sugar and cream of tartar 
together, pour the water over it, and 
boil till it forms a little soft ball 
when dropped into cold water. Pour 
it out on an oiled platter, beat and 
knead till of the consistency of lard. 
Allow it to cool. When ready to use, 
soften it over boiling water, stirring 
with a fork till it is creamy. Add the 
flavoring, and pour over the cake. By 
first using this icing on a cake, then 
covering when hard and smooth with 
Runkel's Sweet Chocolate melted, you 
have what is called a chocolate-cream 
icing. 

Decorating Icing. — Whip the 
whites of 2 eggs to a very stiff froth, 
then add slowly powdered sugar un- 
til the mixture is so stiff that every 
point and thread left by the beater 
will hold its place. It requires beat- 
ing a long time. It is the same as 
meringue mixture, except that it is 
made hard with sugar instead of by 
drying, and takes about | cupful sug- 
ar to each egg. — Maky Roitaij). 



CHAPTER LXIH 

FIRELESS COOKERY 



FmELESS COOKER 

The United States Fireless Cooker 
attracted my attention and has my 
indorsements for three reasons: 
First, it is cheap, practical, and eas- 
ily manipulated; second, it has no 
fabric or other lining to require extra 
care or to become foul; and last, be- 
cause the inner vessel can be renewed 
at any time at little cost. The whole 
contrivance is so simple, so perfect, 
so easily understood, that it can be 
manipulated by a child. 

The idea of cooking without fire 
should meet with approval from 
every housewife. It seems strange 
at first — paradoxical, almost a joke 
—but when the fact is demonstrated 
by an easily managed, simple con- 
trivance, the truth is confirmed — loe 
can really cook wiiJiout fire. And 
not one, but many kinds of food. 

Cooks have always known that 
food Mould keep hot for a long time 
if carefully covered. This fact in- 
duced some one to go just a step 
beyond and make a nonconducting 
cover that would retain the heat at 
a uniform temperature for many 
hours; and this is the principle of 
the fireless cooker. 

Meats retain their flavor, and be- 
come tender more quickly if cooked 
below the boiling point. "' Boiled " 
meats, to be perfect, should, after 
the first boiling, be cooked at a tem- 
perature of 180°; to maintain this 
temperature over a fire requires eter- 
nal vigilance, and even then is diffi- 
cult to control. With a fireless 
cooker one need not give the meat a 
thought from the time it goes in the 
cooker until time for dinner. 

It is to be especially recommended 
for vegetables that emit an odor 



while cooking, as cabba-ve, cauliflower, 
onions, and sauerkraut. Imagine 
surprising your family with a cab- 
bage or sauerkraut dinner! 

It is worth double its cost for ce- 
reals alone. One may have a well- 
cooked cereal without fire or rush in 
the morning. Your breakfasts can be 
put on the table in ten minutes. 

it saves time. One can prepare 
dinner while the breakfast dishes are 
being washed. When ready to leave 
the kitchen, put the cooking vessel 
with its boiling contents in the cook- 
er and go where you please until din- 
ner time. 

Foods do not become overcooked 
nor water-soaked if the dinner, from 
necessity, is ]5ushed on an extra hour. 
Do not open the cooker; let it alone 
until you are ready to serve its con- 
tents. Nothing can be overdone 
when cooked in the United States 
Fireless Cooker. 

It retains the nutrition and the 
natural flavors of all foods. There 
is no chance for escape. 

It does away with that most un- 
pleasant pot washing. It saves half 
the usual fuel. 

It saves the housewife hours of 
time and worry. 

It makes tough meat tender and 
palatable, and in this way saves 
many a dollar in a year in the cost 
of meat alone. 

It is indispensable to the summer 
camp, house boat, or yacht. The fish- 
erman or the camper may stay out 
an extra hour without keeping any- 
one waiting or spoiling the dinner. 

To insure the best results with the 
United States Fireless Cooker, make 
sure that all foods are boiling hot in 
the cooking vessel when you place it 



1017 



1018 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



in the cooker. The object of the 
cooker is simply to maintain the 
heat and continue the cooking. I^arge 
pieces of meat must be boiled suffi- 
ciently long to be thoroughly heated 
to the center or they will cool the 
water after the cooking vessel has 
been packed in the cooker. The best 
results are obtained when the cook- 
ing vessel is nearly or quite full. 

If things are to be served boiling 
hot, stand the cooking vessel over the 
fire while you are arranging the 
table. 

I am using the United States Fire- 
less Cooker in both my kitchens, and 
would not, for many times its cost, 
give it up. Even with a gas stove, 
I prefer the cooker for long, slow 
cooking. 

It steams fruit cakes to perfection 
— no watching, no boiling dry, no re- 
plenishing of water. Four hours in 
the cooker and one hour in the oven 
finishes them. Think of the time, 
worry, and fuel saved between this 
method and a " four hours' baking 
in a very slow oven." 

I also found it most useful in the 
cooking of tripe, which requires 
hours of slow cooking to make it 
tender. Even then one has to watch 
it carefully or it will boil dry and 
scorch. A night in the cooker makes 
it very tender and ready to dress in 
many attractive ways. 

What I have accomplished in sav- 
ing, time, fuel, worry, and money by 
the use of the United States Fireless 
Cooker will, I trust, be sufficient to 
show every housewife an easier and 
better way. 

(Signed) Sarah Tyson Roeee. 

October, 1908. 

FIRELESS COOKERY 

Until one has become initiated into 
the secret of fireless cookery, it is 
hard to understand how food can be 
prepared by such a method. When 
one has mastered the science of cook- 
ing without fire, the whole process 
becomes very simple. It is requi- 
site that, first of all, the dish which 
is being cooked should be brought to 



the boiling point and allowed to stand 
on the fire long enough for the heat 
to penetrate to the very heart of the 
food. It is then lifted, with the cover 
set on so tightly that no heat can es- 
cape, into the cooker, which is closed 
securely until several hours after- 
wards, when the food is brought to 
the table. During these hours the 
cooking is going on at a temperature 
of about 170°, the point required for 
slow cooking. For certain dishes, 
such as soups, stews, and the boiling 
of a tough piece of meat or fowl, 
there is no better way to render them 
palatable and nourishing. 

Of all the cookers that have been 
put on the market, the wisest choice 
is the United States Fireless Cooker. 
The utensil is a heavy fiber pail con- 
taining two saucepans with tight lids, 
which can be set on top of each other. 
The cover is put on securely, then 
the cooker is left to do its work until 
it is time for the food to be ready. 
When a large piece of meat, such as 
a ham, corn beef, or a heavy fowl 
11 to be cooked, it is brought to the 
boil in a large, deep pail which takes 
the place of the two smaller ones. 
In this cooker there are no cushions 
to retain odors or dampness; it can 
be kept perfectly clean by washing 
and airing each time it is used, and 
it is practically indestructible. 

Some of the advantages of fireless 
cookery are these: During hot 
weather there is emancipation from 
an overheated kitchen. Food can be 
brought to the boil, over a gas stove, 
the flame turned out, then the prep- 
aration of the meal can go on without 
any further attention. This means a 
saving of at least eighty per cent in 
fuel. 

The perfect preparation of cheap 
cuts of meat, which could not be 
done over a hot stove. 

There is no odor whatever while 
the food is being prepared. This al- 
lows the cooking of cabbage, onions, 
cauliflower, ham, corn beef, sauer- 
kraut, and various other foods, which 
are apt to fill a house with most un- 
pleasant smells, 



FIRELESS COOKERY 



1019 



It is almost impossible to overcook 
any food which has been properly 
prepared and then placed in the 
cooker; even if the time allotted for 
a certain dish has passed, it will be 
benefited instead of spoiled. 

The washing of heavy, greasy, 
scorched pots and pans is no longer 
a necessity. There can be no burn- 
ing of anything in the cooker. 

The housewife who masters the se- 
crets of fireless cookery can plan her 
meals exactly to the minute. 

Breakfast can be prepared the 
night before, and found in the morn- 
ing deliciously cooked and hot. This 
is especially true of such coarse- 
grained cereals as oatmeal, cornmeal, 
and cracked wheat, which demand 
hours of steaming over a hot stove 
to become fit for human food. Also 
there is a saving in the amount of 
cereal used, as it swe|ls to its largest 
capacity. 

The fireless cooker is a boon for the 
man or woman who requires a hot 
meal during the night; by close cal- 
culation a dish can be put in and be 
ready at any moment required. 

The cooker is as useful for keep- 
ing frozen food chilled as for pre- 
serving heat in a hot dish. Instead 
of taking the labor to repack ice 
cream, put a can containing the fro- 
zen mixture into the cooker, pour 
around it some of the crushed ice 
and salt, fill up the space with cold 
brine, set on the cover, and the cream 
will remain in perfect condition for 
several hours. 

Even when one has a small family 
which cannot use the quantity con- 
tained in one of the saucepans which 
fit into the cooker, equally good re- 
sults may be obtained by preparing 
the dish in a granite pan, bringing 



it to the proper amount of heat, pour- 
ing water about it and allowing the 
water to boil. Set the cover on, put 
the utensil in the cooker, fit in the 
lid, and give the dish the time re- 
quired. 

A FEW RULES FOR SUCCESSFUL COOKING 

In every case have the saucepan 
so full of food or water that it just 
allows the lid to fit in. When vacant 
space is left, heat escapes. 

Never open the cooker until the re- 
quired time has expired. If you do, 
it will be necessary to reheat the 
dish over the stove. 

When any food seems to be ex- 
traordinarily tough, such as old beets, 
or a sinewy fowl, allow an hour or 
two more than the time directed. 

An excellent method in preparing 
a number of dishes which require a 
long time to cook, is to set them in 
a cooker at night and leave them 
shut up tight until morning. 

Various dishes, such as veal loaf, 
baked beans, and fruit cake, are at 
their best when brought to the bak- 
ing point in the oven, then finished 
in the fireless cooker, being set in- 
side the saucepan with boiling water, 
reaching nearly to the top of the in- 
ner utensil. 

Boston bread can be made to per- 
fection in this way by letting the 
loaf dry in the oven for fifteen min- 
utes after taking from the cooker. 

When you wish to brown the top 
of anything, as if it had been baked, 
set it under the flame in a gas oven 
for a few minutes, watching it closely. 

When you have only one food to 
cook, fill the other saucepan with 
boiling water and set under or over 
the one containing food. It helps to 
keep the heat to point required. 



Kind. 


Quantity. 


Water. 


Time on Stove. 


Time in Cooker. 


Coarse hominy 


1 cupful. 
1 cupful. 
1 cupful. 
1 cupful. 
1 cupful. 
1 cupful. 
1 cupful. 


6 cupfuls. 
6 cupfuls. 
3| cupfuls. 
4 cupfuls. 
3 cupfuls. 
3 cupfuls. 
2§ cupfuls. 


30 minutes. 
10 minutes. 
10 minutes. 

5 minutes. 
10 minutes. 
10 minutes. 

5 minutes. 


Over night. 
3 hours. 


Wheatlet 


3 hours. 


Rice 


3 hours. 


Macaroni 


2 hours. 
2 hours. 




2 hours. 







1020 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



TIME-TABLE FOR COOKING SOUPS ABOVE 



Soup. 


Time on Stove. 


Time in Cocker. 




15 minutes. 
30 minutes. 
10 minutes. 
30 minutes. 
10 minutes. 
20 minutes. 
10 minutes. 
20 minutes. 
30 nainutes. 
25 minutes. 
20 minutes. 
30 minutes. 
20 minutes. 
20 minutes. 
30 minutes. 
30 minutes. 
30 minutes. 
20 minutes. 
20 minutes. 
20 minutes. 
10 minutes. 

7 minutes. 
10 minutes, 
15 minutes. 

5 minutes. 

■" 5 minutes. 

10 minutes. 

5 minutes. 
10 minutes. 
10 minutes. 
10 minutes. 
10 minutes. 
15 minutes. 
10 minutes. 
20 minutes. 
10 minutes. 
25 minutes. 
10 minutes. 


Over night. 




Over night. 




6 hours. 




Over night. 




2i hours. 




6 hours. 




2 hours. 


0\ Tail. 






6 hours. 


Beef Bouilli 


Over night. 


Veal 


5 hours. 




7 hours. 




6 hours. 




5 hours. 




Over night. 




Over night. 




7 hours. 


Rabbit 


6 hours. 




6 hours. 




5 hours. 




3 hours. 




3 hours. 




3 hours. 




6 hours. 




3 hours. 




2 hours. 




6 hours. 




2 hours. 




6 hours. 




3 hours. 




6 hours. 




4 hours. 




Over night. 




2 hours. 








2 hours. 






Herb 


2 hours. 







VEGETABLES. 



Vegetables. 



Time on Stove. 



Time in Cooker. 



Beet Greens 

String Beans 

Green Peas 

Lima Beans 

Dried Beans. 

Okra 

Squash 

Summer Squash 

Tomatoes 

Cabbage 

Cauliflower 

Green Corn 

Onions 

Spring Beets 

Winter Beets 

Turnips 

Asparagus 

Carrots 

Brussels Sprouts .... 

Spinach 

Kale 

Salsify 

KohlRabi 

Boston Baked Beans 



10 minutes. 



10 mi 

7 m; 
10 m: 
20 m: 
10 m: 

15 m; 



10 minutes. 



10 m; 
15 m; 
15 m; 
8 m: 
10 mi 
10 m: 
30 mi 
10 mi 



10 mi 
10 m: 
10 m; 
10 m: 
10 m: 
10 m: 



nutes. 
nutes. 
nutes. 
nutes, 
nutes. 
nutes. 



nutes. 
nutes. 
nutes. 
nutes. 
nutes. 
nutes. 
nutes. 
nutes. 



5 minutes. 



nutes. 
nutes. 
nutes. 
nutes, 
nutes, 
nutes. 



2 hours. 



3 hours. 
3 hours. 

3 hours. 

4 hours. 
Over night. 

2 hours. 
Over night. 

4 hours. 

3 hours. 

5 hours. 
3 hours. 
3 hours. 
3 hours. 

3 hours. 
Over night. 
5 hours. 

IJ hours. 

4 hours. 
2 hours. 

2 hours. 

3 hours. 
2 hours. 
2§ hours. 
Over night. 




FIRELESS COOKERY 



1021 



MEAT. 



Meat. 


Time on Stove. 


Time in Cooker. 


Beef Stew 




1 hour. 

1 hour. 

1 hour. 
30 minutes. 
30 minutes. 
10 minutes. 
30 minutes. 
45 minutes. 

1 hqur- 
30 minutes. 

1 hour. 
30 minutes. 
15 minutes. 
30 minutes. 
20 minutes. 
30 minutes. 
45 minutes. 
20 minutes. 










Over night. 


Year Old Fowl 


6 hours. 








■ . 




Veal Birds 
















Pot Roast 






Chicken Curry 


6 hours. 










Tripe 


4 hours. 


















PUDDINGS. 


Puddings. 


TniE ON Stove. 


Time in Cooker. 


Plum , 


1 hour. 
20 minutes. 
20 minutes. 
10 minutes. 
10 minutes. 
30 minutes. 
30 minutes. 
30 minutes. 
30 minutes. 
20 minutes. 


Over night. 




3 hours. 




4 hours. 




3 hours. 




3 hours. 




6 hours. 




4 hours. 








2 hours. 




3 hours. 







a few recipes for fireless 
cookery" 

Beef Stew. 

4 pounds beef, 

2J quarts cold water, 

3 carrots, 
2 onions, 

1^ quarts sliced potatoes, 

^ cupful rice, 

1 tablespoonful salt, 

4 chili peppers. 

Choose a slice of beef from the top 
of a round, containing a bit of mar- 
row bone. Put the marrow into the 
spider, and when fried out, add the 
meat, cut into pieces, large enough 
to make a portion; let them cook, 
turning constantly, until brown. Put 
part of the meat which has not been 
browned with the bone into the cold 
water in the pan of the cooker, and 
add the brown meat. Rinse out the 



spider to get all the brown gravy 
possible, cover the pail, and let it 
simmer an hour. Cut the carrots 
into slices, also the onions and pota- 
toes, and parboil for five minutes. 
Drain, blanch in cold water, and add 
to the meat. Put the rice over the 
fire in cold water, let it boil five min- 
utes, put it also in the pail, then add 
the salt and peppers, cover closely, 
and cook twenty minutes. Put the 
pail into the cooker, shut down the 
lid, and leave it eight hours. 

Boiled Ham. 

If the ham is very salty soak it over 
night in cold water, put it into the 
pail in the morning, cover with cold 
water, put the lid on tightly, and 
bring to the boiling point. Cook ten 
minutes hard, then simmer for fifteen 
more, set it into the cooker, and leave 
it there over night. 



1022 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



Cliop Suey. 

1 quart lean pork and chicken, 
1 onion, 

1 pint celery, 

2 tablespoonfuls cornstarch, 
2 tablespoonfuls molasses, 
IJ teaspoonfuls salt, 

1 tablespoonful China soy, 
^ cupful fresh mushrooms. 

Cut the pork and chicken into 
small pieces, put any bones that re- 
main in a cheese-cloth bag, tie it up 
and drop in pail of cooker. Cover 
with cold water and let it come very 
slowly to the boil. Fry out a piece 
of fat, salt pork in a spider, and 
brown the meat. Add it to the water 
in the pail, also the onion, the celery 
cut in inch lengths, bring to the boil- 
ing point, then simmer slowly for 
one hour. Dissolve the cornstarch in 
a little water and stir it in. Add 
the molasses, salt, and soy. Cook 
ten minutes longer, set the pail, 
tightly covered, into the cooker; leave 
it there eight hours. When served, 
lift out the cheese-cloth bag with 
the bones. Serve chop suey with 
boiled rice, Saratoga chips, and toast. 



New England Boiled Dinner. 

Put the corned beef on to cook at 
six in the morning if you want it for 
a six-o'clock dinner. Cover with 
cold water, put on lid securely, and 
simmer for half an hour. Then set it 
in the cooker. Pare potatoes, cut up 
cabbage in quarters, pare some tur- 
nips and slice them, and let each 
vegetable cook separately for ten 
minutes. Drain and blanch. Lift the 
meat from the cooker, put the vege- 
tables into the pail, cover, and boil 
ten minutes. Return to the cooker 
until six o'clock. 



Fot Hoast. 

i pound salt pork, 
6 pounds round steak, 
3 cupfuls boiling water, 
gait pepper, and flour. 



Rub the meat on all sides with 
salt, pepper, and flour, fry out salt 
pork in a spider and brown the meat 
in it. Set a trivet into the pail of 
the cooker, pour in 3 cupfuls boiling 
water, which has been used to rinse 
the spider, let it boil five minutes, 
then cook gently on top of the stove 
for one hour. Remove to the fireless 
cooker and allow it ten hours. If 
vegetables are desired, parboil them, 
lay them under the meat in the 
gravy, and strain out before it is 
thickened. 

Steamed Pudding. 

i poimd beef suet, 

i cupful flour, 

1 teaspoonful cinnamon, 

1 teaspoonful mace, 

i teaspoonful salt, 

i teaspoonful cloves, 

i pound Sultana raisins, 

i pound currants, 

i pound citron, 

i cupful sugar, 

li cupfuls soft bread crumbs, 

3 eggs, 

i cupful milk. 

Chop the suet fine, mix with the 
flour and spices, then add the fruit, 
sugar, and bread crumbs. Wet with 
the milk and eggs, stir hard, and 
turn the mixture into a greased 
mold. Set it into the pail of the 
cooker. Surround with boiling wa- 
ter, give it one hour on the stove and 
all night in the cooker. 

Stewed Prunes. 

1 pound prunes, 
i cupful sugar, 
1 cupful water. 

Wash the prunes thoroughlj'', soak 
for two hours, put them into a gran- 
ite dish, adding the sugar and water. 
Cook on top of the stove fifteen min- 
utes, then remove to the pail of the 
cooker, pour boiling water in until it 
nearly reaches the top of the pail of 
prunes, cover tightly. Let the water 
boil five minutes, then set into the 
cooker and leave over night. 



FIRELESS COOKERY 



1023 



Cup Custard. 

3 cupfuls milk, 
i cupful sugar. 
Pinch salt, 
3 eggs. 

Scald the milk, pour it over the 
sugar and salt, stir in the well-beaten 
eggs, pour into custard cups, and 



grate a little nutmeg on top of each. 
Set the cups into the pail of the 
cooker, pour boiling water around 
them, and boil for ten minutes. Place 
them in the fireless cooker three 
hours. If you wish to serve custard 
with the top browned, set it under 
the flame of the gas stove for a few 
minutes. Serve ice-coid. 



CHAPTER LXiy 



FAVORITE DISHES IN FAMOUS HOMES 



In addition to the large variety of 
recipes in this book, we present con- 
tributions from the wives of famous 
men in all parts of America. The 
wife of President Taft and Vice- 
President Sherman each commend 
their favorite dish, while from wives 
of U. S. Senators and the Governors 
of various States come excellent rec- 
ipes. The value of such recipes con- 
sists not only in an interesting study 
of what are favorite dishes in famous 
homes, but in a most valuable addi- 
tion to the cookery encyclopedia of 
every housewife. Many of the recipes 
are for fine old-fashioned dishes, such 
as toothsome gingerbread, brown 
bread, and an excellent mince-meat. 
Here we find food peculiar to a cer- 
tain part of the country, such as the 
Governor of Florida's fried okra, or a 
toothsome chicken pie, suggested by 
Mrs. Dawson, the wife of the Gov- 
ernor of West Virginia. There are 
various recipes which are unlike any 
found in ordinary cookbook literature; 
for instance, a delicious angel-food 
pudding, Mrs. Chester Long's favorite 
cake, Hamburg cookies, Frankfort 
pudding, potato cake, and raspberry 
bims. Each recipe is well worth try- 
ing, and, once tried, it will become 
a favorite in thousands of homes. 



From Mrs. William H. Taft. 
Sponge Pudding. 
i cupful sugar. 



i cupful flour, 
i cupful butter, 
1 pint boiled mllk> 
S eggs. 



Mix sugar and flour, wet with a lit- 
tle cold water and stir into the boil- 
ing milk. Cook until it thickens and 
is smooth. Add the butter and when 
well mixed stir it into the well-beaten 
yolks of the eggs. Then add the 
whites beaten stiff and bake in a shal- 
low dish or cups, placing them in a 
pan of hot water while in the oven. 
Serve with creamy sauce. 

From Mrs. J. S. Sherman, wife of 
Vice-President. 

Saratoga Pudding. 

2 cupfuls coarse bread crumbs, 

4 eggs, 

1 quart sweet milk, 

1 cupful sugar. 

Pinch salt, 

i cupful raisins, 

Butter, size of walnut. 

Flavoring, milk or vanilla. 

After baking, spread with layer cur- 
rant jelly before putting on meringue. 

From Mrs. Reed Smoot, wife of U. S. 
Senator from Utah. 

Five-Egg Orange Cake. 

5 eggs, 

i cupful butter, 
1 cupfxd sugar, 
I cupful milk, 

3 cupfuls flour, 

1^ teaspoonfuls vanilla, 

ij teaspoonfuls baking powder. 

Beat sugar and butter to a cream, 
drop in yolks of eggs, thoroughly 
beaten, add 1 cupful flour, milk, 
then another cupful flour, beating 



1024 



il 



FAVORITE DISHES IN FAMOUS HOMES 1025 



thoroughly all the time. Add rest of 
flour, with whites of eggs beaten to a 
stiflF froth. Bake in layer tins in mod- 
erate oven. 

Filling for the Cake 

Beat white of 1 egg to a stiff froth, 
and add 1 teacupful pulverized sug- 
ar; grate the outside of an orange 
down to the white, squeeze out juice, 
and add to frosting. 

From Mrs. Joseph W. Bailey, wife of 

U. S. Senator from Texas. 
Stuffed Tomatoes. 

Take fresh, firm tomatoes, and 
cut pulp from them with a sharp 
knife. Mix together chopped cucum- 
ber, onion to taste, cabbage, pepper, 
celery and salt, with some pulp 
of tomato. Place this mixture in 
scooped tomatoes and serve on lettuce 
with a garnish of mayonnaise. 

From Mrs. J. W. Burrows, wife of U. 
S. Senator from Michigan. 

Delicious Fruit Punch. 

Sweeten juice of 8 lemons and 4 
oranges to taste. Just before serving, 
place a square of ice in a punch bowl 
and pour over it sweetened juice, then 
add 2 quarts ApoUinaris water or 
White Rock, and garnish with a bunch 
of grapes laid on ice. A gill of rasp- 
berry or blackberry juice left over 
from canned fruit adds a beautiful 
color to the pimch as well as a fine 
flavor. 

From Mrs. B. R. Tillman, wife of 
U. S. Senator from South Carolina. 

Tillie's Gingerbread. 
1 cupful sugar, 

1 cupful butter, 
4 eggs, 

2 cupfuls molasses, 

4 cupfuls sour milk, 

3 teaspoonfuls soda, 

2 teaspoonfuls cinnamon, 

2 teaspoonfuls salt, 

2 teaspoonfuls groimd ginger, 

5 cupfuls flour. 



Cream together butter and sugar, 
add eggs well beaten, molasses, then 
sour milk, and, last, flour with which 
has been sifted spices, salt, and soda. 
Bake in moderate oven. 

From Mrs. Robert J. Gamble, wife of 
U. S. Senator from South Dakota. 

Hamburg Cookies. 

1 pound granulated sugar, 

13 eggs, 

3 pounds butter, 

1 ounce carbonate ammonia, 

10c. worth oil of lemon. 

Powder ammonia, dissolve in 1 egg, 
add balance of eggs and sugar, and 
beat for an hour. Add flour, lemon, 
and butter (not melted) ; mix with 
enough flour to make dough as stiff as 
can be rolled. Keep it on ice till ready 
to roll. With a cooky cutter shape 
like lady's fingers. Sprinkle pans 
with flour before putting in cookies, 
and bake. The butter should have all 
the salt washed out of it twenty-four 
hours before using. This makes a de- 
licious cooky when putting up boxes 
of cake at the Christmas season. They 
are very delicate and will keep for 
weeks. It looks like an expensive rec- 
ipe, but is not when you consider the 
quantity of cookies it makes. 

From Mrs. John Sharp Williams, wife 
of U. S. Senator from Missis- 
sippi. 

Candy. 

Have two saucepans; into one put 3 
cupfuls granulated sugar, 1 cupful 
thick sirup, and § cupful water. Into 
the other pan put 1 cupful granu- 
lated sugar and a gill water. Allow 
contents of both pans to cook until 
sirup will spin a thread or make a soft 
ball between the fingers when dropped 
in cold water. When both are ready, 
turn slowly sirup in first pan over 
stiffly beaten whites 3 eggs, and beat 
constantly during process. Into sec- 
ond sirup stir 1 cupful chopped nuts, 
add to other, and pour frothy mass 
into buttered tins to cool. When cold, 
mark in blocks with very sharp knife. 



1026 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



From Mrs. Chester I. Long, wife of 
U. S. Senator from Kansas. 

A Favorite Cake. 
4 eggs, 

3 tablespoonfuls baking powder, 
1 cupful milk, 
1 cupful butter. 

Cream butter and sugar, add yolks 
of eggs and milk, then flour sifted 
with baking powder. After heating 
these thoroughly, add stiffly beaten 
whites of eggs. Bake in three layers 
and put together with following fill- 
ing: 

1 quart double cream, 

1 pound pecans, 

1 pound seeded raisins. 

Whip cream to a froth, sweeten, 
and put between layers. Chop nuts 
and raisins and sprinkle over cream 
between each, also on top. This makes 
a cake which may be served alone as 
a dessert. It is a favorite with all our 
friends. 

From Mrs. P. J. McCumber, wiff? of 
U. S. Senator from North Dakota. 

Checolate Cookies. 

Beat to a cream i cupful butter 
and 1 tablespoonful lard; gradually 
beat into this 1 cupful sugar. Add 1 
teaspoonful cinnamon, 2 ounces choco- 
late (melted over steam), 1 beaten 
egg, and ^ teaspoonful soda dissolved 
in 2 iablespoonfuls sour milk. Stir in 
2J cupfuls flour. Roll thin and cut 
with cooky cutter. Bake in hot oven. 
When cold, spread chocolate frosting 
on each cooky; on top of each put 
half a walnut meat. 

From Mrs. Nathan Bay Scott, wife 
of U. S. Senator from West Vir- 
ginia. 

Old-Fashioned Pound Cake. 
1 pound butter, 
1 pound sugar, 
10 eggs, 
1 pound flour. 

Butter and sugar are first creamed, 
then yolks of eggs added, then flour. 



The rule is to beat for an hour, but 
sometimes you get tired before hour 
is up. Last, fold in whites of eggs 
beaten to a stiff froth; bake slowly 
an hour. 

From Governor Albert W. Gilchrist 
of Florida 

Fried Okra. 

Take several pods tender okra, wasK 
thoroughly, and cut into thin pieces 
crosswise; beat 2 eggs, season with 
salt and pepper, dip okra first into 
sifted meal, then into egg, again into 
meal, and fry in butter. 

From Mrs. B. B. Brooks, wife of Gov- 
ernor of Wyoming. 

Drop Cakes. 

IJ cupfuls brown sugar, 

1 cupful butter, 

li cupfuls sweet milk, 

3 eggs, 

1 teaspoonful each, cinnamon, 

cloves, allspice, and nutmeg, 
1 cupful chopped raisins, 

1 cupful broken English walnuts, 

2 teaspoonfuls baking powder. 

Cream sugar and butter, add well- 
beaten eggs, then milk. Sift spices 
and baking powder with enough flour 
to make a batter that will drop from 
a spoon, add mixture, stir in nuts 
and raisins, beat well, then drop by 
teaspoonfuls on a greased pan and 
bake in hot oven. 

From Mrs. Henry B. Quinby, wife of 
Governor of New Hampshire. 

Breakfast Gems. 

3 eggs, 

1 teaspoonful sugar, 

1 coffeecupf ul sweet mUk, 

1 cupful warm water, 

4 tablespoonfuls yeast. 

Flour enough to make a stiff bat- 
ter. 

Beat yolks of eggs and sugar, stir 
in milk, water, and yeast. Beat well 
and set in a warm place to rise. When 
light, beat whites of eggs to a stiflf 



FAVORITE DISHES IN FAMOUS HOINIES 1027 



froth and stir into batter, with a pinch 
of salt. Bake in greased gem pans. 
If wanted for breakfast, mix batter 
night before. 

From Mrs. Edwin Lee Norris, wife of 
Govenor of Montana. 

Molasses Pudding. 

1 cupful molasses, 
1 cupful butter, 
1 cupful hot water, 
1 teaspoonful soda, 
3 cupfuls flour, 
1 cupful raisins. 

Cream butter, add molasses, then 
hot water; beat in flour with 
which soda has been sifted, stir in 
raisins, put in a greased mold, and 
steam three hours. 

Sauce for Molasses Pudding, 

1 cupful butter, 

1 cupful sugar, 

2 eggs. 

Cream butter and sugar, then add 
thoroughly beaten eggs. Stir to- 
gether, set over fire in cold water, let 
water come to boil, and serve sauce 
hot. A glass of sherry or brandy may 
be added, though we prefer.it without. 

From Mrs. W. M. O. Dawson, wife of 
Governor of West Virginia. 

Chicken Pie, 

Meat of 1 chicken cooked, 

1 can mushrooms, 

IJ pints potato balls parboiled, 

6 hard-boiled eggs, 

1 heaping tablespoonful minced 

parsley, 
IJ pints cream dressing. 

Cut chicken meat as for a salad, put 
in bottom of baking dish, cover with 
mushrooms, then with potato balls. 
Season to taste. Sprinkle over it 
minced whites of eggs, then minced 
yolks. Scatter with minced parsley, 
and cover with dressing. On top put 
a cover of small biscuits as large as a 
finger ring. Bake three quarters of 
an hour. 



From Mrs. F. M. Warner, wife of 
Governor of Michigan. 

Pinafore Cake. 

1 cupful sugar, 

i cupful butter (scant), 
i cupful milk (scant), 
S cupfuls flour, 

2 teaspoonfuls baking powder. 
Whites 3 eggs. 

Cream butter and sugar, add milk, 
flour sifted with baking powder, then 
whites of eggs whipped to a stiif 
froth, also 2 tablespoonfiils cold wa- 
ter and ^ teaspoonful lemon flavoring. 
Put half of this mixture into a layer- 
cake pan; to what is left add 1 tea- 
spoonful strawberry coloring. When 
both cakes are baked, put together 
with following filling: 

Filling 
Yolks 3 eggs, 
i cupful sugar, 
1 cupful milk, 

1 tablespoonful cornstarch 
(scant). 

Heat milk in a double boiler, add 
eggs and cornstarch, cook till it 
thickens, add pinch of salt and any 
flavoring desired, and put between 
layers of cake. 

From Mrs. A. C. Shallenberger, wife 
of Governor of Nebraska. 

Amber Cream. 
1 quart milk, 
^ package gelatin, 
1 cupful sugar. 
Yolks 6 eggs. 
Whites 6 eggs, 
1 teaspoonful vanilla. 

Dissolve gelatin in a little cold wa- 
ter, let milk come to boiling point 
and melt gelatin in it. Add sugar 
and well-beaten yolks of eggs, stir- 
ring constantly till well blended, cook 
in a double boiler till it thickens, then 
turn in whites of eggs whipped to a 
stiff froth. Flavor with vanilla. Pour 
into cups or a fancy mold and set in a 
cold place over night. When ready to 



1028 



MKS. CUKTiS'S COOKBOOK 



serve, turn out on a plate or sauce 
dish. 

From Mrs. John F. Shafroth, wife of 
Governor of Colorado. 

Cucumber Mangoes (Prize recipe). 

Soak in strong brine nine days as 
many large green cucumbers as you 
wish to use. Then lay them forty- 
eight hours in clear water. Cut a slit 
lengthwise in each, scoop out seeds, 
wipe dry and fill with stoned raisins, 
lemon cut in long, thin strips, and 6 
or 8 whole cloves. Sew up slit, pack 
cucumbers in a stone jar and cover 
with a boiling sirup made after fol- 
lowing recipe: Add to 1 quart vine- 
gar 5 pounds sugar, also mace, cin- 
namon, and cloves to taste. Reheat 
sirup and pour boiling hot over cu- 
cumbers for nine successive morn-^ 
ings. 

From Mrs. J. S. Sanders, wife of 
Governor of Louisiana. 

Strawberry Ambrosia. 

Select large, ripe strawberries. Ar- 
range in a glass bowl with alternate 
layers coarsely chopped pineapple. 
Sprinkle between layers plenty of 
powdered sugar and freshly grated 
cocoanut, then pour over top 1 cup- 
ful orange j nice. Set on ice, and serve 
very cold. 

From Mrs. M. R. Patterson, wife of 
Governor of Tennessee. 

English Pudding. 
Yolks 4 eggs, 
2 tablespoonfuls sugar, 
1 tablespoonful cornstarch, 
1 pint milk, 
1 teaspoonf ul vanilla. 

Stir on fire in a double boiler milk, 
eggs, sugar, and cornstarch till it 
thickens, then add whites oi eggs 
beaten to a stiff froth. Put in a deep 
dish a layer of fruit, then one of 
macaroons, and pour custard on top. 
When cold, cover with a thin layer of 
jelly and 1 pint whipped cream. 



Almond Cream. 

Mash 12 vanilla wafers with a roll- 
ing-pin, and pour over them a wine- 
glass of whisky. When soft, add 1 
quart sweet milk and sweeten to 
taste. Whip 1 quart cream, sweeten 
to taste, flavor with a teaspoonful ex- 
tract of almond, mix with first con- 
coction, and freeze. 

From Mrs. Augustus E. Willson, 
wife of Governor of Kentucky. 

Prankfort Pudding. 

Make a plain ice cream as follows: 
Put 1 pint new milk in a double boil- 
er; when gradually hot, add to 2 ta- 
blespoonfuls flour a little milk; stir 
until free from lumps, add to scalded 
milk and boil until a little thicker 
than custard. Strain into 1 quart 
rich cream; add 2 cupfuls powdered 
sugar, whites 2 eggs (unbeaten), and 
2 teaspoonfuls vanilla. Freeze, line a 
mold with ice cream, and fill center 
with following mixture : 

The night before you wish to use 
them, take ^ pound candied cherries 
and cut into small pieces, and J 
pound French chestnuts shelled, 
blanched, boiled until soft, and cut 
into small pieces. Let these stand 
over night in sherry to cover them. 
Mix lightly with 1 quart whipped 
cream and fill the center of mold; 
close it and set in salt and ice four 
hours. Serve with a sauce of whipped 
cream flavored with sherry. 



From Mrs. Bert M. Fernald, wife of 
Governor of Maine. 

Chocolate Cake. 

Melt i cupful butter, and gradually 
add 1^ cupfuls sugar. Scrape I 
poimd chocolate fine, add 3 teaspoon- 
fuls sugar and 3 tablespoonfuls hot 
water; stir over steam until smootli. 
Add to sugar and butter, then dro]) 
in yolks 3 eggs, stir, and add whites 
3 eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Add A 
cupful milk in which h, teaspoonful 
soda is dissolved, and lastly 1| cup- 
fuls flour in which is mixed 1 tea^ 



FAVORITE DISHES IN FAMOUS HOMES 1029 



spoonful cream tartar and a little 
salt. Flavor with vanilla. 

Frosting 
11 cupfuls sugar, 
J cupful water. 

Boil until it threads, add to the 
beaten white 1 egg, a few drops 
at a time, and stir constantly; flavor. 



1 egg. 

1 teaspoonful soda, 
1 teaspoonful salt, 
^ cupful molasses. 

Mix ingredients, beat thoroughly, 
?nd pour into pail, with tight-fitting 
lid. Cook in vessel of boiling water 
two and a half hours. Turn out on 
a pan, and brown in oven. 



From Mrs. G. H. Prouty, wife of 
Governor of Vermont. 

Haple Parf ait. 

1 cupful maple sirup. 
Yolks 6 eggs, 
1 pint cream. 

Heat sirup to boiling point, pour 
slowly onto beaten egg yolks and the 
whip from cream, turn into a mold and 
pack in equal measures of finely 
crushed ice and rock salt. Let stand 
four hours and serve with chopped 
browned almonds. 

From Mrs. Albert B. Cummins, wife 
of U. S. Senator from Iowa. 

Almond Tart. 
Yolks 9 eggs, 
1 pound sugar, 
I pound grated almonds, 
3 cupfuls grated lady's fingers, 
■1 teaspoonful vanilla, 
1 teaspoonful baking powder. 
Juice and rind 1 lemon. 
Whites 9 eggG, 

Mix ingredients in order given, and 
bake in two layers in moderate oven. 

Filling for Tart 

1 pound chopped walnuts. 
Whites 2 eggs. 

Lemon juice and sugar to taste. 

From Mrs. Robert L. Taylor, wife of 
U. S. Senator from Tennessee. 

Steamed Corn Bread. 

2 cupfuls sweet milk» 
1 cupful butter, 

3 cupfuls cornmeal, 
1 cupful flour. 



From Mrs. Robert S. Vessey, wife of 
Governor of South Dakota. 

Brown Bread. 

1 cupful sweet mUk, 

2 cupfuls sour milk, 
2 cupfuls cornmeal, 
1 cupful flour, 

J cupful molasses, 
lA teaspoonfuls soda, 
1 teaspoonful salt. 

Sift dry materials, pour in mo- 
lasses and milk, then beat hard and 
pour in a greased mold. Steam three 
hours and dry in a hot oven a few 
minutes. This mixture is very thin, 
but makes a delicious bread. 

From Mrs. G. W. Donaghey, wife of 
Governor of Arkansas. 

White Loaf Cake. 

1 cupful butter, 

2 cupfuls sugar, 

1 cup fid sweet milk, 

2 teaspoonfuls baking powder, 
5 cupfuls flour. 

Whites 13 eggs. 

Cream butter and sugar, sift baking 
powder with flour, and alternately 
add it with milk to sugar and but- 
ter. Last of all, cut in whites of eggs 
whipped to a stifi^ froth. Bake in 
layer-cake pans. 

Filling for Cake 
2 cupfuls sugar. 
Whites 2 eggs, 
^ pound marshmallows, 
1 pound English walnuts. 

Cook sugar with | cupful water. 
When it threads, pour over whites 
of eggs not beaten very much and 



1030 



MRS. CURTlS'S COOKBOOK 



marshmallows. Shell walnuts, break 
slightly, add to filling, and put be- 
tween layers of cake. 

From Mrs. John Burke, wife of Gov- 
ernor of North Dakota. 

Angel-Food Pudding. 

2 eggs, 

1 cupful powdered sugar^ 
1 tablespoonful flour, 
1 teaspoonful baking powder,^ 
a cupful broken walnut meats, 
1 cupful dates. 

Beat together thoroughly eggs, sug- 
ar, flour, and baking powder, add 
nuts and dates. Pour into a baking 
dish, set it in a pan of boiling water 
and bake about half an hour. Let it 
cool, still standing in the water, chill, 
and serve with whipped cream. 

This pudding is a great favorite 
with children. 

From Mrs. Samuel G. Cosgrove, wife 
of Governor of Washington. 

Potato Cake. 

§ cupful butter, 

3 cupfuls sugar. 
Yolks 4 eggs, 

1 cupful hot mashed potato, 
Q squares chocolate, 

i' cupful milk, 

2 cupfuls flour, 

3J teaspoonfuls baking powder, 
1 teaspoonful each cinnamon and 

nutmeg, 
^ teaspoonful ground cloves, 
3. cupful chopped walnut meats, 
Whites 4 eggs. 

Cream together butter and 1 cupful 
sugar, beat to a froth yolks of eggs 
with remainder of sugar, then blend 
both mixtures thoroughly together. 
Add potatoes, chocolate melted over 
hot water, and alternately milk with 
flour, which has been sifted with bak- 
ing powder and spices. Last, add 
whites of eggs whipped to a stiff 
froth and walnut meats. Bake in 
layers or a loaf cake as desired, and 
cover with a chocolate or a white 
frosting. 



From Mrs. W. R. Stubbs, wife of 
Governor of Kansas. 

Pickled Peaches. 

1 gallon peeled peaches, 

3 poimds sugar, 

1 pint pure cider vinegar, 

Q dozen cloves, 

6 sticks cinnamon. 

Boil vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, and 
cloves fifteen minutes, then pour li- 
quor over peaches and let stand over 
night in stone jqr covered with a 
plate. Next morning pour oflp liquor 
and heat to boiling point, then add 
peaches to boiling liquor and let cook 
slowly until tender. Seal in glass 
jars. 

From Mrs. Parker Morgan, one of 

the 400. 
Raspberry Buns. 

1 pound flour, 

^ poimd lard, 

oimces sugar, 

ij teaspoonful salt, 

ij teaspoonsfuls baking powder, 

1 egg, 

A little milk. 

Place flour in a bowl and rub lard 
in thoroughly; add salt, sugar, and 
baking powder. Beat egg well and 
add sufficient milk to make the whole 
into a rather stiff paste. Knead light- 
ly, and roll out about a quarter of 
an inch thick, cut into rounds and 
wet the edges. Place a little jam in 
the center of each and fold over. 
Pinch the edges together and flatten 
slightly, put on a greased baking 
sheet, and bake in a quick oven twen- 
ty minutes. 



From Mrs. Jesse Knight of Utah. 

Mince-Meat. 

i pound butter, 

2i pounds brown sugar, 

3 pounds boiled beef neck, 

1-1 pounds suet, 

2^ pounds white sugar, 

2 tabiespoonfuls cinnamon, 

2 tabiespoonfuls nutmeg. 



FAVORITE DISHES IN FAMOUS HOMES 1031 



2 tablespoonfuls mace, 
2 tablespoonfuls allspice, 

2 tablespoonfuls salt. 
Juice and rind 3 lemonSs \ 
6 pounds raisins, seeded, 

3 pounds currants, 
1 pound citron, 

1 tablespoonful almond extract, 
8 pounds apples, 
1 pint brown sherry, 
1 pint brandy. 

Rub butter and brown sugar to- 
gether; chop beef neck after boiling 
till tender enough to fall from bone; 
grind or chop finely suet. Add spices 
to white sugar, grate rind of lemons, 
being careful not to get any white, 
and mix grated rind into sugar and 
spices. Seed raisins, wash and dry 
currants, chop citron finely, peel and 
chop apples. Mix all thoroughly to- 
gether, adding sherry, brandy, and al- 
mond extract last. Put in glass jars; 
it will keep indefinitely. 



From Mrs. Thomas P. Gore, wife of 
Senator from Oklahoma. 

Braised Veal. 

Slice veal steak into strips from 
one to one and one half inches thick. 
Season well to taste, and roll up and 
skewer with toothpiclis. Fry them in 
hot butter till browned on both sides 
—be sure not to scratch. Place them 
in a roaster and sprinkle with butter, 
add enough water — cream and water 



is better, but in that case do not use 
butter. Bake from two to four hours 
in a moderate oven. Be careful not 
to burn. 

This recipe was originated by a 
friend of mine, Mrs. Thomas H. 
Dunn of Oklahoma, and from experi- 
ence I know just how delicious it is. 

The following recipe was given by 
one of the best cooks in America. 

Chicken Fricassee. 

Cut a fowl up into pieces, put it 
in a saucepan covered with boiling 
water and cook very slowly till 
tender. When half done, season with 
salt and pepper. Lift out the pieces, 
allow them to drain, sift with flour to 
which a little salt and pepper has 
been added, then saute slowly in pork 
fat. Arrange the chicken in pieces 
upon toast, or if liked better, fix New 
England style, with a circle of baking 
powder biscuits about them heaped on 
a platter. In arranging the chicken, 
lay it on the platter as much as pos- 
sible in the shape of a whole bird, 
having the breast in the centre, legs 
and wings in the natural position and 
back underneath; this makes it easy 
to serve. To the liquor from the 
chicken add a cup of cream or 
three tablespoonfuls of butter and 
thicken with a quarter of a cup of 
flour dissolved in cold water. Strain 
over the chicken and biscuits. If 
there is more gravy than the platter 
will hold serve it in a gravy boat. 



CHAPTER LXV 



SOME KITCHEN KINKS 



Instead of shelling peas, throw 
them, pods and all, into a kettle of 
boiling water, after washing and dis- 
carding all spoiled ones. When they 
are done the pods wiU rise to the sur- 
face, while the peas will stay at the 
bottom of the kettle. Peas cooked in 
this manner have a fine flavor. 

To hasten the baking of potatoes, I 
let them stand a few minutes in hot 
water, after washing them clean. 

If you relish celery in soup and live 
where it cannot be secured the year 
round, dry the delery leaves as you get 
them and put them away in a fruit 
jar. When preparing soup, tie a few 
of the leaves in a cloth, and drop it 
into the kettle. You will find that the 
soup will have even more of the taste 
of celery than when using the stalk. 

In piaking peanut butter, I mix the 
ground peanuts with cream or milk 
instead of olive oil, if I only desire a 
small quantity. It is delicious, al- 
though it does not keep longer than a 
few days. 

Ham may be kept from getting 
hard and dry on the outside thus: 
take some of the fat part of the ham 
and fry it out. Let it get hard then 
spread on the cut end of the ham; 
half an inch thick is not too much. 
This excludes air. Hang in a cool 
place. When I want to slice ham I 
scrape off this fat, and afterwards 
put it on again as before. 

If your omelets burn because you 
have no " omelet pan," put a table- 
spoonful of common salt in the fry- 
ing skillet. Put it on the stove and 



heat very hot. Empty salt from the 
pan, wipe it with a dry cloth. Cook 
the omelet with a small quantity of 
butter, and it will not burn easily. 

Changing the waler two or three 
times will keep potatoes from turn- 
ing dark, and if they have been frost- 
bitten this will improve them. 

Before trying to break a cocoanut 
put it in the oven to warm. When 
heated a slight blow will crack it, and 
the shell will come off easily. 

A layer of absorbent cotton in the 
mouth of fruit cans is an excellent 
preventive against mold. If mold 
should foi-m, it will cling to the cot- 
ton and leave the fruit clean. 

A delicious kind of sandwich was 
served with coffee at a recent club 
meeting. It took the fancy of each 
and every one. After tasting, some 
one asked the hostess of what it was 
made. She politely replied, " The rec- 
ipe was sent to me from a friend in 
an Eastern city, with the strict in- 
junction I should not publish it." Im- 
mediately all began guessing. A nod 
from the hostess informed one girl 
she had guessed right. Here is the 
recipe: One cake of Philadelphia 
cream cheese, mixed with canned 
Spanish peppers, chopped fine. One 
large pepper is suflScient for one cake 
of cheese. 

To keep cream sweet heat it to al- 
most boiling point, put it in a glass 
bottle or earthen vessel, cover, and set 
aside to cool. Cream thus treated will 
keep sweet and fresh several days, in 



1032 



SOME KITCHEN KINKS 



1033 



moderate weather, and over the sec- 
ond day in warm weather. 

When making fudge, stir in half a 
pound of marshmallows before you 
turn it into the tin to cool. They melt 
immediately and make the candy as 
smooth and creamy as can be. 

If you want nicely flavored butter, 
with the buttermilk well worked out, 
try putting in a teaspoonful of clear 
honey to about three pounds of but- 
ter. You can not taste the honey but 
it improves the butter. 

When using grated or sliced pine- 
apple for sauce the juice of half a 
lemon with sugar and water added 
gives a delicious flavor. 

To give frosting a nice flavor add 
a bit of butter, the size of a hickory 
nut. It will also prevent the frosting 
from becoming hard too soon. 

To prevent staining your fingers, 
while paring potatoes keep the pota- 
toes in cold water. 

Gruels are more tempting to the 
sick if whipped to a froth with an 
egg-beater before serving in a pretty 
cup. 

When baking cookies, use a large 
round pancake griddle to bake them 
on. First heat it on top of the range, 
and have it well greased. 

If a kitchen window is kept open 
two inches at the top while frying 
foods, boiling cabbage or other odor- 
ous vegetables, the unpleasant odor i 
will go out of the window instead of » 
spreading through the house. 

After boiling salt ham or tongue re- ^ 
move it from the fire and plunge at | 
once in cold water. This instantly 
loosens the skin, which then pulls off 
without any trouble. Treat beets the 
same way. 

Try baking bread in a meat roaster 
with a top. This keeps the bread from 



browning on the upper side before it 
is done through — thus browning it 
evenly all over. 

Prune pies are improved by adding 
one teaspoonful of vinegar to each 
pie. Prunes are rather flat tasting so 
the vinegar cuts the sweetness. 




Rack to Set Under Hoi Kettles. 

On making cake when fresh milk, 
buttermilk, molasses, and sour milk, 
are lacking, use a cup of apple sauce 
into which has been stirred a tea- 
spoonful of baking soda. Besides be- 
ing an excellent substitute, the sauce 
makes a delicious spice cake, and 
without eggs, too. 

When spreading butter on sand- 
wiches or toast, do not try to soften 
the butter, but heat a silver knife by 
placing it in boiling water. The diffi- 
culty is overcome at once. 

When a recipe calls for sugar and 
flour, instead of moistening the flour 
with water or milk, stir flour and sug- 
ar together in the dry state. Then no 
lumps will be seen. 

If one cannot afford much cream 
when making ice cream, a small quan- 
tity will go farther and be richer if 
whipped or scalded. In summer, milk 
sherbet, made with lemons and gela- 
tin, is inexpensive, very delicious, and 
a refreshing substitute for cream. 

Much can be done at night in prep- 
aration for breakfast. For instance, 
if baked potatoes are to be included 
in the menu, wash them ; and sift flour 
or meal for muffins. 

When we bake apples in the usual 
way, after coring and putting in sug- 
ar and water, the juice rims into the 



,1034 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



dish and is burned or wasted, as it 
naturally will not stay in the hole. Af- 
ter coring, cut the apple in two, and 
make the center of the trench in the 
apple deeper ; fill it with sugar, laying 
the cut half of each one upwards. 

To economize stove space when 
making rice soup I place a cup con- 
taining the rice in the soup kettle. It 
serves the purpose of a double boiler. 
It also prevents scorching or the soup 
boiling over, the latter generally being 
caused by the addition of rice. 

To keep cheese moist, wrap it in a 
soft cloth wrung out of vinegar, and 
keep in an earthen jar, with the cover 
slightly raised. 

To clean lettuce is often a nuisance, 
because of tiny green .insects or their 
eggs in it. Turn on the cold water 
faucet slightly, put your thumb 
against it so the stream squirts with 
force, and hold each leaf, with the 
broad end in the hand, under the water 
for a few seconds. Rinse, and it is 
ready for the table. 

In the cooking departments of wom- 
en's magazines, I find one class of 
housekeepers completely ignored, per- 
haps unwittingly. It comprises the 
millions who inhabit lofty plateaus 
and mountains. Perhaps lowland 
women do not know that we who 
come to these high altitudes (Tellur- 
ide, Colorado), have to learn all over 
again how to cook. I have seen hun- 
dreds of recipes in cookbooks and 
magazines that would fail altogether 
here. For instance — I have boiled po- 
tatoes in Ohio (near the sea level) in 
twenty-five minutes. In Denver, at an 
altitude of five thousand feet, it takes 
thirty-five minutes. In Leadville, Col- 
orado, at ten thousand feet, forty-five 
minutes. This is because of water 
boiling at a lower temperature in 
high altitudes. Where I now live, at 
an altitude of nine thousand feet, I 
boil potatoes nearly an hour in water 
merely at the boiling point, and find 
^ey are not tender, so the water must 



be much hotter than at the boiling 
point to cook them. Other vegetables 
must be cooked longer. It is impossi- 
ble to cook until tender some of the 
garden peas that are on sale here in 
the summer, and we have to depend 
almost wholly on factory canned peas. 

A woman must learn over again to 
bake cake if she has just come from 
a low altitude. No Eastern cookbook 
can be depended upon. The ladies of 
this town have published a cookbook 
of their own reliable recipes. It ia 
eagerly bought by newcomers from 
low; altitudes. In baking cake, you 
must use more flour and less short- 
ening. 

Nothing else sweetens vessels in 
which milk has been kept so well as a 
solution of baking soda and hot wa- 
ter, in the proportion of a level tea- 
spoonful to a quart of warm water. 
Let the solution stand in the vessels 
long enough to get cold. Pudding 
dishes or pots and pans which have 
been burned are easily cleaned this 
way. 

If the refrigerator is stored away 
and the cellar is warm from the heat- 
ing plant there, an excellent way to 
keep lettuce crisp and tender, is to 
wrap each head separately in a piece 
of old linen, wet in cold water. Mois- 
ten the linen every day, and you can 
keep lettuce for two weeks. The in- 
ner leaves will be yellow and crisp, 
and there will be no wasting of outer 
leaves. 

Sometimes it is impossible to obtain 
sour milk for a favorite dish. A 
mountain mine cook told me his meth- 
od of obtaining sour milk was to di- 
lute condensed milk, which is invaria- 
bly used at the mines, until it was 
like ordinary skimmed milk. Then he 
added a little sugar, and kept it in a 
warm place until it soured, even clab- 
bered. 

When using lemons in a way that 
does not call for the rind, I pare off ' 
the yellow portion carefully, put it 



SOME KITCHEN KINKS 



1035 



through the meat chopper with the 
finest plate, and spread it out to dry. 
Then I put into a corked bottle, and 
it frequently saves grating peel when 
one is in a hurry, or makes a pleasant 
flavoring when a fresh lemon is not at 
hand. 

Wash and slice ten stalks of rhu- 
barb, cut and core three medium- 
sized apples, then stew apples and 
rhubarb together. Hang up in a jelly 
bag. For every pint of juice take a 
pint of sugar; boil till it jellies and 
pour into tumblers. 

If you cut cheese in long strips and 
put in a glass jar, screwing the 
lid on tight, it will keep fresh till 
the last bit is used. It can be kept 
in the ice box in this way without 
harming other food. 

When I use oranges or lemons, if 
the rind is fresh and wholesome, I 
pare it thin, so as to get none of the 
bitter white inner skin, and put it 
in a glass jar of granulated sugar. 
When the sugar has absorbed enough 
oil of the fruit skin to make it moist, 
it is ready to use for flavoring cakes, 
puddings, etc. The bits of rind give 
a delicious flavor to pudding sauces. 

If you wish to prevent citron, 
raisins, or currants from sinking to 
the bottom of your cake, have them 
well warmed in the oven before add- 
ing them to the batter. 

When spinach and dandelion are 
expensive, try cooking celery leaves 
exactly as you would other greens, 
boiling them in salted water, then 
chopping slightly and seasoning with 
butter, pepper, and salt. By saving 
the leaves from three or four bunches 
and keeping them bouquet fashion, 
with their stalks in water, you may 
soon accumulate enough leaves for a 
small, savory dish of celery greens. 

Here are some uses for salt: To 
beat eggs quickly add a pinch of salt. 
This also applies when whipping 



cream. Place salt in the oven under 
the baking tins, in order to prevent 
the scorching of their contents. Put 
salt in the water when you wish to 
cool a dish quickly. Use salt to re- 
move ink stains from carpet, when 
the ink is fresh. Salt sprinkled on the 
pantry shelves wiU drive away ants. 

Before cooking mushrooms I al- 
ways distinguish them from poison- 
ous fungi by sprinkling salt on the 
spongy part, or gills. If they turn 
yellow, they are poisonous; if black, 
they are wholesome. 

Boil oyster plant, parsnips, and 
such vegetables, with thin skins on; 
then peel when cold. The flavor is 
preserved and your hands are not 
stained. 

For boiling meats I always use a 
lard can in preference to a kettle. 
For & smaller piece of meat, or a 
chicken, there is nothing better than 
a tin bucket with a tight-fitting cover. 
It confines the steam and not only 
cooks more quickly, but the meat is 
juicier and more tender. 

When poaching eggs add a little 

vinegar to the water, besides salt. 

This sets the eggs and keeps them 
in good shape. 

A pinch of soda, put in green 
vegetables while they are boiling, acts 
like magic. It makes string-beans 
deliciously tender; it keeps the fine 
color of spring peas, while a more 
generous pinch performs a miracle for 
cabbage, causing it to cook in about 
half the usual time, and keeping it as 
fresh and green as when it came from 
the garden. 

In making mayonnaise, I find that 
using vinegar which has been poured 
over pickles, beets, or cucumbers, in- 
stead of fresh vinegar, adds a pleas- 
ant flavor to salads. 

If pastry is considered unwhole- 
some, those who are fond of pump- 



1036 



MRS. CURTIS'S COOKBOOK 



kin or squash pies will find a good 
substitute by baking them as cus- 
tards. I use the same recipe as for 
a filling for a pie, only add a little 
more milk, then bake it in custard 
cups set in a pan of water. The re- 
sult is a creamy, delicious dessert. 

When steaming a pudding, place 
the steamer over the saucepan in 
which you are boiling potatoes. One 
gas burner will cook both pudding 
and potatoes. 

When beating eggs separately beat 
the white first, then " steal " a little 
bit of it to start the yolks. The re- 
sult is the yolks will not stick to the 
beater, as is generally the case, and 
they will get light twice as quickly. 

To insure success with salt-rising 
bread in cold weather, keep the night 
yeast in a box of hay. A small wooden 
box with a close-fitting lid is best for 
this purpose. Put hay into the bot- 
tom of the box and around the sides. 
In the middle of this set your yeast, 
then cover with hay. This will keep 
the yeast from a chill. Good bread 
will be the result. 

When serving afternoon tea, try 
using 'slices of orange instead of the 
inevitable lemon. The flavor is very 
delicious, especially when combined 
with green tea. Fresh sliced cucum- 
bers also give an agreeable flavor to 
hot tea if a dash of rum be added to 
the beverage. 

Set a glass of jelly in a pan of 
boiling water for two minutes or 
more. Let the water reach to the 
top of the glass. Then plunge into 
cold water. Take it out of that im- 
mediately and turn bottom up on a 
cut-glass nappy or saucer. It will be 
prettily molded. 

To grind coffee and soak it some 
hours before boiling is a decided 
economy, but it must not be soaked 
in the pot. The acid in the coffee 
acting on the metal got turns the 



coffee dark and gives it an unpleas- 
ant flavor. You can easily test this 
at breakfast time by putting a drop 
of coffee on the steel carver. Soak 
the coffee in a closed earthen vessel. 

I save all paraffin paper from 
cracker boxes and cut it up to fit cake 
tins. After a pan is greased I put a 
sheet of paper in the bottom, and it 
keeps the cake from sticking to the 
pan. It is better to let the paper 
stay on cake after it is baked, until it 
is cold, unless frosting is to be used. 

Corn-meal mush will brown very 
quickly when fried, if a little sugar 
is put in the water while boiling. 

When mixing mustard, add a few 
drops of oil or sweet oil. This will 
prevent the unsightly black surface 
of the interior of your mustard jar. 
The paste will retain its original 
bright yellow color as long as a par- 
ticle remains. 

New popcorn, or popcorn that is 
damp, should not be dried out before 
popping, as is usually done. If you 
have recently gathered your corn, or 
if it has been left in a damp room, 
and you wish to use it right away,, 
shell a few ears and put it in a bowl 
of water for ten minutes. It will pop 
readily, and the flakes wiU be crisp 
and nice. 

When picking a fowl, particularly 
if there are many pin feathers, the 
work can be simplified by plunging it 
into hot water for a few seconds, 
then wrapping in a piece of burlap 
and allowing it to stand for three or 
four minutes. When picking, uncover 
only a portion at a time, so that the 
rest will remain warm and damp, and 
the feathers, great and small, can be 
stripped off in an amazingly short 
time. 

Use lemon peel, after the juice has 
been partly squeezed out, to rub 
stains from silverware; also to re- 
move fruit stains from your fingers. 



SOME KITCHEN KINES 



1037 



If you do not want liquor in your 
mince meat, use one pint of clear, 
strong cotfee to each gallon of mince 
meat. 

Warm jelly glasses before putting 
in the jelly, as it helps it to thicken, 
or set them in the sun.. 



As a relish and a garnish to serve 
with a light meat course, such as 
chicken croquettes or timbales, noth- 
ing is more refreshing than small in- 
dividual molds of verj^ tart lemon 
jelly, in which are molded a few nut 
meats. The jelly can be tinted to 
carr^ out any color scheme. 



APPENDIX CHAPTER I 



ECONOMICAL USE OF MEAT IN THE HOME* 

By 
C. F. LANGWORTHY, Ph.D. 

Expert in Charge of Nutrition Investigations, Office of Experiment Stations 

AND 

CAROLINE L. HUNT, A.B. 

Expert in Nutrition, Office of Experiment Stations 



GENERAL METHODS OE PREPAR- 
ING MEAT rOR THE TABLE 



The advantages of variety in the 
methods of preparing and serving 
are to be considered even more seri- 
ously in the cooking of the cheaper 
cuts than in the cooking of the more 
expensive ones, and yet even in this 
connection it is a mistake to lose 
sight of the fact that, though there 
is a great variety of dishes, the proc- 
esses involved are few in number. 

An experienced teacher of cooking, 
a woman who has made very valu- 
able contributions to the art of cook- 
ery by showing that most of the 
numerous processes outlined and 
elaborately described in the cook 
books can be classified under a very 
few heads, says that she tries "to 
reduce the cooking of meat to its 
lowest terms and teach only three 
ways of cooking. The first is the 
application of intense heat to keep 
in the juices. This is suitable only 
for portions of clear meat where the 
fibers are tender. By the second 
method the meats are put in cold 
water and cooked at a low tempera- 
ture. This is suitable for bone, gris- 
tle, and the toughest portions of the 
meat, which for this purpose should 
be divided into small bits. The third 
is a combination of these two proc- 

* U. S. Department of Agriculture. 

1039 



esses and consists of searing and 
then stewing the meat. This is suit- 
able for halfway cuts, i. e., those that 
are neither tender nor very tough." 
The many varieties of meat dishes 
are usually only a matter of flavor 
and garnish. 

In other words, of the three proc- 
esses the first is the short method; 
it aims to keep all the juices within 
the meat. The second is a very long 
method employed for the purpose of 
getting all or most of the juices out. 
The third is a combination of the two 
not so long as the second and yet re- 
quiring so much time that there is 
danger of the meat being rendered 
tasteless unless certain precautions 
are taken such as searing in hot fat 
or plunging into boiling water. 

It is commonly said that the 
cooked meat fibers are harder or less 
tender than the raw, which seems a 
natural assumption since the meat 
protein, like egg albumen, is coagu- 
lated by heat, and furthermore, the 
water is forced out from the in- 
dividual muscle fibers and they are 
shortened and thickened by the ap- 
plication of heat. * * * 

A good idea of the changes which 
take place while meat is being cooked 
can be obtained by examining a 
piece of flesh which has been "cooked 
to pieces," as the saying goes. In 



Farmers' Bulletin No. 391. 



1040 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



this the muscular fibers may be seen 
completely separated one from an- 
other, showing that the connective 
tissue has been destroyed. It is also 
evident that the fibers themselves are 
of different texture from those in the 
raw meat. In preparing meat for 
the table it is usual to stop short of 
the point of disintegration, but while 
the long process of cooking is going 
on the connective tissue is gradually 
softening and the fibers are gradu- 
ally changing in texture. The for- 
mer is the thing to be especially de- 
sired, but the latter is not. For this 
reason it is necessary to keep the 
temperature below the boiling point 
and as low as is consistent with 
thorough cooking, for cooks seem 
agreed, as the result of experience 
shows, that slow gentle cooking re- 
sults in better texture than is the 
case when meat is boiled rapidly. 
This is the philosophy that lies back 
of the simmering process. 

When meat is cooked by roasting, 
broiling, or any other similar proc- 
ess the meat juices brown with the 
fat, producing substances which to 
most of us are agreeable to the 
senses of smell and taste alike. 
When meats are cooked in hot water 
such highly flavored substances are 
not so evident to the sense of smell, 
but nevertheless bodies of agreeable 
flavor which are perceptible to the 
palate are developed in the meat dur- 
ing the cooking process and are of 
similar value in promoting digestion. 

The chief loss in weight when meat 
is cooked is due to the driving off 
of water. When beef is cooked by 
pan broiling — that is, searing in a 
hot, greased pan, a common cooking 
process — no great loss of nutrition 
results, particularly if the fat and 
other substances adhering to the pan 
are utilized in the preparation of 
gravy. When beef is cooked by boil- 
ing, there is a loss of 3 to 20 per 
cent of material present, though this 
is not an actual loss if the broth is 
utilized for soup oi* in some similar 
way. Even in the case of meat which 
is used for the preparation of beef 



tea or broth, the losses of nutritive 
material are apparently small though 
much of the flavoring matter has 
been removed. The amount of fat 
found in broth varies directly with 
the amount originally present in the 
meat; the fatter the meat the greater 
the quantity of fat in the broth. The 
loss of water in cooking varies in- 
versely with the fatness of the meat; 
that is, the fatter the meat the smal- 
ler the shrinkage due to loss of wa- 
ter. In cooked meat the loss of 
various constituents is inversely pro- 
portional to the size of the cut. In 
other words, the smaller the piece of 
meat the greater the percentage of 
loss. Loss also appears to be de- 
pendent somewhat upon the length 
of time the cooking is continued. 
When pieces of meat weighing 1% 
to 5 pounds are cooked in water 
somewhat under the boiling point 
there appears to be little difference 
in the amount of material found in 
broth whether the meat is placed in 
cold water or hot water at the be- 
ginning of the cooking period. When 
meat is roasted in the oven the 
amount of material removed is some- 
what affected by the character of the 
roasting pan and similar factors, 
thus the total loss in weight is natur- 
ally greater in an open than in a 
closed pan as the open pan offers 
more opportunity for the evapora- 
tion of water. Judging from the 
average results of a considerable 
number of tests it appears that a 
roast weighing 6 pounds raw should 
weigh 5 pounds after cooking, or in 
other words the loss is about one- 
sixth of the original weight. This 
means that if the raw meat costs 20 
cents per pound the cooked would 
represent an increase of 4 cents a 
pound on the original cost; but this , 
increase would of course be lessened Ij 
if all the drippings and gravy are • 
utilized. With the quantities used in 
the ordinary home the relative losses 
sustained in different methods of 
cooking meat are not great enough 
to be of particular importance with 
reference to economical management. 



APPENDIX 



1041 



However, in public institutions where 
a small saving per day for each in- 
mate represents a large item in the 
course of a year, it may be desir- 
able to select methods involving the 
least loss, which would mean that the 
advantage would lie with stewing 
and boiling rather than with broiling 
and roasting, so far as the relative 
losses of material are concerned. 
The relative economy of different 
methods of cookery depends very 
greatly upon the kind of fuel, the 
form of stove and oven, and other 
similar factors. These vary so much 
under different home conditions that 
it is difficult to draw general deduc- 
tions though the subject has often 
been investigated. However, it may 
be said that it is often possible to 
effect a saving if the housewife can 
so plan the cooking of meat and 
other foods as to take full advan- 
tage of the heat supplied by the 
fuel used, 

REDUCING THE EXPENSE FOR 
MEAT IN THE DIET 

The expense for meat in the home 
may be reduced * * * by care- 
ful attention to the use of meat, 
bone, fat, and small portions com- 
monly trimmed off and thrown away 
and the utilization of left-over por- 
tions of cooked meat; and the use 
of the less expensive kinds. 

TJTIIIZING THE FAT, BONE, AND 
TRIMMINGS IN MEATS, AND THE 
LEFT-OVER COLD MEATS 

In the percentage of fat present 
in different kinds and cuts of meat, 
a greater difference exists than in the 
percentage of proteids. The lowest 
percentage of fat ordinarily found in 
meat is 8.1 per cent, as in the 
shank of beef; the highest is 32 
per cent in pork chops. The high- 
est priced cuts, loin and ribs of 
beef, contain 20 to 25 per cent. If 
the fat of the meat is not eaten at 
the table, and is not utilized other- 
wise, a pecuniary loss results. If 



butter is the fat used in making 
crusts for meat pies, and in prepar- 
ing the cheaper cuts, there is little 
economy involved; the fats from 
other meat should therefore be saved, 
as they may be used in place of but- 
ter in such cases, as well as in pre- 
paring many other foods. The fat 
from sausage or from the soup ket- 
tle, or from a pot roast, which is 
savory because it has been cooked 
with vegetables, is particularly ac- 
ceptable. Sometimes savory vegeta- 
bles, onion, or sweet herbs are added 
to fat when it is tried out to give 
it flavor. 

Some illustidtions of methods of 
preparing such cooking fats follow: 

Trying Out Fat. — A double boiler 
is the best utensil to use in trying 
out small portions of fat. There is 
no danger of burning the fat and 
the odor is much less noticeable than 
if it is heated in a dish set directly 
over the fire. 

Clarifying Fat. — Excepting where 
the purpose of clarifying fat is to 
remove flavors, a good method to fol- 
low is to pour boiling water over the 
fat, to boil thoroughly, and then to 
set it away to cool. The cold fat 
may be removed in a solid cake and 
any impurities clinging to it may be 
scraped off, as they will be found at 
the bottom of the layer. By repeat- 
ing this process two or three times 
a cake of clean, white fat may be 
obtained. 

A slight burned taste or similar 
objectionable flavors often can be re- 
moved from fat by means of pota- 
toes. After melting the fat, put into 
it thick slices of raw potato; heat 
gradually. When the fat ceases to 
bubble and the potatoes are brown, 
strain through a cloth placed in a 
wire strainer. 

Savory Drippings. — When render- 
ing the drippings of fat meat, add 
a small onion (do not cut it), a few 
leaves of summer savory and thyme, 
a teaspoonful of salt, and a little 
pepper. This is enough for a pint 
of fat. Keep the drippings covered 
and in a cool place. 



1042 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



TJses for Bones. — Almost any meat 
bones can be used in soup making, 
and if the meat is not all removed 
from them the soup is better. But 
some bones, especially the rib bones, 
if they have a little meat left on 
them, can be grilled or roasted into 
very palatable dishes. The "spare- 
rib" of southern cooks is made of 
the rib bones from a roast of pork, 
and makes a favorite dish when well 
browned. The braised ribs of beef 
often served in high-class restau- 
rants are made from the bones cut 
from rib roasts. In this connection 
it may be noted that many of the 
dishes popular in good hotels are 
made of portions of meat such as 
are frequently thrown away in pri- 
vate houses, but which with proper 
cooking and seasoning make attrac- 
tive dishes and give most acceptable 
variety to the menu. An old recipe 
for "broiled bones" directs that the 
bones (beef ribs or sirloin bones on 
which the meat is not left too thick 
in any part) be sprinkled with salt 
and pepper (Cayenne), and broiled 
over a clear fire until browned. An- 
other example of the use of bones is 
boiled marrow bone. The bones are 
cut in convenient lengths, the ends 
covered with a little piece of dough 
over which a floured cloth is tied, and 
cooked in boiling water for two 
hours. After removing the cloth and 
dough, the bones are placed up- 
right on toast and served. Pre- 
pared as above, the bones may also 
be baked in a deep dish. Marrow 
is sometimes removed from bones 
after cooking, seasoned, and served 
on toast. 

Trimmings from meat may be util- 
ized in various "made dishes," of 
which examples will be given further 
on, or they can always be put to good 
use in the soup kettle. It is surpris- 
ing how many economies may be 
practiced in such ways and also in 
the table use of left-over portions of 
cooked meat if attention is given to 
the matter. Many of the recipes 
given in this bulletin involve the use 
of left-overs. Others will suggest 



themselves or may be found in all 
the usual cookery books. 

Extending the Flavor of Meat. — 
Common household methods of ex- 
tending the meat flavor through a 
considerable quantity of material 
which would otherwise be lacking in 
distinctive taste are to serve the meat 
with dumplings, generally in the dish 
with it, to combine the meat with 
crusts, as in meat pies or meat rolls, 
or to serve the meat on toast and 
biscuits. Borders of rice, hominy, or 
mashed potatoes are examples of the 
same principles applied in different 
ways. By serving some preparation 
of flour, rice, hominy, or other food 
rich in starch with the meat we get 
a dish which in itself approaches 
nearer to the balanced ration than 
meat alone and one in which the meat 
flavor is extended through a large 
amount of the material. 

Throughout the measurements given 
in the recipe call for a level spoonful 
or a level cupful, as the case may 
be. 

A number of recipes for meat 
dishes made with dumplings and sim- 
ilar preparations follow: 

Meat Stew with Dumplings. 

Stew. 

5 pounds of a cheaper cut of beef. 

4 cups of potatoes cut into small 
pieces. 

% cup each of turnips and car- 
rots cut into 1/2 -inch cubes. 

% onion, chopped. 

I/4 cup of flour. 

Salt and pepper. 

Cut the meat into small pieces, re- 
moving the fat; try out the fat and 
brown the meat in it. When well 
browned, cover with boiling water, 
boil for five minutes and then cook 
in a lower temperature until the meat 
is done. If tender, this will require 
about three hours on the stove or five 
hours in the fireless cooker. Add 
carrots, turnips, onions, pepper and 
salt during the last hour of cooking, 



APPENDIX 



1043 



and the potatoes fifteen minutes be- 
fore serving. Thicken with the flour 
diluted with cold water. Serve with 
dumplings (see below). If this dish 
is made in the fireless cooker, the 
mixture must be reheated when the 
vegetables are put in. Such a stew, 
may also be made of mutton. If 
veal or pork is used the vegetables 
may be omitted or simply a little 
onion used. Sometimes for variety 
the browning of the meat is dis- 
pensed with. When white meat, such 
as chicken, veal, or fresh pork, is 
used, the gravy is often made rich 
with cream or milk thickened with 
flour. The numerous minor additions 
which may be introduced give the 
great variety of such stews found in 
cookbooks. 

DumplinffS. 

2 cups flour. 

4 teaspoonfuls baking powder. 
% cup milk or a little more if 

needed. 
l^ teaspoonful salt. 

2 teaspoonfuls butter. 

Mix and sift the dry ingredients. 
Work in the butter with, the tips of 
fingers, add milk gradually, roll out 
to a thickness of one-half inch and 
cut with biscuit cutter. In some 
countries it is customary to season 
the dumplings themselves with herbs, 
etc., or to stuff them with bread 
crumbs fried in butter instead of de- 
pending upon the gravy to season 
them. 

A good way to cook dumplings is 
to put them in a buttered steamer 
over a kettle of hot water. They 
should cook from twelve to fifteen 
minutes. If it is necessary to cook 
them with the stew, enough liquid 
should be removed so that they may 
be placed upon the meat and vege- 
tables. 

Sometimes the dough is baked and 
served as biscuits over which the stew 
is poured. If the stew is made with 
chicken or veal it is generally termed 
a fricassee. 



Ragout of Mutton with Farina 
Balls. 

lYz pounds neck of mutton cut into 
small pieces. 
1 tablespoonful butter. 
1 tablespoonful flour. 
1 onion. 

1 carrot. 

Yz can peas. 

2 cups hot water. 

1 teaspoonful salt. 
i/i teaspoonful pepper. 

1 bay leaf. 
Sprig parsley. 

1 clove. 

Farina Balls. 
14 cup farina. 

1 cup milk. 
% teaspoonful salt. 
Ys teaspoonful pepper 
Onion juice. 
Yolk 1 egg. 

Put butter in frying pan. When 
melted add flour and brown. Add 
carrot and onion, cut in dice. Re- 
move vegetables and add meat, sear- 
ing well. To meat and vegetables 
add hot water and seasonings. Put 
in a suitable kettle, cover and simmer 
two hours. Add peas ten minutes 
before serving in a dish with farina 
balls made as follows: 

Cook farina and milk in double 
boiler one hour. Add seasoning and 
well-beaten yolk. Stir well and cool. 
When cold roll into balls. Dip in egg 
and crumbs and fry in deep fat. 
Rice may be used in a similar way. 

MEAT PIES AND SIMILAR DISHES 
Meat pies represent another meth- 
od of combining flour with meat. 
They are ordinarily baked in a fairly 
deep dish the sides of which may or 
may not be lined with dough. The 
cooked meat, cut into small pieces, 
is put into the dish, sometimes with 
small pieces of vegetables, a gravy 
is poured over the meat, the dish is 
covered with a layer of dough, and 
then baked. Most commonly the 
dough is like that used for soda or 



1044 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



cream-of-tartar biscuit, but some- 
times shortened pastry dough, such 
as is made for pies, is used. This 
is especially the case in the fancy in- 
dividual dishes usually called patties. 
Occasionally the pie is covered with 
a potato crust in which case the 
meat is put directly into the dish 
without lining the latter. Stewed 
beef, veal, and chicken are probably 
most frequently used in pies, but any 
kind of meat may be used, or several 
kinds in combination. Pork pies are 
favorite dishes in many rural regions, 
especially at hog-killing time, and 
when well made are excellent. 

If pies are made from raw meat 
and vegetables longer cooking is 
needed than otherwise, and in such 
cases it is well to cover the dish 
with a plate, cook until the pie is 
nearly done, then remove the plate, 
add the crust, and return to the oven 
until the crust is lightly browned. 
Many cooks insist on piercing holes 
in the top crust of a meat pie directly 
it is taken from the oven. 

Twelve O'clock Pie. 

This is made with shoulder of mut- 
ton, boiled with carrot and onion, then 
cut up; mixed with potatoes separately 
boiled and cut up, and put into a bak- 
ing dish. The crust is made by mix- 
ing smoothly mashed potatoes to which 
a tablespoonful of shortening has been 
added, with enough flour and water to 
make them roll out easily. A pie 
made of a pound of meat will re- 
quire 5 or 6 small boiled potatoes, 
a cupful of mashed potatoes, and 8 
or 10 tablespoonsful of flour, and 
should be baked about twenty min- 
utes in a hot oven. Salt, pepper, and 
other seasoning, as onion and carrot, 
may be added to taste. A teaspoon- 
ful of baking powder makes the 
crust lighter. 

Meat and Tomato Pie. 

This dish presents an excellent way 
of using up small quantities of either 
cold beef or cold mutton. If fresh to- 



matoes are used, peel and slice them; 
if canned, drain off the liquid. Place 
a layer of tomato in a baking dish, 
then a layer of sliced meat, and over 
the two dredge flour, pepper and 
salt; repeat until the dish is nearly 
full, then put in an extra layer of 
tomato and cover the whole with a 
layer of pastry or of bread or crack- 
er crumbs. When the quantity of 
meat is small, it may be "helped out" 
by boiled potatoes or other suitable 
vegetables. A few oysters or mush- 
rooms improve the flavor especially 
when beef is used. The pie will need 
to be baked from half an hour to an 
hour according to its size and the 
heat of the oven. 

Meat and Pastry Rolls. 

Small quantities of cold ham, chick- 
en, or other meat may be utilized for 
these. The meat should be chopped 
fine, well seasoned, mixed with enough 
savory fat or butter to make it 
"shape," and formed into rolls about 
the size of a finger. A short dough 
(made, say, of a pint of flour, 2 ta- 
blespoonfuls of lard, 1 teaspoonful 
of baking powder, salt, and milk 
enough to mix) should be rolled thin, 
cut into strips, and folded about 
the meat rolls, care being taken to 
keep the shape regular. The rolls 
should be baked in a quick oven un- 
til they are a delicate brown color 
and served hot. 

Meat Turnovers. 

Almost any kind of chopped meat 
may be used in these, and if the 
quantity on hand is small may be 
mixed with potato or cooked rice. 
This filling should be seasoned to 
taste with salt and pepper, onion, 
or whatever is relished, and laid on 
pieces of short biscuit dough rolled 
thin and cut into circles about the 
size of an ordinary saucer. The 
edges of the dough should be mois- 
tened with white of egg, the dough 
then folded over the meat, and its 
edges pinched closely together. If 



APPENDIX 



1045 



desired, the tops of the turnovers 
may be brushed over with yolk of 
egg before they are placed in the 
oven. About half an hour's baking 
in a hot oven is required. Serving 
with a brown sauce increases the fla- 
vor and moistens the crust. 

MEAT WITH MACARONI AND 
OTHER STARCHY MATERIALS 

Macaroni cooked with chopped 
ham, hash made of meat and pota- 
toes, or meat and rice, meat cro- 
quettes — made of meat and some 
starchy materials like bread crumbs, 
cracker dust, or rice — are other fam- 
iliar examples of meat combined with 
starchy materials. Pilaf, a dish very 
common in the Orient and well known 
in the United States, is of this char- 
acter and easily made. When there 
is soup or soup stock on hand it can 
be well used in the pilaf. 

Turkish Pilaf. 

V2 cup of rice. 

% cup of tomatoes stewed and 
strained. 

1 cup stock or broth. 

3 tablespoonsful of butter. 

Cook the rice and tomatoes with 
the stock in a double boiler until the 
rice is tender, removing the cover 
after the rice is cooked if there is 
too much liquid. Add the butter and 
stir it in with a fork to prevent the 
rice from being broken. A little 
catsup or Chili sauce with water 
enough to make three-quarters of a 
cup may be substituted for the to- 
matoes. This may be served as a 
border with meat, or served separ- 
ately in the place of a vegetable, or 
may make the main dish at a meal, 
as it is savory and reasonably nu- 
tritious. 

Meat Cakes. 

1 pound chopped veal. 
14 pound soaked bread crumbs. 
3 tablespoonfuls savory fat or 
butter. 



1 teaspoonful chopped onion. 
114 teaspoons ful salt. 
Dash of pepper. 

Mix all the ingredients except the 
butter or fat and shape into small 
round cakes. Melt the fat in a bak- 
ing pan and brown the cakes in it, 
first one side and then the other. 
Either cooked or raw veal may be 
used. In the case of raw meat the 
pan should be covered so that the 
heat may be retained to soften the 
meat. 

Stew from Cold Roast. 

This dish provides a good way of 
using up the remnants of a roast, 
either of beef or mutton. The meat 
should be freed from fat, gristle, and 
bones, cut into small pieces, slightly 
salted, and put into a kettle with 
water enough to nearly cover it. It 
should simmer until almost ready to 
break in pieces, when onions and raw 
potatoes, peeled and quartered, 
should be added. A little soup stock 
may also be added if available. Cook 
until the potatoes are done, then 
thicken the liquor or gravy with flour. 
The stew may be attractively served 
on slices of crisp toast. 

Meat with Beans. 

Dry beans are very rich in protein, 
the percentage being fully as large 
as that in meat. Dry beans and other 
similar legumes are usually cooked 
in water, which they absorb, and so 
are diluted before serving; on the 
other hand, meats by the ordinaiy 
methods of cooking are usually de- 
prived of some of the water origin- 
ally present — facts which are often 
overlooked in discussing the matter. 
Nevertheless, when beans are served 
with meat the dish is almost as rich 
in protein as if it consisted entirely 
of meat. 

Pork and beans is such a well- 
known dish that recipes are not need- 
ed. Some cooks use a piece of corned 
mutton or a piece of corned beef in 



1046 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



place of salt or corned pork or bacon 
or use butter or olive oil in prepar- 
ing this dish. 

In the Southern States, where cow- 
peas are a common crop, they are 
cooked in the same way as dried 
beans. Cowpeas baked with salt pork 
or bacon make an excellent dish re- 
sembling pork and beans, but of dis- 
tinctive flavor. Cowpeas boiled with 
ham or with bacon are also well- 
known and palatable dishes. 

Recipes are here given for some 
less common meat and bean dishes: 

Mexican Beef. 

The Mexicans have a dish known 
as "Chili con carne" (meat with Chili 
pepper), the ingredients for which 
one would doubtless have difficulty 
in obtaining except in the southwes- 
tern United States. However, a good 
substitute for it may be made with 
the foods available in all parts of 
the country. The Mexican recipe is 
as follows : 

Remove the seeds from two Chili 
peppers, soak the pods in a pint of 
warm water until they are soft, 
scrape the pulp from the skin and 
add to the water. Cut two pounds 
of be^f into small pieces and brown 
in butter or drippings. Add a clove 
of garlic and the Chili water. Cook 
until the meat is tender, renewing 
the water if necessary. Thicken the 
sauce with flour. Serve with Mexi- 
can beans either mixed with the meat 
or used as a border. 

In the absence of the Chili pep- 
pers, water and Cayenne pepper may 
be used, and onions may be substi- 
tuted for garlic. For the Mexican 
beans, red kidney beans either fresh 
or canned make a good substitute. 
If the canned beans are used they 
should be drained and heated in a 
little savory fat or butter. The 
liquid may be added to the meat 
while it is cooking. If the dried 
beans are used they should be soaked 
until soft, then cooked in water un- 
til tender and rather dry, a little 
butter or dripping and stilt being 



used for seasoning or gravy. White 
or dried Lima beans may be used 
in a similar way. 

Haricot of Mtitton. 

2 tablespoonsful of chopped on- '> 
ions. 

2 tablespoonsful of butter or 
drippings. 

3 cups of water, and salt and 
pepper. 

lyg pounds of lean mutton or 
lamb cut into 2-inch pieces. 

Fry the onions in the butter, add 
the meat, and brown; cover with 
water and cook until the meat is ten- 
der. Serve with a border of Lima 
beans, seasoned with salt, pepper, 
butter, and a little chopped parsley. 
Fresh, canned, dried, or evaporated 
Lima beans may be used in making 
this dish. 



Roast Pork with Cowpeas. 

For this dish a leg of young pork I 
should be selected. With a sharp 
knife make a deep cut in the knuckle 
and fill the opening with sage, pep- 
per, salt, and chopped onion. When 
the roast is half done scar the skin 
but do not cut deeper than the outer 
rind. When the meat is nearly 
cooked pour off the excess of fat and 
add a quart of white cowpeas which 
have been previously parboiled or 
"hulled" and cook slowly until quite 
done and the meat is brown. Apple 
sauce may be served with this dish. 

Meat Salads. 

Whether meat salads are economi- 
cal or not depends upon the way in 
which the materials are utilized. If 
in chicken salad, for example, only 
the white meat of chickens especially 
bought for the purpose and only the 
inside stems of expensive celery are 
used, it can hardly be cheaper than 
plain chicken. But, if portions of 
meat left over from a previous serv- 
ing are mixed with celery grown at 



APPENDIX 



1047 



home, they certainly make an eco- 
nomical dish, and one very acceptable 
to most persons. Cold roast pork 
or tender veal — in fact, any white 
meat can be utilized in the same vi^ay. 
Apples cut into cubes may be sub- 
stituted for part of the celery; many 
cooks consider that with the apple 
the salad takes the dressing better 
than with the celery alone. Many 
also prefer to marinate (i. e., mix 
with a little oil and vinegar) the 
meat and celery or celery and ap- 
ples before putting in the final dress- 
ing, which may be either mayonnaise 
or a good boiled dressing. 

Meat with Eggs. 

Occasionally eggs are combined 
with meat, making very nutritious 
dishes. Whether this is an economy 
or not of course depends on the 
comparative cost of eggs and meat. 

In general, it may be said that 
eggs are cheaper food than meat 
when a dozen cost less than l^/g 
pounds of meat, for a dozen eggs 
weigh about li/^ pounds and the 
proportions of protein and fat which 
they contain are not far diiferent 
from the proportions of these 'nutri- 
ents in the average cut of meat. 
When eggs are 30 cents a dozen they 
compare favorably with round of 
beef at 20 cents a pound. 

Such common dishes as ham and 
eggs, bacon or salt pork and eggs, 
and omelette with minced ham or 
other meat are familiar to all cooks. 

Eoast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding. 

The beef is roasted as usual and 
the pudding made as follows: 

Yorkshire Pudding. 
3 eggs. 
1 pint milk. 
1 cupful flour. 
1 teaspoonful salt. 

Beat the eggs until very light, then 
add the milk. Pour the mixture over 
the flour, add the salt, and beat well. 



Bake in hissing hot gem pans or in 
an ordinary baking pan for forty- 
five minutes, and baste with drip- 
pings from the beef. If gem pans 
are used, they should be placed on 
a dripping pan to protect the floor 
of the oven from the fat. Many 
cooks prefer to bake Yorkshire pud- 
ding in the pan with the meat; in 
this case the roast should be placed 
on a rack and the pudding batter 
poured on the pan under it. 

Corned Beef Hash with Poached 
Eggs. 

A dish popular with many persons 
is corned beef hash with poached 
eggs on top of the hash. A slice of 
toast is sometimes used under the 
hash. This suggests a way of utiliz- 
ing the small amount of corned-beef 
hash which would otherwise be insuf- 
ficient for a meal. 

Housekeepers occasionally use up 
odd bits of other meat in a similar 
way, chopping and seasoning them 
and then warming and serving in in- 
dividual baking cups with a poached 
or shirred egg on each. 

Ham and Poached Eggs with Cream 
Sauce. 

A more elaborate dish of meat and 
eggs is made by placing a piece of 
thinly sliced boiled ham on a round 
of buttered toast, a poached egg on 
the ham, and covering with a highly 
seasoned cream or a Hollandaise 
sauce. A slice of tongue may be 
used instead of the ham. If pre- 
ferred, a well-seasoned and rather 
thick tomato sauce or curry sauce 
may be used. 

Stuffing or Forcemeat. 

Another popular way to extend the 
flavor of meat over a large amount 
of food is by the use of stuffing or 
forcemeat (a synonym more common 
in England than in the United 
States). As it is impossible to in- 
troduce much stuffing into some 



1048 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



pieces of meat even if the meat is 
cftt to make a pocket for it, it is 
often well to prepare more than can 
be put into the meat and to cook the 
remainder in the pan beside the meat. 
Some cooks cover the extra stuffing 
with buttered paper while it is cook- 
ing and baste it at intervals. 

Some recipes for meat dishes of 
this character follow, and others will 
be found in cookbooks. 

Mock Duck. 

Mock duck is made by placing on 
a round steak a stuffing of bread 
crumbs well seasoned with chopped 
onions, butter, chopped suet or drip- 
ping, salt, pepper, and a little sage, 
if the flavor is relished. The steak 
is then rolled around the stuffing and 
tied with a string in several places. ^ 
If the steak seems tough, the roll is 
steamed or stewed until tender be- 
fore roasting in the oven until brown. 
Or it may be cooked in a casserole or 
other covered dish, in which case a 
cupful or more of water or soup- 
stock should be poured around the 
meat. Mock duck is excellent served 
with currant or other acid jelly. 

Mock Wild Duck. 

1 flank steak, or 

11/2 pounds round steak cut ^4" 
inch thick. 

2 lamb kidneys. 

y^ cup butter or drippings. 
1/3 cup cracker crumbs. 
1 tablespoonful minced onion. 
Salt, pepper, and powdered 
thyme, sage, and savory. 

3 tablespoonsful flour. 
1 tablespoonful sugar. 

3 cupfuls water or stock. 

Trim the kidneys of all fat, cords, 
and veins. Cut into small pieces and 
spread evenly over one side of the 
steak together with the crumbs, 
onion, and seasonings. Roll and tie 
with a cord. Brown the roll in fat, 
then remove and make a gravy by 
heating the flour in the fat and add- 



ing three cupfuls of stock or water 
and the sugar. Put the meat into the 
gravy and cook slowly until tender 
in a covered baking dish, a steamer, 
or a fireless cooker. If steamed or \ 
cooked in a fireless cooker, the roll 
should be browned in the oven before 
serving. 

Veal or Beef Birds. 

A popular dish known as veal or 
beef birds or by a variety of special 
names is made by taking small pieces 
of meat, each just large enough for 
an individual serving, and preparing 
them in the same way as the mock 
duck is prepared. 

Sometimes variety is introduced by 
seasoning the stuffing with chopped 
olives or tomato. Many cooks pre- 
pare their "birds" by browning in a 
little fat, then adding a little water, 
covering closely and simmering until 
tender. 

UTILIZING THE CHEAPER CUTS 
or MEAT IN PALATABLE DISHES 

When the housekeeper attempts to 
reduce her meat bill by using the less 
expensive cuts, she commonly has two 
difficulties to contend with — tough- 
ness and lack of flavor. It has been 
shown how prolonged cooking soft- 
ens the connective tissues of the 
meat. Pounding the meat and chop- 
ping it are also employed with tough 
cuts, as they help to break the mus- 
cle fibers. As for flavor, the natural 
flavor of meat even in the least de- 
sirable cuts may be developed by 
careful cooking, notably by brown- 
ing the surface, and other flavors 
may be given by the addition of veg- 
etables and seasoning with condi- 
ments of various kinds. 

Methods of preparing inexpensive 
meat dishes will be discussed and 
practical directions for them will be 
given in the following sections. As 
often happens, two or three methods 
may be illustrated by the same dish, 
but the attempt has been made to 
group the recipes according to their 
most salient feature. 



APPENDIX 



1049 



Prolonged Cooking at Low Heat. 

Meat may be cooked in water in 
a number of ways without being al- 
lowed to reach the boiling point. 
With the ordinary kitchen range this 
is accomplished by cooking on the 
cooler part of the stove rather than 
on the hottest part, directly over the 
fire. Experience with a gas stove, 
particularly if it has a small burner 
known as a "simmerer," usually en- 
ables the cook to maintain tempera- 
tures which are high enough to ster- 
ilize the meat if it has become acci- 
dentally contaminated in any way 
and to make it tender without hard- 
ening the fibers. The double boiler 
would seem to be a neglected uten- 
sil for this purpose. Its contents 
can easily be kept up to a tempera- 
ture of 200° F., and nothing will 
burn. Another method is by means 
of the tireless cooker. In this a high 
temperature can be maintained for 
a long time without the application 
of fresh heat. Still another method 
is by means of a closely covered bak- 
ing dish. Earthenware dishes of this 
kind suitable for serving foods as 
well as for cooking are known as 
casseroles. For cooking purjaoses a 
baking dish covered with a plate or 
a bean jar covered with a saucer may 
be substituted. The Aladdin oven has 
long been popular for the purpose 
of preserving temperatures which 
are near the boiling point and yet 
do not reach it. It is a thoroughly 
insulated oven which may be heated 
by a kerosene lamp or a gas jet. 

In this connection directions are 
given for using some of the toughest 
and least promising pieces of meat. 

Stewed Shin of Beef. 

« 

4 pounds of shin of beef. 

1 medium sized onion. 

1 whole clove and a small bay 

leaf. 
1 sprig of parsley. 
1% tablespoonfuis of flour. 
1 small slice of carrot. 
y^ tablespoonful of salt. 



y^ teaspoonful of pepper. 
2 quarts of boiling water. 
1% tablespoonfuls of butter or 
savory drippings. 

Have the butcher cut the bone in 
several pieces. Put all the ingredi- 
ents but the flour and butter into a 
stewpan and bring to a boil. Set 
the pan where the liquid will just 
simmer for six hours, or after boil- 
ing for five or ten minutes, put all 
into the fireless cooker for eight or 
nine hours. With the butter, flour, 
and one-half cupful of the clear soup 
from which the fat has been re- 
moved, make a brown sauce; to this 
add the meat, the marrow removed 
from the bone. Heat and serve. The 
remainder of the liquid in which the 
meat has been cooked may be used 
for soup. 

Boiled Beef with Horse-radish 
Sauce. 

Plain boiled beef may also be 
served with horse-radish sauce, and 
makes a palatable dish. A little 
chopped parsley sprinkled over the 
meat when served is considered an 
improvement by many persons. For 
the sake of variety the meat may be 
browned like pot roast before serv- 
ing. 

Scotch Broth. 

3 pounds mutton. 

2 tablespoonsful of pearl barley. 

2 tablespoonsful of minced on- 
ion. 

2 tablespoonsful of minced tur- 
nip. 

2 tablespoonsful of minced car- 
rot. 

2 tablespoonsful of minced cel- 
ery. 

2 tablespoonsful of salt. 
1 teaspoonful of pepper. 

1 tablespoonful of minced pars- 
ley. 

3 quarts cold water. 

Remove the bones and all the fat 
from the mutton, cut the meat into 



1050 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



small pieces and put it into a stew- 
pan with the water, chopped veg- 
etables, barley, and all the seasoning 
excepting the parsley. It will be 
found convenient to tie the bones in 
a piece of thin white cloth before 
adding them to the other ingredients. 
Bring the stew to a boil, quickly 
skim it and allow it to simmer for 
three hours, thicken with the flour, 
and add the chopped parsley. 

Stuffed Heart. 

Wash the heart thoroughly inside 
and out, stuff with the following 
mixture, and sew up the opening: 
One cup broken bread dipped in fat 
and browned in the oven, 1 chopped 
onion, and salt and pepper to taste. 

Cover the heart with water and 
simmer until tender or boil ten min- 
utes and set in the fireless cooker for 
six or eight hours. Remove from 
the water about one-half hour before 
serving. Dredge with flour, pepper, 
and salt, or sprinkle with crumbs and 
bake until brown. 



Braised Beef, Pot Boast, and Beef 
a la Mode. 

The above names are given to 
dishes made from the less tender 
cuts of meat. They vary little either 
in composition or method of prepar- 
ation. In all cases the meat is 
browned on the outside to increase 
the flavor and then cooked in a small 
amount of water in a closely cov- 
ered kettle or other receptacle until 
tender. The flavor of the dish is 
secured by browning the meat and 
by the addition of the seasoning veg- 
etables. Many recipes suggest that 
the vegetables be removed before 
serving and the liquid be thickened. 
As the vegetables are usually ex- 
tremely well seasoned by means of 
the browned fat and the extracts 
of the meat, it seems unfortunate 
not to serve them. 

Of course, the kind, quality, and 
shape of the meat all play their part 
in the matter. Extra time is needed 



for meats with a good deal of sinew 
and tough fibers such as the tough 
steaks, shank cuts, etc.; and natur- 
ally a fillet of beef, or a steak from 
a prime cut, will take less time than 
a thick piece from the shin. Such 
dishes require more time and per- 
haps more skill in their preparation 
and may involve more expense for 
fuel than the more costly cuts, which 
like chops or tender steaks may be 
quickly cooked, but to the epicure, 
as well as to the average man, they 
are palatable when rightly prepared. 

Bean-pot Boast. 

3 pounds mutton (shoulder), or 
3 pounds round, or chuck steak. 
1 cup carrots cut into small 

pieces. 
1 cup potatoes cut into small 

pieces. 
y^ cup sliced onion. 

Cover the meat with boiling water. 
Place the cover on the bean pot and 
let the meat cook in a moderate oven 
for two hours; then add the vegeta- 
bles cut in half -inch cubes, with 3 
teaspoonfuls salt; cook until the veg- 
etables are tender, which will require 
about one hour; then serve, pouring 
a sauce over the meat, made from 1 
cup of the liquid in which the meat 
was cooked, thickened with 2 table- 
spoonsful of flour. 

Hungarian Goulash. 

3 pounds top round of beef. 

A little flour. 

2 ounces salt pork. 

2 cups tomatoes. 

1 stalk celery. 

1 onion. 

^bay leaves. 

6 whole cloves. 

6 peppercorns. 

1 blade mace. 

Cut the beef into 2-inch pieces and 
sprinkle with flour; fry the salt pork 
until light brown; add the beef and 
cook slowly for about thiyty-five 



APPENDIX 



1051 



minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover 
with water and simmer about two 
hours; season with salt and pepper 
or paprika. 

From the vegetables and spices a 
sauce is made as follows: Cook in 
sufficient water to cover for twenty 
minutes; then rub through a sieve, 
and add to some of the stock in 
which the meat was cooked. Thicken 
with flour, using 2 tablespoonsful 
(moistened with cold water) to each 
cup of liquid, and season with salt 
and paprika. 

Serve the meat on a platter with 
the sauce poured over it. Potatoes, 
carrots, and green peppers cooked 
until tender, and cut into small 
pieces or narrow strips, are usually 
sprinkled over the dish when served, 
and noodles may be arranged in a 
border upon the platter. 

Goulash is a Hungarian dish which 
has come to be a favorite in the 
United States. 

Casserole Cookery. 

A casserole is a heavy earthenware 
dish with a cover. A substitute for 
it can easily be improvised by using 
any heavy earthenware dish with a 
heavy plate for the cover. A casser- 
ole presentable enough in appearance 
to be put on the table serves the 
double purpose of baking and serv- 
ing dish. 

A suitable cut of beef or veal, and 
it may well be one of the cheaper 
cuts, as the long, slow cooking in- 
sures tenderness, may be cooked in 
a casserole. 

Poultry and other meats besides 
beef or veal can be cooked in this 
manner. Chicken cooked in a cas- 
serole, which is a favorite and ex- 
pensive dish in good hotels and 
restaurants, may be easily prepared 
in the home, and casserole cookery 
is to be recommended for tough 
chicken. 

The heat must be moderate and the 
cooking must occupy a long time. 
Hurried cooking in a casserole is out 
of the question. If care is taken in 



this particular, and suitable season- 
ings are used, few who know any- 
thing of cooking should go astray. 

Chopped meat also may be cooked 
in a casserole and this utensil is par- 
ticularly useful for the purpose, be- 
cause the food is served in the same 
dish in which it is cooked and may 
easily be kept hot, a point which is 
important with chopped meats, which 
usually cool rapidly. 

Casserole Roast. 

3 or 4 pounds of round or rump 
of beef. 

A slice of salt pork. 

A few peppercorns. 

One-fourth each of a carrot, a 
turnip, an onion, and a head 
of celery cut into small pieces. 

Try out the pork. Brown the meat 
on both sides in the fat. Put in a 
casserole with the vegetables around 
it, add 2 cupsful of water or stock. 
Cover and cook in a hot oven three 
hours, basting occasionally. A sauce 
or gravy can be made with water, 
flour, and some of the juice left in 
the casserole. 

Casserole or Italian Hash. 

Boil one-fourth pound of macar- 
oni, drain and put into a buttered 
casserole, add a little butter and 
grated cheese. Push the macaroni to 
the sides of the dish and fill the cen- 
ter with chopped cooked meat sea- 
soned to suit the taste of the family. 
A little sausage gives a good flavor 
to this dish. Place in the oven until 
hot throughout and serve. 

A very good modification of this 
is made by using raw instead of 
cooked meat. For this one-half 
pound of round steak is sufficient for 
a family of six. This should be cut 
into small pieces, browned, and 
cooked until tender in water with the 
onions and other seasonings. An hour 
before the cooking is complete, add 
one-half can of tomatoes. Before 
serving, the meat may be mixed with 
the sauce, and the whole is poured 
over the macaroni. 



105^ 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



MEAT COOKED WITH VINEGAR 

Dishes of similar sort as regards 
cooking, but in which vinegar is used 
to give flavor as well as to soften the 
meat and make it tender, are the 
following: 

Sour Beef. 

Take a piece of beef from the 
rump or the lower round, cover with 
vinegar or with a half-and-half mix- 
ture of vinegar and water, add sliced 
onion, bay leaves, and a few mixed 
whole spices and salt, Allow to stand 
a week in winter or three or four 
days in summer; turn once a day 
and keep covered. When ready to 
cook, brown the meat in fat, using 
an enameled iron pan, strain the 
liquid over it and cook until tender; 
thicken the gravy with flour or gin- 
ger snaps (which may be broken up 
first), strain it, and pour over the 
sliced meat. Some cooks add cream. 

Sour Beefsteak. 

Round steak may be cooked in 
water in which there is a little vine- 
gar, or if the time is sufficient, it 
may be soaked for a few hours in 
vinegar and water and then cooked 
in a casserole or in some similar way. 

POUNDED MEAT 

Pounding meat before cooking is 
an old-fashioned method of making 
it tender, but while it has the advan- 
tage of breaking down the tough tis- 
sues it has the disadvantage of being- 
likely to drive out the juices and 
with them the flavor. A very good 
way of escaping this difficulty is 
pounding flour into the meat; this 
catches and retains the juices. Be- 
low are given the recipes for two 
palatable dishes in which this is done: 

Farmer Stew. 

Pound flour into both sides of a 
round steak, using as much as the 
meat will take up. This may be 
done with a meat pounder or with 
the edge of a heavy plate. Fry in 



drippings, butter, or other fat in a 
Scotch bowl, or if more convenient 
in an ordinary iron kettle or a fry- 
ing pan; then add water enough to 
cover it. Cover the dish very tightly 
so that the steam can not escape and 
allow the meat to simmer for two 
hours or until it is tender. One ad- 
vantage of this dish is that ordinarily 
it is ready to serve when the meat is 
done as the gravy is already thick- 
ened. However, if a large amount 
of fat is dsed in the frying, the 
gravy may not be thick enough and 
must be blended with flour. 

Spanish Beefsteak. 

Take a piece of round steak weigh- 
ing 2 pounds and about an inch 
thick; pound until thin, season with 
salt and Cayenne pepper, cover with 
a layer of bacon or salt pork, cut 
into thin slices, roll and tie with a 
cord. Pour around it half a cupful 
of milk and half a cupful of water. 
Place in a covered baking dish and 
cook two hours, basting occasionally. 

CHOPPED MEAT 

Chopping meat is one of the prin- 
cipal methods of making tough and 
inexpensive meat tender, i. e., divid- 
ing it finely and thus cutting the 
connective tissue into small bits. 
Such meats have another advantage 
in that they may be cooked quickly 
and economically. 

In broiling chopped meat the fact 
should be kept in mind that there is 
no reason why it should not be 
cooked like the best and most expen- 
sive tenderloin. The only reason 
that ever existed for difl^erence in 
treatment was the toughness of the 
connective tissue, and this feature 
has been overcome by the chopping. 
The ideal to be reached in broiling 
steak is to sear the surface very 
quickly, so that the juices which con- 
tain the greater part of the flavor- 
ing of the meat shall be kept in, and 
then to allow the heat to penetrate 
to the inside until the whole mass is 



APPENDIX 



1053 



cooked to the taste of the family. 
To pass the point where the meat 
ceases to be puffy and juicy and be- 
comes flat and hard is very undesir- 
able, as the palatability is then lost. 
Exactly the same ideal should be 
kept in mind in broiling chopped 
meat. If this were always done, 
hard, compact, tasteless balls or 
cakes of meat would be served less 
often. To begin with, the broiler 
should be even more carefully 
greased than for a whole steak. This 
makes it possible to form the balls 
or cakes of chopped meat with very 
little pressure without running the 
risk of having them pulled to pieces 
by adhering to the wires of the broil- 
er. They should be heated on both 
sides even more quickly than the 
steak, because the chopping has pro- 
vided more ways of escape for the 
juice, and these openings should be 
sealed as soon as possible. The in- 
terior should be cooked to the taste 
of the family just as the steak is. 

In regard to broiling it may in- 
cidentally be noted that housekeep- 
ers often make themselves unneces- 
sary wOrk when broiling under gas 
by allowing the juice from steaks or 
meat balls to drop into the large pan 
under the rack. A smaller pan set 
in the larger one may be made to 
catch all the juice and fat and is 
much easier to wash. It serves also 
to economize the gravy. 

Chopped raw meat of almost any 
kind can be very quickly made into 
a savory dish by cooking it with wa- 
ter or with water and milk for a 
short time, then thickening with but- 
ter and flour, and adding different 
seasonings as relished, either pepper 
and salt alone, or onion juice, celery, 
or tomato. Such a dish may be made 
to "go further" by serving it on toast 
or with a border of rice or in some 
similar combination. 



Tough. Portions of Porterhouse 
Steak. 

Before speaking of the cooking of 
^he cuts that lack tenderness through- 



out, it may be well to refer to the 
fact that the flank end of the por- 
terhouse is to be classed with the 
toughest of cuts and with those 
which, when cooked alone, are with 
difficulty made tender even by long 
heating. Mock duck, which is com- 
monly made out of flank steak, can 
be rendered tender enough to be pal- 
atable only by long steaming or cook- 
ing in water and yet people quite 
generally broil this part of the 
steak with the tenderloin and ex- 
pect it to be eaten. The fact is that 
to broil this part of the porterhouse 
steak is not good management. It 
is much more profitable to put it 
into the soup kettle or to make it 
into a stew. In families where most 
of the members are away during the 
day the latter is a good plan, for the 
end of a steak makes a good stew for 
two or three people. This may be 
seasoned with vegetables left from 
dinner, or two or three olives cut up 
in gravy will give a very good flavor; 
or a few drops of some one of the 
bottled meat sauces, if the flavor is 
relished, or a little Chili sauce may 
be added to the stew. But if the 
tough end of a porterhouse is need- 
ed with the rest, a good plan is to 
put it through a meat grinder, make 
it into balls, and broil it with the 
tender portions. Each member of 
the family can then be served with a 
piece of the tenderloin and a meat 
ball. If the chopped meat is sea- 
soned with a little onion juice, grated 
lemon rind, or chopped parsley, a 
good flavor is imparted to the gravy. 

Hamburg Steak. 

This name is commonly given to 
inexpensive cuts of beef chopped, 
seasoned a little, shaped into small 
balls or into one large thin cake, 
and quickly broiled in the way that 
a tender steak would be. Owing to 
the quick cooking much of the natur- 
al flavor of the meat is developed 
and retained. The fact should be 
kept in mind that Hamburg steak 
must be made from fresh, well- 



1054 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



ground meat. It is much safer to 
chop the meat at home, as chopped 
meat spoils very quickly. Much de- 
pends, too, upon browning it suffi- 
ciently to bring out the flavors. 
Many cooks think that Hamburg 
steak is improved if the meat is mixed 
with milk before it is cooked. 

In some parts of the country, and 
particularly in some of the Southern 
States, two kinds of beef are on 
sale. One is imported from other 
parts of the country and is of high- 
er price. The other, known locally 
as "native beef," is sometimes lack- 
ing in flavor and in fat and is usu- 
ally tougher. Southern native beef 
such as is raised in Florida is almost 
invariably, however, of extremely 
good flavor, due presumably to the 
feed or other conditions under which 
it is raised. By chopping such meat 
and cooking it as Hamburg steak, a 
dish almost as palatable as the best 
cuts of the more expensive beef may 
be obtained. In such cases, however, 
it is desirable because of the low 
percentage of fat to add suet or 
butter to the meat. The reason for 
this is that in the cooking the water 
of the juice when unprotected by 
fat evaporates too quickly and leaves 
the meat dry. This may be prevent- 
ed by adding egg as well as fat, for 
the albumen of the egg hardens 
quickly and tends to keep in the 
juices. The proportion should be 1 
egg to li/o pounds of meat. 

Savory Rolls. 

Savory rolls in great variety are 
made out of chopped meat either 
with or without egg. The variety is 
secured by the flavoring materials 
used and by the sauces with which 
the baked rolls are served. A few 
recipes will be given below. While 
these definite directions are given it 
should be remembered that a few 
general principles borne in mind 
make recipes unnecessary and make 
it possible to utilize whatever may 
happen to be on hand. Appetizing 
rolls are made with beef and pork 



mixed. The proportion varies from 
two parts of beef and one of pork 
to two of pork and one of beef. The 
rolls are always improved by laying 
thin slices of salt pork or bacon over 
them, which keep the surface mois- 
tened with fat during the roasting. 
These slices should be scored on the 
edge, so that they will not curl up 
in cooking. The necessity for the salt 
pork is greater when the chopped 
meat is chiefly beef than when 
it is largely pork or veal. Bread 
crumbs or bread moistened in water 
can always be added, as it helps to 
make the dish go farther. When on- 
ions, green peppers, or other veg- 
etables are used, they should always 
be thoroughly cooked in fat before 
being put in the roll, for usually 
they do not cook sufficiently in the 
, length of time it takes to cook the 
meat. Sausage makes a good addi- 
tion to the roll, but it is usually 
cheaper to use unseasoned pork meat 
with the addition of a little sage. 

Cannelon of Beef. 

This dish is prepared by making 
chopped beef into a roll and baking 
it wrapped in a buttered paper, a 
method designed to keep in the steam 
and so insure a moist, tender dish. 
The paper must be removed before 
serving. The roll should be basted 
occasionally with butter and water 
or drippings and water. In prepar- 
ing the roll an egg may be added 
for each pound and a half of meat, 
and chopped parsley, onion juice, 
lemon peel, or finely chopped green 
peppers make good seasoning. A 
thickened gravy may be made from 
the drippings, the liquid used being 
either water or tomato juice. 

Strips of pork laid on the roll 
may be substituted for the buttered 
paper and basting. 



Filipino Beef. 

1 pound round beef. 
i/g pound lean fresh pork. 
1 small onion. 



APPENDIX 



1055 



1 green pepper. 
1 teaspoonful of salt. 
1 cup of soft stale bread 
crumbs. 

1 egg. 

2 cups of stewed tomatoes. 
2 slices of bacon. 

2 tablespoonfuls of butter. 
4 tablespoonfuls of flour. 

Remove the seeds from the pepper 
and put it through the meat grinder 
with the meats and the onion. Add 
crumbs, egg, and salt. Make into 
a roll, place in a shallow baking 
dish, pour the strained tomatoes 
around it, put the bacon on top, and 
bake forty minutes, basting with the 
tomatoes. Thicken the gravy with 
the flour cooked in the butter. A 
little seasoning such as a bit of bay 
leaf, a clove, and a small piece of 
onion improves the tomato sauce. As 
the pepper and onion are not likely 
to be cooked as soon as the meat, 
it is well to fry them in a little fat 
before adding to the other ingredi- 
ents. 

This dish will serve 6 to 8 people. 
When the meat is 20 cents a pound 
and every other item is valued at 
usual town market prices, the dish 
costs about 50 cents. If the meat 
costs only 10 cents per pound and 
vegetables from the garden are used 
the initial cost of the dish will be 
small. Since no vegetable except po- 
tatoes or rice need be served with 
this dish, it may be said to answer 
the purpose of both meat and veg- 
etable. 

Mock Rabbit. 

1/2 pound round steak, and 

1 pound sausage; 
or 

1 pound round steak, and 
l^ pound sausage meat. 

3 slices of bread moistened with 
water. 

1 egg- 

1 onion. 

14 pound salt pork. 
Pepper and salt. 



Chop the meat. Chop the onion 
and cook (hut do not brown) it in 
the fat tried out of a small portion 
of the pork. Add the bread and 
cook a few minutes. When this is 
cool, mix all the ingredients and 
form into a long round roll. The 
surface can easily be made smooth 
if the hand is wet with cold water. 
Lay the remaining pork cut in thin 
slices on top and bake forty minutes 
in a hot oven. The sausage may be 
omitted if desired and other season- 
ing used. 

Veal Loaf. 

3 pounds veal. 

1 pound salt pork. 

6 soda crackers rolled fine. 

3 eggs well beaten. 
1^ teaspoonful pepper. 
14 teaspoonful salt. 

Chop the meat mixed with the 
other ingredients, shape, and bake 
three hours, basting occasionally with 
pork fat. Use one-fourth cut of 
fat for this purpose. If the roll is 
pierced occasionally the fat will pen- 
etrate more effectually. Veal loaf 
may also be cooked in bread pans. 
Some persons cook the veal before 
chopping. 

BEVELOPING AND IMPROVING 
ELAVOR OE MEAT 

The typical meat flavors are very 
palatable to most persons, even when 
they are constantly tasted, and con- 
sequently the better cuts of meat in 
which they are well developed can 
be cooked and served without atten- 
tion being paid especially to flavor. 
Careful cooking aids in developing 
the natural flavor of some of the 
cheaper cuts, and such a result is to 
be sought wherever it is possible. 
Browning also brings out flavors 
agreeable to most palates. Aside 
from these two ways of increasing 
the flavor of the meat itself there 
are countless ways of adding flavor 
to otherwise rather tasteless meals. 



1056 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



The flavors may be added in prepar- 
ihg the meat for cooking, as in vari- 
ous seasoned dishes already described, 
or they may be supplied to cooked 
meat in the form of sauces. 

Retaining Natural Flavor. 

As has already been pointed out, 
it is extremely diflnicult to retain the 
flavor-giving extractives in a piece 
of meat so tough as to require pro- 
longed cooking. It is sometimes par- 
tially accomplished by first searing 
the exterior of the meat and thus 
preventing the escape of the juices. 
Another device, illustrated by the fol- 
lowing recipe, is to let them escape 
into the gravy w^hich is served with 
the meat itself. A similar principle 
is applied when roasts are basted 
with their own iuice. 

Round Steak on Biscuits. 

Cut round steak- into pieces about 
one-half inch square, cover with wa- 
ter and cook it ' at a temperature 
just below the boiling point until it 
is tender, or boil for five minutes, 
and while still hot put into the fire- 
less cooker and leave it for five 
hours. Thicken the gravy with flour 
mi&d with water allowing 2 level 
tablespoons ful to a cup of water. 
Pour the meat and gravy over split 
bakiug powder biscuits so baked that 
they have a large amount of crust. 

riavor of Browned Meat or Tat. 

Next to the unchanged flavor of 
the meat itself comes the flavor which 
is secured by browning the meat with 
fat. The outside slices of roast meat 
have this browned flavor in marked 
degree. Except in the case of roasts, 
browning for flavor is usually ac- 
complished by heating the meat in a 
frying pan in fat which has been 
tried out of pork or in suet or but- 
ter. Care should be taken that the 
fat is not scorched. The chief rea- 
son for the bad opinion in which 
fried food is held by many is that 



it almost always means eating burned 
fat. When fat is heated too high 
it splits up into fatty acids and 
glycerin, and from the glycerin is 
formed a substance (acrolein) which 
nas a very irritating effect upon the 
mucous membrane. All will recall 
that the fumes of scorched fat make 
the eyes water. It is not surprising 
that such a substance, if taken into 
the stomach, should cause digestive 
disturbance. Fat in itself is a very 
valuable food, and the objection to 
fried foods because they may be fat 
seems illogical. If they supply 
burned fat there is a good reason 
for suspicion. Many housekeepers 
cook bacon in the oven on a wire 
broiler over a pan and believe it 
more wholesome than fried bacon. 
The reason, of course, is that thus 
cooked in the oven there is less 
chance for the bacon becoming im- 
pregnated with burned fat. Where 
fried salt pork is much used good 
cooks know that it must not be 
cooked over a very hot fire, even if 
they have never heard of the chem- 
istry of burned fat. The recipe for 
bean-pot roast and other similar 
recipes may be varied by browning 
the meat or part of it before cover- 
ing with water. This results in keep- 
ing some of the natural flavoring 
within the meat itself and allowing 
less to go into the gravy. The flavor 
of veal can be very greatly improved 
in this way. 

The following old-fashioned dishes 
made with pork owe their savoriness 
chiefly to the flavor of browned fat 
or meat: 

Salt Pork with Milk Gravy. 

Cut salt or cured pork into thin 
slices. If very salt, cover with hot 
water and allow it to stand for ten 
minutes. Score the rind of the 
slices and fry slowly until they are 
a golden brown. Make a milk gravy 
by heating flour in the fat that has 
been tried out, allowing 2 table- 
spoonsful of fat and 3 tablespoons- 
ful of flour to each cup of milk. 



APPENDIX 



1057 



This is a good way to use skim milk, 
wiiich is as ricli in protein as whole 
milk. The pork and milk gravy 
served with boiled or baked potatoes 
makes a cheap and simple meal, but 
one that most people like very much. 
Bacon is often used in place of salt 
pork in making this dish. 

Fried Salt Pork with Salt Codfish 
or "Salt-Fish Dinner." 

Ys pound salt pork. 

1 pound codfish. 

2 cups of milk (skim rhilk will 
do). 

4 tablespoons ful flour, 
A speck of salt. 

Cut the codfish into strips, soak 
in lukewarm water and then cook in 
water until tender but do not allow 
the water to come to the boiling 
point except for a very short time 
as prolonged boiling may make it 
tough. Cut the pork into one-fourth 
inch slices and cut several gashes in 
each piece. Fry very slowly until 
golden brown, and remove, pouring 
off the fat. Out of 4 tablespoonsful 
of the fat, the flour, and the milk 
make a white sauce. Dish up the 
codfish with pieces of pork around 
it and serve with boiled potatoes and 
beets. Some persons serve the pork, 
and the fat from it, in a gravy boat 
so it can be added as relished. 

Flavoring Vegetables, Herbs, Spices, 
Etc. 

Many flavorings are used in meat 
dishes, some of which are familiar 
to all cooks — onions, carrots, turnips, 
and garlic being perhaps the most 
widely known. Butter, too, may be 
regarded as one of the most common 
seasonings, and of course makes the 
dish richer. Meat extract is also 
used for flavoring many meat dishes 
and other foods, as are also, though 
less commonly, similar extracts made 
from clams or other "sea food." The 
following list includes these with var- 
ious others, a number of which it is 
convenient to keep always on hand: 



Onions, carrots, green peppers, 
parsnips, turnips, tomatoes, fresh, 
canned or dried; celery tops and 
parsley, either fresh or di-ied; sage, 
savory, thyme, sweet marjoram, bay 
leaf, garlic, lemon rind, vinegar, ca- 
pers, pickles, olives, currant jelly, 
curry powder, cloves, pepper corns, 
celery seed, meat extract. Chili sauce, 
pepper sauce or some similar hot or 
sharp sauce, and some kind of good 
commercial meat sauce. Some hints 
regarding the use of such flavorings 
follow : 

Flavor of Fried Vegetables. — Most 
of the stews, soups, braised meats, 
and pot roasts are very much 
improved if the flavoring vegetables 
which they contain, such as carrots, 
turnips, onions, celery, or green pep- 
pers, are fried in a little fat before 
being cooked with the meat. This 
need not complicate the preparation 
of the meat or increase the number 
of utensils used, for the meat itself 
is usually seared over in fat, and the 
vegetables can be cooked in the same 
fat before the browning of the meat. 

Onion Juice. — Cookbooks usually 
say that onion juice should be ex- 
tracted by cutting an onion in two 
and rubbing the cut surface against a 
grater. Considering how hard it is 
to wash a grater, this method has its 
drawbacks. Small amounts of juice 
may be obtained in the following sim- 
pler way: Peel the onion and extract 
a few drops of juice by pressing one 
side with the dull edge of a knife. 

Green Peppers. —^ The flavor of 
green peppers gives an accepta- 
ble variety. The seed should al- 
ways be removed. The peppers 
should be choiaped and added to 
chopped meat or other meat dishes. 
Meat mixed with bread crumbs may 
be baked in the pepper shells and the 
stuffed peppers served as a separate 
dish. 

Parsley. — It is easy to raise parsley 
by growing it in a pot in the kitchen 
window and thus to have it always on 
hand fresh, or the leaves may be kept 
for a long time if sealed up in a 
fruit jar and stored in a cool place. 



1058 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Parsley, mint, and celery tops may 
all be dried, rubbed into fine bits, 
and kept in air-tight jars. Recipes 
usually say to chop fresh parsley 
with a sharp knife on a board. But 
a board is a hard thing to wash and 
a plate serves the purpose quite as 
well. 

Bay Leaf. — Bay leaf is one of the 
best and at the same time one of the 
most abused flavors. In small quanti- 
ties it gives a very pleasant flavor to 
soups and gravies but in large quan- 
tities it gives a rank resin-like taste. 
Remember that half of a bay leaf is 
the allowance for 3 quarts of soup 
stock. This will indicate how small 
a quantity should be used for the 
portion of gravy usually served at a 
meal. With this precaution in mind, 
bay leaf may be recommended as a 
flavoring for many sauces, particu-, 
larly tomato sauce. 

A Kitchen Bouquet. — A "bouquet" 
such as is often referred to in 
recipes may be made as follows: 
A sprig each of parsley, savory, 
and thyme, one small leaf of sage, 
and a bay leaf. This will flavor 
1 gallon of soup when cooked in it 
for an hour and should not remain 
in it longer. 

jETprse Badish. — Horse radish, like 
mustard, is more often served with 
meat than used to flavor it dur- 
ing cooking. A very palatable 
sauce, especially good with boiled 
beef, is made by adding grated 
horse radish and a little vinegar to 
a little whipped cream, or as fol- 
lows: Thicken milk with cracker 
crumbs by heating them together in 
a double boiler, using 3 tablespoons- 
ful of cracker crumbs to 1% cups of 
milk. Add one-third of a cup of 
grated horse radish, 3 tablespoonsful 
of butter, and one-half teaspoonful 
of salt; or thicken with butter and 
flour some of the water in which the 
meat was boiled, add a generous 
quantity (1 or 2 tablespoonsful) of 
grated horse radish, boil a short 
time, and serve. This recipe is the 
most usual in German homes where 
the sauce is a favorite. 



Acid Flavoring. — Vinegar, lemon 
juice, and sour jelly, like currant, are 
often used to flavor the thick gravies 
which are a part of meat stew or 
which are served with it. Vinegar is 
an old-fashioned relish which was 
often added to bacon or salt pork and 
greens, pork and beans, corned beef 
and cabbage, and similar dishes. 
These flavors combine well with that 
of brown flour, but not with onions 
or other vegetables of strong flavor. 
The idea that vinegar used in small 
quantities is unwholesome seems to 
be without foundation. 

Pickles. — Chopped pickles are some- 
times added to the gravy served with 
boiled mutton. They are cheaper than 
capers and serve somewhat the same 
purpose. Chopped pickles are also 
very commonly used in sauces for 
fish and in many others to give a dis- 
tinctive flavor. 

Olives. — Chopped olives also make 
a welcome variety in meat sauce, and 
are not expensive if they are bought 
in bulk. They will not spoil if a little 
olive oil is poured on the top of the 
liquor in which they are kept. This 
liquor should always completely cov- 
er them. 

Chili Sauce, Commercial Meat 
Sauces, Etc. — Recipes often may be 
varied by the addition of a little 
Chili sauce, tomato catsup, or a com- 
mercial meat sauce. These may be 
called emergency flavors and used 
when it is not convenient to prepare 
other kinds of gravies. 

Sausage. — A little sausage or 
chopped ham may be used in chopped 
beef. 

Curry Powder. ■ — This mixture of 
spices which apparently originated in 
India, but which is now a common 
commercial product everyw^here, is a 
favorite flavoring for veal, lamb, or 
poultry. The precaution mentioned 
in connection with bay leaves, how- 
ever, should be observed. A small 
amount gives a good flavor. It is 
usually used to season the thick 
sauces with which meats are served 
or in which they are allowed to 
simmer. While the term "currjr" 



APPENDIX 



1059 



is usually employed to describe 
a particular mixture of spices 
made up for the trade it has 
another meaning. The words "cur- 
ry" or "curried" are sometimes used 
to describe highly seasoned dishes of 
meat, eggs, or vegetables prepared 
by methods that have come from In- 
dia or other parts of the East. 

India Curry. 

li/o pounds veal. 
l^ cup of butter or drippings. 
2 onions or less. 
y^. tablespoonful curry or less. 

Brown meat either without fat or 
with very little and cut into small 
pieces. 

Fry the onions in the butter, re- 
move them, add the meat and curry 
powder. Cover the meat with boiling 
water and cook until tender. Serve 
v/ith a border of rice. This dish is 
so savory that it can be made to go 
a long way by serving with a large 
amount of rice. The two onions and 
one-half tablespoonful of curry pow- 
der are the largest amount to be 
used. Many persons prefer less of 
each. 

In preparing the rice for this dish 
perhaps no better method can be 
given than the following: 

"Wash 1 cupful of rice in several 
waters, rubbing the grains between 
the hands to remove all the dirt. 
Put the washed rice in a stewpan 
with 21/^ cupsful of water and 1 tea- 
spoonful of salt. Cover and place 
where the water will boil. Cook for 
twenty minutes, being careful not to 
let it burn. At the end of this time 
put the stewpan on a tripod or ring 
and cover the rice with a fold of 
cheese cloth. Let it continue to cook 
in this manner an hour, then turn 
into a hot vegetable dish. The rice 
will be tender, dry and sweet, and 
each grain will separate. During the 
whole process of cooking, the rice 
must not be stirred. If a table- 
spoonful of butter is cut up and 
scattered over the rice when it has 



cooked twenty minutes the dish will 
be very much improved." 

The butter is not necessary when 
the rice is served with India curry 
but may be included in dishes where 
less fat is used. 

Curry of Veal. 

2 tablespoonfuls butter or drip- 
pings. 
114 pounds veal. 
14 onion, chopped. 
1 pint milk. 
1 tablespoonful flour. 
1 teaspoonful curry powder. 
Salt and pepper. 

Fry the onions in the butter or 
drippings, remove, and fry the veal 
until it is brown. Transfer the meat 
to the double boiler, cover with milk 
and cook until the meat is tender. 
Add the curry powder a short time 
before the meat is done and thicken 
the milk with flour before serving. 

SAUCES 

The art of preparing savory gra- 
vies and sauces is more important in 
connection with the serving of the 
cheaper meats than in connection 
with tlie cooking of the more expen- 
sive. 

There are a few general principles 
underlying the making of all sauces 
or gravies, whether the liquid used is 
water, milk, stock, tomato juice, or 
some combination of these. For or- 
dinary gravy 2 level tablespoonsful 
of flour or ly^ tablespoonsful of 
cornstarch or arrowroot is sufficient 
to thicken a cupful of liquid. This 
is true excepting when, as in certain 
recipes given elsewhere, the flour is 
browned. In this case about one- 
half tablespoonful more should be al- 
lowed, for browned flour does not 
thicken so well as unbrowned. The 
fat used may be butter or the drip- 
pings from the meat, the allowance 
being 2 tablespoonsful to a cup ef 
liquid. 

The easiest way to mix the ingredi- 
ents is to heat the fat, add the flour, 



1060 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



and cook until the mixture ceases 
to bubble, and then to add the liquid. 
This is a quick method and by using 
it there is little danger of getting a 
lumpy gravy. Many persons, how- 
ever, think it is not a wholesome 
method and prefer the old-fashioned 
one of thickening the gravy by means 
of flour mixed with a little cold wa- 
ter. The latter method is of course 
not practicable for brown gravies. 

Considering the large amount of 
discussion about the digestibility of 
fried food and of gravies made by 
heating flour in fat, a few words on 
the subject at this point may not 
be out of order. It is difficult to 
see how heating the fat before add- 
ing the flour can be unwholesome, un- 
less the cook is unskillful enough to 
heat the fat so high that it begins 
to scorch. Overheated fat, as has 
already been pointed out, contains 
an acrid irritating substance called 
"acrolein," which may be readily con- 
sidered to be unwholesome. It is 
without doubt the production of this 
body by overheating which has given 
fried food its bad name. Several 
ways of varying the flavor of gra- 
vies and sauces were suggested in the 
preceding section. One other should 
be especially mentioned here. 



The Flavor of Browned Flour. 

The good flavor of browned flour 
is often overlooked. If flour is 
cooked in fat until it is a dark brown 
color a distinctive and very agree- 
able flavor is obtained. This flavor 
combines very well with that of cur- 
rant jelly and a little jelly added to 
a brown gravy is a great improve- 
ment. The flavor of this should not 
be combined with that of onions or 
other highly flavored vegetables. A 
recipe for a dish which is made with 
brown sauce follows: 

Mock Venison. 

Cut cold mutton into thin slices 
and heat in a brown sauce made ac- 
cording to the following proportions: 

2 tablespoonsful butter. 
2 tablespoonsful flour. 
1 tablespoonful of bottled meat 
sauce (whichever is preferred). 
1 tablespoonful red currant jelly. 
1 cupful water or stock. 

Brown the flour in the butter, add 
the water or stock slowly, and keep 
stirring. Then add the jelly and 
meat sauce and let the mixture boil 
up well. 



APPENDIX CHAPTER II 



CHEESE AND ITS ECONOMICAL USES IN THE DIET* 

By 
C. F. LANGWORTHY, Ph.D. 

Expert in Charge of Nutrition Investigations, Office of Experiment Stations 

AND 

CAROLINE L. HUNT, A.B. 

Expert in Nutrition, Office of Experiment Stations 



KINDS OP CHEESE USED IIT 
AMEUICAN HOMES 

The American factory cheese — the 
so-called American cream cheese — 
is of the English Cheddar type, and 
as it is the most commonly used of 
all the commercial varieties in the 
United States, may be taken as a 
standard. Other types ttre, however, 
well known, particularly in cities and 
large towns where there are well 
stocked markets and stores, and. it is 
interesting to note also, at least brief- 
ly, the characteristics of some of 
them. 

Cheddar and American Full Cream 

Cheese. 

Cheddar cheese — named from the 
English village where it originated — 
is a comparatively old type of cheese, 
very popular in England and also 
in the United States. The name is 
now more fitly applied to a process 
than to any particular shape. 

Cheddar cheese is made from sweet 
cows' milk, which may be skimmed, 
partly skimmed, or unskimmed. If 
made from unskimmed milk the 
cheese is called "full cream." If 
cream is removed the cheese is desig- 
nated "part-skim" or "skim," as the 
case may be. 

Cheese of Cheddar type as made in 



the United States is perhaps most 
often marketed in large, flat, round 
forms, 13 to 16 inches in diameter, 
about 5 or 6 inches in height, and 
weighing 36 to 33 pounds each, 
though other shapes and sizes are 
also fairly common. It is usually 
pale to darker yellow in color, though 
it may be white when uncolored. 
When fresh it is mild in flavor, but 
when well ripened has a characteris- 
tic and sharp taste. The new cheese 
is soft, though not waxy, in texture, 
and may be easily shaved or broken 
into small pieces. When well rip- 
ened it may be finely grated. 

These characteristics, together with 
its distinctive and peculiar flavor 
and its wide distribution in the mar- 
kets, are qualities which help to make 
it the variety most commonly used in 
the United States. 

Sage cheese is a variety of Ched- 
dar cheese, which is flavored with 
sage and is further characterized by 
the green mottled appearance for- 
merly due to bits of sage leaf but 
now generally obtained in another 
way. 

English Dairy Cheese. 

From the standpoint of the cook 
who frequently wishes to use grated 
cheese this variety is important. 



• U. S. Department of Agriculture. Farmers' Bulletin No. 4S7. 

1061 



1062 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Though made in much the same way 
as Cheddar, it differs from it, in that 
the curd is heated to a somewhat 
liigher temperature, and the cheese is 
therefore harder. It commonly sells 
for somewhat more per pound than 
the standard or American factory va- 
riety and is likely to be found only 
in the larger markets. 

Soft Cream Cheeses. 

Cream cheese true to name is made 
from rich cream thickened by sour- 
ing or from sweet cream thickened 
with rennet. The whey is removed 
by draining. It is then covered, salt- 
ed, and turned occasionally, being 
ready for market in 5 to 10 days. 
A variety is also made with rennet 
from cream of low fat content, as 
well as a number of other special 
sorts much more common in France 
than in the United States. 

The term "cream cheese," how- 
ever, is an elastic one and includes 
many varieties which are sold under 
special trade names. Such cheese is 
common in most markets. 

Soft cream cheese differs from 
standard cheese, so far as composi- 
tion is concerned, in having more 
water and fat and less protein, water 
usuall;f making up about one-half of 
the total weight. It differs also in 
being much more perishable. These 
cheeses commonly seU for 10 or 15 
cents each, which is about 40 to 50 
cents a pound. 

Of late there have been on the mar- 
ket varieties of such cheese or of 
Neufchatel, made by combining the 
cheese with chopped pimiento. These 
bring a relatively high price in mar- 
ket and may be easily prepared at 
home if this seems more convenient. 

Weufch'Stel Cheese. 

This very popular variety — named 
from a town in northeastern France 
— is similar in appearance and in the 
way it is marketed to soft cream 
cheese. It is made either from whole 
or skim milk curdled with rennet. 



After draining and pressing, it is 
kneaded thoroughly, formed into 
small rolls or blocks, and then rip- 
ened until special molds develop, 
which requires about four weeks. It 
is then wrapped in tinfoil and mar- 
keted. 

Parmesan Cheese. 

This is a name given outside of 
Italy to a very hard cheese which in 
that country is said to be known as 
Grana, a name given because of the 
granular appearance wliich it has 
after it has been broken. It is some- 
times sold in grated form and brings 
a relatively high price, but is more 
commonly sold ungrated. When 
well made it will keep for years and 
may be easily broken and grated. It 
is very generally used in Europe for 
serving with soups, for seasoning 
macaroni, and for other similar pur- 
poses, and is quite common in Ameri- 
can markets. 

Sap Sago. 

This is a skim milk cheese made in 
Switzerland, which is suitable for 
grating. It contains, for every 4 
pounds of cheese, 1 pound of a clover 
(Melilotus cceruleus) grown in Switz- 
erland. It is greenish in color and 
has an unusual flavor. It is not high 
priced. 

Gorgonzola and Eoqaiefort. 

These are highly flavored cheeses 
characterized by the presence of 
molds through their entire mass. 
Roquefort is made from the milk of 
sheep; Gorgonzola, from cows' milk. 

Potted or Sandwich Cheeses. 

Ordinary cheese is often mixed 
with butter or oil in the proportion 
of 5 parts of cheese to 1 of butter or 
oil, by weight. The mixture is some- 
times seasoned with mustard or with 
curry powder. Such cheeses, unsea- 
soned or seasoned, are on the market 
in great variety. Potted cheese may 
be easily prepared at home if the 



APPENDIX 



1063 



housekeeper wishes to take the trou- 
ble. 

Swiss Cheese (Emmentaler, GruySre, 
Etc.). 

This term as used in America is 
somewhat vague. Different names 
are given to the varieties according 
to the districts of Switzerland in 
which they are made, but they are 
all similar and characterized by a 
mild, sweetish flavor and the presence 
of large holes or "eyes." Foreign 
and domestic brands are to be found 
in most markets. They are suitable 
for cooking purposes, as well as for 
use without being cooked, and are 
much used in this way in Europe and 
well known and liked in the United 
States. 

Edam Cheese. 

This is a cheese made in Holland. 
It is molded in spherical form, and 
the outside is usually dyed red. It 
is usual in this country to cut off a 
section of the top, which serves as a 
lid, and to scoop out the inside as 
needed. In Holland it is frequently 
served in slices, particularly when it 
is fresh. Edam cheese is seldom used 
in cookery in American homes, 
though thrifty housewives, after the 
greater part of the cheese has been 
removed, often stuff the hollow shell 
with cooked and seasoned macaroni, 
rice, or something similar and bake. 

Brie and Camembert Cheese. 

These are very soft rennet cheeses 
of foreign origin and of somewhat 
smaller nutritive value than standard 
cheese, and of strong flavor and odor. 
They are not often used in cookery, 
but are used as an accompaniment to 
other foods. 

Cottage Cheese. 

Cottage cheese and other sour 
milk and cream cheeses, junket, Dev- 
onshire cream, and a number of 
other cheese-like products are de- 
scribed in the section which deals 
with homemade cheese. 



The Care of Cheese in the Home. 

One of the best ways of keeping 
cheese which has been cut is to wrap 
it in a slightly damp cloth and then 
in paper, and to keep it in a cool 
place. To dampen the cloth, sprinkle 
it and then wring it. It should seem 
hardly damp to the touch. Paraffin 
paper may be used in place of the 
cloth. When cheese is put in a cov- 
ered dish, the air should never be 
wholly excluded, for if this is done, 
it molds more readily. 

In some markets it is possible to 
buy small whole cheeses. These may 
be satisfactorily kept by cutting a 
slice from the top, to serve as a cover, 
and removing the cheese as needed 
with a knife, a strong spoon, or a 
cheese scoop. It is possible to buy 
at the hardware stores knobs which 
inserted in the layer cut from the 
top make it easy to handle. The 
cheese below the cover should be kept 
wrapped in a cloth. 

Cheese as a Food. 

Cheese is used in general in two 
ways — in small quantities chiefly for 
its flavor and in large quantities for 
its nutritive value as well as for its 
flavor. Some varieties of cheese are 
used chiefly for the first purpose, 
others chiefly for the second. Those 
which are used chiefly for their flavor, 
many of which are high priced, con- 
tribute little to the food value of the 
diet, because of the small quantity 
used at a time. They have an impor- 
tant part to play, however, in making 
the diet attractive and palatable. 
The intelligent housekeeper thinks of 
them not as necessities, but as lying 
within what has been called "the re- 
gion of choice." Having first satis- 
fied herself that her family is receiv- 
ing sufficient nourishment, she then, 
according to her means and ideas of 
an attractive diet, chooses among 
these foods and others which are to 
be considered luxuries. 

Those cheeses, on the other hand, 
which are suitable to be eaten in large 
quantities and which are compara- 



1064 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



tively low priced are important not 
only from the point of view of flavor, 
but also from the point of view of 
their nutritive value.. Among such 
cheeses the one which, as noted above, 
is known to the trade as standard 
factory cheese and to the housewife 
as American cheese stands out pre- 
eminently. Therefore when the word 
"cheese" is used without specification 
in the following pages it may be 
taken to refer to this particular va- 
riety. 

The Use of Cheese in the Diet. — It 
has been the purpose, in preparing 
this discussion of cheese, to consider 
ways in which mild flavored sorts 
may serve as staple articles of diet, 
rather than the use of highly fla- 
vored varieties as appetizers and as 
accompaniments of other foods. The 
use of highly flavored cheese as a 
condiment is customary and may 
profitably be extended, since it of- 
fers a simple way of adding to the 
attractiveness of the diet. The va- 
riety of the cheese selected is a mat- 
ter of choice, some persons prefer- 
ring such kinds as well-ripenC^jl 
American full cream cheese or the 
potted cheeses, and others such sorts 
as Roquefort, Camembert, and other 
varieties. From the physiologist's 
stand|)oint, cheese used in this way 
for its flavor should really form a 
part of a well-balanced meal rather 
than be added to a meal which al- 
ready supplies an abundance of nu- 
tritive material. In other words, con- 
dimental cheeses may better accom- 
pany a moderate than a very gener- 
ous menu. 

In considering the use of cheese in 
quantity as an integral part of the 
diet there are many possibilities from 
simple combinations like bread and 
cheese to elaborate dishes in which 
cheese is used as a flavor and as a 
principal constituent. 

As has been pointed out, cheese, 
being rich in both protein and fat, 
would logically replace such foods as 
meat, fish, and eggs, when taken in 
quantity, rather than cereal foods 
characterized by a large amount of 



starch, or succulent foods, such as 
vegetables and fruits. In planning 
menus of which cheese forms a large 
part the housekeeper should bear 
these facts in mind. 

Bill-of-Fare Making with Cheese 
as the Central Food. — Since meat 
has so generally been the chief pro- 
tein food of a meal, and the kind 
selected usually has determined the 
choice of vegetables and condiments, 
it is not strange that very many 
housekeepers should be inexperienced 
and consequently unskillful in plan- 
ning meals in which cheese is substi- 
tuted for meat when for any reason 
they may desire to make such a 
change. In seeking skill they might 
take a suggestion from the experi- 
ments to which reference has been 
made, and also from a case investi- 
gated and reported by the Office of 
Experiment Stations, of a man who 
lived for months upon a diet of 
bread, fruit, and cheese, and who re- 
mained in good health and active, and 
did not weary of the monotony of the 
diet. 

The first two articles of the diet 
mentioned, namely, the bread and 
the cheese, could have been taken in 
such amounts as to constitute what 
is usually considei'ed a balanced ra- 
tion, i. e., in such amounts as to sup- 
ply the right quantity of muscle 
forming foods in comparison with the 
energy value. The bread and cheese 
taken with the fruit, however, make 
a ration which is well balanced not 
only in the older and more widely 
accepted sense, but also in the more 
modern sense that it makes an at- 
tractive and palatable combination of 
foods, as well as a balanced ration, 
and thus favors digestion. The wa- 
tery and refreshing fruits or succu- 
lent vegetables with their large sup- 
ply of cellulose are a pleasant con- 
trast to the concentrated and fatty 
cheese. 

Housekeepers would probably find 
that if in planning menus of which 
a cheese dish is the chief feature they 
were to take pains to supply also 
crisp, watery vegetables, water cress. 



APPENDIX 



1065 



celery, lettuce, served with a dressing 
or with salt alone, or simple fruit 
salads, and would give preference to 
refreshing fruits, either fresh or 
cooked, rather than to what are 
known as heavy desserts, they would 
in general be more successful in 
pleasing those who are served. 

There is another point also to be 
considered in combining cheese with 
other foods. Whether it is raw or 
cooked it is likely to be somewhat 
soft, and so seems to call for the 
harder kinds of bread — crusty rolls 
or biscuit, zwieback, toast, pulled 
bread, rye bread, the harder brown 
breads, or crackers, and some of the 
numerous crisp ready-to-eat cereal 
breakfast foods. Brittle cookies, too, 
seem more suitable than rich soft 
cakes or puddings for the dessert in 
such meals. 

A few bills of fare are given below 
which experience has shown to rep- 
resent combinations of dishes which 
are palatable and which, if eaten in 
usual amounts, will supply protein 
and energy in proportions which ac- 
cord with usual dietary standards. 
Menus such as these are more com- 
monly served at lunch or at supper, 
but they might equally well be served 
for dinner, the selection of dishes for 
any meal being of course chiefly a 
matter of custom and convenience 
for those who have any range of 
choice. 



Suggested bills of fare in which 
cheese dishes are the chief source of 
protein and fat. 

Meku No. 1. 
Macaroni and cheese. 
Raisin bread or date bread. 
Orange and water cress salad. 
Baked apples. 
Sugar cookies. 
Cocoa. 

Menu No. 2. 

Cheese fondue. 

Toast, zwieback> ^ or thin and crisp 

baking-powder biscuit. 
Celery. 



Potatoes, baked, boiled, or fried in 
deep fat. 

Peas, or some other fresh vege- 
table. 

Cofi'ee. 

Fruit salad with crisp cookies or 
meringues. 

Menu No. 3. 
Clear soup. 
Baked eggs with cheese or Boston 

roast. 
Baked potatoes. 
Lettuce salad. 
A sweet jelly, crab apple or quince 

for example, or a preserve. 
Rye bread. 

Orange or banana shortcake. 
Tea. 

These bills of fare should be taken as 
suggestive merely and not as a solu- 
tion of the problem. In fact, the 
whole art of making bills of fare 
needs developing. There is abundant 
evidence that overeating, where it 
exists, is frequently due to the fact 
that meals are not skillfully planned. 
People often continue eating after 
they have taken enough in total bulk 
because they have not had all they 
want of some particular kind of food. 
The meal has contained too large a 
percentage of proteid or too much 
starch; has been too moist or too dry; 
too highly flavored or not sufficiently 
flavored. Bill-of-fare making calls 
not only for knowledge of food 
values but also for skiU in combining 
flavors and textures. 

In this discussion of menu making, 
and of the use of cheese as an integ- 
ral part of the diet, the aim has been 
to suggest ways of using cheese to 
add to the palatability of meals made 
up of usual dishes, and to suggest 
dishes containing cheese which could 
serve as substitutes for meat dishes 
when so desired, and also for dishes 
of many sorts to be used as taste sug- 
gests and in which the nutritive value 
as well as the flavor is increased by 
the addition of cheese. If cheese is 
used and in quantity, it is obvious 
that some other proteid and fat foods 



1066 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



should be diminished, in order that 
the meal or day's menu may not be 
unduly hearty. 

For the convenience of the house- 
keeper, a number of recipes for 
cheese dishes are given in later pages, 
these being preceded by directions 
for making cottage cheese and other 
similar cheeses which are usually 
made in the home. 

Homemade Cheese. 

Even as late as a generation or 
two ago cheese of different kinds was 
made at home for family use, as 
sour-milk or cottage cheese still is, 
and cheese making was very gener- 
ally a farm industry, cheese like but- 
ter, being sold by the farmer who 
made it. Cottage cheese is very com- 
monly homemade. Most types of 
cheese, however, are now as a rule 
made on a large scale in factories 
where advantage may be taken of 
labor-saving devices. 

Curds and Whey. 

Cheese curds and whey, an old- 
fashioned dish, which is often spoken 
of in accounts of life in earlier times, 
sometimes refers to sour-milk curds 
and sometimes to curd separated with 
rennet. This dish when made with 
rennet is much like junket and 
though far less common to-day than 
was once the case is wholesome and 
palatable. 

Cottage Cheese. 

This cheese is very commonly pre- 
pared in the home, and the process of 
making it is very simple. It con- 
sists merely of curdling the milk, 
separating the curd from the whey, 
seasoning, and pressing it. 

The curd is formed by the souring 
of the milk, and the process is has- 
tened if the milk is kept warm, the 
best temperature being about blood 
heat, 96° F. A temperature much 
above this should be avoided, as the 
curd is likely to become hard and 
tough if much heated. The danger is 
usually not that the whole will be 
overheated but that the portion near- 



est the fire will be. In the old- 
fashioned kitchen there was usually a 
place where the milk could stand till 
it was uniformly warm throughout. 
With our present cooking arrange- 
ments it is often desirable to hasten 
the process. This may be done by 
setting the milk into a pan of warm 
water or by pouring hot water di- « 
rectly into the milk itself. The ef- 1 
feet of the latter method is to re- 
move much more of the acid than 
when the whey is left undiluted. 
Some consider this a great advantage. 

If, for any reason, the curd is 
overheated, it should be put through 
a meat chopper. This will insure 
cottage cheese of excellent texture. 

If the milk is thoroughly chilled 
before the whey is drained off it re- 
tains more of the fat than if this is 
done when warm. Under no circum- 
stances, however, is much of the fat 
retained in cottage cheese. It is 
therefore more economical to make 
it out of skim milk and to add the 
fat to the curd in the form of butter 
or cream. 

Chopped parsley, caraway seeds, 
chopped olives, and pimiento may all 
be used for flavoring if such flavored 
cheese is preferred to plain cottage 
cheese. 

Cottage cheese is most commonly 
consumed immediately, but if made in 
quantity for commercial purposes, it 
may be packed in tubs and placed in 
cold storage. Someiimes it is formed 
into rolls or blocks and wrapped in 
tinfoil when marketed. Such cheese 
is used without ripening. 

Though cottage cheese is usually 
made by allowing the milk to sour 
naturally, it is sometimes more con- 
venient to curdle the milk by adding 
rennet, and some housekeepers have a 
preference for cottage cheese thus 
made, since the flavor is milder and 
the acid taste vi^hich it possesses when 
made from sour milk is lacking. 

Sour-Cream Cheese. , 

V/hen cream is to be made into 
cheese similar to cottage cheese, it 



APPENDIX 



1067 



should be drained without having pre- 
viously been heated. The drainage is 
facilitated by moistening the cloth in 
salt water before the cream is poured 
in. The curd is formed either by 
souring or by the addition of rennet. 

IJncooked Curd, or Frencli Cottage 
Cheese. 

The French make cheese from sour 
milk without heating it. They pour 
the milk into earthen molds which 
have holes in the bottom. A very fine 
sieve may be used instead of the 
molds. The whey drips out and the 
curd assumes a custardlike consist- 
ency and takes the shape of the mold. 
When sufficiently stiff, the cheese is 
chilled, and is eaten with sweet cream 
and sugar. It is a staple dessert in 
many French families, especially in 
hot weather, and is delicious served 
with acid fruit, such as currants, or 
with strawberries. 



Junket. 

If cottage cheese is made from 
sweet milk and rennet and served 
without breaking and separating the 
curd and whey, the dish is called 
junket. It is customary to season it 
a little, as with grated nutmeg or 
with, cinnamon and sugar. 

Buttermilk Cheese. 

To make buttermilk cheese, heat 
buttermilk to about 130° or 140° F. 
Allow it to cool and strain it. As 
the curd will settle to the bottom, 
most of the whey may be poured off 
before the draining is begun. 

This cheese is, of course, almost 
wholly without fat and yet, probably 
because the particles of curd are very 
finely divided, it has a smooth con- 
sistency, which suggests the presence 
of fat. It may be served seasoned 
with salt only, or it may be mixed 
with butter or cream and seasonings. 
It is suitable for combining with 
olives and pimientos, as elsewhere 
recommended, or for any use to 



which the ordinary cream cheeses are 
put. 

Buttermilk Cream. 

By controlling the temperature in 
heating the buttermilk and not allow- 
ing it to go above 100° F., a com- 
pound is made which after draining 
has the consistency of a very thick 
cream. It is claimed that this 
"cream" is suitable for eating on 
bread in place of butter. 

The recipes given on other pages 
suggest ways of making a salad 
dressing out of buttermilk cream. 

Devonshire Cream. 

Devonshire cream somewhat resem- 
bles sweet cream in flavor and con- 
sistency. It is very much liked in 
England, where it is commonly eaten 
with fresh or preserved fruit, but it 
is not so well known in America. 

To make Devonshire cream, allow a 
pan of whole milk to stand for 24- 
hours in a cool place or for 12 hours 
in a warmer place. Place the pan 
on the cooler part of the stove and 
heat until the milk is very hot, but 
not to the boiling point. If heated 
too much a thick skin will form on 
the surface. The more slowly the 
milk is heated the better. Having 
been heated, the milk should be kept 
in a cool place for 24 hours and then 
skimmed. The thick cream obtained 
has a characteristic flavor and tex- 
ture. 

CHEESE DISHES AND THEIR 
PREPARATION. 

The list of cheese dishes in the culi- 
nary literature of this and other 
countries is a long one, but most of 
them are variations of a compara- 
tively small number of general types. 
Those which have been selected and 
studied experimentally represent the 
principal types and in many cases 
have been adapted to American 
methods of preparations and tastes. 
In some instances, this has resulted 
in new and perhaps more rational 
combinations than those which served 
as naodels. 



1068 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



For convenience, the cheese dishes 
included in this bulletin have been 
grouped under the following heads: 

(1) Cheese dishes which may serve 
as meat substitutes. 

(2) Cheese soups and vegetables 
cooked with cheese, 

(3) Cheese salads, sandwiches, and 
similar dishes. 

(4) Cheese pastry, cheese sweets, 
and similar dishes. 

Variety may be obtained in the 
recipes by varying the flavorings. 
Among the best flavorings for cheese 
dishes are onion, chives, and the or- 
dinary green sweet pepper. Since 
the cheese needs very little cooking, 
however, and onion or the pepper 
needs a great deal, they should al- 
ways be previously cooked, either by 
stewing in a very little water, or by 
cooking in butter. The seeds of the 
pepper, of course, should be removed 
before cooking. Where chopped cel- 
ery is used, as it may be in most of 
these dishes, it, too, should be cooked 
beforehand until tender. Other good 
flavors are mustard, curry powder, 
onion juice, chopped olives, pimiento, 
and, according to European recipes, 
nutmeg or mace. 

In preparing the cheese it often 
has been found convenient to use a 
very c6arse grater, having slits in- 
stead of the usual rounded holes. 
Such a grater, in spite of its name, 
shaves the cheese instead of grating 
it. When the cheese is soft this is 
an advantage, since the grater does 
not become clogged. 

CHEESE DISHES WHICH MAY BE 
USED IN THE SAME WAY AS 
MEAT 

Meat is wholesome and relished by 
most persons, yet it is not essential 
to a well-balanced meal and there 
are many housekeepers who for one 
reason or another are interested in 
lessening the amount of meat which 
they provide or to substitute some 
other foods for it. The problem with 
the average family is undoubtedly 
more often the occasional substitu- 



tion of other palatable dishes for the 
sake of variety, for reasons of econ- 
omy, or for some other reason than 
the general replacement of meat 
dishes by other things. 

Foods which are to be served in 
place of meat should be rich in pro- 
tein and fat and should also be sa- 
vory. Cheese naturally suggests it- 
self as a substitute for meat, since 
it is rich in the same kinds of nutri- 
ents which meat supplies, is a sta- 
ple food with which everyone is fa- 
miliar, and is one which can be used ' 
in a great variety of ways. In sub- 
stituting cheese for meat, especial 
pains should be taken to serve dishes 
which are relished by the members of 
the family. A number of recipes for 
dishes which contain cheese are given 
below. They are preceded by several 
recipes for cheese sauces which, as 
will appear, are called for in the 
preparation of some of the more 
substantial dishes. 

Cheese Sauce UTo. I. 

1 cupful of milk. 

2 tablespoonsful of flour. 
1 ounce of cheese (14 cupful of 

grated cheese). 
Salt and pepper. 

Thicken the milk with the flour and 
just before serving add the cheese, 
stirring until it is melted. 

This sauce is suitable for use in 
preparing creamed eggs, or to pour 
over toast, making a dish correspond- 
ing to ordinary milk toast, except 
for the presence of cheese. It may 
be seasoned with a little curry pow- 
der and poured over hard boiled eggs. 

Cheese Sauce No. II. 

Same as cheese sauce No. I, except 
that the cheese is increased from 1 
to 2 ounces. 

This sauce is suitable for using 
with macaroni or rice, or for baking 
with crackers soaked in milk. 

Cheese Sauce No. III. 

Same as cheese sauce No. I, except 
that two cupsful of grated cheese or 



APPENDIX 



1069 



8 ounces are used. This may be used 
upon toast as a substitute for Welsh 
rarebit. 



Cheese Sauce No. IV. 

Same as cheese sauce No. II, save 
that 2 tablespoonsful of melted but- 
ter are mixed with the flour before 
the latter is put into the milk. This 
sauce is therefore very rich in fat 
and has only a mild flavor of cheese. 

Among the recipes for dishes which 
may be used like meat, the first 30 
are such that, eaten in usual quanti- 
ties, they will provide much the same 
kind and amount of nutritive mate- 
rial as the ordinary servings of meat 
dishes used at dinner. In several 
cases there is a resemblance in ap- 
pearance and flavor to common meat 
dishes, which would doubtless be a 
point in their favor with many fam- 
ilies. 

While, chiefly owing to custom, it 
may not accord with the taste of 
the family to serve cheese dishes at 
dinner in place of meat, it is much 
more in accord with usual dietary 
habits in American homes to serve 
such dishes at least occasionally for 
lunch, for supper, or for breakfast; 
that is, for a less formal meal than 
dinner. The last group of recipes in 
this section, beginning with "break- 
fast cereals with cheese," supply 
rather smaller proportions of nutri- 
tive materials than those in the first 
group and so may be more suitable 
for use at the less hearty meals. 
There is no hard and fast line to be 
drawn between the two groups, how- 
ever, and many of the recipes may 
be used interchangeably. 

In the recipes calling for large 
amounts of cheese the food value is 
given, not in figures, but in compari- 
son with beef of average composition 
and average percentage of waste. 
This comparison is necessarily rough 
owing to the varying composition of 
the foods and the varying weights of 
such ingredients as a cupful of grat- 
ed cheese or bread crumbs. In mak- 
ing the comparisons, beef of average 



composition has been considered to 
have 15.2 per cent of protein, and a 
fuel value of 935 calories per pound; 
ordinary American cheese has been 
considered to have 26 per cent of 
protein and a fuel value of 1,965 cal- 
ories per pound. After many weigh- 
ings, 4 ounces was decided to be the 
average weight of a cupful of cheese 
and 21/^ ounces the average weight 
of a cupful of bread crumbs. These 
weights have been taken, therefore, 
in calculating the food value of 
dishes. When cheese is very soft, 
however, it may be pressed into a 
cup and measured like butter. Under 
these circumstances, the weight of a 
cupful of cheese may be considered 
one-half a pound. The price of 
cheese is taken as 22 cents a pound, 
of butter 25 cents a pound, of eggs 
25 cents a dozen, in this and all simi- 
lar calculations in this bulletin. 
Prices vary with time, place, and sea- 
son. Those mentioned above are such 
as were paid for materials at the 
time the experiments here summar- 
ized were made and are not extreme 
values in either direction. Like all 
such estimates, the calculations are 
only relative, and the housekeeper 
who wishes to estimate the compara- 
tive cost of the cheese dishes and 
other foods can readily do so by 
taking into account the amount of 
materials used and the prices paid 
for ingredients at any particular 
time. 

Cheese Fondue No. I. 

1% cupsful of soft, stale bread 
crumbs. 
6 ounces of cheese (li/g cupsful 
of grated cheese or l^/g cups- 
ful of cheese grated fine or 
cut into smaU pieces). 
4 eggs. 

1 cupful of hot water. 
Ys teaspoonful of salt. 

Mix the water, bread crumbs, salt 
and cheese; add the yolks thoroughly 
beaten; in this mixture cut and fold 
the whites of eggs beaten until stiff. 
Pour into a buttered baking dish and 



1070 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



cook 30 minutes in a moderate oven. 
Serve at once. 

The food value of this dish, made 
with the above quantities, is almost 
exactly the same as that of a pound 
of beef of average composition and 
a pound of potatoes combined. It 
contains about 80 grams of proteids 
and has a fuel value of about 1,300 
calories. Estimated cost, 18 cents, 
calculated as explained elsewhere. 

Cheese Fondue No. II. 

1% cupsful of hot milk. 
1% cupsful of soft, stale bread 
crumbs. 
1 tablespoonful of butter. 
4 eggs. 

1/3 of a pound of cheese (IVs 
cupsful of grated cheese or 1 
cupful of cheese cut into 
small pieces). 
% teaspoonful of salt. 
Prepare as in previous recipe. 

The protein value of this dish is 
equal to that of l^s pounds of pota- 
to and beef, the fuel value, however, 
being much in excess of these. Cal- 
culated cost, 32 cents. 

In making either of these fondues, 
rice or other cereals may be sub- 
stituted for bread crumbs. One- 
fourth cupful of rice measured be- 
fore cooking, or one cupfvd of cooked 
rice or other cereals, should be used. 

A comparison of the recipes for the 
two fondues may indicate the general 
principle on which the recipes in this 
bulletin have been worked out. The 
second recipe is one commonly found 
in cookbooks. In the first one, tlie 
butter has been omitted and water 
substituted for milk and the amount 
of cheese is slightly increased. This 
makes a somewhat cheaper dish and 
one which is less rich because its 
percentage of fat is not so great. 
For this reason it is easier to adjust 
to the ordinary bill of fare. A dish 
in which there is combined cheese 
with its large percentage of fat, but- 
ter with its 85 per cent of fat, and 
eggs with their 10 per cent of fat, 
is too rich to admit of being; com- 



bined rationally with other fatty 
dishes. It therefore limits the num- 
ber of dishes that may be served 
with it, making milk soup, for ex- 
ample, or dishes containing white 
sauce or those containing much but- 
ter or oil seem out of place. The 
omission of butter from the ordin- 
ary recipes and the substitution of 
water or skimmed milk for whole 
milk may perhcips be the means of 
making cheese dishes more wholesome 
and more generally acceptable. 

Another advantage of omitting 
butter from cheese dishes and of sub- 
stituting water or skimmed milk for 
whole milk is that it makes it possi- 
ble to increase the amount of cheese 
without making the dish too rich. 
This is of advantage to those who 
like the flavor of cheese, and also, be- 
/■ause it tends to increase the tissue 
forming value of the dish, particu- 
larly if skimmed milk is used rather 
than water. 

Boiled rondue. 

Il^ cupsful of bread crumbs. 

114 cupsful of milk. 

IV3 cupsful of cheese cut into 

small pieces. 
1 egg. 

3 tablespoonsful of butter. 
6 ounces of crackers. 

Soak the bread in the milk. Melt 
the butter and add the cheese. When 
the cheese has melted add the soaked 
crumbs, the eggs slightly beaten, and 
the seasoning. Cook a short time and 
serve on toasted crackers. 

Since it consists of essentially the 
same ingredients, the food value of 
this dish is obviously much the same 
as that of fondue made in other 
ways. 

Rice Fondue. 

1 cupful of boiled rice. 

2 tablespoonsful of milk. 
4 eggs. 

1 cupful of grated cheese. 
1/0 teaspoonful of salt. 
1 teaspoonful of some commer^ 

cial meat sauce, or similar 

flavoring. 



APPENDIX 



1071 



Heat the rice in the milk, add the 
other ingredients, and cook slowly 
until the cheese is melted. Serve on 
crackers or toast. 

The food value is not far from 
that of a pound of beef of average 
composition, and the calculated cost 
is 15 cents. 

Corn and Cheese Souffle. 

1 tablespoonful of butter. 

1 tablespoonful of chopped 
green pepper. 

1/4 cupful of flour. 

2 cupsful of milk. 

1 cupful of chopped corn. 
1 cupful of grated cheese. 

3 eggs. 

y^ teaspoonful of salt. 

Melt the butter and cook the pep- 
per thoroughly in it. Make a sauce 
out of the flour, milk, and cheese 
as explained elsewhere; add the corn, 
cheese, yolks, and seasoning; cut and 
fold in the whites beaten stiffly; turn 
into a buttered baking dish and bake 
in a moderate oven 30 minutes. 

Made with skimmed milk and with- 
out butter, this dish has a food value 
slightly in excess of a pound of beef 
and a pound of potatoes. Calcu- 
lated cost about 20 cents. 

Welsh Rabbit. 

1 tablespoonful of butter. 
1 teasi^oonful of cornstarch. 
1/3 cupful of milk. 
1/0 pound of cheese, cut into 

small pieces. 
14 teaspoonful each of salt and 

mustard. 
A speck of cayenne pepper. 

Cook the cornstarch in the butter; 
then add the milk gradually and cook 
two minutes; add the cheese and stir 
until it is melted. Season and serve 
on crackers or bread toasted on one 
side, the rabbit being poured over 
the untoasted side. Food value is 
that of about three-fourths of a 
pound of beef. Calculated cost, 13 
cents. 



Tomato Eabbit. 

2 tablespoonsful of butter. 

2 tablespoonsful of flour. 
% cupful of milk. 
% cupful of stewed and strained 

tomatoes. 
% teaspoonful of soda. 

1 pound of cheese 

2 eggs, slightly beaten. 

Salt, mustard, cayenne pepper. 

Cook the butter and the flour to- 
gether, add the milk, and as soon as 
the mixture thickens add tomatoes 
and soda. Then add cheese, eggs, and 
seasoning. Serve on toasted whole 
wheat or Graham bread. 

Green Corn, Tomato, and Cheese. 

1 tablespoonful of butter. 

2 cups of grated cheese. 

% cup of canned or grated fresh 
corn. 

1 ripe pimiento. 

y^ cup of tomato puree. 

2 egg yolks. 

1 teaspoonful of salt. 
14 teaspoonful of paprika. 
1 clove of garlic. 
4 slices of bread. 

Into the melted butter stir the 
cheese until it, too, is melted. Then 
add the corn and pimiento, stir for a 
moment and add the egg yolks beat- 
en and mixed with the tomato juice 
and the salt and paprika. Have 
ready the bread toasted on one side 
and very lightly rubbed on its un- 
toasted side with the garlic cut in 
two. Pour the mixture over the un- 
toasted side of the bread and serve 
at once. A poached egg is sometimes 
placed on top of each portion, mak- 
ing a very nutritious combination. 

Maoaroni and Cheese No. I. 

1 cupful of macaroni, broken 
into small pieces. 

2 quarts of boiling water. 

1 cupful of milk. 

2 tablespoonsful of flour. 
^A to l^ pound of cheese. 
Vo teaspoonful of salt. 
Speck of cayenne pepper. 



1072 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Cook the macaroni in the boiling 
salted water, drain in a strainer, and 
pour cold water over it to prevent 
the pieces from adliering to each 
other. Make a sauce out of the flour, 
milk, and cheese. Put the sauce 
and macaroni in alternate layers 
in a buttered baking dish, cov- 
er with buttered crumbs, and heat in 
oven until crumbs are brown. 

Macaroni and Cheese Wo. II. 

A good way to prepare macaroni 
and cheese is to make a rich cheese 
sauce and heat the macaroni in it. 
The mixture is usually covered 
with buttered ci'umbs and browned 
in the oven. The advantage of 
this way of preparing the dish, 
however, is that it is unneces- 
sary to have a hot oven, as the sauce 
and macaroni may be reheated on 
the top of the stove. 

Macaroni with. Clieese and Tomato 
Sauce. 

Boiled macaroni may be heated in 
tomato sauce and sprinkled with 
grated cheese just before serving. 

Italian Macaroni and Cheese. 

1 cupful of macaroni broken 
feto small pieces. 

2 quarts of boiling salted wa- 
ter. 

% onion. 
2 cloves. 
114 cupsful of tomato sauce. 
Yg cupful or more of grated 
cheese. 

Cook the macaroni in the boiling 
salted water with the onion and 
cloves. Drain, remove the onion and 
cloves, reheat in tomato sauce, and 
serve with grated cheese. 

Cheese and Macaroni Loaf. 

14 cupful of macaroni broken 
into small pieces. 
1 cupful of milk. 
1 cupful of soft bread crumbs. 
1 tablespoonful of butter. 



1 tablespoonful of chopped 

green pepper. 
1 teaspoonful each of chopped 

onion and parsley. 

3 eggs. 

1 teaspoonful of salt. 
14 cupful of grated cheese. 

Cook the macaroni in boiling salted 
water until tender, and rinse in cold 
water. Cook the parsley, onion, and 
pepper in a little water with the but- 
ter. Pour ofif the water or allow it 
to boil away. Beat the egg, white 
and yolk separately. Mix all the in- 
gredients, cutting and folding in the 
stiffly beaten whites at the last. Line 
a quart baking dish with buttered 
paper; turn the mixture into it; set 
the baking dish in a pan of hot wa- 
ter, and bake in a moderate oven 
from one-half to three-fourths of an 
hour. Serve with tomato sauce. 

Baked Rice and Cheese No. I. 

1 cupful of uncooked rice and 

4 cupsful of milk; 

or, 
3 cupsful of cooked rice and 

1 cupful of milk. 

2 tablespoonsful of flour. 
% pound of cheese. 

1/3 teaspoonful of salt. 

If uncooked rice is used, it should 
be cooked in 3 cupsful of milk. 
Make a sauce with one cupful of 
milk, add the flour, cheese, and salt. 
Into a buttered baking dish put 
alternate layers of the cooked rice 
and the sauce. Cover with but- 
tered crumbs and bake until tlie 
crumbs are brown. The proteids 
in this dish, made with rice cooked 
in milk, are equal to those of nearly 
1% pounds of average beef. If 
skimmed milk is used, the fuel value 
is equal to nearly Sy, pounds of beef. 
Whole milk raises the fuel value still 
higher. Estimated cost 38 cents. 

Baked Bice and Cheese No. II. 

Vi pound of cheese grated or 
cut into small pieces. 
1 cupful of rice. 
Milk as needed. 



APPENDIX 



1073 



Cook the rice; put into a buttered 
baking dish alternate layers of rice 
and cheese; pour over them enough 
milk is used to pour over it, this 
the rice; cover vi^ith buttered crumbs 
and brown. 

If the rice is cooked in milk either 
whole or skimnfed, and one cup of 
milk is used to pour over it, this 
dish has as much protein as I14 
pounds of beef of average composi- 
tion, and a much higher fuel value. 

Baked Crackers and Cheese No. I. 

9 or 10 butter crackers or Bos- 
ton crackers. 
14 pound of cheese or 1 cupful 
of grated cheese. 
1% cupsful of milk. 
14 teaspoon ful of salt. 
Flour. 

Split the crackers, if the thick sort 
are selected, or with a sharp knife 
cut them into pieces of uniform size. 
Pour the milk over them and drain 
it off at once. With the milk, flour, 
cheese, and salt, make a sauce. 
Into a buttered baking dish put 
alternate layers of the soaked 
crackers and sauce. Cover with bread 
crumbs and brown in the oven, or 
simply reheat without covering with 
crumbs. 

The above is a very satisfactory 
substitute for macaroni and cheese, 
and can be prepared in less time. 

Baked Crackers and Cheese No. II. 

9 or 10 butter crackers or soda 

crackers. 
2 cupsful of hot milk, whole or 

skimmed. 
1 cupful of grated cheese. 
14 teaspoonful of salt. 

This is more quicldy prepared than 
the preceding recipe, but as the milk 
- is likely to curdle, it has not so good 
a consistency. 

Soak the crackers in the milk; 
place them in a buttered baking dish 
in alternate layers with the cheese; 
pour the remaining milk over them 



and bake. This dish may be covered 
with buttered crumbs. Variety may 
be secured, in either this recipe or the 
preceding one, by putting a very 
small amount of mixed mustt.rd on 
each cracker. 

Cheese Eolls. 

A large variety of rolls may be 
made by combining legumes, either 
beans of various kinds, cowpeas, len- 
tilSj or peas, with cheese of various 
kinds, and adding bread crumbs to 
make the mixture thick enough to 
form into a roll. Beans are usually 
mashed, but peas or small Lima 
beans may be combined whole with 
bread crumbs and grated cheese, and 
enough of the liquor in which the 
vegetables have been cooked may be 
added to get the right consistency. 
Or, instead of beans or peas, chopped 
spinach, beet tops, or head let- 
tuce may be used. Home-made cot- 
tage cheese, and the soft cream 
cheese of commerce, standard cheese, 
or English dairy may be used. 

Boston Roast. 

1 pound can of kidney beans or 
equivalent quantity of cooked 
beans. 

% pound of grated cheese. 

Bread crumbs. 

Salt. 

Mash the beans or put them 
through a meat grinder. Add the 
cheese and sufficient bread crumbs to 
make the mixture stiif enough to be 
formed into a roll. Bake in a mod- 
erate oven, basting occasionally with 
butter and water. Serve with toma- 
to sauce. This dish may be flavored 
with onions, chopped and cooked in 
butter and water. 

Pimiento and Cheese Roast. 

3 cupsful of cooked Lima beans. 
14 pound of cream cheese, com- 
mercial or home made. 

3 canned pimientos chopped. 
Bread crumbs. 



1074 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Put the first three ingredients 
through a meat chopper. Mix thor- 
oughly and add bread crumbs until 
it is stiff enough to form into a roll. 
Brown in the oven, basting occa- 
sionally with butter and water. 

Nut and Cheese Boast. 

1 cupful of grated cheese. 

1 cupful of chopped English 
walnuts. 

1 cupful of bread crumbs. 

3 tablespoonsful of chopped on- 
ion. 

1 tablespoonful of butter. 

Juice of half a lemon. 

Salt and pepper. 

Cook the onion in the butter and 
a little water until it is tender. Mix 
the other ingredients and moisten 
with watei', using the water in which 
the onion has been cooked. Pour into 
a shallow baking dish and brown in 
the oven. 



may be cooked with the greens. In 
Italy roasts thus prepared are sprin- 
kled with a little finely chopped gar- 
lic, and covered with celery tops and 
thin slices of bacon or fat pork be- 
fore roasting. 

Creamed Cheese and Eggs. 

3 hard boiled eggs. 

1 tablespoonful of flour. 

1 cupful of milk. 
% teaspoonful of salt. 
Speck of cayenne. 
%^ cupful or 1 ounce grated 
cheese. 

4 slices of toast. 

Make a thin white sauce with the 
flour and milk and seasonings. Add 
the cheese and stir until melted. 
Chop the whites and add them to the 
sauce. Pour the sauce over the toast, 
force the yolks through a potato 
ricer or strainer, sprinkle over the 
toast. 



Cheese and Spinach HoU. 

2 quarts of spinach. 

1 cupful of grated cheese. 

1 tablespoonful of butter. 

Salt. 

Bread crumbs. 

Cook the spinach in water for 10 
minutes. Drain off the water, add 
the butter, cook until tender, and 
chop. Add the cheese and the egga, 
and bread crumbs enough to make 
a mixture sufficiently stiff to form 
into a roll, or leave more moist and 
cook in a baking dish. 

Vegetable and Cheese HoUs. 

For the spinach of the above re- 
cipe there may be substituted beet 
tops, Swiss chard, or the outer 
leaves of lettuce. 

Cheese Used in the Stuffing of Meats. 

The mixtures in the preceding two 
recipes may be used for stuffing veal 
or beef. Eggs may be added if de- 
sired, and chopped onions or parsley 



Baked Eggs with Cheese. 

4 eggs. 

1 cupful, or 4 ounces, of grated 

cheese. 
1 cupful of fine, soft, stale 
bread crumbs. 
14 teaspoonful salt. 
A few grains of cayenne pepper. 

Break the eggs into a buttered bak- 
ing dish or into ramekins and cook 
them in a hot oven until they begin 
to turn white around the edge. Cover 
with the mixture of crumbs, cheese, 
and seasonings. Brown in a very hot 
oven. In preparing this dish it is 
essential that the oven be very hot 
or the egg will be too much cooked 
by the time the cheese is brown. To 
avoid this, some cooks cover the eggs 
with white sauce before adding 
crumbs. 

The food value of the dish is very 
close to that of a pound of beef of 
average composition. The estimated 
cost is about 14 cents. 

For those who are particularly 
fond of cheese the amount of cheese 



t 



APPENDIX 



1075 



in this recipe may be very much in- 
creased, thus making a much more 
nourishing dish. Or, the amount may 
be reduced so as to give hardly more 
than a suggestion of the flavor of 
cheese. 

Scrambled Eggs with Cheese. 

14 pound of cheese grated or 

cut into small pieces. 
8 eggs. 

1 tablespoonful of chopped 
parsley. 
A pinch of nutmeg. 
14 teaspoonful of salt. 

Beat the eggs slightly, mix them 
with the other ingredients, and cools 
over a very slow fire, stirring con- 
stantly, so that the cheese may be 
melted by the time the eggs are 
cooked. In food value the dish is 
equal to nearly 2 pounds of average 
beef. The calculated cost is about 30 
cents. 

Swiss Eggs. 

4 eggs. 
1/2 cupful of cream. 

1 tablespoonful of butter. 
Salt and pepper. 
y^ cupful of grated cheese. 

Heat the butter and cream to- 
gether, break in the eggs whole, 
sprinkle with salt and pepper. "When 
nearly done, add the cheese. Serve 
on buttered toast. Strain the cream 
over the toast. 

Cheese Omelet Wo. I. 

Cheese may be introduced into 
omelets in several ways. An ordin- 
ary omelet may be served with thin 
cheese sauce made in the following 
proportions : 

11/3 tablespoonsful of flour. 

114 tablespoonsful of cheese. 

1 cupful of milk. 

This sauce may also be added to 
omelets in which boiled rice, minced 



meat, or some other nutritious ma- 
terial has been included. 

Cheese Omelet No. II. 

Grated cheese may be sprinkled 
over an ordinary omelet before it is 
served. 

Cheese Omelet. 

Yolks of 2 eggs, 

2 tablespoonsful of hot water. 

1 cupful of grated cheese. 

Salt and pepper. 

Whites of 4 eggs. 

1 tablespoonful of butter. 

Beat the yolks until lemon colored 
and add the hot water and the sea- 
soning. Beat the whites until they 
are stifi", and add the cheese. Cut 
and fold the two mixtures together. 
Heat the butter in omelet pan and 
cook the mixture very slowly until 
it is brown on the underside. If 
possible, cook the top of the omelet 
in the oven or by means of a hot 
plate held over it. 

Breakfast Cereals with Cheese. 

That cheese combined with cereal 
foods makes a rational dish as re- 
gards the proportion of nutrients it 
supplies has been pointed out on an- 
other page. Cheese and some of the 
crisp "ready to serve" cereal break- 
fast foods is a combination which is 
common, the cheese being melted with 
the cereal food, or simply served 
with it. 

There are many who relish a piece 
of cheese with the cooked cereal so 
commonly eaten for breakfast and 
find such a combination satisfying to 
appetite and taste. Oatmeal or some 
other home cooked breakfast cereal 
prepared with cheese is palatable, 
and such dishes have an advantage 
in that they may be served without 
cream and sugar. Since such a dish 
contains considerably more protein 
than the breakfast cereals as or- 
dinarily served, it has a further ad- 
vantage in that it may well serve 
as the principal item of a breakfast 
menu, instead of a preliminary to 



1076 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



other courses. Such a combination 
as cereals cooked with cheese, toast, 
fruit, and tea, coffee, or chocolate, 
makes a palatable as well as nutri- 
tious breakfast and one which does 
not require much work to pi'epare 
and to clear away. A recipe for pre- 
paring oatmeal with cheese follows. 
Wheat breakfast foods, either parched 
or unparched, corn meal, and hominy 
may be prepared in the same way. 

Oatmeal with Cheese. 

2 cupsful of oatmeal. 
1 cupful of grated cheese. 
1 tablespoonful of butter. 
1 level teaspoonful of salt. 

Cook the oatmeal as usual. Shortly 
before serving, stir in the butter and 
add the cheese, and stir until the 
cheese is melted and thoroughly 
blended with the cereal. 

The cheese should be mild in flavor 
and soft in texture. The proportion 
of cheese used may be increased if a 
more pronounced cheese flavor is de- 
sired. 

Cheese with Mush. 

Cheese may be added to cornmeal 
mush or to mush made from any of 
the corn or wheat preparations now 
on the market. The addition of 
cheese to cornmeal mush is particu- 
larly desirable when the mush is to 
be fried. 

Pried Bread with Cheese No. I. 

6 slices of bread. 

1 cupful of milk. 

2 ounces of cheese, or y^ cup- 
ful of grated cheese. 

Yz teaspoonful of salt. 
% teaspoonful of potassium bi- 
carbonate. 
Butter or other fat for fi-ying. 

Scald the milk with the potassium 
bicarbonate; add the grated cheese, 
and stir until it dissolves. Dip the 
bread in this mixture and fry it in 
the butter. The potassium bicar- 



bonate helps to keep the cheese in 
solution. It is desirable, however, 
to keep the milk hot while the bread 
is being dipped. 

Fried Bread with Cheese No. II. 

Cut stale bread into thin pieces. 
Put two pieces together with grated 
cheese between them; dip into a mix- 
ture of egg and milk and fry in 
butter or other fat. 

Eoman Gnocchi. 

2 cupsful of milk. 
14 cupful of flour. 
14 cupful of cornstarch. 

2 cupsful of milk. 

2 egg yolks. 

34 cupful of grated cheese. 
Salt. 

Melt the butter; cook the corn- 
starch thoroughly, and then the flour 
in the butter; add the milk gradu- 
ally; cook three minutes, stirring con- 
stantly; add the yolks and one-half 
cupful of the cheese. Pour into a 
buttered shallow pan and cool. Cut 
into squares; place them on a plat- 
ter a little distance apart; sprinkle 
with remaining cheese, and brown in 
the oven. 

The proteid value is that of three- 
fourths of a pound of average beef, 
the fuel value that of 1% pounds. 
Calculated cost 17 cents. 

Cheese Souffle!; 

2 tablespoons ful of butter. 

3 tablespoonsful of flour. 
% cupful of milk (scalded). 
% teaspoonful of salt. 

A speck of cayenne. 
14 cupful of grated cheese. 
3 eggs. 

Melt the butter; add the flour and, 
when well mixed, add gradually the 
scalded milk. Then add salt, cay- 
enne, and cheese. Remove from the 
fire and add the yolks of the eggs, 
beaten until lemon colored. Cool 
the mixture and fold into it the 



APPENDIX 



1077 



whites of the eggs, beaten until stiff. 
Pour into a buttered baking dish and 
cook 20 minutes in a slow oven. 
Serve at once. 

The proteid value of this recipe 
is equal to that of a half pound of 
beef; the fuel value is equal to that 
of three-fourths of a pound. 

Cheese Souffl^ with Pastry. 

2 eggs. 

% cupful of thin cream. 
1 cupful of grated cheese. 

1/2 cupful of Swiss cheese cut 
into small pieces. 

Salt, cayenne pepjier, and nut- 
meg. 

Add the eggs to the cream and 
beat slightly, then add the cheese and 
seasoning. Bake 15 minutes in a hot 
oven, in patty tins lined with puff 
paste. 

Cheese Croquettes. 

3 tablespoonsful of butter. 
14 cupful of flour. 

% cupful of milk. 
Yolks of 2 eggs. 
1 cupful of cheese cut in very 
small pieces. 
% cupful grated cheese. 
Salt and pepper. 

Make with a white sauce, using the 
butter, flour, and the milk. Add the 
unbeaten yolks and stir until well 
mixed, then add the grated cheese. 
As soon as the cheese melts, remove 
from the fire, fold in the pieces of 
cheese, and add the seasoning. 
Spread in a shallow pan and cool. 
Cut into squares or strips, cover with 
an egg and crumb mixture, and fry 
in deep fat. 

Fried Cheese Balls. 

11/2 cnpsful of grated cheese. 
1 tablespoonful of flour. 
The whites of 3 eggs. 
Salt, pepper, cracker dust. 

Beat the whites of the eggs; add 
the other ingredients ; make into balls 



and roll in cracker dust. Ifj the 
amount of flour is doubled, the mix- 
ture may be dropped from a spoon 
and fried without being rolled in 
crumbs. 

CHEESE SOUPS AND VEGETABLES 
COOKED WITH CHEESE 

In these dishes the cheese is used 
not only to add nutritive value, but 
also to give its characteristic flavor 
either to materials otherwise rather 
mild in taste (as in potatoes with 
cheese) or to combine its flavor with 
that of some more highly flavored 
vegetables (as in cheese and vegeta- 
ble soup). The ingenious housekeep- 
er whose family is fond of cheese 
can doubtless think of many desirable 
ways of making such combinations 
besides those given in the following 
recipes : 

ICilk and Cheese Soup. 

3 cupsful of milk, or part milk 

and part stock. 
ll^ tablespoonsful of flour. 
1 cupful of grated cheese. 
Salt and paprika. 

Thicken the milk with the flour, 
cooking thoroughly. This is best done 
in a double boiler, with frequent stir- 
rings. When ready to serve, add the 
cheese and the seasoning. 

The proteids in this soup are equal 
in amount to those in five-sixths of 
a pound of beef of average composi- 
tion; its fuel value is higher than 
that of a pound of beef. 

Cheese and Vegetable Soup. 

2 cupsful of stock. 
2 tablespoonsful of finely 
chopped carrots. 

1 tablespoonful of chopped on- 
ion. 

A very little mace. 

2 tablespoonsful of butter. 
2 tablespoonsful of flour. 
1% teaspoonsful of salt. 

1 cupful of scalded milk. 
14 cupful of grated cheese. 



1078 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Cook the vegetables a short time 
in one-half of the butter, add the 
stock and the mace, boiling 15 or 20 
minutes. Strain and add the milk. 
Thicken with flour cooked in the re- 
maining butter. Just before serv- 
ing, stir in the cheese and cook imtil 
it is melted. 

Scalloped Potatoes with Cheese 
No, I. 

Put into a buttered baking dish 
alternate layers of cheese sauce No. 
I and cold boiled potatoes, sliced or 
cut into dice. Cover with buttered 
crumbs and bake. 

Scalloped Potatoes with Cheese 
No. II. 

Put into a buttered baking dish 
alternate layers of white sauce and 
cold boiled potatoes, either sliced or 
cut into dice. Put over the top a 
layer of grated cheese and then a 
layer of buttered bread crumbs. 
Brown in the oven. 

Scalloped Cabbage or Cauliflower 
with Cheese. 

Cauliflower or cabbage may be 
scalloped according to either of the 
recipes given for scalloped potatoes 
and dheese. Sometimes a cauliflower 
is boiled whole, spread with grated 
cheese, then with buttered bread 
crumbs. It is browned in the oven 
and served with white sauce poured 
around it. 

Cheese with Potato Puffs. 

1 cupful of mashed potatoes. 
14 cupful of milk. 

1 egg. 
14 teaspoonful of salt. 
y^ cupful of grated cheese. 

Beat the potatoes and milk to- 
gether until thoroughly mixed. Add 
the egg and the salt and beat thor- 
oughly. Finally add the cheese. 
Bake in mufiin tins in a slow oven 
10 or 15 minutes. 

A similar dish may be made by 
scooping out the inside of a baked 



potato and mixing it with cheese as 
above. Fill the potato-skin shell 
with the mixture, return to the oven, 
and bake until light brown. 

Potatoes with Cheese Sauce. 

Cut boiled potatoes into cubes and 
serve with cheese sauce No. I. This 
is one of the cheese and vegetable 
dishes most frequently found on 
restaurant menus. 

CHEESE SALADS, SANDWICHES, 
AND SIMILAR CHEESE DISHES 

Cheese of one sort or another is a 
very common accompaniment of sal- 
ads, and the combination is rational 
as well as palatable, for the constit- 
uents of the succulent foods — chiefly 
water and cellulose — supplement the 
protein and fat of the cheese. Cheese 
is often used also as a part of the 
salad. 

A number of recipes are given be- 
low for cheese salads and other 
cheese dishes which may be served 
with dinner or other regular meals, 
or served as part of a special lunch 
or special supper. Many of the 
cheese dishes discussed in other sec- 
tions are also commonly used for 
such occasions when something sav- 
ory is desired which can be easily and 
quickly prepared. 

Cheese with Salads. 

Cheese or cheese dishes are an ac- 
ceptable addition to salads. Neuf- 
chatel or other cream cheese, either 
plain or mixed with pimientos and 
olives may be passed with lettuce or 
may be cut into slices and served on 
lettuce. 

Cheese balls are often served with 
salad. They are made of some soft 
cream cheese, and are frequently com- 
bined with chopped chives, olives, 
sweet peppers, chopped nuts, etc., 
for the sake of adding flavor. 
Cooked egg yolk, spinach extract, 
etc., are sometimes mixed in for the 
sake of color. If the balls are rolled 
in chopped chives or parsley, both 
flavor and color are supplied. 



APPENDIX 



1079 



Plain Cheese Salad. 

Cut Edam or ordinary American 
cheese into tlain pieces, scatter them 
over lettuce leaves, and serve with 
French dressing. 

Olive and Pimiento Sandwich or 
Salad Cheese. 

Mash any of the soft cream cheeses 
and add chopped olives and pimientos 
in equal parts. This mixture re- 
quires much salt to make it palat- 
able to most palates, the amount de- 
pending chiefly on the quantity of 
pimiento used. The mixture may be 
spread between thin slices of bread 
or it may be made into a roll or 
molded, cut into slices, and served 
on lettuce leaves with French dress- 
inar. 

Cheese and Tomato Salad. 

Stuif cold tomatoes with cream 
cheese and serve on lettuce leaves 
with French dressing. 

Cheese and Pimiento Salad. 

Stuff canned pimientos with cream 
cheese, cut into slices, and serve one 
or two slices to each person on let- 
tuce leaves with French dressing. 

Cheese Jelly Salad. 

14 cupful of grated cheese. 
1 tablespoonful of gelatin. 
1 cupful of whipped cream. 
Salt and pepper to taste 
Mix the cheese with the whipped 
cream, season to taste with salt and 
pepper, and add to the gelatin dis- 
solved in a scant cupful of water. 
This may be molded in a large mold 
or in small molds. 

AVhen the jelly begins to harden, 
cover with grated cheese. The jelly 
should be served on a lettuce leaf, 
preferably with a cream dressing or 
a French dressing, to which a little 
grated cheese has been added. 

Cheese Salad and Preserves. 

Epicures have devised a dish which 
consists of lettuce with French dress- 



ing served with cream cheese and 
thick preparations of currants or 
other fruits preserved in honey or 
sugar, which, owing to the fact that 
the seeds have been extracted by a 
laborious process, are fairly expen- 
sive. The soft cheese often found in 
market is also relatively expensive. 
There is a suggestion in this dish, 
however, for others which are much 
less costly. Buttermilk cream, or 
ordinary cottage cheese served with 
lettuce or other green salad and 
a smaU amount of rich home- 
made preserves, is a combination 
with much the same character, and 
also very appetizing. 

Deviled Eggs with Cheese. 

In making deviled eggs, either to 
be eaten alone or upon lettuce leaves 
in the form of salad, a little grated 
cheese may be mixed with the yolks 
in addition to the usual salad dress- 
ing and flavorings with which the 
yolks are mixed. 

Cheese and Celery. 

Cut stalks of celery having deep 
grooves in them into pieces about 2 
inches long. Fill the grooves with 
cream cheese salted or flavored with 
chopped pimientos, and serve with 
bread and butter as a salad course 
or serve as a relish at the beginning 
of a meal. 

Although not cheese dishes, strictly 
speaking, the following salad dress- 
ings made with buttermilk cream 
may be included in this section. 

Buttermilk Salad Dressing. 

14 cupful of buttermilk cream. 
1 tablespoonful of vinegar. 
14 teaspoonful of salt. 
Cayenne pepper. 

This dressing is particularly suit- 
able for serving with cucumbers. 

Buttermilk Cream Horseradish Sal- 
ad Dressing. 

To buttermilk cream add a little 
grated horseradish and vinegar and 



1080 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



salt. Serve on whole or sliced to- 
matoes. 

Cheese Sandwiches. 

Mash or grate American dieese, 
add salt, a few drops of vinegar and 
paprika, and a speck of mustard. 
Mix thoroughly and spread between 
thin slices of bread. 

Cheese and Anchovy Sandwiches. 

To the mixture mentioned in the 
preceding recipe, add a little anchovy 
essence. Sardines mashed or rubbed 
into a paste or any other fish paste 
may be used in a similar way. 

Cuban Sandwiches, 

This sandwich may be described as 
a kind of club sandwich with cheese. 
It is usually made large so that it is 
necessary to eat it with a knife and 
fork. It may be made in such pro- 
portions as to supply a large amount 
of nourishment. 

Cut the crusts from slices of bread. 
Between two slices lay first lettuce 
with a little salad dressing or salt 
on it, then a slice of soft mild cheese 
and finally thin slices of dill pickles 
or a little chopped pickle. 

Toasted Cheese Sandwiches. 

Plain bread and butter sandwiches 
with fairly thick slices of cheese put 
between the slices are frequently 
toasted, and on picnics, or at chafing 
dish suppers, are often browned in 
a pan in which bacon has just been 
fried. 

CHEESE PASTEY, CHEESE SWEETS, 
AND SIMILAR DISHES 

In the foregoing pages a large 
number of recipes have been includ- 
ed in which cheese is combined with 
materials without cooking, as in sal- 
ads, or used in cooked dishes of 
creamy or custard-like consistencj% as 
in souffles and Welsh rabbit or in 
combination with vegetables or cere- 
als, such as rice. 

There are a number of cheese 



dishes of quite different character in 
which the cheese is combined with 
dough, batter, or pastry in various 
ways, and a number of dishes in 
which cheese or cheese curd is used 
in combinations suitable for dessert. 
Such sweet dishes were once much 
more common than they are to-day, 
as reference to old cookery books 
will show, but some of them are well 
worth retaining. 

In cheese sweets, flavor and rich- 
ness are both contributed by the 
cheese. 

When cheese is used in pastry or 
dough it may serve simply as a 
flavor, as in cheese sticks or cheese 
straws, or it may wholly or in part 
replace with its fat the usual short- . 
ening, as butter or other fat, and I 
with its protein (casein) the pro- • 
tein (albumin) of eggs. As an illus- 
tration of such a use of cheese, cheese . 
gingerbread may be cited. I 

Using cheese in this way is often ' 
an economy when eggs are scarce. 
Better results will be obtained if • 
soft cheese is used which can be | 
worked into the dough in much the ^ 
same way as butter or other shorten- 
ing. To those who like cheese the 
flavor which it imparts would be an 
advantage. However, if a very mild | 
cheese is used in combination with 
molasses or spice the dish differs a ' 
little in flavor from one prepared in 
the usual way. i 

Cheese Biscuit Ho. I. 

2 cupsful of flour. 
4 teaspoonsful of baking pow- 
der. 
2 tablespoons ful of lard or but- 
ter. 
% of a cup of milk. 
%^ teaspoonful of salt. 
Grated cheese sufficient to give 
desired flavor. 

Mix all the ingredients excepting 
the cheese as for baking powder bis- 
cuits. Roll thin, divide into two 
parts, sprinkle one half with grated 
cheese, lay the other half of the 



APPENDIX 



1081 



dough over the cheese, cut out with 
a small cutter, and bake. 

Cheese Biscuit Wo. II. 

Vi pound of soft cheese. 

2 cupsful of flour. 

1 cupful of water. 

4 teaspoonsful of baking pow- 
der. 
1% teaspoonsful of salt. 

Mix and sift the dry ingredients, 
then work in the cheese with a fork 
or with the fingers, and add the wa- 
ter gradually. The approximate 
amount of water has been given; it 
it impossible to give the exact amount, 
as flour differs in its capacity for 
taking up moisture. Toss the dough 
on a floured board and roll out and 
'cut with a biscuit cutter. Place in 
a buttered pan and bake in a quick 
oven from 13 to 15 minutes. The 
biscuit may be sprinkled with cheese 
before being put into the oven. 

If the cheese is sufficiently soft it 
can be measured just as butter is. 
This recipe, then, would call for y^ 
cujjful. 

Cheese Drops. 

2% tablespoons ful of milk. 
1 teaspoonful of butter. 
11/4 cupsful of flour. 
% teaspoonful of salt. 

1 egg. 

2 tablespoons ful of grated Par- 
mesan cheese or dry Ameri- 
can cheese. 

Heat the butter and milk to boil- 
ing point, add the flour and the salt 
and stir thoroughly. Remove from 
the fire, add the egg and cheese and 
stir until well mixed. When cold, 
drop in small pieces in deep fat and 
brown. This makes a good addition 
to any clear soup or to consomm^. 

Cheese Wafers. 

Spread grated cheese on thin 
crackers, heat in the oven until the 



cheese is melted. Serve with soup or 
salad. 

Cheese Kelish. 

Spread bread which has been toast- 
ed or fried in deep fat with grated 
cheese, or with grated cheese mixed 
with a little mustard, then heat in 
the oven until the cheese is melted. 
This may be served with salad, or as 
a relish to give flavor to some dish 
such as boiled rice or hominy, which 
has no very marked flavor. 

Cheese Straws. 

Roll out plain or puff paste until 
one-fourth of an inch thick. Spread 
one-half of it with grated cheese. 
Fold over the other half and roll out 
again. Repeat the process three or 
four times. Cut into strips and bake. 
Serve with soup or salad. 

Salad Biscuit. 

14 pound of cheese. 

3 cupsful of flour. 

4 teaspoonsful of baking pow- 
der. 

1% teaspoonsful of salt. 
1 cupful of water. 

Mix as for cheese biscuits No. I 
or No. II, depending on whether the 
cheese is hard or soft. 

Cheese Gingerbread No. I. 

1 cupful of molasses. 
4 ounces of cheese. 

1 teaspeonful of soda. 
14 cupful of water. 

2 cupsful of flour. 

2 teaspoonsful of ginger. 
14 teaspoonful salt. 

Heat the molasses and the cheese 
in a double boiler until the cheese is 
melted. Add the soda and stir vigor- 
ously. Mix and sift dry ingredients 
and add them to the molasses and 
cheese alternately with the water. 
Bake 15 minutes in small buttei'ed 
tins. 



1082 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Cheese Gingerbread No. 11. 

% cupful of molasses. 
% cupful of sugar. 

4 ounces of cheese. 

2 cupsful of flour. 

1 teaspoonful of soda. 

2 teaspoonsful of ginger. 
% teaspoonful of salt. 

% cupful of water. 

Rub the cheese and the sugar to- 
gether. Add the molasses. Mix and 
sift the dry ingredients and add them 
to the cheese mixture alternately 
with the water. 

Cheese Custard. 

1 cupful of grated cheese. 
l^ cupful of cream or rich milk. 

Yolks of 2 eggs. 

A speck of salt and of paprika. 

Mix the cream and the cheese and 
heat until the cheese is melted. Re- 
move from the fire and add the 
yolks of the eggs. Bake in paper 
cases or buttered ramekins. Serve 
with jelly or preserves. 

Cheese Cakes. 

1 quart of milk. 
Rennet. 

1 ounce of sugar. 
Yolks of 2 eggs. 
A speck of nutmeg. 
1% ounces of butter. 
1 ounce of dried currants or 
small raisins. 



Warm the milk and add the ren- 
net, using the amount prescribed on 
the package. Let the milk stand 
until the curd forms, then break up 
the curd and strain olf the whey. 
Add the other ingredients to the 
curd; line patty tins with pastry, fill 
them with the mixture, and bake. 



Brown Betty with Cheese. 

Arrange in a deep earthenware 
baking dish, alternate layers of bread 
crumbs and thinly sliced apples. Sea- 
son with cinnamon, also a little clove 
if desired and brown sugar. Scatter 
some finely shaved mild full cream 
cheese over each layer of apple. 
When the dish is full, scatter bread 
crumbs over the top and bake 30 to 
45 minutes, placing the dish in a pan 
^ of water so that the pudding will 
not burn. 

If preferred, this may be sweet- 
ened with molasses mixed with an 
equal amount of hot water and 
poured over the top, a half cupful 
of molasses being sufficient for a 
quart pudding dish full. 

Cheese may be used in place of 
butter in a similar way in other apple 
puddings. Apple pic made with a 
layer of finely shaved cheese over 
the seasoned apple and baked in the 
usual way is liked by many who are 
fond of cheese served with apple 
pie. 



APPENDIX CHAPTER III 

PREPARATION OF VEGETABLES FOR THE TABLE * 

By 
MARIA PARLOA. 



GENERAL PRINCIPLES 

Vegetables are baked, roasted, 
fried, or boiled, are used for making 
a great variety of dishes, and are 
prepared for the table in other ways; 
but the most common method of 
cooking them is in boiling water. 
Steaming is not infrequently resorted 
to as a method of cooking vegetables 
and is, of course, similar in principle 
to boiling in water. 

The simpler the methods of cook- 
ing and serving vegetables the bet- 
ter. A properly grown and well- 
cooked vegetable will be palatable 
and readily digestible. Badly cooked, 
water-soaked vegetables very gener- 
ally cause digestive disturbances, 
which are often serious. Nearly 
every vegetable may be cooked so 
that with plain bread it may form a 
palatable course by itself, if it is 
desired to serve it in this manner. 

All green vegetables, roots, and tu- 
bers should be crisp and firm when 
put on to cook. If for any reason 
a vegetable has lost its firmness and 
crispness, it should be soaked in very 
cold water until it becomes plump 
and crisp. With new vegetables this 
will be only a matter of minutes, 
while old roots and tubers often re- 
quire many hours. All vegetables 
should be thoroughly cleaned just 
before being put on to cook. Veg- 
etables that form in heads, such as 
cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels 
sprouts, should be soaked, heads 
turned down, in salted cold water, to 
which a few spoonsful of vinegar 
may be added. If there are any 
worms or other forms of animal life 
in these vegetables, they will crawl 



out. To secure the best results all 
vegetables except the dried legumes 
must be put in boiling water, and the 
water must be made to boil again as 
soon as possible after the vegetables 
have been added, and must be kept 
boiling until the cooking is finished. 
Herbaceous vegetables should boil 
rapidly all the time. With tubers, 
roots, cauliflower, etc., the ebullition 
should not be so violent as to break 
the vegetables. Green beans and peas 
when removed from the pod must 
also be cooked gently, i. e., just sim- 
mer. When the pods and all are 
used they are to be cooked rapidly, 
like the herbaceous vegetables. 

To secure the most appetizing and 
palatable dishes, only fresh tender 
vegetables should be cooked. If, 
however, green beans, peas, etc., have 
grown until a little too old and it 
still seems best to gather them, a 
very small piece of baking soda add- 
ed to the water in which they are 
boiled makes them more tender, it is 
commonly believed, and helps to re- 
tain the color. Too much soda in- 
jures the flavor, and an excess must 
be carefully avoided. A little soda 
may also be used to advantage if 
the water is quite hard. Peas may 
be boiled for fifteen or twenty min- 
utes in the water to which the soda 
has been added, then to be cooked 
the same as peas with pork. 

During the cooking of all vegeta- 
bles the cover must .be drawn to one 
side of the stewpan to allow the vola- 
tile bodies liberated by the heat to 
pass ofi^ in the steam. All vegetables 
should be thoroughly cooked, but the 
cooking should stop while the vegeta- 
ble is still firm. This, of course, does 



*U. S. Department of Agriculture. Farmers' Bulletin No. 256. 

1083 



1084 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



not apply to vegetables that are 
cooked in soups, purees (thick 
strained soups), etc. The best sea- 
soning for most vegetables is salt and 
good butter. Vegetables that are 
blanched and then cooked with butter 
and other seasonings and very little 
moisture are more savory and nutri- 
tious than when all the cooking is 
done in a good deal of clear water. 

Blanching Vegetables. — Blanching, 
which in cookery is entirely different 
from the bleaching or blanching of 
green vegetables in the garden, is a 
cooking process often used with veg- 
etables, since it removes the strong 
or acrid taste and improves the qual- 
ity. It is also convenient, since 
blanching may be done at any time, 
and the cooking completed in a very 
short time when the dish is to be 
served. 

Have a large stewpan half full of 
rapidly boiling water. Add a table- 
spoonful of salt for every 2 quarts of 
water. Have the vegetables cleaned 
and well drained. Drop them in^3 
the boiling water, and bring the 
water back to the boiling point as 
quickly as possible. Boil rapidly, 
with the cover partially or wholly 
off the stewpan, five to twenty min- 
utes, depending upon the vegetable, 
then drain off the water. If the 
cooking of the vegetable is not to be 
finished at once, pour cold water 
over the vegetable to cool it quickly, 
then drain and set aside until needed. 
If the cooking is to be continued at 
once, it will not be necessary to rinse 
the vegetable with cold water. To 
complete the cooking the vegetable 
should be put in a small stewpan 
with butter or drippings and the 
other seasonings and cooked gen- 
tly until done. A few spoonsful 
of liquid will be required for every 
quart of very juicy vegetables, and 
half a pint of liquid for drier veg- 
etables. The stewpan is to be cov- 
ered, only a slight opening being 
left for ventilation. All vegetables 
cooked in this manner should be cut 
up rather small either before or after 
the blanching. 



Waste in Preparing Vegetables. — 
In preparing vegetables for the table 
there is almost always a larger or 
smaller loss due to inedible matter, 
skins, roots, seeds, etc., and also a 
waste of good material, which is 
caused by careless paring, etc., all 
these losses being grouped together 
in reporting analyses under the name 
"refuse." The amount of refuse var- 
ies greatly in different vegetables. 
The amount may be very small (7 
per cent) in such vegetables as string 
beans; medium (10 per cent to 15 
per cent) in such vegetables as on- 
ions, cabbage, leeks, lettuce, cucum- 
bers; or high (50 per cent) in such 
vegetables as beans in pod, pumpkins, 
and squash. With tubers, such as po- 
tatoes, the average amount of refuse 
is 20 per cent, and with such roots 
as turnips 30 per cent. 
' In preparing vegetables for the 
table the careful cook will remove 
all inedible portions and will see to 
it that the total amount of refuse 
is as small as is consistent with good 
quality. Thin paring of potatoes 
and other vegetables is an economy 
which it is worth while to practice, 
and is an easy way of decreasing 
useless loss. * * * 

Changes that Take Place in Cook- 
ing Vegetables. — Briefly, these are 
the principal changes that take place 
in vegetables during cooking: The 
cellular tissue is softened and loos- 
ened; the nitrogenous substances are 
coagulated; the starch granules ab- 
sorb moisture, swell, and burst; a 
flavors and odors are developed. 

As long as the vegetable is kept 
at a temperature above 125° F. 
changes continue to go on in the vege- 
table substance. The most marked 
of these are in the starch and in 
the odor," color, and flavor of the 
vegetable. Starch will not dissolve 
in cold water, but pure starch gela- 
tinizes readily in hot water, and if 
the temperature is high enough will 
become gummy and opaque. If 
starch is cooked in just moisture 
enough to swell and burst its gran- 
ules and is then kept hot, but with- 



APPENDIX 



1085 



out additional moisture, a change 
will continue to take place, though 
the starch will remain dry and glis- 
tening. The flavor grows sweeter 
and more nutty the longer the 
starchy food cooks in dry heat. (See 
Boiled Potatoes, Boiled Rice.) It 
is only vegetables that are composed 
largely of starch that can be kept 
hot in this manner 'without acquiring 
a strong taste and poor color. Pota- 
toes, if kept in a closely covered ves- 
sel or with the unbroken skins on, 
will become soggy and dark and have 
a rank flavor. This is owing to the 
retention of moisture, which changes 
some of the starch to a sticky gum- 
my mass, and very probably to the 
noxious volatile bodies which are 
generated by heat and should be al- 
lowed to pass away. If the skins 
are broken and the vessel ventilated, 
potatoes may be kept warm a long 
time without spoiling. * * * 

Overcooking changes and toughens 
the texture of vegetable foods and 
destroys the chlorophyll and other 
coloi'ing matters and volatilizes or in- 
jures the bodies which contribute to 
the flavor. Overcooked vegetables 
are inferior in appearance and flavor 
and often indigestible (that is, pro- 
motive of digestive disturbance) as 
well as unpalatable. 

SUCCULENT VEGETABLES 

Cabbage. — Because of the relative- 
ly large amount of sulphur which 
cabbage contains it is apt to be in- 
digestible and cause flatulence when 
it is improperly cooked. On the 
other hand, it can be cooked so that 
it will be delicate and digestible. It 
is one of our most useful vegetables, 
being available during the late fall, 
winter, and spring months, when 
other green vegetables are diflEicult 
to procure. The quickest and sim- 
plest methods of cooking cabbage are 
the best. The essentials for the 
proper cooking of this vegetable are 
plenty of boiling water, a hot fire 
to keep tiie water boiling all the 
time, and thorough ventilation, tliat 



the strong-smelling gases, liberated 
by the high temperature, may be car- 
ried off in the steam. 

Young cabbage will cook in twenty- 
five or thirty minutes ; late in the 
winter it may require forty-five min- 
utes. The vegetable when done should 
be crisp and tender, any green por- 
tion should retain the color, and the 
white portion should be white and 
not yellow or brown. Overcooked 
cabbage or cauliflower is more or 
less yellow, has a strong flavor, and 
is very inferior to the same dish 
properly cooked. In addition, over- 
cooking is a cause of digestive dis- 
turbance. 

To Boil Cabbage. — Cut a small 
head of cabbage into four parts, cut- 
ting down through the stock. Soak 
for half an hour in a pan of cold 
water to which has been added a 
tablespoonful of salt; this is to draw 
out any insects that may be hidden 
in the leaves. Take from the water 
and cut into slices. Have a large 
stewpan half full of boiling water; 
put in the cabbage, pushing it under 
the water with a spoon. Add one 
tablespoonful of salt and cook from 
twenty-five to forty-five minutes, de- 
pending upon the age of the cabbage. 
Turn into a colander and drain for 
about two minutes. Put in a chop- 
ping bowl and mince. Season with 
butter, pepper, and more salt if it 
requires it. Allow a tablespoonful 
of butter to a generous pint of the 
cooked vegetable. Cabbage cooked in 
this manner will be of delicate flavor 
and may be generally eaten without 
distress. Have the kitchen windows 
open at the top while the cabbage 
is boiling, and there will be little 
if any odor of cabbage in the 
house. 

Cabbage Cooked with Pork. — For 
a small head of cabbage use about 
half a pound of mixed salt porlv. 
Boil the pork gently for three or 
four hours. Prepare the cabbage as 
for plain boiled cabbage. Drain well 
and put on to boil with the poi'k. 
Boil rapidly for twenty-five to forty- 
five minutes. Serve the pork with 



1086 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



the cabbage. The vegetable may re- 
quire a little more salt. 

Smoked bacon or ham may be sub- 
stituted for the pork. Cabbage may 
be cooked in water in which corned 
beef was boiled. 

Creamed Cabbage. 

1 pint boiled and minced cab- 
bage. 
14 pint hot milk. 

1 tablespoon ful butter. 

1 teaspoonful flour. 
1/2 teaspoonful salt. 
14 teaspoonful pepper. 

Put the cabbage, hot milk, salt, and 
pepper in a stewpan and on the fire. 
Beat the butter and flour together 
until creamy, then stir into the con- 
tents of the stewpan. Simmer ten 
minutes, being careful not to scorch 
the sauce; serve very hot. 

Cabbage with Sausage. 

6 sausages. 

1 quart minced cabbage. 
1/3 teaspoonful pepper. 
Salt, if necessary. 

Frjr the sausages crisp and brown. 
Take :^om the frying pan and pour 
off all but three tablespoons ful of 
the fat. Put the minced cabbage in 
the frying pan and cook six minutes. 
Arrange in a hot dish and garnish 
with the sausages. Serve mashed po- 
tatoes with this dish. 

Puree of Cabbage and Potatoes. 

1 pint boiled finely-minced cab- 
bage. 

6 medium-sized potatoes. 

2 tablespoons ful butter or sav- 
ory drippings. 

3 teaspoons ful salt. 
1/2 teaspoonful pepper. 
1/2 pint hot milk. 

Peel the potatoes and put them in 
a stewpan with boiling water enough 
to cover them. Cook just thirty min- 
utes. Pour off the water and mash 



fine and light. Beat in the hot milk, 
seasoning, and cabbage. Cook about 
five minutes longer. 

Cauliflower. — This vegetable, which 
a few years ago was a luxury, is 
now cultivated by nearly all market 
gardeners, and is within the means 
of all housekeepers. It is a most 
delicious vegetable, when properly 
cooked, and vile* when improperly 
cooked, which generally means when 
overcooked. 

Remove all the large green leaves 
and the greater part of the stalk. Put 
the head down in a pan of cold wa- 
ter which contains to each quart a 
teaspoonful of salt and a teaspoonful 
of vinegar. Let it soak in this water 
an hour or more. This is to draw 
out worms, if any should be hidden 
in the vegetable. When ready to cook 
the cauliflower put it into a large 
stewpan, stem end down, and cover 
generously with boiling water. Add 
a tablespoonful of salt and cook with 
the cover of the saucepan partially 
off, boiling gently all the time. A 
large, compact head will require a 
full half hour, small heads from 
twenty to twenty-five minutes. If the 
flowers are loose the heat penetrates 
to all parts quickly. When compact 
a little extra time should be allowed 
for the cooking, but the time must 
never exceed the half hour. The 
cauliflower begins to deteriorate the 
moment it begins to be overcooked. 
Overcooking, which is very common, 
can be told by the strong flavor and 
dark color. It makes the vegetable 
not only unpleasant to the eye and 
palate, but indigestible also. If this 
vegetable must be kept warm for any 
length of time, cover the dish with 
a piece of cheese cloth. In hotels 
and restaurants it is better to blanch 
it, chill with cold water, and then 
heat in salted boiling water when 
needed. 

Creamed Cauliflower. 

1 pint cooked cauliflower. 

1 pint milk. 

1 teaspoonful salt. 



APPENDIX 



1087 



1/3 teaspoonful pepper. 

1 tablespoonful butter. 
l^ tablespoonful flour. 

3 slices toasted bread. 

Have the cooked cauliflower broken 
into branches and seasoned with half 
the salt and pepper. Put the butter 
in a saucepan and on the fire. When 
hot add the flour and stir until 
smooth and frothy, then gradually 
add the milk, stirring all the time. 
When the sauce boils add the salt, 
pepper, and the cauliflower. Cook 
10 minutes and dish on the slices of 
toast. Serve very hot. 

Broccoli. — This vegetable is a spe- 
cies of cauliflower and can be cooked 
and served in the same manner. 

Brussels Sprouts. — This is a spe- 
cies of cabbage, which forms in many 
small heads about the size of an Eng- 
lish walnut on the stock of the plant. 
It is fairly common in most large 
markets and is worthy of more ex- 
tended use than it has commonly met 
with in the United States. 

Brussels Sprouts Blanched. — Re- 
move the wilted or yellow leaves from 
the little heads or "sprouts," cut the 
stock close to the head, and soak in 
salted cold water for an hour or 
more. Drain well and put into plen- 
ty of boiling salted water. Allow 
one teaspoonful of salt to two 
quarts of v/ater. Boil rapidly for 
fifteen or twenty minutes, the time 
depending on the size of the heads. 
Wlien done turn into a colander and 
pour cold water over the heads. They 
are now ready to cook in butter, or 
to serve with any kind of sauce. Or 
the boiling water may be drained 
from the sprouts, which can then be 
seasoned with butter, salt, and pep- 
per. 

Brussels Sprouts Saut^. 

1 quart Brussels sprouts. 

3 tablespoonfuls butter. 

% teaspoonful salt. 

l^ teaspoonful pepper. 

To sauter a food is to cook it 



quickly in a frying pan in a little 
fat. Blanch the sprouts and drain 
well. Put them into a broad-bot- 
tomed saucepan with the butter and 
other seasonings. Place over a hot 
fire and shake frequently. Cook five 
minutes. Serve hot. 

Kale, or Borecole. — There are sev- 
eral varieties of this vegetable. The 
dwarf, green-curled kale is the best 
for the table and is a fall and spring 
vegetable. The leaves are sweeter 
and moi*e tender after having been 
touched by the frost. In the North 
the roots may be banked with earth 
at the beginning of winter and when 
extreme cold weather sets in the 
plants may be covered lightly with 
hay or straw. In the spring the old 
stalks will produce young shoots that 
make delicious greens. 

Kale Boiled with Pork. — Cook the 
kale the same as cabbage with pork. 

Minced Kale. — Remove all the old 
or tough leaves. Wash the kale 
thoroughly and drain, then put on to 
cook in a kettle of boiling water, to 
which has been added salt in the 
proportion of 1 tablespoonful to 4 
quarts of water. Boil rapidly, with 
the cover off the kettle, until the 
vegetable is tender. Pour off the 
water, and chop the kale rather fine; 
then put back into the kettle and add 
1 tablespoonful of butter and 3 of 
meat broth or water for each pint of 
the minced vegetable. Add more salt 
if required. Cook for ten minutes 
and serve at once. The time required 
for cooking kale varies from thirty to 
fifty minutes. If young and fresh 
from the garden it will cook in thirty 
minutes. 

Sea Kale. — This is a delicious 
spring vegetable. It requires prac- 
tically the same culture as asparagus, 
and the young shoots are cooked in 
the same way as this vegetable. Sea 
kale may be cut the third year from 
the planting of the seed. Cutting 
should not be continued after the 
flower heads begin to form. The 
flower heads may be cooked the same 
as broccoli. 

^Spinach. — This vegetable is a great 



1088 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



resource in cold weather when green 
vegetables are scarce. 

The common spinach, which is the 
sort usually met with in gardens or 
markets, goes to seed quicklj^ in hot 
weather, but New Zealand spinach, 
which is a very different plant from 
ordinary spinach and far less well 
known in the United States, yields 
tender greens all summer. The shoots 
should be cut regularly; if not, the 
old shoots become tough and rank 
flavored. 

Spinach has little food value, but 
its refreshing and slightly laxative 
qualities make it a valuable adjunct 
to the more substantial foods. It 
contains little starch and only a sug- 
gestion of sugar, and is therefore one 
of the vegetables that physicians in- 
clude in the bill of fare of many in- 
valids who require a diet without 
these carbohydrates. 

Like most other vegetables, it is 
rarely cooked to perfection, yet it 
is not diificult to prepare. Except 
for special reasons the simplest meth- 
ods are the best for this vegetable. 
No matter how cheap the raw spinach 
may be, it is always expensive in two 
things — labor and butter. It takes a 
good deal of time, water, and pa- 
tience, .to wash it clean, and no other 
vegetable requires so much butter if 
it is to be at its best. Where strict 
economy must be practiced, sweet 
drippings from roast beef or chicken 
can be substituted for the butter. 

To clean the spinach cut off the 
roots, break the leaves apart and drop 
them into a large pan of water, rinse 
them well in this water and put them 
in a second pan of water. Continue 
washing in clean waters until there is 
not a trace of sand on the bottom of 
the pan in which the vegetable was 
washed. If the spinach is at all 
wilted let it stand in cold water until 
it becomes fresh and crisp. Drain 
from this water and blanch. For 
half a peck of spinach have in a large 
saucepan 3 quarts of boiling water 
and 1 tablespoonful of salt. Put the 
drained spinach in the boiling water 
and let it boil ten minutes, counting 



from the time it begins to boil. 
When it begins to boil draw the cover 
of the saucepan a little to one side 
to allow the steam to escape. At the 
end of ten minutes pour the sjiinach 
into a colander, and when the hot 
water has passed off pour cold water 
over it. Let it drain well and mince 
coarse or fine, as is suitable for the 
manner in which it is to be served. 

One peck of spinach will make 
about 114 pints when blanched and 
minced. 

Spinacli with Cream. 

14 peck spinach. 

2 tablespoonfuls butter. 
1 tablespoonful flour. 

1 teaspoonful salt. 

1/3 teaspoonful pepper. 
1/3 pint cream or milk. 

Blanch and mince the spinach. Put 
the butter in a saucepan and on the 
fire. When hot add the flour and 
stir until smooth and frothy, then 
add the minced spinach and the salt 
and pepper. Cook for five minutes, 
then add the milk or cream, hot, and 
cook three minutes longer. Serve. 

Spinach, with. Egg'. 

l^ peck spinach, 

3 tablespoonfuls butter. 
l^ teaspoonful pepper. 

2 eggs. 

3 teaspoonf uls .salt. 

Wash and blanch the spinach, using 
two teaspoonfuls of the salt in the 
water in which the vegetable is boiled. 
Drain the blanched spinach and chop 
rather fine, return it to the saucepan, 
and add the salt, pepper, and butter. 
Place on the fire and cook ten min- 
utes. Heap in a mound on a hot 
dish and garnish with the hard-boiled 
eggs, cut in slices. 

Spinach Cooked without Water. — 
Fresh spinach when washed holds 
enough water for cooking. Put the 
spinach in a stewpan and on the fire; 
cover and cook ten minutes. Press 
down and turn the spinach over sev- 



APPENDIX 



1089 



eral times during the cooking. At the 
end of ten minutes turn the spinach 
into a chopping bowl, and mince 
rather fine. Return to the stewpan 
and add the seasonings, allowing for 
half a peck of spinach two generous 
tablespoonfuls of butter and a tea- 
spoonful of salt. Simmer ten min- 
utes; or if very tender five minutes 
will be sufficient. 

Spinach cooked in this manner will 
retain all its salts. It will be more 
laxative and the flavor stronger than 
when blanched (boiled in water). In 
young, tender spinach this is not ob- 
jectionable, but when the overgrown 
vegetable is cooked in its own moist- 
ure the flavor is strong and somewhat 
acrid. 

Lettuce. — If lettuce has grown un- 
til rather too old for salad, it may be 
cooked, and makes a fairly palatable 
dish. 

Boiled lettuce. — Wash four or five 
heads of lettuce, carefully removing 
thick, bitter stalks and retaining all 
sound leaves. Cook in plenty of boil- 
ing salted water for ten or fifteen 
minutes, then blanch in cold water 
for a minute or two. Drain, chop 
lightly, and heat in a stewpan with 
some butter, salt and pepper to taste. 
If preferred, the chopped lettuce may 
be heated with a pint of white sauce 
seasoned with salt, pepper, and 
grated nutmeg. After simmering for 
a few minutes in the sauce, draw 
to a cooler part of the range and 
stir in the well-beaten yolks of 
two eggs. See, also, "Peas with 
lettuce." 

Swiss Cliards. — This vegetable is a 
variety of beet in which the leaf stalk 
and midrib have been developed in- 
stead of the root. It is cultivated 
like spinach, and the green, tender 
leaves are prepared exactly like this 
vegetable. The midribs of the full- 
grown leaves may be cooked like 
celery. 

Beet Greens. — Beets are usually 
thickly sowed, and as the young beet 
plants begin to grow they must be 
thinned out. The young plants 
pulled from the bed make delicious 



greens, particularly if the root has at- 
tained some little size. Unfortunate- 
ly, of late years the leaves are at- 
tacked by insects; therefore, they 
must be examined leaf by leaf, and 
all which are infested rejected. Do 
not separate the roots from the 
leaves. Wash thoroughly in many 
waters. Put into a stewpan and 
cover generously with boiling water. 
Add a teaspoonful of salt for every 
two quarts of greens. Boil rapidly 
until tender. This will be about thir- 
ty minutes. Drain ofi" the water, chop 
rather coarse, season with butter and 
salt. 

The vegetable may be boiled with 
pork as directed for "Cabbage and 
pork." 

Asparagus. — This delicious spring 
vegetable should be treated very sim- 
ply, yet carefully. 

Cut off the woody part, scrape the 
lower part of the stalks. Wash well 
and tie in bunches. Put into a deep 
stewpan, with the cut end resting on 
the bottom of the stewpan. Pour in 
boiling water to come up to the ten- 
der heads, but not to cover them. 
Add a teaspoonful of salt for each 
quart of water. Place where the 
water will boil. Cook until tender, 
having the cover partially off the 
stewpan. This will be from fifteen 
to thirty minutes, depending upon 
the freshness and tenderness of the 
vegetable. Have some slices of well 
toasted bread on a platter. Butter 
them slightly. Arrange the cooked 
asparagus on the toast, season with 
butter and a little salt and serve at 
once. Save the water in which the 
asparagus was boiled to use in mak- 
ing vegetable soup. 

Another method of cooking aspara- 
gus is to cut all the tender part 
into short pieces. Add boiling water 
enough to just cover the vegetable 
and place where the water will boil. 
Cook until tender (about fifteen min- 
utes), season with salt and butter, 
and serve in the greater part of the 
j nice. 

If preferred, a cream dressing may 
be served with asparagus. 



1090 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Globe Artichoke. — The large flower 

bud of the Cynara scolymus is known 
as the globe or French artichoke. 
The flower buds must be used before 
they open. The edible portion con- 
sists of the thickened portion at the 
base of the scales and the receptacle 
to which the leaf-like scales are at- 
tached. In cookery books the recep- 
tacles are always spoken of as the 
bottoms. The parts of the flower in 
the center of the bud are called the 
"choke" and must always be removed. 

When the artichoke is very young 
and tender the edible parts may be 
eaten raw as a salad. When it be- 
comes hard, as it does very quickly, 
it must be cooked. When boiled it 
may be eaten as a salad or with a 
sauce. The scales are pulled with the 
fingers from the cooked head, the 
base of each leaf dipped in the sauce 
and then eaten. The bottoms (recep- 
tacles), which many consider the most 
delicate part of the artichoke, may 
be cut up and served as a salad, or 
they may be stewed and served with 
a sauce. To prepare the artichoke 
remove all the hard outer leaves. 
Cut off the stem close to the leaves. 
Cut off the top of the bud. Drop 
the artichokes into boiling water and 
cook until tender, which will take 
from thirty to fifty minutes, then 
take up and remove the choke. Serve 
a dish of French salad dressing with 
the artichokes, which may be eaten 
either hot or cold. Melted butter 
also makes a delicious sauce for the 
artichokes if they are eaten hot. 

Spring Greens. — After months of a 
very limited supply of herbaceous 
vegetables, which is the usual condi- 
tion in the northern regions of the 
United States, there is a craving for 
"greens." In almost all localities 
many of the common weeds are ten- 
der and well-flavored when very 
young. If one has a garden, it can 
be so managed that there shall be an 
abundance of fresh roots and greens 
until the time when the regular gar- 
den products are ^eadJ^ There are a 
number of plants that may be left in 
the garden over winter for early 



spring use. Jerusalem artichokes, 
parsnips, salsify, leeks, and potato 
onions will give roots or buds as soon 
as the frost will permit digging. For 
greens there are such plants as 
curled green kale, and cabbage. The 
roots of these plants should be well 
earthed up, and when the real hard 
freezing weather comes the plants 
must be covered with hay or straw. 

Spinach and kale, or German win- 
ter greens, may be sown in Septem- 
ber. When the hard freezing weather 
comes protect them with leaves, straw, 
etc. Sorrel, if properly protected, 
will make a rapid growth as soon as 
anything begins to grow. It makes 
delicious greens by itself, or it may be 
cooked with other greens. It also 
makes a refreshing salad. The young 
shoots of the milkweed are almost as 
delicious as asparagus, when cooked 
'according to the second method for 
cooking asparagus. In fact, the milk- 
weed and asparagus may be cut up 
and cooked together. 

The white goosefoot (Chenopodium 
album), better known by the common 
names "pigweed" and "lamb's quar- 
ters," grows in almost all cultivated 
land. When very young it makes 
good greens, and should be cooked 
like spinach. The dandelion, when 
gathered before the flower bud has 
attained any size, makes tender 
greens, and is greatly liked by many 
people because of its pleasant, bitter 
flavor. The cultivated dandelion is 
larger leaved, more tender, and of a 
milder flavor, and is also a fine salad 
if blanched like celery. A small bed 
of this vegetable will give a generous 
return in the spring, for the small 
amount of care it requires. 

The marsh marigold, commonly 
called "cowslip," is found in many 
regions in marshy places. In the 
early spring this plant makes good 
greens. Cook the same as spinach. 
Purslane is a weed common in most 
gardens and is very palatable as a 
pot herb. It is also cooked like 
spinach. 

In the Southern States the young 
shoots of the pokeberry or poke tops 



APPENDIX 



1091 



are favorite greens, and are cooked 
like asparagus, while turnip sprouts, 
cabbage sprouts, and coUards are fa- 
vorite greens of garden origin. 

In some regions of Europe young 
hop sprouts are much prized, being 
cooked like asparagus. Though eaten 
to some extent, they do not seem to 
be known to many housewives in this 
country. 

Every locality produces some wild 
plants that are safe and pleasant to 
use as greens. It is important, how- 
ever, that the wild greens shall be 
gathered by persons who are familiar 
with the plants.* 



PEAS 

Green Peas. — This vegetable 
should be gathered when the seeds 
are about half grown, and it should 
be cooked as soon as possible after 
gathering. When the peas are thus 
young and tender they are best sim- 
ply boiled and seasoned with salt and 
good butter. Some varieties of peas 
lack sweetness, and in this case a little 
sugar in the water in which they are 
cooked improves the flavor. Over- 
cooking spoils the color and flavor of 
the vegetable. Peas should always 
be boiled slowly, and with the cover 
partially off the stewpan. It is im- 
possible to give the exact time of 
cooking this vegetable, since so much 
depends upon the maturity of the 
peas, the length of time they have 
been picked, etc. Young, tender peas 
will generally cook in twenty or 
thirty minutes, and the seasoning 
should be added while they are still 
firm and crisp. If the peas are 
cooked until the green co^or of the 
chlorophyll is destroyed they are 
overdone and their delicate flavor is 
spoiled. When peas are overgrown 
and a little hard they should be 
cooked by the rule "Peas with pork." 
When this rule is followed a pinch of 
delicate, small, white onions may be 



* For a discussion of wild plants used as pot 
herbs, see "Some Additions to our Vegetable 
Dietary," by F. V. Coville, U. S. Dept. Agr. 
Yearbook 1895, p. 205. 



added to the peas and other ingredi- 
ents and will give a very savory dish. 
Boiled Peas with Butter. — Put one 
quart of shelled peas in a stewpan 
and add enough boiling water to 
cover them generously. Place over a 
hot fire and when they begin to boil 
draw back where the water will bub- 
ble gently. Until the peas are done 
cook with the cover partially off the 
stewpan. When the peas are tender 
add one teaspoon ful of salt and three 
tablespoonfuls of good butter. Cook 
ten minutes longer. If the peas are 
not the sweet kind add a teaspoonful 
of sugar with the salt and butter. 

Peas with Pork. 

1 quart peas. 

4 ounces pork. 

1 tablespoonful butter. 

1 gill water (14 cupful). 
2 small white onions. 
Yq teaspoonful pepper. 

Cut pork into small bits. Put 
butter into stewpan and on the fire. 
When the butter is melted add the 
pork and cook gently until a light 
brown, then add the water, peas, 
onion, and pepper. This is a good 
way to cook peas when they are a 
little old and hard. 

Peas with Lettuce. 

1 quart peas. 
3 tablespoonfuls butter. 
1 head lettuce — the heart. 
1 small onion. 
1 teaspoonful sugar. 
% gill water. 

Put all the ingredients into a stew- 
pan, cover and place over the fire 
and cook for five minutes, tossing the 
vegetables several times. Now draw 
the pan back where the contents will 
simmer slowly for half an hour. 

Puree of Dried or Split Peas. — 
Soak one quart of dried peas over 
night and follow the directions for 
pur^e of dried beans. 

Sugar Peas. — The green pods of 
the sugar pea may be prepared like 
string beans. 



1092 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Gather the pods while the seeds are 
still very small. String them like 
beans and cut into two or three 
lengths. Cover with boiling water 
and boil gently until tender. If they 
are young and fresh they will cook 
in twenty-five or thirty minutes. 
Pour off some of the water, which 
will serve for soup. Season with salt 
and butter and serve at once. When 
the pods are fresh and tender they 
have an exquisite flavor. When the 
seeds have grown large and the pods 
become tough they may be shelled and 
cooked like any other variety of peas. 
The seeds of the sugar pea are ten- 
der and fine flavoxxd. 



BEANS 

Beans are served as a vegetable in 
three stages of growth, namely, the 
tender young pods, the fresh seeds, 
and the dried seeds. The pods are 
known as green or string beans and 
as butter beans, depending upon the 
variety. String beans make one of 
our most delicious vegetables, if 
young and properly cooked. They 
should be gathered before the seeds 
begin to form. In this state the 
bean is sweet, delicate, and tender, 
but not- a highly nutritious food. 
Shelled beans, both drjed and fresh, 
particularly the former, contain a 
large percentage of nitrogenous mat- 
ter. The dried, ripe, shelled beans 
are apt to produce flatulence and 
sometimes colic. This trouble is 
largely due to the hull or skin and 
the germ, and may be remedied in a 
great measure by proper cooking, 
and, when possible, the removal of 
the hulls. The best forms in which 
to eat dried beans are in soups and 
purees. Beans that have been thor- 
oughly stewed or baked under the 
right conditions may be eaten by peo- 
ple who live a good deal out of doors. 
Fat of some kind is necessary in the 
cooking of beans. The fat has a 
softening influence on the composi- 
tion of the beans, and, since this 
vegeta])le has a very small percentage 
of fat, it is very desirable to supply 



this element either when cooking or 
when serving the vegetable. When 
possible, beans should be cooked in 
soft water. Dried beans are always 
hard when raw and have a strong 
acrid flavor. To soften them and re- 
move the strong flavor, the vegetable 
should be soaked in cold water, and 
then brought to the boiling point in 
fresh cold water. This water should 
be thrown away and the cooking be 
finished in fresh water. A little soda 
in the water in which the beans are 
soaked and in the water in which 
they are first scalded will help to 
soften and sweeten the vegetable. 

Green or String Beans. — Formerly 
it was difficult to find the slender, 
stringless green beans, but to-day the 
progressive market gardeners make a 
point of raising beans of this kind. 
Unfortunately, not all market gar- 
deners and farmers are progres- 
sive, and many still raise a coarse, 
fibrous bean that is a disappoint- 
ment to the consumer. In the 
very early stage of the pod almost 
any kind of bean will be good, if 
properly cooked, but all except the 
stringless kind must have their strings 
carefully removed. The pods should 
be gathered while small and tender. 
If for any reason they become wilted, 
they must be made crisp and fresh 
by being soaked in cold water. The 
beans that are brought from the 
South in cold weather are usually 
more or less wilted.- They should 
be freed from strings, cut up, and 
soaked at least twelve hours in cold 
water. They will then cook like fresh 
beans. 

To Blanch Green Beans. — Green 
beans should always be blanched. To 
do this drain them from the cold 
water and put them into water that 
is boiling rapidly, allowing a tea- 
spoonful of salt to two quarts of 
water. Boil rapidly, with the cover 
partially off the saucepan, for twenty 
minutes. Turn into a colander and 
let cold water run upon them. They 
are now ready to be finished in any 
manner you like. The blanching can 
be done in the morning while the fire 



APPENDIX 



109^ 



is good and the beans be finished for 
dinner at the proper time. 

Green Beans, Plain. 

1 quart beans. 
% pint water. 

1 generous tablespoonfid butter. 
1 level teaspoonful salt. 

String the beans if necessary and 
cut them into two-inch lengths. 
Blanch them as directed. Drain and 
put in the saucepan with the water, 
salt, and butter. Cook for ten min- 
utes over a hot fire, turning the con- 
tents of the saucepan from time to 
time. Serve very hot. If the beans 
are not tender it may take fifteen 
minutes to cook them, but under all 
circumstances be careful not to over- 
cook, as this ruins the flavor. If 
overcooked, green beans become yel- 
low or brown. 

Greei). Beans Boiled with Pork. — 
BoU about a quarter of a pound of 
pork for five hours. Have the beans 
free from strings and cut about 2 
inches long. Cook them with the pork 
until tender (about half an hour). 

Green Beans with Pork (French 
Method). 

1 quart boiled beans. 

2 ounces pork. 

1 pint hot water. 
1 teaspoonful flour. 

Cut the pork into small dice and 
put in the stewpan. Cook slowly for 
twenty minutes, then add the water. 
Mix the flour with a few spoonfuls of 
cold water; stir into the pork and 
water. Place the stewpan where the 
contents will cook slowly for an hour. 
At the end of this time add the beans 
and cook half an hour. Taste to see 
if more salt is required. A table- 
spoonful of butter added just before 
serving is a great acquisition to this 
dish. 

Butter beans, the varieties of string 
heans wMch are pale yellow in color, 
may be cooked like the green string 
beans. 



Scarlet Ennner Beans. — In Great 
Britain the scarlet runner beans, 
which are raised in the United States 
almost exclusively as an ornamental 
plant, are highly prized for the ta- 
ble. The tender green pods are 
"whittled" into small sections (after 
stringing) and cooked in water until 
just tender. Like other green vege- 
tables, they lose their color and deli- 
cate flavor if overcooked. These 
beans are at their best seasoned only 
with butter and salt. 

Shelled Kidney Beans. — All the 
varieties of this bean, when gathered 
while the seeds are still tender, may 
be cooked like the Lima beans. They 
may also be boiled with pork like 
green beans. It takes from one to 
two hours to cook kidney beans. 

Stewed Shelled Beans. 

1 quart shelled beans. 
14 pound salt pork. 

1 onion. 
% teaspoonful pepjier. 

1 tablespoonful flour. 

1 quart boiling water. 

Salt to taste. 

Cut the pork in slices and fry it 
slowly ten minutes in a stewpan. 
Add the onion, cut fine, and cook 
twenty minutes very slowly. Cover 
the beans with boiling water and boil 
ten minutes. Drain off the water. 
Put the beans and flour in the stew- 
pan with the pork and onion, and stir 
over the fire for five minutes. 
Add the quart of boiling water and 
the pepper. Place the saucepan 
where its contents will simmer for 
two hours. Taste to see if salt 
enough; if not, add salt. 

This method of cooking new shelled 
beans gives a savory and substantial 
dish. 

Green Lima Beans. — Cover 1 quart 
of the shelled beans with boiling 
water. Place on the fire where they 
will boil up quickly, then draw back 
where they will just simmer until 
done. When tender pour off a part 
of the water. Season the beans with 



10d4 



HOUSEHOLD DlSCOVEJEliES 



a teaspoonful of salt and 2 heaping 
tablespoonfuls of butter. 

Or drain the water from the beans. 
Put the butter in a saucepan with 1 
tablespoonful of flour. Stir over the 
fire until smooth and frothy, then add 
the beans and stir over the fire for 
five minutes. Draw back and add 
half a pint of water, meat stock, or 
milk. Simmer ten minutes. If liked, 
a teaspoonful of fine herbs may be 
added a few minutes before serving. 
It will take from forty-five to sixty 
minutes to boil the beans sufficiently. 

Dried Beans. — All dried beans re- 
quire the same preliminary treatment, 
no matter how they are to be finally 
cooked and served. Look them over 
carefully to remove all dirt and peb- 
bles, then wash clean. Soak them 
overnight in plenty of cold water. In 
the morning pour oflF the water and 
put them in a stewpan with cold 
water enough to cover them gener- 
ously. Let them come to the boiling 
point in this water, then drain. If 
the beans are old and hard, for each 
quart put a piece of soda about the 
size of a large bean in the water in 
which they are soaked overnight, also 
in the first water in which they are 
boiled. 

The scalded and drained beans 
should lie put back in the stewpan 
and covered generously with boiling 
water. Add I tablespoonful of salt 
for 1 quart of beans. They should 
now cook slowly, with the cover par- 
tially off the stewpan until they have 
reached the required degree of ten- 
derness. For stewed and baked beans 
the cooking must stop when the skins 
begin to crack. For beans served 
with a sauce they should cook until 
perfectly tender, but they must not 
be broken or mushy. For purees and 
soups they should be cooked until 
very soft. 

Puree of Dried Seans. 

Cook 1 quart of beans in water un- 
til very soft, then drain well (saving 
the water) and rub through a puree 
sieve. Put 1 pint of the strained 



beans in a stewpan with 2 table- 
spoonfuls of butter or savory drip- 
pings, 1 teaspoonful of sugar, 1 tea- 
spoonful of salt, one-fourih of a tea- 
spoonful of pepper, and hot milk 
enough to make the puree like thick 
mush. About half a pint of milk 
will be right. Cook in the double 
boiler for one hour, stirring often 
and adding more milk if too dry. 
Heap the pur6e in the center of a 
hot platter. Garnish with a circle 
of fried sausages, pork chops, mut- 
ton chops, or any fat meat. The 
puree may be served as a vegetable, 
with any kind of meat. A soup may 
be made with the water in which the 
beans were cooked and the remainder 
of the strained beans. 

Dried Beans Sautet 

/ Cook the beans until tender, but 
not broken. Drain off the water and 
save it for soup. For 1 quart of 
beans put 3 tablespoonfuls of savory 
drippings or butter in a large-bot- 
tomed stewpan. When the fat is hot 
put in the drained beans, which have 
been seasoned with a tablespoonful of 
salt and half a teaspoonful of pep- 
per. Cook over a hot fire for fifteen 
minutes, frequently turning the beans 
over with a fork. Cover and let them 
cook for half an hour where they 
will not burn. If the beans are liked 
moist add a cupful of meat broth, 
milk, or water before putting them 
to cook for the last half hour. 

This dish may be made more sa- 
vory by frying a tablespoonful of 
minced chives, shallot, or onion in the 
butter or fat before adding the beans. 
A tablespoonful of fine herbs may 
also be added to the beans to make 
them more savory. 

Dried Beans with Sauce. 

The well-cooked and drained beans 
may be moistened with any good 
sauce and cooked for half an hour. 

Dried Beans in Salad. 

Season the cooked and drained 
beans with any of the salad dress- 



ArPENDIX 



1095 



ings described elsewhere and serve as 
a salad. 

Baked Beans. 

Cook the dried beans gently until 
the skins begin to break, then drain 
off the water. Put a layer of beans 
in a bean pot or deep earthen dish, 
and on this layer, in the center of 
the dish, place a piece of salt pork 
("streak of fat and streak of lean") 
having the rind side up, using for 1 
quart of beans a half pound of pork; 
the rind should be scored. Fill up 
the dish with the beans and add sea- 
sonings and water to cover the beans. 
The simplest seasoning is 1 table- 
spoonful of salt and half a teaspoon- 
ful of pepper to a quart of beans. 
Mix the salt and pepper with the 
water. If liked, a tablespoonful of 
mustard may be added as well as a 
tablespoonful or more of molasses 
and an onion. Instead of the pork a 
piece of salt or fat beef or mutton 
may be employed. In this case there 
should be from 1% to 3 pounds of 
the meat per quart of beans. If 
fresh meat be used, add more salt to 
the beans. If, on the other hand, salt 
meat is used, probably 1 teaspoonful 
of salt will be enough. 

When mutton is employed trim off 
every particle of the skin. 

Bake the beans in a very moderate 
oven for eight or ten hours. Add a 
little boiling water from time to time, 
but never enough to bring the water 
beyond the top of the beans. Any 
kind of bean may be baked in this 
manner. However, the small pea 
bean is the best for "Boston baked 
beans." The Lima and large white 
beans are best for the deep earthen 
dish. Do not cover the beans while 
baking. 

Lentils. — Lentils may be cooked in 
purees, soups, etc., like Cried beans. 

Baked Lentils. 



1 quart lentils. 
1 quart water. 
6 ounces mixed salt 



pork. 



1 clove of garlic or 1 small 

onion. 
1 generous teaspoonful salt. 
l^ teaspoonful pepper. 

Pick over and wash the lentils. 
Soak in cold water overnight. In 
the morning pour off the water and 
put the lentils in a stewpan with two 
quarts of cold water and place on 
the fire. As soon as the water begins 
to boil the lentils will rise to the 
top. Take them off with a skimmer 
and put them in a deep earthen dish, 
with the pork and onion in the cen- 
ter. Mix the pepper and salt with a 
quart of boiling water and add. Put 
the dish in a moderate oven, and 
cook slowly for four or five hours. 
The lentils must be kept moist, and 
it may be necessary to add a little 
water from time to time. If the 
pork is not very salt the dish may 
require a little more salt. 

Stewed lentils are prepared in 
about the same manner, but using 
more water. Instead of pork, fat 
corned beef or the shank of a ham 
may be employed. 

Cowpeas. — Cowpeas (a common 
leguminous vegetabla in the south- 
ern United States), also called black- 
eye peas. Whip-poor-will peas. Lady 
peas, cornfield peas, etc., are most ex- 
cellent cooked like shelled beans when 
green. The young pods are also 
served like string beans. The ripe, 
dry beans, which are also very palat- 
able and nutritious, may be cooked 
like dried beans or lentils. 

POTATOES 

There are many varieties of this 
vegetable. Tastes differ as to the 
most desirable kinds. In America 
and in England the white, mealy va- 
rieties are the most prized. On the 
Continent of Europe the "Yellow 
Holland" is a favorite variety. The 
white potato, when light and dry, is 
of delicate flavor and thought to be 
easy of digestion. It is especially 
suited for boiling, steaming, and bak- 
ing, and for soups and purees. The 



1096 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



yellow potatoes are more suitable for 
preparations in which it is desirable 
that the whole or pieces of potatoes 
shall retain their shape when cooked. 
Such potatoes are the best kind to 
use for salads, ragouts, hash, and for 
the fried potato known as "Pommes 
de terre soufflee," which is like a 
Saratoga chip, except that it puffs up 
like a little sack filled with air. In 
general the yellow potato has a richer 
flavor than the white. 

The potato is in such common use 
that it would seem as if all its char- 
acteristics would be well understood 
and it would be cooked in perfection. 
Unfortunately, the contrary is true, 
a-nd perhaps no other vegetable is so 
carelessly cooked as a rule. 

The potato is a starchy food that 
contains enough moisture in its com- 
position to cook the starch. This 
moisture is in the form of a watery 
juice, in which is dissolved the ni- 
trogenous matter, the various salts, 
sugar, gum, etc. The starch cells are 
surrounded and penetrated by this 
watery bath. In cooking, the nitroge- 
nous juice is coagulated in part at 
least by the heat, the starch granules 
swell and burst, and the starch ab- 
sorbs the watery part of the juice. 
When this stage is reached, if the 
moisturq. has been in the right pro- 
portion, all parts of the potato will 
present a light, dry, glistening ap- 
pearance. Every one concedes that 
such a potato will not cause diges- 
tive disturbance. However, the 
moisture is not always in the right 
proportion. Ripe potatoes and pota- 
toes grown on a well-drained or sandy 
soil will, as a rule, be dry and mealy 
if properly cooked. Potatoes grown 
in a wet season or in a heavy, damp 
soil as a rule contain too large a pro- 
portion of moisture for the starch. 
Old potatoes that are allowed to 
sprout will be watery, probably ow- 
ing to the withdrawal of some of the 
starch for food for the growing 
sprouts. 

A poisonous substance called so- 
lanin is found in or near the skin of 
potatoes which have grown exposed 



to the suii or a strong light. Solanin 
also develops when potatoes are al- 
lowed to sprout, and serious illness 
has been known to follow the eating 
of exposed and sprouted potatoes. 
The green color which a potato ex- 
posed to a strong light takes on is 
largely due to the grains of chloro- 
phyll developed in the parts of the 
tuber exposed to the light. The 
strong flavor is probably due to some 
substance which develops along with 
the chlorophyll. It will be seen that 
potatoes intended for the table 
should not be exposed to strong light 
or be allowed to sprout. 

Potatoes cooked in dry heat, as 
by baking in the oven, roasting in 
ashes, frjang in deep fat, or steam- 
ing in their jackets retain all their 
salts and other constituents, and the 
flavor is more pronounced and savory 
than when cooked in water. But po- 
tatoes so cooked must be served just 
as soon as they are done, or else they 
will become soggy and bad flavored. 

Potatoes cooked in the skin should 
be free from any blemish and washed 
absolutely clean. Old potatoes, that 
is, potatoes that are kept into the 
spring and early summer, are better 
for being soaked in cold water and 
peeled before cooking. 

Boiled Potatoes. 

The method and the time given for 
boiling potatoes are the same whether 
the potato be peeled, partially peeled, 
or left with the skin intact. If a 
dozen or two ordinary sized potatoes 
are put on the fire in a large stew- 
pan and are covered generously with 
boiling water and a cover is immedi- 
ately put on the stewpan, they will 
be cooked to the proper point in thir- 
ty minutes from the time the cover 
was put on the stewpan. SmaU po- 
tatoes will cook in two minutes less 
time, and very large potatoes will 
require about thirty-five minutes' 
cooking. If the potatoes are to be 
boiled in their skins, wash them until 
clean and then with a sharp knife cut 
a narrow band of the skin from tho 



APPENDIX 



1097 



center of tlie potato. Cut a little 
bit of the skin from each end of the 
potato. If the potatoes are to be 
peeled use a very sharp knife and re- 
move the thinnest possible layer. 
The skins may be scraped off, if pre- 
ferred, and there are special knives 
for this purpose. Let the potatoes 
boil fifteen minutes, then add 1 ta- 
blespoonful of salt for every dozen 
potatoes. When the potatoes have 
been cooking thirty minutes, drain 
oflF every drop of water and let all 
the steam pass off. They are novi^ 
ready to serve, though they will not 
be injured but in fact will be im- 
proved by being kept hot for an hour 
or more, if they are well ventilated 
in such a way that they dry rather 
than retain moisture. 

When boiled or steamed potatoes 
must be kept warm for any length of 
time, place the stewpan on the range 
on a tripod or iron ring and cover 
the potatoes with one thickness of 
cheese cloth. This will protect them 
from the cold air and allow the 
moisture to pass off. 

Steamed Potatoes. 

Steamed potatoes are prepared as 
for boiling, put in a closed vessel hav- 
ing a perforated bottom, which is 
then put over a kettle of boiling 
water. The water must be kept boil- 
ing hard every moment. They will 
require from thirty to forty minutes 
to cook. 



Baked Potatoes. 

Select potatoes having a smooth, 
unmarred surface. Wash perfectly 
clean and let them drain. Put them 
in an old baking pan kept for this 
purpose — do not crowd them — and 
put in a hot oven. If the oven is 
large and hot and the potatoes of 
medium size, forty minutes will an- 
swer for the cooking. On the other 
hand, if the oven is filled with cold 
potatoes the temperature of the oven 
will be reduced quickly and it will 
require an hour to cook the potatoes. 



Baked potatoes should be served as 
soon as they are done. If they must 
be kept any time after the cooking 
is completed, break them in order 
that the moisture may escape. Keep 
them in a warm oven or covered with 
cheese cloth in a stewpan. 

Eeheating Potatoes. 

Cold boiled, steamed, or baked po- 
tatoes may all be utilized in savory 
dishes. In reheating potatoes the 
following things must be kept in 
mind: The potatoes must be well 
seasoned to make them savory, they 
must be heated to as high a tempera- 
ture as possible without burning 
them, and they must be served very 
hot. The cold potatoes may be 
sliced or be cut into small pieces, 
seasoned with salt and pepper and 
browned in a little savory drippings, 
or seasoned as before and heated in 
the frying pan with butter or the 
drippings. A little minced onion, or 
chives, or green pepper, or a table- 
spoonful of fine herbs may be added. 

A tablespoonful of butter and a 
teaspoonful of flour may be stirred 
over the fire until the mixture is 
smooth and frothy. Add to this a 
pint of well-seasoned potatoes and 
stir the mixture with a fork for three 
minutes, then add half a pint of milk 
and cook until thoroughly heated, be- 
ing careful not to burn. A pint and 
a half of cold potatoes cut in cubes 
and seasoned with salt and pepper 
may be heated in a pint of the white 
sauce described elsewhere. 

Escalloped Potatoes. 

This dish may be prepared by mix- 
ing a pint and a half of cold pota- 
toes cut in cubes and seasoned with a 
teaspoonful of salt, one-fourth of a 
teaspoonful of pepper, and a pint 
of cream sauce. Put the mixture in 
a shallow baking dish, cover with 
grated bread crumbs, and dot with 
butter. Bake half an hour in a mod- 
erate oven. 

Sweet Potatoes. — Southern and 
northern tastes differ as to what is a 



1098 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



desirable quality in a sweet potato. 
In the South the moist potato is 
considered best. At the North the 
dry potato is more generally liked. 
The variety of potatoes grown for 
the northern market is commonly less 
sweet and moist than those grown 
for the South. However, long cook- 
ing will make any sweet potato moist. 

Baked Sweet Potatoes. 

Wash the potatoes and bake the 
same as white potatoes. Small ones 
will bake in half an hour, while very 
large ones will require an hour or 
more. If the potatoes are liked very 
moist and sweet, bake from an hour 
to two hours, depending on size. 

Browned Sweet Potatoes. 

Boil medium-sized sweet potatoes 
forty-five minutes. Peel them and 
cut in halves lengthwise. Put them in 
a baking pan and baste with savory 
drippings, and season with salt. 
Cook them in a hot oven for twenty 
minutes. 

Fried Sweet Potatoes. 

Cut the boiled potatoes in slices 
and fry brown in savory drippings. 
Or the potatoes may be cut in four 
parts lengthwise, put in a frying bas- 
ket and be cooked for ten minutes in 
smoking hot fat. The fat \nust be 
deep enough to cover the potatoes. 

Candied Sweet Potatoes. 

Candied sweet potatoes are very 
popular on southern tables, and are 
extremely palatable when well pre- 
pared. Cut boiled sweet potatoes 
into long slices, place in an earthen 
dish, put lumps of butter on each 
slice, and sprinkle with sugar. Some 
cooks add a little water also. Bake 
until the sugar and butter have can- 
died and the potatoes are brown. 

OTHER BOOTS AND BULBS 

Jerusalem Artichoke. — This vege- 
table is in season in the fall and 
spring, and may be cooked like kohl- 



rabi and served in a white cream or 
sauce. The artichoke may also be 
cooked in milk. 

When this is done, cut the washed 
and peeled artichoke into cubes, put 
in a stewpan, and cover with milk (a 
generous pint to a quart of cubes). 
Add one small onion and cook twenty 
minutes. Beat together one table- 
spoonful of butter and one level ta- 
blespoonful of flour, and stir this 
into the boiling milk. Then season 
with a teaspoonful of salt and one- 
fourth of a teaspoonful of pepper, 
and continue the cooking half an hour 
longer. The cooking should be done 
in a double boiler. The artichoke also 
makes a very good soup. 

Turnips. — This vegetable is gener- 
ally spoiled by overcooking. The flat, 
white summer turnip, when sliced, 
will cook in thirty minutes. If the 
cboking is prolonged beyond this 
time, the vegetable begins to deteri- 
orate, growing dark in color and 
strong in flavor. The winter turnips 
require from forty-five to sixty min- 
utes. 

Boiled Turnips. 

Have the turnips peeled and 
sliced. Drop the slices into a 
stewpan with boiling water enough 
to cover generously. Cook un- 
til tender, then drain well. They 
are now ready to mash or chop. If 
they are to be served mashed, put 
them back in the stewpan; mash with 
a wooden vegetable masher, as metal 
is apt to impart an unpleasant taste. 
Season with salt, butter, and a little 
pepper. Serve at once. 

Hashed Turnips. 

Chop the drained turnips into rather 
large pieces. Return to the stewpan, 
and for a pint and a half of turnips 
add a teaspoonful of salt, one-fourth 
of a teaspoonful of pepper, a table- 
spoonful of butter, and four table- 
spoonfuls of water. Cook over a 
very hot fire until the turnips have 
absorbed all the seasonings. Serve 



APPENDIX 



1099 



at once. Or the salt, pepper, butter, 
and a tablespoonful of flour may be 
added to the hashed turnips; then 
the stewpan may be placed over the 
hot fire and shaken frequently to toss 
up the turnips. When the turnips 
have been cooking five minutes in this 
manner add half a pint of meat stock 
or of milk and cook ten minutes. 

Carrots. — The carrot is valuable as 
a vegetable and as a flavorer. When 
partially grown and fresh from the 
ground they have a delicious flavor, 
and are so tender that they may be 
cooked without water. As the carrot 
grows old the flavor grows stronger, 
and in the majority of varieties the 
heart grows hard and woody. When 
the carrot reaches this stage only the 
outer layers are desirable for food. 

Carrots with White Sauce. 

Scrape the carrots lightly; then 
cut into large dice or slices. Put 
into a stewpan with salted boiling 
water, allowing a teaspoonful of salt 
for a quart of water, and boil until 
tender. The young carrots will cook 
in thirty minutes and the old ones in 
forty-five. Drain, season with a lit- 
tle salt, put them in a vegetable dish, 
and pour the white sauce over them. 
Or the carrots may be cut into dice 
before cooking and boiled and 
drained as directed; then put them 
back in the stewpan, and for every 
pint add one tablespoonful of butter, 
one teaspoonful of sugar, half a tea- 
spoonful of salt, and one gill of 
water or meat stock. Cook over a 
hot fire until the carrots have ab- 
sorbed the seasonings and liquid. 

Parsnips. — This vegetable, because 
of its pronounced taste, is probably 
not so generally liked as are most of 
the other roots. It is at its best in 
the early spring, when it has been in 
the ground all winter. 

The simplest method of cooking the 
parsnip is to wash it clean, boil it, 
and then scrape off the skin. Now 
cut in slices and put in the vegetable 
dish. Season with salt and butter. 
When the parsnips are tender and 



just out of the ground they will cook 
in thirty-five minutes; when old it 
takes from forty to fifty minutes to 
cook them. The cooked and peeled 
parsnips may be chopped rather 
coarse, seasoned with salt, and put 
into a stewpan with hot milk enough 
to cover them. Place the stewpan 
on the range where the heat is mod- 
erate. 

For a pint and a half of parsnips 
beat together one tablespoonful of 
butter and one teaspoonful of flour. 
Stir into the parsnips and milk. Sim- 
mer for ten minutes. Parsnips are 
often cut in slices after boiling and 
fried in butter. 

Salsify. — This vegetable is some- 
times called oyster plant, because the 
flavor suggests that of the oyster, 
particularly when the boiled vegeta- 
ble is sliced and fried in butter. Sal- 
sify is one of the roots that may be 
left in the ground over winter, thus 
making this vegetable available for 
the late summer, fall, and spring. 

To prevent this root from turning 
dark it must be dropped as soon as 
it is pared and cut into a mixture of 
flour and water made slightly acid 
with vinegar. For 6 good-sized roots 
mix together 1 tablespoonful of vine- 
gar, 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, 1 tea- 
spoonful of salt, and 3 pints of water. 
Wash and scrape the roots, then cut 
into slices about 3 inches long. Drop 
into the prepared water. Place the 
stewpan on the fire and cook the 
salsify thirty minutes, counting from 
the time it begins to boil. Drain and 
serve in a white sauce. Or mix to- 
gether 1 tablespoonful of butter, 
half a teaspoonful of salt, 1 tea- 
spoonful of lemon juice, and 1 tea- 
spoonful of minced parsley or cher- 
vil. Add this to the drained salsify 
and serve at once. 

Beets. — Beets are among our most 
useful vegetables, since they may be 
had all through the summer and may 
also be stored in good condition for 
winter use. Sometimes beets are cut 
in small pieces, after boiling, and 
served with white sauce, but the most 
common as well as the most palat- 



1100 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



able way of serving them is with but- 
ter. 



Beets with Butter, 

Wash the beets, being careful not 
to break the skin. Put into a stew- 
pan and cover generously with boil- 
ing water and boil until tender. 
Young beets will cook in one hour. 
As the beets grow old the time of 
cooking must be increased. In win- 
ter this vegetable becomes so hard 
it may require four or more hours 
of steady boiling to soften it. It is 
then only suitable for pickling in 
vinegar after being thoroughly 
boiled. 

When the young beets are cooked, 
take them from the boiling water and 
drop them into cold water. Rub off 
the skin. Cut the beets in thin slices 
and season with salt and butter. 
Serve at once, 

Kolil-E,abi, or Turnip Cabbage, — 
This vegetable is a variety of the 
cabbage, but instead of the reserve 
nutritive matter of the plant being- 
stored largely in the leaves or flow- 
ers, it is collected in the stem, which 
forms a turniplike enlargement just 
above the ground, Kohl-rabi is fine 
flavored and delicate, if cooked when 
very young and tender. It should be 
used when it has a diameter of not 
more than 2 or 3 inches. As it grows 
large it becomes tough and fibrous. 

Boiled Kohl-Rabi. 

Wash and pare the vegetables, then 
cut in thin slices. Put into slightly 
salted boiling water and boil, with the 
cover partially off the stewpan, until 
the vegetable is tender. This will 
take fi-om thirty to fifty minutes. 
Pour off the water and season with 
butter, salt, and pepper. 

Kohl-rabi may be boiled with pork 
in the same way as cabbage. The 
cold boiled vegetable may be served 
as a salad. 

Celeriac. — This vegetable is also 
known as "knot celery" and "turnip- 
rooted celery." The roots, which are 



about the size of a white turnip, and 
not the stalks are eaten. They are 
more often used as a vegetable than 
as a salad. 

Pare the celeriac, cut in thin, nar- 
row slices, and put into cold water. 
Drain from this water and drop into 
boiling water and boil thirty minutes. 
Drain and rinse with cold water. The 
celeriac is now ready to be prepared 
and served the same as celery. 

Pur^e of Celeriac. 

1 quart celeriac cut in dice. 

2 tablespoonfuls butter. 
1 tablespoonful flour. 

1 teaspoonful salt. 
1 gill stock or cream. 

Cook the celeriac thirty minutes in 
boiling water, rinse in cold water, 
then press through a puree sieve. 
Put the butter in a saucepan and on 
the fire. When hot add the flour and 
stir until smooth and frothy, and 
then add the strained celeriac and 
cook five minutes, stirring frequently. 
Add the salt and stock or cream and 
cook five minutes longer. If the 
puree seems dry, add more stock or 
cream. The vegetable varies as to 
the amount of moisture it requires. 
It should be eaten very hot. If used 
as a garnish, it is generally put in 
the center of the dish and the poultry 
or meat placed on it or around it. 
Otherwise it may be served on toast 
or fried bread as a dish by itself. 

Celery. — The culture of this vege- 
table is so general that one can find 
it in large markets nearly every 
month of the year. Celery is at its 
best in the late fall and early winter, 
when the weather has been cold 
enough to crisp the blanched stalks. 
This plant is most useful as a salad 
and flavorer, but is perhaps most 
commonly eaten raw, without any 
dressing except salt, as an accompa- 
niment of fish, meat, etc. 

Only the tender, inner stalks should 
be eaten raw. The hard, outside 
stalks make a delicious and whole- 
some dish when properly cooked. 



APPENDl^t 



1101 



When thus used, celery should be 
blanched and served with a sauce. 



Stewed Celery. 

To blanch celery in cooking, re- 
move all the leaves from the stalks. 
Scrape off all rusted or dark spots, 
cut into pieces about 3 inches long, 
and put in cold water. Have a 
stewpan of boiling water on the fire, 
wash and drain the celery and put in 
the boiling water. Add one teaspoon- 
ful of salt for every 2 quarts of 
water. Boil rapidly for fifteen min- 
utes, havjng the cover partially off 
the stewpan. Pour off the water and 
rinse with cold water, then drain. 
The celery is now ready to finish in 
the following manner: Put the celery 
in the stewpan with one tablespoon- 
ful of butter, and one teaspoonful 
of salt for each quart of celery. 
Cover and cook slowly for fifteen 
minutes. Shake the pan frequently 
while the celery is cooking. Serve 
hot. 

Onion. — This vegetable is the most 
useful of all our flavorers, and there 
is hardly a soup, stew, sauce, etc., 
that is not improved by the addition 
of the onion flavor. As a vegetable 
the onion may be prepared in a va- 
riety of ways. The white onions are 
the most delicate and are therefore 
more suitable as a vegetable than the 
yellow or red variety. The large 
Spanish onions and the Bermuda 
onion are also delicate and suitable 
for a table vegetable. If the stronger 
onions are used for this purpose they 
must be thoroughly blanched. 

Boiled Onions in White Sauce. 

Peel the onions and cut off the 
roots, dropping into cold water as 
fast as they are peeled. Drain from 
the cold water and put in a stewpan 
with boiling water to cover generous- 
ly. Add a teaspoonful of salt for 
each quart of water. Boil rapidly 
for ten minutes, with the cover jjar- 
tially off the saucepan. Drain off 
the water and cover the onion with 



hot sweet milk (a quart of onions 
will require a pint of milk). Sim- 
mer for half an hour. Beat together 
one tablespoonful of butter and one 
level tablespoonful of flour. Add one 
teaspoonful of salt and one-fourth 
of a teaspoonful of white pepper. 
Gradually beat in about half a cupful 
of the milk in which the onions are 
cooking. When smooth, stir the mix- 
ture into the onions and milk. Let 
the dish cook ten minutes longer and 
serve. 

Stewed Onions. 

Cut the onions in slices and boil in 
salted water for ten minutes. Drain 
well and return to the stewpan. 

For a quart and a half of onion, 
measured before it was boiled, add 
two tablespoonfuls of butter, one tea- 
spoonful of salt, and one-fourth of a 
teaspoonful of pepper. Cover the 
atewpan and cook over a hot fire for 
five minutes, shaking the pan to pre- 
vent the onion from browning. Set 
the stewpan back where the contents 
will cook slowly for forty minutes. 
Drippings may be substitute4 for 
the butter, but, of course, the dish 
will not be so delicate in flavor. 

MISCELIANEOUS VEGETABLES 

Cucumbers. — The cucumber is 
much oftener eaten in the United 
States as a salad than cooked, yet it 
is a very palatable vegetable when 
stewed and served with a white 
sauce, or seasoned with butter, salt, 
and pepper, and served on toast. The 
pared and quartered cucumber should 
be cooked until tender in boiling 
salted water, which will require about 
fifteen minutes, and then served as 
directed. Cucumbers may also be cut 
in slices lengthwise and fried like 
summer squash or eggplant. 

Stewed Cucumbers. 

Stew pared cucumbers, cut in quar- 
ters or in thick slices, for fifteen min- 
utes in a saucepan with a little water 



110^ 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



and a minced shallot or a small 
minced onion. Pour off the water; 
stir in a little flour, butter, and salt; 
heat for two or three minutes, and 
then serve. 

Cucumber Saut^ 

Boil pared and quartered cucum- 
bers for three minutes only. Then 
drain the pieces and season with salt 
and pepper. Roll in flour and cook 
in a saucepan with butter for twenty 
minutes. This dish may be varied by 
adding minced parsley, chives, and 
chervil about five minutes before the 
cooking is finished. 

Tomatoes. — The tomato, although 
not very nutritious, may be classed as 
one of our must useful vegetables. 
Raw, it makes an attractive and re- 
freshing salad and may be served by 
itself or in combination with other 
vegetables, with meat or with fish. 
As a vegetable the tomato may be 
prepared in many ways. It makes a 
good foundation for soups and 
sauces. Made into catsup or pickles 
it serves as a relish. The addition of 
a little tomato gives a pleasant, acid 
flavor to many soups and sauces, and 
also to meat, fish, and vegetable 
dishes. If possible the tomatoes 
should ripen fully on the vines, as 
the flavor is much better than when 
picked green and then allowed to 
ripen. 

When properly canned this vege- 
table keeps well and retains its nat- 
ural flavor. The housekeeper who 
has a generous supply of canned to- 
matoes on hand will find them very 
valuable at all times of the year, but 
especially in the winter months when 
the variety of vegetables is not great. 

Overcooking spoils the flavor and 
color of the tomato. 

To Peel Tomatoes. 

Put the ripe tomatoes into a dish 
and pour boiling water over them. 
Let them rest in the water about one 
minute ; then pour the water ofi'. The 
thin skin wiU now peel off readily. 



When a quantity of tomatoes are 
to be peeled have a deep stewpan a 
little more than half filled with boil- 
ing water and on the fire where the 
water will continue to boil. Put the 
tomatoes in a frying basket and lower 
into the boiling water. Let the bas- 
ket remain one minute in the water. 
There must, of course, be water 
enough to cover the tomatoes. 

Stewed Tomatoes, 

Peel the tomatoes and cut into 
small pieces. Put into a stewpan and 
on the fire. Boil gently for twenty 
minutes or half an hour, counting 
from the time it begins to boil. Sea- 
son five minutes before the cooking 
is finished. Allow for each quart of 
tomato one generous teaspoonful each 
of salt and sugar and one tablespoon- 
fiil or more of butter. 

Escalloped Tomatoes. 

1 pint peeled and cut tomatoes. 
1 pint grated bread crumbs. 
1 level teaspoonful salt. 
1 tablespoon ful butter. 
A suggestion of pepper. 

Reserve three tablespoonfuls of the 
bread crumbs, and spread the re- 
mainder on a pan. Brown in the 
oven, being careful not to burn them. 
Mix the tomato, browned crumbs, 
salt, pepper, and half the butter to- 
gether, and put in a shallow baking 
dish. Spread the unbrowned crumbs 
on top, and dot with the remainder 
of the butter, cut into bits. Bake in 
a moderately hot oven for half an 
hour. The top of this dish should be 
brown and crisp. 

Tomato Toast. 

Boil one quart of peeled and cut 
tomatoes for ten minutes, then rub 
through a strainer. Return to the 
stewpan and add two level teaspoon- 
fuls of salt, half a teaspoonful of 
pepper, and two tablespoonfuls of 
butter. Place on the fire and cook 



APPENDIX 



1103 



five minutes. Have the bottom of a 
hot platter covered with well-toasted 
slices of bread and pour the hot to- 
mato over it. Serve at once. A 
dropped or poached egg may be put 
on each slice of toast. 

Okra. — Though okra, a variety of 
Hibiscus with mucilaginous edible 
pods, will grow in most parts of the 
United States, it is much more com- 
monly eaten in the Southern States 
than elsewhere. The young pods 
should be boiled in salted water until 
tender (about twenty minutes), 
drained, and heated for 5 minutes 
with cream (a scant cup to a quart 
of okra), a tablespoonful of butter, 
and salt and pepper. Okra is also 
a common ingredient of soups. 

The cultivation of okra, methods of 
serving it, and related topics are dis- 
cussed in a recent publication of the 
U. S. Department of Agriculture. 

Green Peppers. — The sweet green 
pepper, though fairly common in our 
city markets, is not as widely known 
as a vegetable as it deserves. Sliced, 
it makes a very fine salad alone, or, 
more commonly, mixed with other 
salad plants like lettuce. Stuffed and 
baked peppers are very palatable. 

Green Peppers Stuffed and Baked. 

Use only tender sweet peppers. 
For six medium-sized peppers make a 
dressing in the following manner: 
Soak, in cold water, enough stale 
bread to make one pint when the 
water is pressed out. Season this 
with -two teaspoonfuls of salt, one 
tablespoonful of fine herbs, about 
one-fifth of a teaspoonful each of 
sweet basil and summer savory, and 
two tablespoonfuls of butter or sa- 
vory drippings. 

Cut off the stem end of the pepper 
and remove all the interior, being 
careful to take out every seed. Fill 
the peppers with the dressing. Place 
them on end in a shallow baking dish 
and pour around them a sauce pre- 
pared as follows: Put into a sauce- 
pan and on the fire, one tablespoon- 
ful of drippings. When hot, add one 



level tablespoonful of flour. Stir un- 
til smooth and brown, then add, grad- 
ually, three gills of meat stock or 
water. Season with one level tea- 
spoonful of salt. Cook five minutes, 
then pour around the stufi^ed peppers. 
Put the dish in a moderately hot oven 
and bake the peppers one hour, bast- 
ing often with the sauce in the dish. 
Peppers may also be filled with a 
well-seasoned dressing of chopped 
meat, made with or without the ad- 
dition of bread crumbs or rice. 

Eggplant. — This vegetable, as well 
as potato and tomato, belongs to the 
nightshade family. Like all succu- 
lent green vegetables, it has little nu- 
tritive value. The common methods 
of cooking are by frying, broiling, 
and baking. 

Baked Eggplant. 

For baked eggplant make a dress- 
ing as for stufi'ed peppers, except 
that a little more salt, pepper, and 
butter are used. Cut the eggplant in 
two lengthwise, scrape out the inside, 
and mash it fine, then mix with the 
dressing and return to the shells. 
Place on a pan and in the oven. Cook 
forty-five minutes. 

Tried Eggplant. 

For fried eggplant cut the vege- 
table in slices about half an inch 
thick and pare. Sprinkle the slices 
with salt and pile them upon one an- 
other, put a plate with a weight on 
top of the slices. Let them rest for 
an hour, then remove weight and 
plate. Add one tablespoonful of 
water, half a tablespoonful of salt, 
and half a teaspoonful of pepper to 
an egg. Beat well. Dip the slices of 
eggplant in the egg, then in dried 
bread crmnbs. Spread on a dish for 
twenty or more minutes. Fry tiU 
brown (in deep fat). 

Broiled Eggplant. 

The eggplant is sliced and drained 
as directed above. Then spread the 



1104. 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



slices on a dish, season with pepper, 
and baste with salad oil, sprinkle with 
dried bread crumbs and broil. 

Squash. — The various varieties of 
the summer squash are generally 
cooked when so small and tender that 
the thumb nail can pierce the rind 
easily. 

To prepare for the table wash the 
squash, cut into small pieces, and 
either cook in boiling water or steam 
it. It will cook in boiling water in 
half an hour. It takes about an hour 
to cook it in the steamer. The cooked 
squash is mashed fine and seasoned 
with salt, pepper, and butter. This 
method gives a delicate flavored but 
rather watery dish. 

Summer squash is very palatable 
cut in slices and fried like eggplant. 

It is claimed by many that the very 
young summer squashes, particularly 
the turban variety, or "cymlin" of 
the Southern States, are very delicate 
and palatable cooked whole. For this 
dish they should not be much larger 
than a silver dollar. In the opinion 
of the writer the crook-necked and 
other summer squashes are richer in 
flavor when grown to a large size. 
From the more mature squash remove 
the thin skin and seeds. Cut the 
squash in small pieces and put in a 
stewpari'with boiling water enough to 
cover. Boil for half an hour. Drain, 
mash, and season with Salt, pepper, 
and butter. 

Cook winter squash in the iSaiiie 
manner. Squash is one of the vege- 
tables that require a good deal of 
butter. 

Green Corn. — Green corn, a typi- 
cal American food product, is a vege- 
table which, for most palates, is eas- 
ily spoiled by overcooking, since the 
longer the cooking period the less 
pronounced the delicate corn flavor. 
Boiled Corn on the Cob. 

The most satisfactory way to serve 
green corn is on the cob. Free the 
corn from husks and "silk." Have a 
kettle of water boiling hard, drop the 
corn into the water and cook ten min- 
utes. If only a few ears of corn are 



put in a kettle of boiling water, the 
temperature of the water is not low- 
ered greatly and the corn will cook 
in eight minutes. On the other hand, 
if a large quantity of corn is crowded 
into a kettle of boiling water, the 
temperature is very much lowered 
and the time of cooking must be in- 
creased. When possible, surround 
the corn with a generous quantity of 
boiling water. 

Corn Cut Trom Cob. 

Corn may be cut from the cob arid 
heated with butter, pepper, and a 
little milk. For this dish cook the 
ears five minutes in boiling water to 
set the juice. Then with a sharp 
knife cut through the center of each 
row of grains and with the back of 
a case knife press the grains of corn 
<from the hulls. Put the corn in a 
saucepan and season with salt, pep- 
per, and butter. Add enough hot 
milk to moisten well, and cook ten 
minutes. Serve at once. 

The raw corn may be cut from the 
cob and treated in the same manner. 

Succotash. 

To a pint of corn cooued as above 
add a pint of cooked and seasoned 
shelled beans. 

Vegetable Hash. — Hash may be 
made with one or many cooked vege- 
tables, the vegetable or vegetables 
being used alone or combined with 
meat or fish. Potato is the most use- 
ful vegetable for a hash, as it com- 
bines well with the animal food or 
with other vegetables. 

The conditions essential to a good 
hash are that the vegetables shall be 
cut fairly fine, but not so fine that 
the pieces shall lose their shape or 
stick together — that is, the particles 
should drop apart readily when 
shaken on a fork. Each vegetable 
must be cut up separately, then 
all be mixed. The vegetables, 
or vegetable, and meat or fish must 
be well seasoned with salt and pep- 
per, and if liked there may be added 
a little minced onion, chives, parsley. 



APPENDIX 



1105 



chervil, or green pepper finely 
minced. The hash must be moistened 
a little with meat broth, milk, or 
water (not more than half a cupful 
for a quart of hash). When the 
hash is mixed, seasoned, and moist- 
ened put a tablespoonful of butter or 
savory drippings in a frying pan. 
When this is melted put in tlie hash, 
and spread evenly and lightly in the 
pan. Over this put little dots of but- 
ter or savory drippings, using about 
one tablespoonful in all. Cover the 
pan and place where the hash will 
not burn, but where the heat is fairly 
good, and cook half an hour, then 
fold and turn on a hot platter. A 
rich brown crust will have formed on 
the bottom of the hash if the heat 
was sufficient. Serve very hot. The 
plates on which hash is served should 
be hot. 

Rice. — Wash 1 cupful of rice in 
several waters, rubbing the grains be- 
tween the hands to remove all the 
dirt. Put the washed rice in a stew- 
pan with 2l^ cupfuls of water and 
1 teaspoonful of salt. Cover and 
place where the water will boil. Cook 
for twenty minutes, being careful not 
to let it burn. At the end of this 
time put the stewpan on a tripod or 
ring and cover the rice with a fold of 
cheese cloth. Let it continue to cook 
in this manner an hour, then turn 
into a hot vegetable dish. The rice 
will be tender, dry, and sweet, and 
each grain will be separate. During 
the whole process of cooking the rice 
must not be stirred. If a tablespoon- 
ful of butter is cut up and sprinkled 
over the rice when it has cooked 
twenty minutes the dish will be very 
much improved. 

Hominy and Corn Meal. — The 
large hominy, which is so common in 
the southern part of the United 
States, is frequently served as a vege- 
table, either boiled or fried in drip- 
pings. Fine hominy, which is more 
common in the northern part of the 
country, and which is often served 
as a vegetable, should be thoroughly 
washed, and cooked in boiling water 
in the proportion of 1 gill of hom- 



iny to a pint of water, to which a 
half teaspoonful of salt has been 
added. When cold, the boiled hom- 
iny may be cut in slices and fried. 
The slices will brown more readily 
if they are first rolled in flour. 

Fried corn-meal mush is often 
served as a vegetable, with chicken 
and other meats, and is very palata- 
ble and useful when fresh vegetables 
are not common. It is interesting to 
note that in the Southern States rice 
and hominy are much oftener used 
as starchy vegetables in place of po- 
tatoes than in other parts of the 
country. 

Vegetable Soups. — Nearly every 
vegetable grown may be employed in 
the preparation of soups, either as 
the foundation for the soup or as a 
garnish to any kind of meat stock. A 
few types of vegetable soups are here 
given. Meat, meat broth, or beef ex- 
tract may be added to any of them 
if additional flavor is desired, but as 
they stand they are very satisfactory 
soups. 

Mixed Vegetable Soup. 

3 quarts water. 

1 quart shredded cabbage. 

1 pint sliced potato. 
y^ pint minced carrot. 
1/2 pint minced turnip. 
1/3 pint minced onion. 

i leek. 

2 tomatoes. 

2 tablespoonfuls minced celery. 
2 tablespoonfuls green pepper. 

2 tablespoonfuls butter or drip- 

pings. 

3 teaspoonfuls salt. 

1/0 teaspoonful pepper. 

Have the water boiling hard in a 
stewpan and add all the vegetables 
except the potatoes and tomatoes. 
Boil rapidly for ten minutes, then 
draw back where it will boil gently 
for one hour. At the end of this 
time add the other ingredients and 
cook one hour longer. Have the 
cover partially off the stewpan dur- 
ing the entire cooking. This soup 



1106 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



may be varied by using different 
kinds of vegetables. 

Herb Soup. 

y^ pint finely shredded spinach. 
14 pint shredded sorrel. 
y^ blanched and sliced leek. 
The white heart leaves of a 
head of lettuce. 
4 potatoes, medium size. 

3 level teaspoonfuls salt. 

4 tablespoonfuls butter. 

1 tablespoonful chervil. 

2 quarts boiling water. 

y^ pint bread cut in dice and 
fried in butter or browned 
in the oven. 

Have the sorrel, spinach, and let- 
tuce fresh, tender, and free from 
tough midribs. Wash and shred. Cut 
the washed leek into thin slices. Put 
in the stewpan with the butter and 
cook fifteen minutes, being careful 
not to brown. Now add the potatoes, 
salt, and boiling water. Place the 
stewpan where the contents will boil 
quickly, and when the soup begins to 
boil draw the stewpan back where the 
contents will boil gently for one hour. 
At the end of this time crush the 
potatoes with a fork, add the cher- 
vil, afid simmer five minutes longer. 
Turn into the soup tureen, add the 
crisped bread, and serve. 

If preferred, the soup may be 
rubbed through a pur6e sieve, re- 
turned to the fire, and when boiling 
hot be poured on the yolks of 2 eggs 
which have been beaten with 2 table- 
spoonfuls of milk. 

This soup may be varied indefinite- 
ly. Any number of green vegetables 
can be employed in making it, care 
being taken to use only a small quan- 
tity of those of pronounced flavor. 

Sorrel Soup. 

3 pints boiling water. 
3 tablespoonfuls butter. 

1/3 cup shredded sorrel. 
3 tablespoonfuls milk. 
1 teaspoonful salt. 



Yolk 2 eggs. t 

% cupful bread cut in dice and 
dried in the oven or fried in 
butter. I 

Tear the tender green parts from 
the midribs of the cultivated sorrel; 
wash in cold water and shred very 
fine. Put half the butter in a stew- 
pan and add the shredded sorrel. 
Place on the fire and cook five min- 
utes, stirring frequently. Now add 
the boiling water and salt and boil 
ten minutes. Beat the yolks of the 
eggs well, then add the milk and pour 
into the soup tureen, and add the re- 
maining half of the butter cut into 
bits. Gradually pour the boiling-hot 
soup in the soup tureen, stirring all 
the while to combine the hot mixture 
with the egg yolk. Add the bread 
dice and serve. 



Leek Soup. 

3 quarts boiling water. 

2 cupfuls leeks, cut fine. 

4 cupfuls potatoes, cut in dice. 

3 tablespoonful butter or drip- 
pings. 

3 teaspoonfuls salt. 
y^ teaspoonful pepper. 

4 slices stale bread cut in small 
pieces. 

4 tablespoonfuls minced onion. 

Wash the leeks and cut off the 
roots. Cut the white part in thin 
slices. Pare the potatoes and cut in 
dice. Put them in a bowl of cold 
water. Put the butter, leeks, and 
onion in the soup pot and on the fire. 
Cook twenty minutes slowly, stirring 
frequently, then add the hot water, 
potatoes, and seasoning, and cook at 
least half an hour longer. Serve 
very hot. If it is convenient and 
liked, cook with the leeks and butter 
the white stalks of 4 or 5 cibols, or 1 
shallot may be cut fine and cooked 
with the leeks. 

This is a delicious and wholesome 
soup, and is even better reheated the 
second day than the first, 



APPENDIX 



1107 



Cream of leek Soup. 

Make this soup as directed for leek 
soup, using only 3 pints of water. 
When it is cooked, rub through a 
sieve, return to the soup pot, and add 
1 quart of hot milk. Beat with whisk 
until smooth. Half a cupful of the 
milk can be rsserved cold and added 
to 2 well-beaten yolks of eggs. Stir 
this into the soup just as it is taken 
from the fire. 

The yolks of the eggs make the 
soup very much richer. 

Potato Soup. 

8 medium-sized potatoes. 
% pint chopped celery. 

4 tablespoonfuls minced onion. 

1 tablespoonful butter. 

1 tablespoonful flour. 
ll^ teaspoonfuls salt. 
y^ teaspoonful pepper. 

1 teaspoonful minced chervil or 
parsley. 

1 quart milk. 

Pare the potatoes and put in a 
stewpan with the celery and onion. 
Cover with boiling water and put over 
a hot fire. Cook thirty minutes, 
counting from the time the pan is put 
over the fire. Reserve half a cupful 
of the milk cold, and put the balance 
to heat in the double boiler. Mix the 
flour with the cold milk and stir into 
the boiling milk. When the potatoes, 
etc., have been cooking thirty minutes 
pour off the water, saving it to use 
later. Mash and beat the vegetables 
until light and fine, then gradually 
beat in the water in which they were 
boiled, rub through the purde sieve 
and then put back on the fire. Add 
the salt and pepper. Beat with an 
egg whisk for tliree minutes, then 
gradually beat in the boiling milk. 
Add the butter and minced herbs and 
serve at once. 

€ream of Celeriac Soup. 

1 quart celeriac cut in cubes. 
1 quart white stock. 



1 pint cream. 

% pint canned peas. 

2 tablespoonfuls butter. 
2 tablespoonfuls salt. 

% tablespoonful pepper. 
Yolks of 2 eggs. 

Follow the rule given for pur6e of 
celeriac, gradually adding the hot 
white stock, rub through a fine 
sieve, return to the fire, and add a 
cupful of canned peas. Reserve one 
cupful of the cream cold and add the 
remainder to the soup. Beat the 
yolks of the eggs well and add the 
cold cream to them, then stir the mix- 
ture into the soup. Draw back from 
the fire and beat with the whisk for 
one minute, then serve at once. 

Tomato Soup. 

1 quart peeled and finely cut 

tomatoes. 

1 quart cold! water. 

1 onion. 

1 tablespoonful sugar. 

2 teaspoonfuls salt. 
14 teaspoonful pepper. 

2 tablespoonfuls butter. 
4 tablespoonfuls cornstarch. 
1 tablespoonful flour. 

Mix the cornstarch with the water 
and put into a stewpan with all the 
other ingredients, except the butter 
and flour, the onion being left whole. 
Stir frequently until the soup boils, 
then cook half an hour, counting 
from the time it begins to boil. At 
the end of this time beat the butter 
and flour together until light and 
smooth and stir into the soup. Cook 
ten minutes longer, then take out the 
onion and serve the soup with toasted 
or fried bread. If a smooth soup is 
desired strain through a fine sieve. 
This is the simplest kind of tomato 
soup. It may be varied by the addi- 
tion of rice, macaroni, beans, peas, 
and other vegetables. Instead of the 
fried bread stale bread may be cut 
in small pieces and put in the bottom 
of the soup tureen. 



1108 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



Okra and Tomato Soup. 

1 pint sliced okra. 

1% pints tomatoes pared and cut 
fine. 

2 quarts water. 

3 tablespoonfuls rice. 

3 tablespoonfuls minced onion. 
1 green pepper, seeds removed 

and pepper cut fine. 
3 teaspoonfuls salt. 
14 teaspoon ful pepper. 

Put all the ingredients into the 
soup pot and cook gently for two 
hours, then add two tablespoonfuls of 
butter or sweet drippings and serve. 
The bones from roast meat or broiled 
meat cooked with this soup add to 
the flavor. 

Onion Chowder. 

3 quarts boiling water. 
1 pint minced onion. 
1 quart potatoes cut in dice. 
3 teaspoonfuls salt. 
y^ teaspoonful pepper. 
3 tablespoonfuls butter or sa- 
vory drippings. 
1 tablespoonful fine herbs. 

Cook the onion and butter together 
for half an hour, but slowly, so that 
the onion will not brown. At the 
end df this time add the boiling 
water, potatoes, salt, and pepper and 
cook one hour longer, then add the 
fine herbs and serve. 

Green Pea Soup. 

1 quart shelled peas. 
3 pints water. 
1 quart milk. 

1 onion. 

2 tablespoonfuls butter. 
1 tablespoonful flour. 

3 level teaspoonfuls salt. 
1/3 teaspoonful pepper. 

Put the peas in a stewpan with the 
boiling water and onion and cook 
until tender, which will be about half 
an hour. Pour ofl" the water, saving 
for use later. Mash the peas fine, 
then add the water in which they 
were boiled, and rub through a puree 



sieve. Return to the saucepan, add 
flour and butter, beaten together, and 
the salt and pepper. Now gradually 
add the milk, which must be boiling 
hot. Beat well and cook ten min- 
utes, stirring frequently. 

Split Pea Soup. 

1 pint split peas, 
4 quarts water. 
1/3 pound salt pork. 

1 large onion. 

2 tablespoonfuls celery. 
1 tablespoonful flour. 

1 tablespoonful butter. 
1 teaspoonful pepper. 
1 sprig parsley. 

Pick the peas over, that there may 
be no blemished ones among them, 
then wash and soak in cold water 
over night. In the morning turn off" 
the water and put them in the soup 
pot, with the cold water and salt 
pork. Simmer gently seven hours, 
being careful that the soup does not 
burn. When it has cooked six hours 
add the seasoning. Have a large 
wooden spoon to stir the soup. When 
done it should be thin enough to 
pour. By boiling it may become too 
thick; if so, add boiling water. 
When thoroughly cooked, the soup 
is smooth and rather mealy. If not 
cooked enough, after standing a few 
minutes the thick part will settle, 
and the top look watery. At the end 
of seven hours strain the soup 
through a sieve and return to a 
soup pot. Beat the flour and butter 
together until creamy, then stir into 
the soup and simmer half an hour 
longer. If the salt pork has not sea- 
soned the soup sufficiently add a 
little salt. For some tastes the soup 
would be improved by the addition 
of a quart of hot milk. 

Serve little squares of fried bread 
in a separate dish. 

Dried Bean Soup. 

1 pint dried beans. 

4 quarts water. 

1 large onion, minced fine. 



APPENDIX 



1109 



4 tablespoons fill sweet drip- 
pings or butter which gives a 
better flavor, 

3 tablespoonsful flour. 

1 tablespoonful minced celery 
or a few dried celery leaves. 
^2. teaspoon ful pepper. 

3 teaspoons ful salt. 

Wash the beans and soak them over 
night in cold water. In the morning 
pour off the water and put them in 
the soup pot with 3 quarts of cold 
water. Place on the fire and when 
the water comes to the boiling point 
pour it off" (throw this water away). 
Add 4 quarts of boiling water to the 
beans and place the soup pot where 
the contents will simmer for four 
hours. Add the celery the last hour 
of cooking. Cook the onion and drip- 
pings slowly in a stewpan for half 
an hour. Drain the water from the 
beans (save this water) and put them 
in the stewpan with the onions and 
drippings. Then add the flour and 
cook half an hour, stirring often. At 
the end of this time mash fine and 
gradually add the water in which the 
beans were boiled until the soup is 
like thick cream. Then rub through 
a puree sieve and return to the fire; 
add the salt and pepper and cook 
twenty minutes or more. Any kind 
of beans may be used for this soup; 
the Lima beans give the most delicate 
soup, but the large or small white 
beans are very satisfactory and are 
less expensive than the Limas. 

In cold weather the quantities of 
beans and flavorings may be doubled, 
but only 6 quarts of water are used. 
The resulting thick soup can be kept 
in a cold place and a portion boiled 
up as required and thinned with meat 
stock or milk. 

Cream of Bean Soup. 

Make as above, but add only 
enough of the water in which the 
beans were cooked to make the mix- 
ture like thin mush. Have this very 
hot and add boiling hot milk to make 
it like thick cream, about a quart of 
.milk to 3 pints of the bean pur^e. 



Boil up at once and serve. It spoils 
a cream soup to let it cook many 
minutes after the milk is added. 

Seasonings and Sauces for Veg- 
etables. — Much of the excellence of 
well-cooked vegetables depends upon 
the proper use of seasonings and 
sauces. The seasoning selected should 
undoubtedly be suitable for the dish, 
but so much depends upon CHStom 
that only general suggestions can be 
made. The Italians and some other 
races are much fonder of garlic than 
Americans, the Germans of summer 
savory or "bohneukraut" in string 
beans, and the English of mint with 
peas. Each housewife must select 
the seasonings which her family pre- 
fers and endeavor to use them in 
such a way that the special flavors 
may be most satisfactorily brought 
out. 

Time of Cooking Flavorers. 

When a soup, sauce, or vegetable 
is to be flavored with a herb or an- 
other vegetable the flavorer should be 
added toward the end of the cooking 
period. Since the oils and other bod- 
ies which give seasoning vegetables 
and herbs their flavor are volatile 
they are either driven off' by long- 
continued cooking or rendered much 
less delicate in flavor. Herbs that 
are to be left in the dish or served 
with the dish must be added just 
before the food is served. The herbs 
generally served with the dish are 
chervil, parsley, tarragon, and chives. 

Burnet, thyme, summer savory, 
sage, and sweet basil are cooked with 
the dish a short time, not over twenty 
minutes, and are then removed. 

The little bunch of mixed herbs, 
the "bouquet garni," so often re- 
ferred to in cook books, is made with 
two branches of parsley, a sprig each 
of thyme and summer savory, a small 
leaf of sage, and a small bay leaf, 
all tied together. This is cooked with 
the dish from ten to twenty minutes, 
then removed. The bay leaves must 
be purchased at tlie grocer's. Tur- 
nips, carrots, parsnips, celery, leeks, 



1110 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



cibol, onions, etc., when used just as 
flavorers, should be tied in a bunch 
and cooked twenty or thirty minutes 
in the dish and then be removed. 

When shallot and garlic are used 
they should never be cut, but separ- 
ated into "cloves." One clove will 
be enough for a small quantity of 
soup, sauce, or ragout. Never fry 
shallot or garlic. Cook in the dish 
to be flavored about ten minutes, 
then remove. 

Eried Vegetables for Seasoning. 

Vegetables when used raw as a sea- 
soning give a strong flavor, and only 
a little of each should be used. For 
flavoring soups, sauces, stews, etc., 
fried vegetables are far superior to 
the raw. To prepare them for use, 
clean and peel or scrape the vegeta- 
bles, then cut them into small pieces, 
and put in a saucepan with butter or 
sweet fat, allowing two generous ta- 
blespoonsful of butter to a pint of 
vegetables. Place on a hot part of 
the range and stir until the butter 
and vegetables become hot. Partially 
cover the saucepan and set back, 
where the vegetables, which should 
be stirred often, will cook slowly for 
half an hour. At the end of this 
time place the pan on a hot part of 
the range and stir the contents until 
the butter begins to separate from 
the vegetables. Drain the butter, sav- 
ing it with savory drippings, which 
every housewife should always have 
on hand and add the vegetables to 
the dish they are to flavor. 

Fine Herbs. 

In its broadest sense, the term "fine 
herbs" includes all the delicate, sav- 
ory herbs, such as burnet, sweet basil, 
tarragon, and chervil. As commonly 
understood, three herbs enter into the 
seasoning known to cooks as "fine 
herbs" ; these are parsley, chervil, and 
chives. They are minced fine and 
added to the sauce, soup, omelet, etc. 
For an omelet, they are stirred into 
the beaten eggs in the proportion of 
a teaspoonful to three eggs. When 



added to sauces, the herbs must be 
added just as they are about to be 
served. These three herbs combine 
well with almost any vegetable, fish, 
or meat. In general, herbs should be 
washed, placed on a clean board, and 
cut with a sharp knife. 

Chervil and tarragon when em- 
ployed in soup or salad should be 
torn leaf by leaf into small pieces. 

Tarragon Vinegar. 

Strip about three ounces of leaves 
from the branches of tarragon; put 
into a quart fruit jar and fill with 
good vinegar. Close and let stand 
for about twenty days, then strain. 
The best vinegar to use for this pur- 
pose is white wine vinegar, but good 
cider vinegar will also answer. The 
best time to make tarragon vinegar 
is about the last of August, when 
the plants are large and vigorous. 
Tarragon vinegar may be used for 
salads and sharp sauces, when the 
fresh herb is not available. 

Butter with Vegetables. 

It is almost universally conceded 
that vegetables require the addition 
of fat in order that they may be at 
their best, and there is no fat which 
is so suitable as butter for the ma- 
jority of vegetables, judged by the 
texture of the dish and also by the 
flavor. 

The American housekeeper has a 
way of looking upon the use of but- 
ter, milk, cream, and eggs in the 
preparation of vegetables, soups, and 
sauces as if these ingredients were 
simply "trimmings" and not food. 
But it should be remembered that 
these articles are valuable foods and 
naturally increase the food value of 
the dish of which they form a part. 
They are aU wholesome, and, although 
almost always more expensive than 
the vegetable foods with which they 
are combined, their use in reasonable 
quantities is certainly to be recom- 
mended. 

Increasing the cost of the dish by 
the free use of butter, cream, etc., 



APPENDIX 



1111 



may after all be economy if the in- 
crease is intelligently made, and the 
vegetable soups, purees, etc., made 
"hearty" as well as appetizing by the 
addition of butter, eggs, etc., are 
combined with smaller quantities of 
meat and with light and simple des- 
serts. 

Savory Drippings. 

As a substitute for butter in sea- 
soning vegetables there is nothing bet- 
ter than sweet, savory drippings. Not 
all meats supply fats that are savory 
in the sense in which the word is em- 
ployed here. The following fats may 
be employed alone or in combination 
for seasoning vegetables: The fat 
from fried sausages, ham, bacon, and 
pork, and from roast pork, veal, and 
chicken. Fats trimmed from poultry, 
veal, pork, and ham may be fried out 
carefully and saved for use in cook- 
ing vegetables. Such fats have a 
flavor which comes from seasoning, 
as in sausage, from smoke, as in ham 
and bacon, or from brown material, 
as in roast meat. The fat skimmed 
from the water in which poultry has 
been boiled and the fats skimmed 
from the gravies of most roast meats 
may be clarified and also employed in 
the preparation of vegetables for the 
table. Great care must be taken that 
all these fats are clean and sweet, 
and that the temperature at which 
they are fried out shall not be so 
high as to impair the flavor. Burned 
or scorched fat is not only unpleas- 
ant in flavor, but is a frequent cause 
of indigestion. 

When rendering the trimmings of 
fat meat, add a small onion or a 
shallot (do not cut them), a few 
leaves of summer savory and thyme, 
a teaspoonful of salt, and a little 
pepper. This seasoning is enough for 
half a pint of fat. Keep the drip- 
pings covered, and in a cool, dry 
place. 

Cream Sauce. 

y^ pint milk. 
1 tablespoon ful butter. 



1 teaspoonful flour. 
% teaspoonful salt. 
14 teaspoonful pepper. 

Heat the milk over boiling water; 
beat the butter and flour to a cream 
and stir into the hot milk. Cook 
five minutes, then add salt and pep- 
per, and use. This sauce is suitable 
for boiled cauliflower, potatoes, car- 
rots, etc. It is also a good sauce 
for escalloped dishes. This sauce 
may be modified by the addition of 
flavoring herbs. 

Cream Mustard Sauce. 

Make the cream sauce as directed 
above. Mix one tablespoonful of 
mustard with a teaspoonful of cold 
water and stir into the sauce about 
two minutes before serving. The 
quantity of mustard may be increased 
or diminished, as one may desire the 
flavor strong or mild. 

White Sauce. 

This sauce is made like the cream 
sauce, except that half a pint of 
white-meat broth is substituted for 
the milk, and two tablespoonsful of 
flour instead of one are used. The 
saucepan is put directly on the stove 
and the sauce is simmered ten min- 
utes. White sauce, like cream sauce, 
may be modified by the addition of 
other flavors. 

Tomato Sauce. 

Cook one pint of peeled and cut 
tomatoes ten minutes, then rub 
through a strainer. Beat in a sauce- 
pan until smooth and light one ta- 
blespoonful of flour and one gener- 
ous tablespoonful of butter. Grad- 
ually beat the hot tomato into this. 
Add the salt and pepper and cook 
ten minutes. This sauce may be 
served with macaroni, rice, etc., as 
well as with fish and meat. The flavor 
of the tomato sauce may be modified 
by the addition of onion, spice, or 
herbs. 

Salads and Salad Dressings. — Near- 
ly all vegetables may be served In the 



1112 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



form of salad. The salads made with 
the raw vegetables are more refresh- 
ing and perhaps more generally rel- 
ished than those made with cooked 
vegetables. The most common green 
salad plant in the United States is 
undoubtedly lettuce, and perhaps cel- 
ery, alone or mixed with other materi- 
als, next. Endive, chicory, blanched 
dandelion, and other plants should 
also be used, as they give a pleasant 
variety to the menu. Such salads are 
garnished like lettuce. In most of 
our gardens the only sort of lettuce 
grown is some variety of the head 
lettuce. Roman lettuce, the "Salade 
Romaine" of Europe, which is fairly 
cpmnipn in our city markets, is a 
delicio^s variety, which should be 
more generally used by American 
housekeepers. 

Raw vegetables should be used 
only when they are young, tender, and / 
fresh. When boiled green vegetables 
are used for a salad they should not 
be cooked so long that they lose crisp- 
ness and flavor. Salad dressings are 
usually sharp or pungent sauce, with 
which the salad is moistened and sea- 
soned, or "dressed." The most ser- 
viceable all-round salad dressing is 
what is known as French salad dress- 
ing. This is suitable for any vegeta- 
ble Sfilad, raw or cooked. Besides the 
dressing proper there are several 
herbs which are used as flavorers. In 
continental Europe some or all of 
these herbs are almost an invariable 
accompaniment of all lettuce salads 
] and nearly all other green salads. 
These herbs are, in France, termed 
the fourniture of the salad, and it 
is a saying among the French that 
the foui'niture is essential to all sal- 
ads, while the use of garlic, hard 
boiled eggs, etc., is optional. The 
herbs generally employed in the four- 
niture are chervil, tarragon, chives, 
or cibol. These flavor deliciously 
lettuce and other tender green salads. 
They are also a great acquisition to 
soups, sauces, ^omelets, etc., one or 
more being employed to give special 
flavor to a dish. They may be read- 
ily cultivated in the kitchen garden. 



Lettuce Salad with French Dressing. 
3 heads lettuce. 
3 or 3 sprays tarragon. 
6 or 8 branches chervil. 
1 tablespoonful minced chives or 
cibol, if the flavor be liked. 
French dressing. 

Remove all the green, tough leaves 
from the heads of lettuce. Break ofl" 
the tender leaves one by one and rinse 
in cold water. Shake off the water 
and lay the leaves on a piece of 
cheese cloth and put the lettuce, 
wrapped lightly in the cheese cloth, 
on ice. At serving time, put the 
leaves in the salad bowl. Have the 
herbs torn into small bits and sprin- 
kle over the lettuce. Sprinkle the 
dressing (a spoonful at a time) over 
the salad. Lift and turn the salad 
with the spoon and fork. Continue 
mixing in this manner until all the 
dressing has been used. The work 
must be done lightly and carefully 
that the lettuce shall not be crushed. 
Serve immediately. This is the French 
salad that so many travelers remem- 
ber with great pleasure. The secret 
of its exquisite quality is that the 
lettuce is crisp and tender, delicate 
flavoring herbs are added to it, the 
vinegar is never strong, the oil is 
good, and, finally, the dressing is 
added just before the salad is served. 
In the heat of the summer, when 
head lettuce is not plenty, the tender 
young plants may be used. The flav- 
or of the salad may be varied by the 
addition of other green salads and 
herbs, such as chicory, sorrel, borage, 
burnet, etc. When fresh tarragon is 
not available, tarragon vinegar may 
be employed. 

lettuce Salad with Cream Dressing. 

1 large solid head lettuce. 

1 tablesjjoonful vinegar. 
1/2 teaspoonful salt. 
14 teaspoonful pepper. 

4 tablespoons ful thick, sweet 
cream. 

Remove the outer leaves from the 
head of lettuce, leaving only the 



APPENDIX 



1113 



crisp, clean, bleached leaves. Break 
the leaves one by one from the head, 
and if perfectly clean do not wash 
them. If not clean, wash quickly 
in cold water and drain. Tear each 
leaf into three or four pieces; put 
the shredded lettuce into a large 
towel or napkin and place on the ice 
or in a cold cellar. At serving time 
put the lettuce in a salad bowl. Mix 
the salt, pepper, and vinegar in the 
salad spoon and sprinkle over the 
lettuce; stir well, then add the cream, 
a spoonful at a time, and mix by 
tossing the lettuce lightly with the 
spoon and fork. Serve immediately. 

Cabbage Salad. 

Either red or white cabbage may 
be used for salad, and must be firm, 
crisp, and tender. Remove the outer 
leaves and cut the tender cabbage 
into fine shreds. Wash well and let 
soak in cold water for half an hour. 
Drain and season with FrencTi dress- 
ing or cooked salad dressing. Serve 
at once. 

Cucumber Salad. 

This vegetable should always be 
crisp and fresh when used. There 
is an old and widespread belief that 
cucumbers are more wholesome if the 
slices are soaked in cold water or in 
salted water before serving. Doubt- 
less the distress which some persons 
experience after eating cucumbers is 
due to the fact that they are swal- 
lowed without proper mastication. It 
does not seem probable that there is 
any unwholesome property in this 
vegetable when we recall the extent 
to which it is eaten in some other 
countries and the good reputation 
which it bears there. In Persia the 
cucumber is most highly prized and 
IS consumed in very large quantities. 
On account of its succulent char- 
acter it is often used by travelers in 
place of water, as the water supply 
in many villages and towns is not 
above suspicion. 

Cucumbers should be pared and 
sliced thin, and then may be dressed 



with oil and vinegar, like lettuce, or 
with a little vinegar, salt, and pepper. 
Cucumbers are at their best for sal- 
ads when fairly young, and should 
not be used after the seeds have be- 
come hard and tough, as most per- 
sons consider them objectionable. A 
pleasant variation in the appearance 
of the dish may be easily obtained 
by slicing rather small cucumbers 
lengthwise instead of across, as is 
the more common method. 



DRESSINGS OR SAUCES FOR SAL- 

ABS 

French Dressing'. 

1 tablespoon ful vinegar. 

4 tablespoons ful olive oil. 
iy4 teaspoonful salt. 
% teaspoonful pepper. 

Put the salt and pepper in the 
salad bowl, or in a small bowl if the 
sauce is to be served separately. Add 
a little oil and stir well, then grad- 
ually add the remainder of the oil, 
stirring all the while. Last of all 
stir in the vinegar, which should be 
diluted with water if very strong. 

This sauce may be modified to suit 
difl^erent vegetables. As it is given 
it is right for lettuce, chicory, cooked 
asparagus, cauliflower, artichoke, etc. 

Cream may be substituted for the 
oil, but the salad is not so rich. 

Cooked Salad Dressing. 

2 eggs. 

1 gill vinegar. 

3 gills milk. 

1 tablespDonful oil or butter. 
1 teaspoonful salt. 
1 teaspoonful mustard. 
14 teaspoonful pepper. 

Put the oil and dry ingredients into 
a bowl and mix well. Add the eggs 
and beat for five minutes, then add 
the vinegar and beat one minute. 
Now add the milk, place the bowl in 
a pan of boiling water, and cook un- 
til the sauce thickens like thin cream. 
It will take about ten minutes. Stir 



1114 



HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES 



the sauce constantly while cooking. 
Cool and bottle what you do not re- 
quire for immediate use. This sauce 
is good for nearly all kinds of cooked 
vegetables. 

If butter is substituted for the oil, 
add it just before taking the sauce 
from the fire. 

Sour Cream Dressing'. 

1/2 pint sour cream. 

2 tablespoons ful lemon juice. 

2 tablespoonsful vinegar. 

1 scant tablespoonful sugar. 

1 teaspoonful salt. 
14 teaspoonful pepper. 

1 teaspoonful or more mixed 
mustard. 

Beat the ci-eam with an egg beater 
until smooth, thick, and light. Mix 
the other ingredients together and' 
gradually add to the cream, beating 
all the while. 



This dressing may be modified to 
suit different vegetables. Having 
beaten sour cream for a foundation 
the seasoning may be anything de- 
sired, as, for example, the mustard 
and lemon may be omitted and the 
dressing be seasoned highly with any 
kind of catsup. 

A sweet cream may be substituted 
for the sour; it should be quite thick. 

Cream Salad Dressing. 

1 cupful cream (sweet or sour). 
y2 cupful tomato catsup. 

2 tablespoonsful olive oil. 
2 tablespoonsful vinegar. 
2 tablespoonsful sugar. 

1 teaspoonful salt. 

Mix the oil, salt, sugar, and vine- 
gar together, then beat in the catsup 
and finally add the cream, beating it 
in gradually. 

This dressing is very good for veg- 
etables, .or for fish salads. 



INDEX 



[N. B. — Single indentions of index 
references in the following pages indi- 
cate the omission of the word standing 
at the head of such indented matter ; 
double indentions indicate the omission 
of two or more words. For example, in 
the line next following "Acid, acetic," 
the indention indicates the omission of 
the word "acid" ; hence the next refer- 
ence should be read, "Acid, citric," and 
similarly throughout. The single inden- 



tion in the Uve next following, "Baked 
and stuffed gi'een peppers" indicates 
the omission of the word "Baked"; the 
double indention in the next line indi- 
cates the omission of the two words 
"Baked Tjean;" hence the third line 
should be read "Baked bean salad," and 
so throughout the index. To facilitate 
quick reference, as a convenience to 
busy housekeepers, all cooking recipes 
are printed in italics.] 



Abbreviations, druggists', 762 
Abdominal fever (see typhoid), 148 
Absorbents, 324, 328, 335 
Acetate of copper, poison, 313 
Acetylene gas, 82, 83, 87, 88 
Acid, acetic, 312, 326, 329. 335, 337, 
477, 532, 533, 541, 573 
citric, 326, 486 
lactic, 326 
muriatic, 327 
oxalic, 325, 353 
sulphuric, 351 
tartaric, 326, 327 
Acids, various uses of, 325-7, 336, 341, 

346, 351, 510, 732 
Acre plots, dimensions of, 753 

to lay out an, 752 
Adhesives, 473, 474 
cement, 478-482 
glue, 477-8 
mucilage, 475-6 
pastes, 474-5 
special, 482-6 
Adulterants, test for, 672 
Adulterated wax, testing, 746 
Adulterations, of food, 615, 637 
baking powder, 642 
butter, 643-4 
canned fruit, 640 
canned vegetables, 638 
cheese, 643 
coffee, 643 
condiments, 641-2 
cream of tartar, 643 
dairy products, 643 
flavoring extracts, 641 
honey, 642 
ice cream, 643 
jams, 640 
jellies, 640 
meat products, 644 
milk, 233, 643 
preserves, 640 
sausages, 644 
spices, 642 
starch, 640 
sugar. 642 
tea, 643 
tests for, 638 
vinegar, 641 
with benzoic acid, 639 
with borax. 639 
with formaldehyde, 643 
with preservatives, 638 
with saccharin, 640 
with salicylic acid, 639 
with sulphites, 639 
with sulphuric acid, 642 
with turmeric, 642 



"After" pruning of trees, 265 
Aigre doux, 969 
Air, drainage, 101 

engines, hot, 105 

mixers, care of, and adjusting, 305-6 
Air-slaked lime, 139 
Air, ventilation, 55-6 
Alabaster, 347, 483, 536-7 

imitation of, 537 
Alcohol, absolute, 327 

cleaning with, 332-3, 338, 342, 344, 
347, 411, 427, 435 

in blackboard paint, 495 

in blacking, 525 

in liquid glue, 477 

in scouring mixture, 331 

in the laundry, 361 

in polishing, 513 

stove for canning, 650 
Alkali, in soap, 356 

properties of, 357 
Alkalies, cautions in use of, 362 
Alkaline lye, for bleaching, 352 
Alkanet root coloring with, 562 
Allspice, for repelling moths, 448 
Almond, bon bons. 727 

cream, 979, 1028 

oil of, 574 

preparations, 566-71 

soap, 550 

tart, 1029 
Alum, acid principle of, 826 

for cleaning, 342, 346, 370, 433, 440 

for fireprooflng, 80-1 
Alumina, sulphate of, for water-proof- 
ing, and fireprooflng cloth. 81 
Aluminum, chloride of, in ink, 334 

in copying ink, 529 

oven doors, cleaning, 305 

wash, for vermin, 451 
Amalgam, dentists', 615 
Amber, 480, 499 

cream, 1027 

in resin ' cement, 479 
Ambergris, essence of, for perfumes, 577 

for preserving linen, 389 
American full cream cheese, 1061 
Ammonia, for neutralizing acids. 325 

for household uses, 396, 407, 412, 418, 
435 

sulphate of, for preventing fires, 79, 
80 
Anclioi-y and cheese sandiciches, 827, 

1080 
Angel cake, 1006 

food pudding, 1030 

glace, 985 
Aniline blue in ink, 528 

inks, 530-2 



1115 



1116 



INDEX 



Animal fiber s, bleaching. 350 
cleaning, with gasoline, 329 
oils, 510-11 
Animals, diseases of, 174 
domestic, fleas on, 456 
Anime, varnish, nature of, 499, 502 
Aniseed for rat trap bait, 458 
Anopheles mosquito, 55, 464 
Anthracite (or hard) coal as fuel, 69 
Ants, black, 460 

enemies of bed bugs, 455 
red. 460 
white, 461 
Apothecaries' fluid measure, 759 

weight, 761 
Appendix, 1039 
Apple and sausage, 909 
cake, 805 

celery and nut salad, 949 
custard pudding, 957 
dowdy, 958 
evaporated, 713 
for chapped lips, 575 
pie, 989 

pie with pineapple flavor, 991 
pudding, steamed, 966 
sauce cake, 1009 
sherbet, 974 
tapioca, 964 
water ice, 972 
Approximate equivalents, 778, 780 
Apricot cream, 980 

pudding, 959, 981 ^ 

puree, 984 
sherbet, 974 
Apron, for clothespins, 376 
Aqua ammonia for cleaning alabaster, 
437 
cleaning door plates, 319 
cleaning glassware, 314 
cleaning kid gloves. 348 
cleaning men's clothes, 344 
cleaning nickel, 303 
cleaning sinks. 03 
cleaning tins, 312 
curing freckles, 564 
curing insect bites, 452, 467 
removing acid stains, 327 
removing other stains, 322, 336- 'iv 
r 347, 375, 574 
washing fluid, 368, 364 
test for wall paper, 38 
Aquaria, cement for, 483 
Arabic, gum, nature of, 500 
Arc lamps, Welsbach, 87 
Argand chimneys, kinds of, 85 
Argon, in the atmosphere, 54 
Armenian cement, 478 
Aromatic vinegar, 572, 672 
Arrowroot cream, 979 
Arsenic, as an insecticide, 452, 453 
in wall paper, 38 
removing odor of, 38 
sulphuret of, for yellow sealing wax, 
509 
Arsenical soap, 552 , 

Artichoke a la crSme, 933 
globe, 1090 
Jerusalem, 1098 
Artificial feeding of infants. 217 
Arts and crafts movement, 34, 38 
Asbestos, uses for, 73, 76. 303, 304, 383, 

384, 404, 484, 496 
Ash in foods, 617, 621 

in granulated soda washing powder, 
364 
Ashes, uses for, 79, 304, 312, 314, 315, 

319, 361. 484, 495 
Asiatic cholera. 173 
Asparagus, 1089 
canning, 663 



Asparagus, cream soup, 856 

tips in cream, 925 
Asphalt, 501 

lakes of, 501 

nature of, 502 
Asphaltum, for inks, 530, 533 

varnish, 506 
Aspic salad, 954 
Atmosphere, 54, 72 
Attar of rose, 578 
Attic, cleaning, 405 
Aunt Anne's Hoe Cake, 819 

Dinah's cake, 999 
Automobiles as country home builders, 

41 
Avoirdupois weight, 760 
Awnings, fire and waterproofing, 81, 82 
Axle grease, 512 
Axminster (chenille) carpet, 39 

Bacon and calf's liver, 903 
mush, fried, 837 
curing, 700 
Bacteria of diphtheria, 191 
in contagious diseases, 394 
in dust, 393 
injurious, 134 
Bags, uses of paper, 65 

uses for other, 97, 355, 376, 377, 393 
Bait for rat traps, 458 
Baize, for darkening rooms, 321 
Baked and stuffed green peppers, 1103 
bean rarebit, 938 

salad, 955 

sandwiches, 936 

soup, 937 
Baked beans, 1095 

chocolate custard, 965 
crackers and cheese, 1073 
eggplant, 1103 
eggs with cheese, 1074 
lentils, 1095 
potatoes, 1097 
rice and cheese, 1072 
salt herring, 874 
siceet potatoes, 1098 
Baking chemicals, adulteration of, 642 

dishes, care of, 312 
Baking-powder, adulteration of, 642 

batter bread, 809 

biscuits, 809, 816 

biscuits, drop, 809 

biscuits, egg, 810, 814 

biscuits, Graham, 810 

biscuits, Maryland, 814 

biscuits, Mrs. Vessey's brown, 1029 

biscuits, nut, 811 

biscuits, spoon, 817 

biscuits, Vienna, 811 

breads, 809 

cakes, 816 

cakes, corn, 810 

cakes, flannel, 809 

cakes, no-egg, ivhcat, 812 

cans, uses of, 66, 379 

gems, entire-wheat, 816 

gems, hominy, 814 

gems, rye, 811 

Graham loaf, steamed, 815 

griddlecakes, blueberry, 812 

griddlecakes , Oraham, 814 

griddlecakes, Indian, 813 

griddlecakes, jam, 812 

griddlecakes, one-egg, 813 

griddlecakes, whole wheat, 813 

muffins, berry, 812 

muffins, corn, 812 

muffins, Graham, 812 

muffins, griddled, 813 

muffins, ground-rice, 811 



INDEX 



1117 



Baking-powder muffins, twin-mountain, 
811 
muffins, lohole-icheat, SIG 
oat cakes, 815 
pancakes, French, 813 
popovers, 814 
rice or liominy griddlecakes or 

muffins, 816 
Sally Lunn, 810 
scones, Pitcaitlilcy, 814 
shortcake, 809 
slappers, 812 
sour-milk doughnuts, 817 
spider corn-cake, 810 
Sunday-morning loaf, 815 
waffles, 810 
Woodlawn 'brown, S15 
tartaric acid in, 820 
Baking soda for blackened walls, 425 
for removing wine stains, 338 
in marking ink, 529 
in scouring mixture, 331 
Balanced diet, 618 

food map of, 620 
Baldness, 590 

"Ball," degree in candy making, 719 
Balloon varnish, 502 
Balls, cheese, fried, 1077 
farina, 1043 

for blackening leather, 527 
Balsam, Canada, 505 
varnish, 507 

of Peru, for perfuming, 508, 570 
in almond creams, 508 
Bamboo furniture, cleaning, 430 
Banana and tapioca, 962 
cake, 1009 
cream, 980 

peel, for polisliing tan shoes, 521 
pie, 992 
sherbet, 974 
Bandoline, 602 
Banking fires, 70 
Bannocks, 813 
Barberries, pickled, 6S5 
Barberry water ice, 973 
Barber's itch, 600 
Barley broth, 851 

water for infants', 220 
Barns, painting, 488 

Barrel hoops, for clothes hangers, 450 
paint, 496 
rain water, 361 
Barrels, for packing, 441 
Basements, 102 
Basket, for clothespins, 376 

wire, for bathroom. 544 
Bath brick, uses of, 302, 311, 312, 315, 
320, 323 
tub, painting, 543 
Bathers, don'ts for, 544 
Bathing, 44, 541 

infants, 207 
Bathroom, 61, 543 
conveniences for, 543 
temperature of, 544 
tile for, 61 
Baths, various kinds of, 540, 541, 545, 

546 
Battenberg lace, laundering, 369 
Batter bread, 809 
Southern, 819 
Batter cakes, 810 
Bavarian salad, 950 
Bay leaf, 1058 

rum, compounding, 601 
in chemical soap, 331 
Bayberry soap, 552 
Bean-pot roast, 1050 
soup, cream, of, 1109 
dried, 1108 
old-fashionel, 859 



Beans, 711, 1092 

a la Bretonne, 933, 935 

roulette, 933, 935 
Beans, baked, 1095 
en casserole, 930 
dried, 1094 

in salad, 1094 

puree of, 1094 

saut^, 926 

with sauce, 1094 
green lima, 1093 

plain, 1093 

or string, 1092 

Uanchinq, 1092 

with pork, 1093 
lima, canning, 663 
saute, dried, 1094 
scarlet runner, 1093 
shelled kidney, 1093 
stetved shelled, 1093 
string, canning, 602 
ivith gravy, 932 
with meat, 1045 
Beard, care of, 597 
Beater, carpet, for blankets, 375 
Beauty doctors. 547 
Bed, care of, 57-9, 320, 321, 407, 408 
covers, 58 
eiderdown for, 59 
feather, airing, 321 
separate, individual, 54 
sick room. 154 
wool for, 59 
bugs. 453-5 
Bedclothes, removal of, 154 
Bedding, 58, 407, 409, 450 
disinfection, 146 
sick room. 154 
Bedrooms, cleaning and cooling, 57, 321 
curtains for, 45, 57 
decoration and furniture, 36, 57, 58 
ventilation, walls and woodwork, 54, 
56, 57 
Bedspreads, 59 

care of, 59, 375 
Bedsprings, 58, 407 

Bedsteads, old style and modern, 54, 58 
Beef, 880 

a la mode, 885, 1050 

birds or veal, 1048 

boiled, with horse-radish sauce, 1049 

bouilli, 885 

braised, 882, 1050 

cannelon of, 1054 

collops, hot, 887 

corned, and cabbage, 883 

corned, improving, 697 

cuts of, 627 

deviled, 892 

Filipino, 1054 

fillet of, 883 

flank a la Milanaise, 886 

frankforts, creamed, 890 

fricassee, 892 

frizzled dried, 889 

■with poached eggs, 841 
gall, in the laundry, 330, 365 
goulash, 886 
gumbo, 853 
hash, 893 

corned, with poaclied eggs, 1047 
heart saute, 888 
kidney a la Baden-Baden, 889 

Hungarian, 889 

'broiled, 889 
m.eat pie, London, 885 
Mewican, 1046 

Ifew England boiled dinner, 1022 
omelet, 884 
oxtails, savory, 889 

fricassie, SS9 
pickle for, 090 



1118 



INDEX 



Beef, •potted, 703 
presses, 704 
ragout, 886 

with tomato, 892 
rissoles 894 
roast, 882 

gravy, 882 

with YorlcsMre pudding, 1047 
sausage, 702 
soMr, 1052 
steak a la Bordelaise, 883 

a la Victor Hugo, 884 

and onions, 884 

iroiling, 882 

e*?. casserole, 882 

Hamiurg, 883 

f)ie, 884 

pudding, 885 

savory, 885 

soMr, 1052 

Spanish, 1052 
s*eMJ, 1021 

iPzfTi dumplings, 883 
stewed heart, 888 

sTww 0/, 1049 
sweetbreads and macaroni sauce, 887 
tallow for harness, 519 
tongue, boiled, 887 
tripe d to Creole, 887 

VEspagnole, 887 

ared onions, 888 

curried, 887 

Lyonnaise, 887 

steioed, and tomato sauce, 888 

witft oysters, 888 
Beer, for cleaning furniture, 516 
for sponging woolen goods, 345 
ginger, 791 

in paste for blacking, 525 
stale, to color wash-leather gloves, 347 
Beeswax, coloring, 746 
cutting with alcohol, 515 
for cement, 480 
for chapoed hands, 556 
for floors, 397. 415 
for harness, 519, 526 
for packing woolen goods, 451 
for polishing furniture, 515 
for printer's ink, 533 
for Removing scratches from furni- 
ture, 429 
for rubbing bed ticking, 408 
for shoe strings, 521 
for soft sealing wax, 509 
for storing silks, 451 
for waterproofing harness, 526 
for waterproofing leather, 522, 524 
imitation of, 746 
in amber varnish, 501 
in plaster of Paris cement, 483 
in starch, 384 
ink, for metal labels, 532 
paste for furniture, 516 
preparation of, 745 
refining, 746 
whitening, 746 
Beet and cabbage salad, 954 
greens, 925, 1089 
salad in cups, 952 
Beetle, carpet, 451 
Beets, 1099 
canning, 663 
pickled, 685 
preserving, 709 
tvith butter, 931, 1100 
Beignets of buns, 823 
Belts, leather, cement for, 485 
Bengal Chutney, 681 
Benzine, as a vermin wash, 451 
for cleaning gloves, 346, 348 
for cleaning silver, 319 



Benzine, for cleaning velvet, 341 

for destroying carpet beetles, 452 

for destroying fleas, 455 

for destroying moths, 447 

for removal of spots and stains from 
floors, 339, 397 

for rubber cement, 481 

in stove polish, 303 

uses and nature of, 329 
Benzoic acid, food adulterant, 639 

for lavender water, 582 
Benzoin, for the complexion, 564, 505 

for freckles, 564 

for perfuming sealing wax, 510 

in bookbinders' varnish, 507 

in leather, waterproofing, 524 

tincture of, for perfumes. 577 

tincture of, for toilet water, 582 
Benzol, soluble in asphalt. 501 
Bergamot, for toilet water, 582 

in Almond creams, 568 

oil of, for Florida water, 583 
for perfumes, 577 
for sachets, 578 
Berry stains, treatment of, 333 
Beverages, 789 

beer, ginger, 791 

black-currant cup, 792 

Ching-Ghing, 792 

chocolate, afternoon, 790 

chocolate-cream nectar, 792 

chocolate sirup, 794 
' cider, mulled, 791 

cocoa, 790 

cocoa nibs or shells, 791 

coffee, boiled, 789 

coffee, French, 789 

coffee, iced with orange flavor, 792 

cream soda, 792 

eggnogg, cider, 794 

fruit beverage, 793 

fruit cup, 792 

ginger pop, 791 

lemonade, 795 

lemonade, egg, 792 

lemonade, picnic, 793 

lemonade, pineapple, 793 

mint ale, 794 

mint cup, old Colonial, 795 

mint fizzle, 793 

portable, 792 

punch, delicious fruit, 1025 

punch, fruit, 790 

punch, ginger, 795 

punch, lime, 790 

punch, piazza, 790 

punch, pineapple, 790 

punch, raspberry and currant, 791 

punch, red-currant, 794 

punch, tea, 791 

punch, tutti-frutti, 794 

raspberry shrub, 793 

raspberry vinegar, 791 

sparkling, 794 

tea, 790 

tea, Russian, 793 

wine, elder-blossom, 793 
Bichloride of mercury, 139 
antidote for, 140 
cautions for, 139 
Bills of fare, cheese, 1064 
Bins, for cellars, 404 
Biscuits, 816 

baking-powder, 809 

cheese, 1080 
salad, 1081 

drop, 809 

egg, 810, 814 

Oraham, 810 

Maryland, 814 

nut, 811 



INDEX 



1119 



Biscuits, round steak, 1056 

spoon, 817 

Vienna, 811 
Bismuth, blackens the skin, 561 
Bisque ice cream, 978 

lohster, 857 

oyster, 857 
Birds, cat bird, 272 

blue bird, 273 

blue jay, 272 

cedar bird, 272 

common, 270 

crow blackbird, 272 

crows, 272 

English sparrows, 273 

English sparrows, destruction of, 273 
, king bird, 271 

martins, protection of, 273 

robins, 272 

sapsuckers'. 271 

sparrows, destruction of, 273 

swallows, 272 

woodpeckers, 271 

wren, 273 
Birth of infants, 203 
Bites, cure for mosquito, 467 

preventing mosquito, 466 
Bituminous (or soft) coal, as fuel, 69 
Black angel cake, 1008 

hean soup, 858 

currant cup, 792 

death (See bubonic plague), 173 
Blackberries, canning, 655 

fruit juice, 660 
Blackberry bushes, pruning, 268 

ice cream, 980 

jam cake, 999 

sheriet, 975 
Blackboards, paint for, 495, 496 
Blackened walls, renovating, 425 
Blackheads, nature of, 540 
Blacking, leather, 524, 525 
Blacking, stove, 302 
Blanched Brussels sprouts, 1087 
Blanching vegetables, 1084 
Blancmange, chocolate, 965 

grape, 963 
Blankets, cotton, 407 

wool, 59 

care of, 360, 375, 380, 383, 387, 409 
Bleaching, 350 

agent, chlorine, 328 

animal and vegetable fibers, 350 

Dutch process, 351 

linen, 351 

linen, lactic acid for, 326 

powder, 328, 329, 335, 350 
with sal soda, 352 
Blindness, infantile, 179 

infantile, prevention of, 204 
Blood, absorbents for, 328 

stains, cornstarch for, 328 

stains on linen, 338 
Bloomers, for housecleaning, 402 
Blotters, in the kitchen, 64 
Blotting paper, absorbent, 328 
for drying laces, 387 
for removing grease spots, 412 
Blouses, flannel, washing, 373 
"Blow," degree, in candy making, 719 
Blower, for grate, 76 
Blueberries, canning, 655 
Blue bird, 273 
Bluefish, baked, 865 
Blueftsh, with tomato sauce, 865 

salad, 871 
Blue ink, making, 531 
Blue jay, 272 
Bluing clothes, 379 

for cleaning lace, 370 

for cleaning mirrors, 427 



Bluing, for sheepskin rugs, 414 

for washing silk stockings, 372 

for white wash, 420 

for wool, 373 

recipes for, 379 

water for bleaching muslin, 354 
for bleaching sheeting, 352 
for bleaching silk, 341 
for bleaching white goods, 354 
for bleaching wool, 352 
Bobbinet, for curtains, 45 
Bobble gash, 907 
Body lice, 199 

Boiled beef with horse-radish sauce, 
1049 

cider, preserving fruit in, 658 

corn on the cob, 1104 

fondue, 1070 

kohl-rabi, 1100 

lettuce, 1089 

onions in white sauce, 1101 

potatoes, 1096 

turnips, 109S 
Boiler, 357 

Boilers, 66, 312, 357, 359, 360, 405, 485 
Boiling cabbage, 1085 
Bole, uses of, 475, 498, 607 
Bologna sausage, 701 
Bolster cases, 60 
Bon bons, 723-7 
Boneblack, nature of, 524 

in stove polish, 302 
Bone utilizing, 1041 
Bones, glue from, 473 

uses for, 1042 
Books, home made, 65 

for recipes, covering, 65 
Bookbinder's varnish, 507 
Bookbindings, flexible glue for, 477 
Bookcases, 49 
Books, classifying, 772 

packing, 442 

paste for, 442 
Boots and shoes, care of, 519-22 
Boracic acid, for the complexion, 564 

for preserving mucilage, 477 
Borax, food adulterant, 639 

for candle wicks, 107 

for cleaning carpets, 270 
discolored silver, 143 
nickel, 299 
matting, 272 
satin, 172 
sponges, 448 

for cold cream, 470 

for destroying ants, 320 
moths, 308 

for dishwashing, 133 

for electrotypes, 389 

for flreproofing fabrics, 92 

for flxing colors, 210 
scarlet, 211 

for freckles, 462 

for gold bronze, 402 

for hard soap, 192 

for improving ware for copper cast- 
ings, 3S9 

for pimples, 440 

for prevention of fires, 92 

for protection from moths, 307 

for purifying feathers. 267 

for putting out fires, 91 

for removing gloss, 176 

for removing mildew from linen, 167 

for washing bedspreads, 218 
comforters, 218 
silk, 215 

for rouge, 473 

for softening water, 115, 204 

for sunburn, 465 

for tan shoes, 421 



1120 



INDEX 



Borax, for tanning fur skins, 416 

for the complexion, 464 

for the face, 447 

for the hands, 454 

for the teeth, 507 

for washing bedstead, 266 
blankets, 218 
laces, 211 

for welding iron, 386 

for whitening burned copper, 390 

in blacking, 424 

in chemical soap, 102 

in cleansing mixtures. 161 

in dryer for paint, 3<j0 

in marking ink, 428 

in metal cernent, 343 

in shellac varnish, 369 

In washing fluid, 205, 200, 207 

soap, 449 

water for gas range burner, 131 
sponging black lace, 213 

with plaster of Paris, 435 

with starch, 224 

with yellow soap, 199 
Borders for ceilings, 38, 46 

carpets, 38, 43 
Borecole, 1087 
Boston cookies, 995 

corn bread, 819 

pork and beans, 907 

roast, 1073 

sandwiches, 827 
Botanical mucilage, 470 
Bottle feeding of infants, 220 
Bottles, cleaning, 314 

glass, ink for marking, 529 

hot water, 480, 481, 746 
"Boulct," degree, in candy making, 719 
Bouillabaise, 855 

Bouillon, tomato, tritJi oysters, 853 
Bouquet, kitchen, 1058 
Box, as clothes hamper, 355 
Boxes, capacity of, 756, 757 

cereal, 66 

lath, for fruit, 713 
Braid straw, bleaching, 353 
Braised beef, 882, 1050 
Brandy, for Armenian cement, 478 

for cleaning silk, 340 

in ieather varnish, 506 
Brass beds, 57, 58 
polishing, 441 
to prevent tarnishing, 434 
Brazil wood, for red ink, 530 

for rouge, 574 
Bread, 796 

batter. Southern, 819 

broivn, breivis, 821 

caraway, 800 

cloths, from old table cloths, 390 

corn, 816 
Boston, 819 
favorite, 819 
Oold Medal, 819 
White House, 819 

cornmeal, 801 

croquettes, 823 

crumb, bucktrheat cakes, 822 

crumbs, for cleaning bric-a-brac, . 432 
for cleaning lace, 342 
for cleaning wall paper, 434 

dressing, 916 

egg. Southern, 819 

entire-wheat, 800 

Federal, 803 

fruit, 802 

Graham, 801 

griddlecakes, 823 
Kreusnach horns, 807 

made from, sour milk, 815 

made with dry yeast, 802 



Bread, Mrs. Vessey's brown, 1029 

nut, 802 

oatmeal, 801 

omelet, 844 

plum pudding, 956 

pudding ivith raspberry sauce, 958 

rice, 803, 836 

roulettes, 823 

rye, 801 

and Indian, 802 

salt rising, 803 

sauce, 823 

squash, 801 

steamed, 821 
corn, 1029 

Stockholm, 803 

sioeet potato, 803 

ivater, 800 
Breakfast cereals irith cheese, 1075 

foods in the diet, 635 

gems, 1026 
Breast feeding of infants, 211 
Breasts, care of, 202 
Breath, 611 
Breathing, carbon dioxygen, 92 

oxygen necessary in, 54 
Breivis, brown bread, 821 

white bread, 822 
Bric-a-brac, 34, 432, 433, 505 
Brick, measuring, 755 

painting, cost of, 433 
specifications for, 491 
Bricks, cleaning, 433, 436 

wash for, 421 
Brickdust, for fireproof paint, 495 
Brickdust, scouring with, 315 
Brie cheese, 1063 
Brilliantine, 602 

Brimstone, for bleaching silk, 341 
woolen goods, 352 

for exterminating ants, 460 

for safety matches, 367 
Brine, 436, 682 
Brioche, 807 

Brittannia ware, 319, 517 
Broccoli, 1087 
Broiled eggplant, 1103 
Bronze, 435, 498, 531, 777 
Bronzes, cleaning, 432 
Brooms, selection and care of, 379, 

391-3 
Broth, barley, 851 

mutton, 847, 852 

Scotch, 1049 

sheep's-head, 852 

sportsman's, 859 
Broicn Betty with, Qheese, 1082 

bread breivis, 821 

cream toast ivith cheese, 822 

ice cream, 979 

pudding, 959 

saute, 822 
Broivned fat, flavor of, 1056 

flour, flavor of, 1060 

meat, flavor of, 1056 

sweet potatoes, 1098 
Brushes, camel's-hair for spots and 
stRins SS'i 

care of, 325, 343. 494, 520, 585 

for house cleaning, 407 

for cleaning and washing, 586 

for polishing, 516 

for polishing glassware, 314 

hair, 586 

nail, 365 

scrubbing, 308 
Brussels carpet, 39, 43 

sprouts, 1087 

blanched, 928, 1087 
saute, 929, 1087 
Bubonic plague, 173 



INDEX 



1121 



Buckwheat calces, 805 
bread crumb, 822 
Budding plants, 263 

trees, 262 
Buds, trees, 260 

propagation of, 260 
Building paper for cellars, 403 
Buildings, cement for outside of, 482 

location of, 100 
Bulbs and roots, 1098 

in the diet, 637 
Bulkheads, tar varnish for, 506 
Buns, English Bath, 806 

hot cross, 804 

raspberry, 1030 
Burdock, for rat holes, 457 
Bureau drawers, 388, 512 
Burglar proof lock, 427 
Burlap, 38, 44, 51, 53, 441 
Burners, buying extra, 322 

gas, 84, 85, 88, 90, 91 
care of, 305, 323 

sizes of, 85 
Burns, linseed oil for, 555 
Burnt-almond cream, 979 
Burnt clay roads, 295 
Butter, adulteration of, 643, 644 

for skin diseases, 541, 556, 574 

storeroom for, 67 

with beets, 1100 

with vegetables, 1110 
Buttercups, 728 
Butfermilk, acid principle of, 326 

cheese, 1067 

cream, 1067 

horseradish salad dressing, 1079 

for bleaching, 351, 354 

for cleaning, 313, 314. 326, 338 

for the skin, 563, 564 

salad dressing, 1079 
Butterscotch, 717, 729 



Cabbage, 309, 682, 710, 1085 

and beet salad, 954 

and potato puree, 928 

boiled, 928, 1085 

cooked with pork, 928 

creamed, 928, 1086 

Grand Union, 951 

jelli), 938 

salad, 1113 

scalloped, with cheese, 1078 

turnip, 1100 

with pork, 1085 

with potatoes, puree of, 1086 

with sausage, 1086 
Cabinet, bath, 546 

china, 61 

kitchen, 67 

music, 51 

pudding, 961 

work, copal varnish for, 504 
painting, 494 
Cake, 1001, 1002 

almond tart, 1029 

angel, 1006 

apple, 805 
sauce, 1009 

banana, 1009 

black angel, 1808 

chocolate, 1005 

cider, 1010 

citron, 1010 

cocoanut, 1007 

cocoanut and citron, 1010 

cocoa sponge, 1005 

coffee, 1006 

devil's food, 1005 

favorite, 1026 

feather, 1003 



Cake, five-egg orange, 1024 

fudge, 1003 
frosting, 1003 

geranium, 1009 

gingerbread with chocolate glace, 1008 
tohipped cream, 1008 

gold, 1011 

ground-rice, 1011 

hickory, 1011 

Hoe, Aunt Anne's, 819 
Southern, 818 

homemade ivedding, 1012 

huckleberry, 1010 

jelly rolls, 1011 

Johnny, genuine, 818 
Southern, 818 

Lady Baltimore, 1007 

layer, 1004 

lemon sponge, 1005 

marble, 1004 

marshmallow, 1006 

Mrs. Fernald's chocolate, 1028 

Neapolitan, 1010 

Neiv England raspberry, 1007 

nursery, 1004 

old-fashioned pound, 1026 

orange, 1007 

pinafore, 1027 

plain wedding, 1004 

poWf, 1008 

pound, 1006 

queen, 1009 

QMicfc, 1008 

raised, old-fashioned, 1012 

ribbon, 1004 

snoiv, 1012 

Spatiish, 1006 

spice, 1004 

sunshine, 1007 

surprise, 1004 

walnut mocha, 1010 

ic/M'ic frwi*, 1009 

n7i(7<:; ^on/, 1029 
Oafte Fillings and Icings 

caramel filling, 1014 

caramel frosting, 1016 

chocolate-cream ftlling, 1014 

chocolate-cream frosting, 1015 

coffee frosting, 1016 

decorating icing, 1016 

c.w icings, 1015 

fondant icing, 1016 

mnple-cream filling, 1014 
sugar frosting, 1016 

orange filling, 1014 
frosting, 1016 

peach filling, 1015 

plain icings, 1015 

red-raspberry filling, 1015 

tutti-frutti filling, 1015 

whipped-cream filling, 1014 

TF/!t*e-ilfoMMtffiw icings, 1015 
Cakes, Aunt Dinah's, 999 

blackberry jam, 999 

buckwheat, 805 

cheese, 1082 

cocoa, 998 

devil's, 998 

dried-apple, 998 

drop. 1026 

English whigs, 1013 

entire, 805 

flannel, 809 

holiday, 1000 

7n's7(. iorn. fta/fe, 1013 

Lancashire tea, 806 

Zor?/ co7re vnthoui eggs, 1013 

I/0W.7 Meadow loaf, 1013 

made from sour milk, 998 

maple-sugar gingerbread, 1000 

marble layer, 1000 



1122 



INDEX 



Cakes, meat, 1045 

Mrs. Cosyrove's potato, \050 

Mrs. Jake's Hoe Cakes, 818 

no-egg wheat, 812 

old-fashioned ra/ised, 1012 

raised hatter, 805 

raised by yeast, 1012 

sour-cream, Mrs. Moherly's, 998 

spice, 998 

training-day ginger, 999 

Yorkshire, 1013 
1 Calcimiue, 487 

preparation of, 421 
Calcimined walls, cleaning, 425 
Calcimining, cost of, 751 

shellac for, 503 
Calcium carbide, for acetylene gas, 87, 

88 
Calculations, diet, 618 
Calendar, the, 77(i 
Calf's liver and bacon, 903 

terrapin unth mushrooms, 905 

tongue with tomato sauce, 902 
Calico, uses for, 321, 367, 384 
Calicoes, care of, 366, 367, 381, 382 
Calory, value of, 621 
Cambrics, care of, 365, 366 
Camembert cheese, 1063 
Camp catsup, 689 

salad, 949 

vinegar, 674 
Camphor for cleaning furniture, 428 
silver, 319 

for chapped hands, 556 ' 

for cutting glass, 535 

for destroying cockroaches, 453 

for exterminating ants, 460 

for freckles, 564 

for preventing and destroying moths, 
446-9 

for repelling mosquitoes, 467 

for sunburn, 566 

for the complexion, 565 

for the hands, 564 

for vrrinkles, 541 

in anime varnish, 502 

in aromatic vinegar, 572 

in blacking, 525 

in chemical soap, 331 

in copal varnish, 504 

iri" lubricators, 511 

in rust protection, 439 

in sealing wax, 508 

in soap, 551 

in varnish, 506 

in washing fluid, 364 

in waterproofing, 523 
Camphorated spirits, for mosquito bites, 

467 
Can for kerosene oil, 322 
Can openers, rack for, 63 
Canada balsam, 505 
Candied fruits, 717, 732 

sioeet potatoes, 1098 
Candies and kinds of, 715, 716, 724 
Candle, air current direction shown by, 
56 

shades, asbestos, protection of, 304 
Candles, cost per hour, 82, 83 

effect on health, 82, 83 

repellents for moths, 447 

for polishing waxed floors, 39T 
Candlesticks, cleaning, 319 
Candy, 1025 

colorings for, 740 

drops, 731-2 

flavorings for, 742 

kinds of utensils and making, 715-7 

Maple sirup, 730 

pulling, 728 

rock, 781 



Candy, rock, for freckles, 563 

sugar, for chapped lips, 575 

twist, 730 
Cane chairs, 430 
Cangrejueloe, 879 
Canned fruit, adulteration of, 640 

goods, marketing, 646 
packing, 647 
pricing, 648 
storing, 648 

vegetables, adulteration of, 638 
Cannelon of beef, 1054 
Canning, alcohol stove for, 650 

asparagus, 663 

beets, 663 

blackberries, 655 

blueberries, 655 

carrots, 663 

cauliflower, 663 

cherries, 655 

corn, 661 

crab-apples, 656 

currants, 655 

eggplant, 663 

English peas, 663 

fruit, 646, 653 
large, 655 
small, 654 

grapes, 655 

green gooseberries, 655 

gumbo, 663 

kohl-rabi, 663 - 

lima beans, 663 W 

materials for, 650 

methods of, 652 

okra, 663 

parsnips, 663 

peaches. 656 

plums, 656 

preserves, utensils for, 648 

process of, 651 

pumpkin, 663 

quinces, 656' 

raspberries, 655 

rhubarb, 655 

ripe pears, 656 

stewed tomatoes, 663 

string beans, 662 

succotash, 663 

summer squash, 663 

syrup for, 653 

tomatoes, whole, 664 

turnips, 663 

vegetable roast, 663 

vegetables. 646, 661 

winter squash, 663 
Canvas, flre- and waterprooflng, 86 

for stove holders", 304 

paint for. 498 

shoes, white, cleaning, 521 

stains, removing from. 329 
Cans, garbage, of galvanized iron, 320 

milk, 309 

tin. 67 
Caoutchouc. 474 

Capacity, measures of, 753, 759, 779 
Caramel cream, 979 

filling, 1014 

frosting, 1016 

pudding, 959 
"Caramel" degree. In stagar making, 720 
Caramels, 717, 736 
Carat weight. 761 
Caraway, sachet, for, 578 
Carbohydrates. 617 

in foods. 622 
Carbolic acid, antidote. 140 

for destroying ant nests, 460, 461 
cockroaches, 453 

for disinfecting, 319 

•for flies, 453 



INDEX 



1123 



Carbolic Acid, for preserving mucilage, 
477 
for preserving pastes, 475 
for preventing and curing mosquito 

bites, 467 
for preventing iodine stains, 334 

mold in ink, 533 
for repelling moths, 447 
for the hands, 555 
soap, 552 

standard solution of, 140 
Carbon dioxide (see carbonic-acid gas) 
indelible ink, 334 
in kerosene, 92 
in lamps, 92 

paper, for stamping linen, 389 
sulphide of, in amber cement, 480 
Carbonate of ammonia, in smelling 
salts, 327 
of copper, poison, 313 
of lead, sulphuretted hydrogen, test 

for, 55 
of soda for bleaching wool, 352 
for prepared chalk, 537 
Carbonic acid gas, breathing, 92 
for extinguishing fires, 77 
from oil stoves, 73 
from soda. 77 
from sulphuric acid, 77 
in the atmosphere, 55 
limewater test for, 55 
Carmine lake, for red ink, 531 
for red paint, 497 
for rouge, 573 
Carnation color, for mixing paint, 498 
Carpet beater, for blankets, 375 
beating, 410, 411 
beetle, to avoid, 451 
lining, for table pad, 61 

under oilcloth, 40 
pattern, matching, 44 
rags, 42, 43 

mending and cleaning, 43, 410, 412 
sweeper, and care of, 391, 393 
toy, 393 

for preventing dust, 395 
Carpeting rooms, cost of, 751 
Carpets (see also floor coverings), 39 
choosing, 43 
cleaning, 411 
cutting, 41 
disinfecting, 146 
dusting, 392 
freshening, 396 
laying, 410 

old, for door mats, 68 
patching, 414 
rag, cleaning, 412 
replacing by rugs, 34 
small patterns, 43 
sweeping, 410 
taking up, 409 
Carriage bodies, varnish for, 526 
Carriages, painting, 494 
"Carriers" of diseases, 135 
Carrots, 1099 
canning, 663 

unth white sauce, 931, 1099 
Cart, child's, for clothes, 376 
Cartridge paper, 36, 37, 423 
Carved wood, polishing, 516 
Carving, imitation of, 34 
Casein cement, 480 

in lime paint, 495 
Cases, intestine, for sausages, 700 

pillow, filling, 60 
Cashmere shawls, washing, 374 
Casks, care of, 403 

measurement of, 759 
Casserole, beefsteak, 882 
chicken, . 914 



Casserole, cookery, 1051 
or Italian hash, 1051 
roast, 1051 
Cassia, for preserving linen, 389 
Cassia, for sachets, 578 
Castile soap for blacking. 525 

for cleaning and washing lace, 370 
for cleaning and washing silks, 340, 

372 
for cleaning kid gloves, 347, 348 
for damp walls, 425 
for polishing furniture, 515 
for the hands, 554 
for the teeth, 608 
in almond paste preparations, 567, 570 
in chemical soap, 331 
in cleansing mixture, 330 
In paste for furniture, 516 
in sunburn lotions, 566 
Castings, cement for mending, 484 
Castiron, varnish for, 503 
Castor beans, mosquito repellent, 467 
Castor oil, for harness, boots and shoes, 
519, 522 
in collodion cement, 485 
Catarrh, caused by poor ventilation, 55 
Cat bird, 272 
Cats, fleas on, 456 

rabies, 175 
Catsup cream dressing, 948 
currant, 687 
tomato, 686 
Cattle, rabies, 175 
weight of, 762 
Cauliflower, 1086 

and potato salad, 954 
au fromage, 939 
boiled, 928 
hrowned, 930 
canning. 663 
creamed, 1086 
packing, 711 
pickling, 683 
salad, 952 
savory, 939 

scalloped ivith cheese, 1078 
Caustic lye, for enameled ware, 311 
washing fluid. 362 
potash for bleaching linen, 351 

for hardening plaster of Paris, 537 
for refrigerators, 98 
for removal of woody taste, 310 
for soft soap, 550 
for washing drip trays, 305 
soda for bleaching linen, 351 
in almond soap, 550 
in axle grease, 512 
in white sealing wax, 509 
Cautions as to purchasing fish, 631 
for mixing and handling concrete, 281 
in care of irons, 384 
in polishing silver, 317 
in use of acids, 325 
in washing, 361 

woolen goods, 373 
when buying lamps, 92 
Cayenne pepper, for mouse holes. 457 

vinegar, 673 
Cedar bird, 272 

chests, repellent for moths, 447 
for sachets, 578 
wood, repellent for moths, 448 
Ceilings, preventing discoloi'ation, 86 

treatment of, 37-8 
Oeleriac, 1100 
pur^e of, 1100 
soup, cream of, 1107 
Celerit, 1100 

and cheese, 1079 

and chicken sandwiches, 826 

and macaroni, 838 



1124 



INDEX 



Celery, apple and nut salad, 949 
cream, 853 
keeping, 708 
stewed, 931, 1101 
Cellars, 102 
bins for, 404 
care of, 403-5 
draining, 102 
Cellar walls, to lay up, 102 
Cellulose, fibers, vegetables contain, 382, 

350 
Cement, acid-proof, 485 
Armenian diamond, 478 
casein, 48 
collodion, 494 
concrete, 281 
for bathroom floor, 61 
for glass, 484 
for kitchen walls, 62 
for rat-proof construction, 459 
for waterproofing cellars, 403 
flour, 475 
gum-arabic, 476 
ironware, 483 
Japanese, 475 
leather, 485 
litharge, 483 
plaster of Paris, 483 
rosin, 479, 480 
rubber, 481 

rubber cement, for mending, 522 
use of asphalt in, 501 
use of rosin in, 500 ^ 

white-of-egg, 480 
wood, 484 
Centerpieces, embroidered, 390 
Center table, 50 
Centipede, the house, 452 
Cereal boxes, uses of, 66 
cracked-wheat, 834 
cream-of-ioheat, 8*34 
entrades, 833 
hominp fine, 834 
in cream sauce, 838 
mush, 830 
Indian-meal, 834 
leftovers, 835 
m,acaroni d la Napolitaine, 832 

and celery, 838 

nnd cMcken, 838 

iaked, 833 

creamed on toast, 838 

Manana land, 831 

oatmeal, 833 

ravioli, 832 

savory, 838 

Siciliana, 831 

icith tomatoes, 832 
oatmeal porridge, 830 
oats. Quaker, 833 

rolled, 830 
rice a la Creole, 830 

boiled, 830 

Milanaise fashion, 831 

steamed, 830 

timhales, 830 

with cheese, 835 
spaghetti Vltalienne, 831 

pignaute, 833 

with cheese, 832 

with chicken, 832 
Turkish pilaf, 830 
icitU fruit, 829 
Cereals and flour pastes, 829 
breakfast, ivith cheese, 1075 
food man of, 619 
in the diet, 634 
Cerebrospinal meningitis (See also men- 
ingitis), 190 
Cesspools, 121 
bacteria in, 394 



Cesspools, for drainage from sinks, 63 
kerosene for mosquitoes in, 466 
waste pipes from, 320 
Chaflng dish, packing, 450 
Chain, gold cleaning, 534 
Chair-rail, dado with, 38 
Chairs, cane, cleaning and renovation, 
430 
cane, wicker, willow, 50 
Chalk, as an absorbent, 328 
for bleaching ivory, 316 
for mildew, 328 

for removing mildew froni linen, 337 
for softening hard water, 361 
French, for dry-cleaning woolen 
cloth, 346 
for oil stains, 342 
for polishing kid gloves, 348 
for removing grease from silk, 339 
in stone varnish, 506 
prepared, for cleaning silver, 319 
for the teeth, 607 
in burnishing powder, 435 
in calcimine, 487 
in scouring mixture, 331 
in white paint, 496 
making, 537 
powdered, for removing mildew, 333 
Chamber work, 320 
Chambers, cleaning, 407 
Chamois, for cleaning mirrors, 427 
paint, 418 
windows, 425 
for polishing alabaster, 537 
brass fittings, 302 
furniture, 515 
glassware, 315 
ivory, 533 
sealing wax, 509 
silver, 317 
tinware, 312 
for protecting silver, 316 
for wiping furniture, 428 
gilt frames, 431 
Chandeliers, cleaning, 433 
Chapped hands, remedies for, 555-6 
Chapped lips, preparations for, 574 
Charcoal, animal (ivory black), 524 
for cleaning earthenware. 312 
for cleaning gutta percha, 437 
for purifying ice boxes, 97, 98 
for removing odors, 305, 309, 451 
for sweetening musty bottles, 315 
in black paint, 498 
in green paint, 497 
In tooth powder, 607 
Charlotte, chocolate, 965 

russe, 966 
Charring timbers, 290 
Cheddar cheese, 1061 
Cheese, adulteration of, 643 
American full cream, 1061 
and anchovy sandwiches, 827, 1080 
and baked rice, 1072 
and celery, 1079 
and corn souffle, 1071 
and crackers, baked, 1073 
and eggs, creamed, 1074 
and macaroni, 1071 
Italian, 1072 
loaf, 1072 

roith tomato sauce, 1072 
and milk soup, 1077 
and nut roast, 1074 
and olive sandwiches, 827 
and pimiento salad, 1079 
and tomato, green corn, 1071 

salad, 1079 
and vegetable rolls, 1074 

soup, 1077 
and walnut sandwiches, 827 



INDEX 



1125 



Cheese, bait for rat traps, 458 
balls, fried, 1077 
hills of fare, 1064 
biscuit, 1080 
Brie, 1063 
buttermilk, 1067 
cakes, 1082 
Camenibert, 1063 
care of, 1063 
Cheddar, 1061 
cloth for bedroom curtains, 46 

for blankets, 268 

for dishcloths. 136 

for dusting, 254 

for mending, 268 

for preventing draughts, 60 

<'or quilts. 65 
cottage, 1063, 1066 
croquettes, 1077 
custard, 1082 
Devonshire cream, 1067 
dishes, preparation of, 1067 
drops, 1081 
Edam, 1063 
Emmentaler, 1063 
English dairy, 1061 
fondue, 1069, 1070 
jfor stuffing meats, 1074 
French cottage, 1067 
gingerbread, 1081 
Gorgonsola, 1062 
Gruy^re, 1063 
homemade, 1066 
m «7ie die*, 633, 1061, 1063 
yen;/ sa?fl(f, 1079 
junket, 1067 
"/rntcfs o/, 1061 
menus, 1065 
Neufchdtel, 1062 
omelet, 845. 1075 
pastry, 1080 
Pa/rmesan, 1062 
potted, 1062 
reiis/i, 1081 

roost a«d pimiento, 1073 
roiis, 1073 
Roman gnocchi. 1076 
Roquefort, 1062 
saJad ond preserves, 1079 

biscuit, 1081 

olire ond pimiento, 1079 

plain, 1079 
sofads, 1078 

sandiiiches, 827, 1062, 1078, 1080 
sandwiches, toasted, 1080 
sap sago, 1062 
sauce icith potatoes, 1078 
sauces, 1068 
so/* cream, 1062 
soM/^i'e, 1076 

souffle tcith pastry, 1077 
soups, 1077 
soMr cream, 1066 
straws, 988, 1081 
substitute for meat, 1068 
sweets, 1080 
iSfwiss, 1063 
uncooked curd, 1067 
wafers, 1081 
iyt*fe baked eggs, 1074 
icitft. breakfast cereals, 1075 
icitTi Brown Betty, 1082 
imtfo deviled eggs, 1079 
wt*ft /ned bread, 1076 
t(/-i*/i mush, 1076 
U'it/i oatmeal, 1076 
MJtt7i potato puffs, 1078 
wifft scalloped cabbage, 1078 

cauliflower, 1078 

potatoes, 1078 
witft scrambled eggs, 1075 



Chccsp, 7r)*7i vegetables. 1077 
Chenille Axminstcr carpet, 39 
Cherries, canning, 655 

fruit .iuice, 661 

pickled. 685 

preserving. 657 
Cherry pie, 989 

sherbet, 974 

trees, pruning, 268 
Chesterfield cream, 981 
Chicken and celery sandirirhcs. 826 

and English walnut salad, 951 

owd /iaw mold, 917 

and macaroni, 938, 918 

end pepper salad, 953 

baked toith milk, 914 

braised, 913 

broiled, 914 

chowder, 858 

creamed and sweetbreads, 915 

croquettes, 918 

en casserole, 914 

friar's, 852 

/ried, 915 

gallosch, 918 

grilled, 914 

molded with mayonnaise, 951 

omelet, 917 

panned, 914 

?)ie, 915 

Mrs. Dawson's, 1027 

roasted, 916 

salad dressing, 948 

souffld, 918 

soMp, 851 

■ii'/f/t almond sauce, 915 

M'^*7^ dumplings. 914 

w?*7i. peanuts'. 915 

'!(-it7i, spaghetti, 832 
Chickenpox, 165, 169 

symptoms of, 187 
Chiffon, for preserving the complexion, 

548 
Chiffonade salad, 954 
Children, diet of, 230 

diseases of, 177 

separate bed for, 54 

surroundings of, 33 

teeth of, 604 
Chile con came, 927 
CTi'Zt sauce, 1058 

vinegar, 673 
Chimney, as ventilator, 75, 404 

cleaning out soot, 76 

lamp, care of, 323 
cleaning, 322 
preventing breakage, 323 
selecting, 91 

0/ a house, object and care of, 75-6 

preventing dampness, 75 

preventing smoke and soot, 75 

putting out fires, 76 

water cement for, 75 
China, cabinet, for dishwashing, 307 

cement for, 483 

cleaning, 319 

closet, 61 

gum-arabic ceniont for, 476 

isinglass for, 478 

mending, 486 

packing, 441 

repairing, 312 

sealing wax for, 479 

shellac cement for, 479 

washing. 307 

silk, washing. 372 
Chinese lanterns, weighting, 93 
Chinn Ghing, 792 
Chintz, bran for, 368 

washing, 366 



1126 



INDEX 



Chloride of lime, directions for use, 138 

disiufectant, 137 

dry, 138 

for bleaching linen, 351 

for bleaching straw, 353 

for cleaning silver, 317 

for cleaning sinks, 63, 319 

for purifying putrid fish oil, 511 

for purifying putrid kerosene oil, 
90 

for removing ink from silver, 318 

for removing mildew, 333 

for removing odors, 309 

for removing stains from enameled 
ware, 311 

for removing stains from the hands, 
554 

for removing stains from walls, 425 

for removing stains from white 
goods, 534 

for removing tea and coffee stains, 
333 

for removing wine stains, 338 
Chloride of potash, for safety matches, 
538 

Javelle water, 329 
Chloride of soda, for wine stains, 342 
Chlorinated lime, disinfectant, 137 

soda for vaseline stains, 333 
Chlorine, bleaching agent, 328, 350, 351 
for mildew, 326 
water, for acid stains on linen, 336 

for bleaching wool, 352 

for removing scorch, 388 

for tannin stains, 336 
with soap, 552 
Chloroform for acid stains, 327 
for cleaning rugs, 411 
for cleaning velvet, 339 
for destroying moths, 447 
for grease on silk, 339 
for old stains, 338 
for removing paint, 419 
for restoring colors, 328, 341 
for reviving faded plush, 341 
for rubber cement, 481 
in chemical soap, 331 
in glove cleaners, 347 
solilfble in camphor, 328 

in paint, 333 
uses of, 328 
Chlorophyll, grass stains, 332 
Chlorophyllan, grass stains, 332 

tartaric acid for, 326 
Chocolate, afternoon, 790 
blancmange, 965 
cake, 1005 

Mrs. Fernald's, 1028 
caramels, 736 
charlotte, 965 
cookies, 995, 1026 
color paint, mixing, 498 
cream, 980 
cream bonbons, 726 

candy, 724 

filling, 1014 

nectar, 792 

pie, 993 
Chocolate creams, 724 
custard, frosen, 983 
dominoes, 994 
fingers, 997 
fondant, 723 
frosting, 1015 

frozen, with whipped cream, 984 
hearts, 995 
icing, 743 
kisses, 737 
layer cake, 1005 
marshmallow cake, 1006 



Chocolate, mousse, 985 

pie, 993 

pudding, 965 

sauce, 968 

to serve with vanilla ice cream, 985 

sirup, 794 

snoto cake, 1012 

souffle, 958 

Spanish cream, 965 

strips, 997 

tapioca, 964 

walnuts, 735 

whips, 959 
Cholera, Asiatic, 173 

infantum (see summer complaint), 180 

morbus, infant's, ISO 
Chopped meat, 1052 
Chops, breaded, 896 

lamb, broiled, 897 

mutton, stuffed, 897 
Chop suey, 1022 
Chouffleurs au gratin, 933 
Chowchow, 681 
Chowder, chicken, 858 

clam, 859 

corn, 857 

fish, 850 

lobster, 857 

onion, 869, 1108 

salt-codfish, 873 
Christmas fruit cookies, 995 
Chrome for coloring ink, 334, 528 
in paint, 497, 513 
sealing wax, 509 
Chutney, Bengal, 681 
Cider apple sauce, preserving, 658 

boiled, preserving fruit in, 658 

cake, 1010 

eggnog, 794 

ice, 972 

mulled, 791 

pear sauce preserving, 658 

vinegar, 669 
Cidracayote, 932 

Cinchona bark, tooth powder, 607 
Cinnamon strips, 997 
Circassian cream, 574 
Circular measure, 773 
Cistern, brick, 110, 111 

building, 110 

measurements of, 759 

screens for, 466 

water, for laundry, 360 

wooden, cement for, 482 
Citric acid, for ink stains, 342 

use of, 326 
Citron, 551, 577, 686 

cake, 1010 
Civet, for preserving linen, 389 
Clam chowder, 859 

fritters, 875 

salad, 871 

soup, 858 
Clams, 875 

d la Netoburg, 875 

escalloped, 876 

fried, 875 

in Vienna rolls, 875 

roast, 875 
Clapboarding, cost of, 750 
Classes of foods, map of, 620 
Clay, for removing grease, 339 
Cleaners, for gloves, 347 

for silver, 318 

vacuum, 395 
Cleaning, refrigerators, 98 

springhouses, 401 

stoves, 302 
Cleansing mixtures, 330, 340 
Clearing new land, 278 



INDEX 



1127 



Clinkers, from large coal, 70 

Clocks 434 

Closets, cleaning, 405 

dampness in, G4 

china, 01 

linen, 388 

laundry. 324 
Cloth, cement for, 480 

for cloth measure, 749 

for dado, 38 

for dry cleaning, 346 

for fireprooflng, 80 

for paint, 496 

for rough walls, 423 

for the face, 548 

for walls, 36 

for waterproofing, 81, 503 
riothe^, bluing, 379 

boiling, 359 

drying, 376 

for polishing stoves, 302 

hanging out, 377 

laundry work, 359, 360 

men's cleaning, 342 
packing, 443 
pressing, 343-4 

protecting from moth, 445, 447 
renovating, 344 
woolen, cleaning, 344 

taking down, 377, 3S6 

wringer, for ironing, 386 

wringing, 360 
Clotheshorse, for drying clothes, 378 
Clothesline, 376-7 
Clothespins, 376 

for rattling window sashes, 427 
Clothing, chemical soap for men's, 331 

of infants, 205 
Clove pastilles, 732 
Cloves, for lavender water, 582 

for preserving linen, 389 

for repelling moths, 447 

for sachets, 578 

oil of, for Florida water, 583 
for library paste, 475 
for preserving mucilage, 477 
Cluny lace, for curtains, 45 
Coal ashes, 311-2 

gas, 83 

by-products of, 84 

scnttles, 69, 70, 503 

stoves, 70, 73 

tar, to prevent dampness in cellars, 
496 
Coats, packing men's, 443 
Cochineal, for red ink, 530 

for rouge, 573 
Cook-a-Leeliie, 852 
Cockroaches, 452, 453, 455 
Cocktail, quahog, 875 
Cocoa, 790 

butter. 571 

cake, 998 

cans, 66 

nihs or shell, 791 

oil. 510 

sponge, 1005 
Cocoanut and citron cake, 1010 

cake, 1007 

candies, 727, 732, 735 

cream, 978 
tapioca, 963 

oil, in marine soap, 551 

pie, 992 

pudding, 959 

sponge pudding, 900 
Cod fat, stains, 327, 704 
Cod, fresh baked, ivith cheese sauce, 
865 

steaks d la cardinal, 866 



Codfish and potato omelet, 872 

balls, 873 

creamed, salt, 872 

fritters, 872 

salt, 872 

souffle, 873 

soused in oyster sauce, 867 

toasted, 874 

with fried salt pork, 1057 

with macaroni, 873 
Coffee, adulteratiOQ of, 643 

boiled, 789 

cake, 1006 

caramels, 736 

cream, 977 

custard, frozen, 983 

for cleaning black silk, 340 

for tinting black laces, 387 

frappe, 976 

French, 789 

frosting, 1016 

German, 808 

iced, ivith orange flavor, 792 

icing, 744 

in stove polish, 302 

jelly, 963 

mill, cleaning, 311 

pots, cleaning, 312 

shelves for, 63 

stains, butter for, 337 
on linen, 332, 338 

substitutes, 636 

tapioca, 964 
Coke, as fuel, 69, 70 

by-product of gas, 83 

from coal, 69 
Colander, cleaning, 312 
Cold air box, 72 

baths, 540 

creams, 571, 585 

creamy sauce, 970 

egg sauce for pudding, 970 

frames, 250 

jelly sauce, 970 

meats left over, 1041 

pistachio cream, 970 

plain hot sauce, 970 

roast stew, 1045 

sauce, creamy, 970 
pistachio, 970 
plain hot, 970 
puddings, 970 
whipped cream, 970 

slaw, fried with oysters, 876 

storage fruits, meats, vegetables, 94 

vaults, for furs, 449 
Colds, cause and prevention of, 542 

symptoms of, 186 
Colic in infants, 185 
Collars, 382, 383, 385 
Collodion, cement, 485 

for stored jewelry, 534 

for protecting silver, 316 
Collops, hot, 887 
Colonial chairs, 50 
Colophony, 36, 500 
Color and light effects, 36, 38 
Colored articles, faded by freezing, 377 

clothes, starching. 382 

copal varnish, 505 

curtains, washing, 371 

flannels, washing, 374 

goods, bluing, 379 
cautions for, 366-8 
cleaning, 341 
ironing, 385 
laundering, 366-8 

ink, making, 530 

paints, mixing, 496 

sealing wax, 506 



1128 



INDEX 



Colored silks, ironing, JJSG 
removing stains, 341 
washing, 372 

woolens, washing and sudsing, 373 
Coloring matters, 562 

shingles, 294 
Colors and patterns, 34-43 

brightening, 399 

fixing in linens, 368 

in carpets, 43 

light, fixing, 367 
Combs, washing, 586 
Combustion, 74, 322 
Comforters, 375 
Commercial meat sauces, 1058 
Commodities, weight of, 763 
Communicable diseases, symptoms of, 

185 
Complexion, 547, 548 

paste, 569 
Compote of orange, 984 
Compound glues, 484 
Compounding toilet preparations, 562 
Concrete board, 283 

cautions for mixing and handling, 281 

cellars, 459, 491, 496 

cement, 281 

construction, 280 

fence posts, 286 

fence post molds, 286 

finishing, 285 

forms, 285 

cleaning, 28G ' 

gravel, 281 
washing, 281 

mixing, 280, 284 
equipment, 283 

molds, oiling, 287 

placing, 285 

posts, curing, 288 
molding, 288 
special, 289 
use of, 289 
reinforced, 282 
reinforcements, 287 

reinforcement spacer, 287 

sand for, 281 

tools, cleaning, 286. 

wa,shing sand for, 281 

materials for, 282 
Condensed milk, 227 
Condiments, adulteration of, 641, 642 
Confectioner's fondant, 723 
Confectionery, coloring, 741 
Consomm6, 848 
Constipation, in Infants, 183 
Contact infection, 132 
Continental pudding, 985 
Cooked salad dressing, 948, 1113 
Cookery, en casserole, 1051 

of meat, 1039 

of vegetables, 1084 
Cookies, Boston, 995 

cakes and doughnuts, 994 

chocolate, 995, 1026 

chocolate dominoes, 994 
fingers, 997 
hearts, 995 
strips, 997 

cinnainon strips, 997 

cream, for cream cakes and Eclairs, 
996 
Christmas fruit, 995 

eclairs, 996 

egg, 995 

ginger snaps. 994 

Hamburg, 1025 

icing for chocolate fingers, 997 

macaroons, 997 

maple hermit, 994 



Cookies, nun's gem, 997 
Oklahoma rocks, 995 
one, two, three, four, 996 
sour cream, 994 
springerlen, 996 
sugar, 994 
Cooking prolonged at low heat, 1049 

utensils, 306, 311 
Cook's proportions, table of, 770 

time table, 767 
Cooling bag, and box, 97 
Copal and copal varnish, 499, 501, 504 
varnish, colored, 505 
for patent leather, 526 
for shoes, 520 
for stained floors, 416 
for waterproofing leather, 524 
in French polish, 513 
nature of, 499 
turpentine, 505 
in marking, 529 
Copal varnishes, 504 
Copper, acetate of, for green ink, 531 
in ink, 528 
ammoniacal carbonate, for destroying 

insects, 470 
coins, English, 778 
inks, for metal label, 532 
in zinc varnish, 506 
sulphate of, for blackheads, 540 

for flreproofing fabrics, 80 
testing for pickles, 676 
ware, 311, 313 
cleaning, 311 
salt for, 311 
use of, 313 
vinegar for, 310 
Copperas, for blacking leather, 518 
for cleaning black silk, 340 
for cleaning cellars, 403 
for cleaning sinks, 319 
for coloring gold, 535 
for dyeing carpets, 43 
for fire prevention and protection, 79. 

80, 81 
for staining floors, 415 
in ink, 527 
in lime paint, 495 
in stove polish, 302 
Coppersmith's cement, 485 
Copying Ink, 529 
Coral tooth powder, 607 
Coriander seed, for sachet, 578 
Cork carpet, for bathroom, 61 

in linoleum, 40 
Corks, for supporting window sashes, 

427 
Corn and cheese soufftS, 1071 
boiled on the cob, 932, 1104 
cakes, 810 
canning, 661 
chowder, 857 
cream soup, 854 
custard, 927 

cut from cob, 932, 1104 
drying, 712 
fried, 934 
fritters, 938 
green, 1104 
pickled, 683 

tomato and cheese, 1071 
omelet, 938 

on the cob, boiled, 1104 
meal and hominy, 1105 

loaf, 819 
patties, garnished icith husks, 934 
pone, 819 

Southern, 818 
soup, 936 
steamed, 1029 



INDEX 



1129 



Corn, vinegar, 670 
Cornhread, 801, 816 

Boston, 819 

economical, 819 

favorite, 819 

gold medal, 819 

recipes for, 817-819 

^Vhite House, 819 
Corncobs, for lighting fires, 93 
Corned beef and cabbage, 883 

creamed, au gratin, 893 

hash with poached eggs, 1047 

improving, 697 
Cornices, specifications for painting, 491 
Cornmeal and rice muffins, 836 

bags, as dish cloths, 310 

for bleaching straw, 353 

for cleaning calcimined walls, 425 
carpets, 396, 412 
furs, 349 
gloves, 346 
Panama hats, 350 
wall paper, 424 

for dry cleaning shirt waists, 336 

soap, 550 
Corns, anatomy of, 539 
Cornstarch, for blood stains, 328 

for mud stains, 342 

for the laundry, 380, 387, .388 

for wash balls, 551 

in paper-hanger's paste, 475 
Corrosive sublimate (see also bichloride 
of mercury), 139 

for destroying moths, 449 

for preserving ink, 533 

for preserving leather blacking, 518 

for preserving mucilage, 477 

in flour paste, 475 
Corsets, washing, 365 
Cosmetics, 585 
Cost of meat, 1041 
Cottage cheese, 1063, 1066 
French, 1067 

pudding, 966 
Cottolene, 705 

Cotton batting, for padding stair car- 
pets, 414 
for steel knives and forks, 315 

blankets, 407 

citric acid for, 327 

cloth, bleaching, 351 

dress skirts, cleaning, 337 

fabrics, disinfecting, 145 

felted, for mattresses, 58 

flannel, for table pads, 61 

goods, washing, 365 

lace, washing, 368 

muriatic acid for, 327 

oxalic acid for, 325 

removing mildew from, 352 

tartaric acid for, 327 

underwear, as dishcloths, 310 

waterproofing, 81 
Cough candies, 740 
Coughs, symptomatic of, 186 
Counterpanes, hanging out, 377 
Counting in groups, 772 
Covering jelly, 660 
Covers, bed, 58 

magazine, 53 
Cow's milk, fat content, 218 
for feeding infants, 233 
Coirpeas icith roast pork, 1046 
Crab-apple jelly, 659 

canning, 656 
Crab lice, 199 

salad, 949 

sandwiches, 826 
Crabs a la Creole, 879 

soft-shell, 879 



"Crack" degree, in candy making, 719 
Cracked articles, repairing, 312 
Cracked tohcat, 834 
Crackers and cheese, baked, 1073 
Crack-flllers, for destroying carpet bee- 
tles, 452 
Cracks, cement for filling, 483, 485 
filling, 42, 62 
in furniture, filling, 512 
in plaster, repairing, 422 
Cradles for children, 54 
Craftsman chairs, 50 
Crape, cleaning, 345 
lace, cleaning, 345 
Crash, for laundry bags, 355 
Cream, buttermilk, 1067 

cake filling and icing, 1014 
cakes, 996 

candies, 717, 721, 724, 725 
cheese, soft, 1062 
Circassian, 574 
cocoanut tapioca, 963 
dipper, 224 
dressing, 948 
sour, 1114 

with lettuce salad, 1112 
filling, 1014 

for cream cakes and eclairs, 996 
for leather furniture, 519 
fresh, for the skin, 564 
horns, 988 

horseradish, buttermilk, salad dress- 
ing, 1079 
in a crust, 960 
mustard sauce, 1111 
of bean soup, 1109 
of celeraic soup, 1107 
of corn soup, 937 
of leek soup, 1107 
of onion soup, 854 
Cream of tartar, 325 

acid principle of, 326 
adulteration of, 643 
for bleaching white goods, 354 
for cleaning discolored silver, 317 
for cleaning gloves, 346 
for dry cleaning gloves, 347 
for grass stains, 332 
for ink stains, 335 
for iron rust, 333 
for polishing silver, 317 
for red ink, 531 
for removing stains, 554' 
Cream of wheat, 834 
salad dressing, 1114 
sauce, 1111 

in the diet, 633 
whipped, 970 
iDith ham, 1047 
soda, 792 

toast with cheese, "brown tread, 822 
vrith spinach, 1088 
Creamed cabbage, 1086 
cauliflower, 1086 
cheese and eggs, 1074 
Creams, 717 

shaving, 600 
Creamy sauce, 970 
Crime d'Amanda sauce, 969 
Creolin, for fleas on cats, 456 
Creosote, for preventing mosquito bites, 467 

for white ants, 462 
Creosoted wood pavement, 294 

posts, 291 
Creosoting ( see also posts andtimbers) , 294 
Cresol, 124 

Cretonne, cleaning with bran, 452 
for curtains, 45 
for stove holders. 304 
Cribs, capacity of, 756 



1130 



INDEX 



Cribs, for children, 54 
Crickets, exterminating, 453 
Crochet work, washing. 374 
Crocheted goods, hanging out, 377 

shawls, 374 
Crockery, white-of-egg cement for, 480 
Croton bugs, 452 
Croquettes, Block Island, 912 

bread, S23 

cheese, 1077 

egg, S43 

lamb and rice, 899 

lobster, 871 

macaroni, S39 

rice, 837 

salmon, 871 

sneet-potatoes, 942 

Windermere, 905 
Crows, 272 
Crow blackbird, 272 
Crumb gingerbread, 999 

lemon pie, 990 

pudding, 961 
Crying of infants, 205 
Crystallized popcorn, 739 
Crystals, sirup for, 720 
Cuban sandtciches, 1080 
Cubic measure, 753 
Cucumbers and shad-roe salad, 953 

and tomato salad in cucumbers, 949 

mangoes, 1028 

milk, for the complexion, 564 

pickles, 681 

salad, 951, 1113 

sandwiches, 828 

saut(, 929, 1102 

vinegar, 673 
Cucumbers, 1101 

freshening, 676 

pickling, 674-8 

selection of, for pickling, 674 

stewed, 931, 1101 

stuffed, and. white sauce, 927 
Cuifs. ironing, 385 

ribbed iron for, 383 
Cupboard in kitchen, 307 
Curds and whey, 1066 
Cure, fresh-air, 55 
Curing concrete posts, 288 
Curling fluids, 597 
Curling the hair, 596 
Currant and raspberry punch, 791 

catsup. 687 

jelly, 659 

jelly sauce, 969 

paste drops and pastilles, 732 

sherbet, 974 

squares, 806 

water ice, 972 
Currants, acid principle of, 326 

canning. 655 

pruning. 269 

white, preserving. 657 
Curried lamb's liver, 898 
Curry, India, 1059 

of eggs, 843 

of lobsters, 877 

of veal, 1059 

powder, 690, 1058 

vinegar, 674 
Curtain rings, 304 

rods, 371 
Curtains, 45, 57 

care of, 370, 371 

lace, 46, 368, 370. 371 

when house cleaning, 406 
Custard, cheese, 1082 

cup, 1023 

fro~en chocolate, 983 

frozen coffee, 983 



Custard, pic, 990 

Cut glass, care of. 313, 314 

cutting and packing, 442 
Cuticle scissors, for the nails, 557 
Cuts of beef, 627 

of lamb, 628 

of meat, 627 
cost, 629 
utili;:ing the cheaper, 1048 

of mutton, 628 

of pork, 628 

of veal, 628 
Cuttings, propagation, 260 

tree, 260, 263 
Cuttlefish bone tooth powder, 607 

Dadoes, 38, 39 

Dairy cheese, English, 1061 

products, adulteration of, 643 
food map of, 619 
in the diet, 631 
Damp walls, drying, 425 
Dampness in cellars, 403-4 

In closets and chimneys, 64, 75 

preserving linen from, 389 
Dampproof courses, 103 
Dandruff, 586 
Danish pudding, 963 
Dashboards, varnish for, 526 
Date candy, 733 

creams. 726 

pie, 991 
Dead, disinfection of, 146 
Death rate of infants, 177 
Decanters, loosening stoppers of, 433 
Deciduous hedges, pruning, 269 
Decorating icing, 1016 

backgrounds for. 38 

for bedrooms, 57 
Degrees, in sugar boiling, 719 
Delft china, 36 
Denim, 42 
Dental work. 614 
Dentifrices. 606 

Dentists' amalgam and nerve paste, 615 
Depilatories, for moles. 541 
Design, in house decoration. 34. 43 
Desquamation, (see "peeling"), 195 
Deviled eggs with cheese, 1079 
Devil's cake, 998 

food, 1005 
Dextrin. 473 

mucilage. 476 

nature of, 473 
Devonshire cream cheese, 1067 
Diamond cement. 478 
Diaper, infants'. 181 
Diet, balanced, 618 

breakfast foods, 635 

bulbs, 637 

calculations, 618 

cereals, 634 

cheese, 633. 1061. 1063 

coffee substitutes. 636 

cream sauce. 633 

dairy products, 631 

economy. 624 

eggs, 632 

fish, 630 

fruits, fresh, 637 

meats, 626 

milk, 632 
soups, 633 

of children, 230 

of nursing mothers, 212 

potatoes, 637 

poultry, 621 

problems of, 623 

roots, succulent, 637 

skimmed milk, 632 



INDEX 



1131 



Diet, sugar, 633 
sweet potatoes, 637 

tubers, 637 

vegetables, 636 

wastes, 624 

white sauce, 633 
Dietary standards, 618 
Digestibility of foods, 623 
Diluents, 561 
Dimity, 45, 59 
Dining rooms, imitation leather for, 37 

wall coverings for, 61 
Diphtheria, 191 

bacteria, 191 

disinfection in, 192 

prevention of, 192 

symptoms of, 187, 192 
Dirt, avoiding, 34, 42 

definition of, 358 
Disease (see also under infants), 177 

"carriers" of, 135 
Diseases, Asiatic cholera, 173 

bubonic plague, 173 

cholera, Asiatic, 173 

communicable, symptoms of, 185 

contagious, 148 

foreign, 173 

hookworm, 170 

intestinal, 180 

leprosy, 174 

of animals, 174 

of children, 177 

of the eyes, 179 

parasitic, 198 

plague, bubonic, 173 

prevention of, 147 

rabies, 174 
Dish drainer, 308, 309 

cloths and towels, 310 
care of, 310, 389 
Dishes, greasy, lye for, 307 

milk, washing, 309 
Dishwashing. 806. 308 
Dishwater, disposition of, 63 

greasy, 307 
Disinfectant for cellars, 403 

standard solutions, 137 
Disinfection, 136 

by fumigation, 141 

gaseous, 141 

in diphtheria, 192 

in scarlet fever, 195 

of bedding, 146 

of carpets, 146 

of cellars, 704 

of cotton fabric, 145 

of furniture, 146 

of jewelry, 146 

of money, 146 

of refrigerators, 98 

of rugs, 146 

of sick rooms, 155 

of sputum, 146 

of the dead, 146 

of the nurse, 155 

of throat discharges, 155 

of woolen fabrics, 145 

preparation for, 141 
Distilled vinegar, 671 

water, 561 
Ditch cleaner for roads, 298 
Dogs, fleas on, 456 

to kill rats, 458 
Doilies, ironing, 386 
Dollar, aliquot parts of, 777 
Domestic measure, tables of, 765 
Door mat, 68 

plates, cleaning, 319 
Doors, 427 

folding or sliding, 49 



Dough, for cleaning wall paper, 424 
Doughnuts, raised, 808 

sour-milk, 817 
Drag, split log, 297 

Dragon's blood, for coloring French pol- 
ish, 513 
for liquid rouge, 573 
for toilet preparations, 562 
Drainage, air, 101 
from sinks, 63 
of grounds, 240 

of ice boxes, refrigerators, houses, 9.0 
of lawns, 240 
of soils. 240 
Drainpipes, cleaning, 404 
clearing, 241 
disinfecting, 319 
Drains, bacteria in, 394 
disinfecting, 319 
for cellars, 403 
for houses, 114 
open, breed mosquitoes, 466 
tar varnish for, 506 
tile, 241 
Draperies, 45, 51 
dusting, 392 

when housecleaning, 406 
Draught, cause of, 76 

furnace, 71 
Draughts, avoiding, 42 
prevention of, 56, 57 
Drawers, care of, 405 
Drawings, varnish for, 507 
Drawn rugs, making, 44 
Dress goods and woolen goods, chemi- 
cal soap for, 331 
renovating woolen, 343 
silk, washing, 372 
washing with rice, 374 
white, starch for, 382 
shields, rubber, spoiled by gasoline, 329 
Dresses, kind not to be rubbed with 
soap, 365 
woolen, cleaning, 344 
Dressing or Sauces for Salads, 
iuttermilJc, 1079 
toiled oil, 948 
catsup cream, 948 
chicken-salad, 948 
cooked-salad, 948, 1113 
cream, 948, 1114 

with lettuce salad, 1112 
French, 948, 1113 

icith lettuce salad, 1112 
sour-cream, 948, 1114 
Dried-apple cake, 998 
pie, 992 

-bean soup, 885, 1108 
beans, 1094 
in salad, 1094 
pur6e of, 1094 
saut€, 1094 
with sauce, 1094 
Drills, fire, 79 

lubricator for, 512 
Drink, sick room, 156 
Drip pan, water in, 306 
Dripping pan, as drainer, 309 
Drippings, savory, 1041, 1111 
Drop candy, 717 
Drops, cheese, 1081 

ginger, 732 
Drugget, bran for. 407 
Druggists' abbreviations, 762 
Drugs for infants. 183 
Drums, beating, 74, 543 
Dry beans, storing, 711 
cleaning shirt waists, 336 

white goods, 330 
measure, 756, 766 



1132 



INDEX 



Dry and liquid measure, comparison 

of, 758 
Dryer, for paint, 494 
for drying oils, 510 
for printers' ink, 533 
Duck cloth, removing mildew from, 
352 
removing stains from, 329 
waterproofing, 81 
feathers, 59 
mock, 1048 
roasted, 916 
wild, 1048 
Dumplings, 1048 

ivith stew meat, 1042 
Duplex paper for living rooms, 36-7 

hanging, 423 
Dust, and avoiding same, 34, 42, 391, 
393 
cloth for piano, 430 
In cellars, prevention of, 404 
prevention of, 72, 392, 394 
sterilization of, 394 
road, in white paint, 496 
Dusters, 395, 396 
Dusting, 72, 393, 395, 424 
Dye, for materials, 343, 372, 373, 526 
hair, 594 

stuffs, renovating carpets and wall 
papers, 412, 425 
Dyeing, curtains, 46 
test for food, 640 
Dynamiting stumps, 278 
Dysentery, infants, 180 



Earth roads, 295 

maintenance, 298 
Earthenware, cement for, 476, 480 

cleaning, repairing, 312, 313 
Ebony, for staining floors, 415 
F.clairs, 996 
Economical corniread, 819 

use of meat, 1039 
Economy, in the diet, 624 
Edam cheese, 1063 
Egg beater, cleaning, 311 
Egg bread. Southern, 819 

cookies, 995 

icings, 1015 

salad, 952 

sauce for pudding, 970 

stains, removal from silver, 318 

water, for infants, 230 

white of, for almond paste, 570 
for cement, 480 

for cleaning, 344, 348, 350, 519 
for labels, 67 
for picture frames, 431 
with starch, 382 

with spinach, 1088 

yolk of, for almond paste, 570 

for removing stains, 337, 338, 339 
Eggnog, cider, 794 
Eggplant, 1103 

baked, 931, 1103 

broiled, 932, 1103 

canning, 663 

fried, 932, 1103 
Egg, curry of, 843 

deviled, 843 

with cheese, 1079 

farci, 843 

food map of, 619 

fricasseed, 845 

fried, 842 

fried with brown sauce, 842 

in nests, 842 

in ramequins, 841 

in tomato sauce, 841 



Egg Lucanian, 843 
omelet, Bismarck, 845 
bread, 844 
Chassi, 844 
cheese, 845 
ham, 845 
on rice, 841 
oyster, 844 
parsley, 845 
plain, 844 
Rudolph, 844 
Eggs a la Bonne Femme, 842 
a la Cuba, 843 
and cheese, creamed, 1074 
and mushrooms, 841 
baked in green peppers, 841 
in souffle, 842 
in, tomatoes, 841 
with cheese, 1074 
boiled, 842 
cheesed, 842 
croquettes, 843 
poached, 840 
and ham, 1047 
ball-shaped, 841 
in milk, 841 

with corned beef hash, 1047 
with greens, 842 
with mince meat, 891 
preservation of, 705-7 
scrambled, 843 

with cheese, 1075 
storeroom for, 67 
Sioiss, 1075 

whites of, for liquid blacking, 525 
for blackening hearth, 304 
in stove polish, 302 
in varnish, for window glass, 506 
with bread sauce, 841 
with meat, 1047 
Eggshells, for cleaning bottles, 314 
Eiderdown, uses of, 59, 408 
Ejotescon vino, 932 
Elderblossom loine, 793 
Elder flowers, for toilet water, 581 
Electric bulb, cost and health effect, 
83-4 
needle, for moles, 541 
railways, 41 
Electricity, annual cost of, 82 
Embroidery, ironing, 386, 429 

washing, 368 
Emery, for cleaning brass fittings, 302 
in blackboard paint, 495 
for Qtraightening oilstones, 512 
Emmentaler cheese, 1063 
Enamel, for metal beds, 407 
painting, 493 

white, for beds and shelves, 57, 58, 
64 
Enameled ware, 311 
Engineer's cement, 483 
Engines, gas, 105 
English dairy cheese, 1061 
dry measure, 756 
measures of weight, old, 761 
money, 778 
peas, canning, 663 
pudding, 1028 
sparrows, 273 
cooking, 275 
destroying, 275 
trapping, 273 
walnut and chicken salad, 951 
Whigs, 1013 
Ensalada, 950 
Enteric fever (see also typhoid fever), 

148 
Entire-wheat bread, 800 
Entrades, 833 



INDEX 



1133 



Envelopes, casein cement for, 481 

dextrin, for sealing, 473 

mucilage for, 476 
Epsom salts, cautions for use of, 325 

in starch, 384 
Eruptions, in infants, 182 

symptomatic of, 186 
Escalloped potatoes, 1097 

tomatoes, 1102 
Eskay's infants' food, 228. 
Essences, 575, 580 
Essential oils, 389, 566, 576 

ink mold preventives, 533 
Estilo seco, 932 
Ether, as a solvent, 333, 500, 501, 510 

for removing paint, 419 

in cleansing mixtures, 330 

in glove cleaners, 347 

in shellac cement, 479 

varnishes, 505 
Evaporation, 98, 321 
Evergreens, pruning, 269 
Everton taffy, 728 
Excelsior mattresses and packing for, 

58, 441 
Excreta, disposal of, 124 

removal of, 157 
Expense for meat diet, 1041 
Explosion of lamps, prevention of, 91 

from gas and kerosene, 87, 93 

from gasolene, 329 
Extinguishers, Are, 76 
Extractives in foods, 617 
Extracts, flavoring, adulteration of, 641 
Eyebrows and eyelashes, 602 
Eyes, 204 

diseases of, 179 

inflammation of, ISO 

Fabrics, colored, removing inks from, 
335 

flreproofing, SO 

nature of, 331 

white, removing inks from, 534 
Face cloth, 548 
Faded ink, restoring, 533 

white goods, bleaching, 354 
Fading of white goods, prevention of, 

353 
Fancy work, Chinese cement for, 479 
ironing, 385 
woolen, 374 
Farina halls, 1043 

with mutton, 1043 

muffins, 837 
Farmer's satin, ironing, 385 
Farmer's steic, 1052 
Fat, browned, flavor of, 1056 

clarifying, 1041 

cod, 704 

trying out, 1041 

utilizing. 1041 
Fatherland farm teef loaf, 893 
Fats, animal, in soap, 357 

in foods, 617, 622 
Faucets, cement, for leaking, 485 

for tube and wash boilers, 358 
Favorite cornhredd, 819 
Fawn color paint, mixing, 498 
Feather beds, care of, 408 
Feathers, bleaching, 353 

chicken, duck, goose, 59 

cleaning, curling, renovating, 348-9 
filling, 60, 408 
grebe and other skins, 349 

for pillows, 49, 59 

moths in, 445, 450 
"Feather," degree in candy making, 719 

dusters, 395 
use of, 58, 59 



Feathers, protecting from moths, 264 

purifying. 408 
Feeding infants, 221 

according to height, 223. 
according to weight, 223 
artificial, 217 
barley water, 227 
beef juice, 229 
beef tea, 229 
broths, 229 
orange juice, 229 
manufactured foods, 227 
meat broth, 229 
oatmeal water, 227 
problem of, 223 
quantit.y, 223 
soups, 229 
tables for, 222 
Felt hats, chemical soap for, 331 

ivory for polishing, 535 
Fence posts, concrete. 286 

molds, concrete, 286 
Fermentation, 691 
Fermenting vinegar, 667 
Fern, taboret for, 50 
Ferrets, to kill rats, 458 
Ferrous sulphate, to put out fires, 79 
Fertilization, gardens, 245 

lawns, 242 
Fever, in infants, 182 
quarantine for, 193 
symptoms of, 186 
typhoid, 148 
yellow, 160 
Fevers, 319 
Fiber brush, for dishwashing. 308 

for scrubbing and scraping, 305, 1 307 
Fibers, animal, 332 

feathers, furs. 332 
silk and wool, 332 
removing ink from, 335 
vegetable, cotton and linen. 332 
removing stains from, 337 
Field mice, garden, 276 

lawns, 276 
Fig bars, candy and creams. 726. 733 
leaves, for cleaning black silk, 340 

for removal of gloss, 345 
pie, 991 
pudding, 958 
Filipino beef, 1054 
Filler, for wood and floors, 41, 42 
ingrain, all-wool, 42 
rugs, background for, 42 
temporary, for the teeth, 615 
wood, 514 
Fillet of beef, 883 
Filter, to make, 110 

water, 113 
Fine herbs, 1110 

Finger marks, removing from furnitur 
428 
nails, manicuring, 556 
Fire drills, 79 
escapes, 76, 79 
extinguishers, 76, 79 
screens, flreproofing, 80 
Fireless cookery, 1017 
Fireplaces, 70, 73, 74 
Fireproof canvas, cloth, garments, SO 
cement, 481-4 
paint, 495 
stone varnish, 506 
whitewash, 421 
wood, 80 
Flreproofing. 80 
Fires, putting out. 76, 77 
escaping from, 80 
from spontaneous combustion, 322 
kerosene for lighting, 93 



1134 



INDEX 



Fires, kindling without smoke, 76 
Pish, 861 

blue, baked, 865 

blue, baked with tomato sauce, 865 

bisque, 869 

broiled salt, 872 

cautions as to purchasing, 631 

choioder, 850 

clams, 875 

cod and potato omelet, 872 

baked fresh, with cheese sauce, 865 

balls, 873 

creamed salt, 872 

fritters, 872 

salt, 872 

souffl4, 873 

soused in oyster sauce, 867 

steaks a la Cardinal, 866 

toasted, 874 

w-ii/j m,acaroni, 873 
crimped, 867 
dressing, 868 

in the diet, 630 
flounder fillets a la Normandy, 866 

souchet, 867 
friandises, 870 
haddie, broiled, 874 

creamed, 874 

Finnan, a la Delmonico, 874 

shredded, 874 
haddock, baked, 866 
halibut, baked, 866 
herring, baked salt, 874 
?ioM7 to bafce, 864 
Tiow to 6roi?, 864 
Tiotf; to /rj/j 864 
/low to plank, 864 
7(-ow to sautS, 864 
mackerel, baked salt, 872 

boiled salt, 872 
methods for cooking, 863 
odors, removal of, 309 
oil, deodorizing, purifying, 511 
perch, Hampton Court, 867 
preservation of, 694 
pMjSf 6a«s, 871 
re«i snapper, baked, 865 
salifion, broiled, salt halibut, 872 

curried, 870 

?oa/, 870 

trout, baked, with cream, 866 
saJt, 873 

cod chowder, 873 

dinner, 1057 

7iow to coofcj 872 
s7iod_, baked, 867 

roe, baked, 868 
smelts, baked, 866 

brochet, 867 
spiced, 871 
stuffed salt, 872 
sturgeon, to roast, 867 
timbales, 866 
to kill mosquitoes, 466 
trout, broiled brook, 868 
turbot, broiled, 867 
tvhite, baked, 867 
Fittings, nickel, prevention of rust, 439 

steel, to clean, 302 
Fixed oil varnishes, 501, 510 
Fixtures, plumbing, 115 
Flaky pie crust, 988 
Flank d to Milanaise. 886 
Flannel, bleaching, 353 

cloth, for cleaning furniture, 428 

for wiping gilt frames, 431 
for cleaning, 302. 418 
for polishing, 303, 312. 317 
other uses, 303, 315, 377 
Flannels, ironing, 387 



Flannels, laundering, 373 

protecting from moths, 405 
Flatiron, improved devices, 341, 358, 383 
Flatirons, care of, 383 

heating with gas, 306 
Flavor of broicned fat, 1056 
of broioned meat, 1056 
of fried vegetables, 1057 
Flavorers, time of cooking, 1109 
Flavoring acid, 1058 

extracts, adulteration of, 641 
herbs, 1057 
spices, 1057 
vegetables, 1057 
Flavorings, for candy, 742 

shelf for, 64 
Flea, the house, 455 
Fleas, extermination of, 455 
on domestic animals, 456 
Flesh color paint, 498 
food map of, 619 
worms, nature of, 540 
Flexible, glue, 477 

varnish, 502 
Flies, elimination of, 128 
extirpation of, 129 
Infection from, 152 
poisoning, 131 
preserving meat from, 693 
prevention of, and protection from," 

462, 463 
to avoid, when painting, 488 
trapping, 130 
Floor coverings, 34, 36, 39, 41 
cleaning, 409 
for dining room, 61 
Floors, hardwood, 396-8 
for kitchen, 62 
gasoline for, 407 
oil, coloring, 415 

stains from, 397 
kitchen, glue paint for, 496 
of bedrooms, 57 
of dining room, 61 
soluble glass for, 42 
summer care of, 409 
wood, cleaning and refinishing, 414- 
, 418 

Florida water, 583 
Flounder fillets d la Normandy, 866 
Flounders, souchet, 867 
Flour, bags, uses of, 65 
broioned, flavor of, 1060 
cement, 475 

for cleaning papier-machg, 437 
for dry cleaning lace, 342 
for washing woolens, 374 
gluten in, 473 
paste, 474 

for laying oil cloth. 413 
for laying rugs, 399 
for repairing plaster cracks, 422 
preservation of, 475 
protecting, 316 

sacks, as dish cloths and towels, 310 
for sash curtains, 47 
for ticks, 60 
washing, 310 
Flowering shrubs, pruning, 270 
Flowers, table for planting, 248 
Flues, (see also under chimney), 75 
Fluff pudding, 962 
Fluid measure, apothecaries', 759 
Fluids, washing, 362 
Flush tank. 118 
Fluting, toy flatiron for, 383 
Fly, common house. 462 

paper, for destroying fleas, 455 
poisonous, to make. 463 
Sticky, to make, 464 



INDEX 



1135 



Fly, typhoid, 152 
Foamy sauce, 968 
Fondant, 717-24 

icing, 1016 
Fondue, cheese, 1069, 1070 

rice, 1070 
Fontanelles, infants', 178 
Food adulteration, 616, 637 

baking powder, 642 

benzoic acid, 639 

borax, 639 

butter, 643, 644 

canned fruit, 640 

cheese, 643 

coffee, 643 

condiments, 641, 642 

cream of tartar, 643 

dairy products, 643 

flavoring extracts, 641 

honey, 642 

ice cream, 643 

lemon extract, 641 

meat products, 644 

milk, 043 

preserves, 640 

sausages, 644 

spices, 642 

starch, 640 

sugar, 642 

tea, 643 

tests for, 638 

vanilla extract, 641 

vinegar, 641 

with formaldehyde, 643 

with saccharin, 640 

with salicylic acid, 639 

with sulphites, 639 

with sulphuric acid, 642 

with turmeric, 642 
Food chopper, cleaning, 311 
dyeing test for, 640 
mpp, 618 

balanced diet, 620 

cereals, 619 

classes of foods, 620 

combination of food, 621 

dairy products, 619 

eggs, 619 

fruits, 619 

meat substitutes, 619 

nuts, 619 

pastries, 619 

pies, 619 

puddings, 619 

relishes, 619 

salads, 619 

soups, 619 

vegetables. 619 
nutrients, 617 

analysis of, 618 
preservatives, 637 

(see also under food adulteration), 
639 
sick room, 156 
stufCs, weight of, 766 
values, 616 
wastes, 616 
Foods, (see also under diet), 632 
artificial, infants, 227 
breakfast, shelves for, 63 
digestibility of, 623 
infants', 229 
standard portions, 620 
Foot bath, 546 
warmers, 93 
Force cups, for stopped up sinks, 320 
Forcemeat or stufflny, 3 047 
Foreign diseases, 173 
Forest trees, pruning, 270 
Forks, care of, 315 
Formaldehyde, antidote for, 141 



Formaldehyde, cautions for use of, 144 
food adulteration, 643 
fumigation by, 142 
generators, 143 
odor of, 144 
solution, 144 
standard solution of, 141 
Formalin, (see' also formaldehyde), 141 
Frames, gilt, renovating, 431-2 
picture, cleaning, 430 
wood, cleaning, 432 
Frangipani soap, 551 
Frankforts, creamed, 890 
Franklin stove, 73 
Frapp6, 972 
Freckles, nature of, 540 

removal of, 563 
Freezing clothes, effects of, 377 
prevention of, 377 
colors injured by, 367 
of gas meter and service pipes, 87 
of ink, prevention of, 533 
point of water, 94 
French berries, for yellow ink, 531 
chalk as an absorbent, 328 
for benzine stains, 330 
for cleaning gloves, 346 
for removal of grease, 328 
for rouge, 573 
for squeaking shoes, 521 
In scouring mixture, 331 
in toilet powders, 572 
cottage cheese, 1067 
cream, 717, 724 

with glucose, 725 
dressing, 948, 1113 

with lettuce salad, 1112 
polish, 512-14 
varnish, for leather, 524 

for waterproofing leather, 524 
Frescoes, 38, 422 
Fresh air cure for consumption, 55 

infants, 208 
Fresh fruits in the diet, 637 
Fried bread, 822 

with cheese, 1076 
cheese balls, 1077 
eggplant, 1103 
salt pork with codfish, 1057 
scallops, 879 
sweet potatoes, 1098 
vegetables, flavor of, 1057 
for seasoning, 1110 
Fritters, clam, 875 

codfish, 872 
Front room, 49 
Frozen apricots, 976 
bananas, 976 
cherries, 977 
chocolate custard, 983 
chocolate with whipped cream, 984 
coffee custard, 983 
custard, 982 
frappe, 972 
fruit cake glace, 986 
fruits, 972 
gelatin cream, 979 
ginger cream, 978 
ginger sherbet, 974 
grape water ice, 972 
ice cream from condensed milk, 979 
iced chocolate, 975 
coffee, 975 
lemonade, 976 
raspberry vinegar, 976 
rice pudding, 983 
Italian tutti-frutti, 973 
lemon cream, 977 
sherbet, 973 

sherbet with gelatin, 974 
water ice, 973 



1136 



INDEX 



Frozen macedoine of fruit, 981 
mandarin cream, 980 
meat, keeping, 694 
' m,ilJc sherbetj 975 
Montrose pudding, 984 
mousse (parfait or fruit pudding), 972 
Nesselrode pudding, 983 
orange granite, 976 
ice, 972 
mousse, 982 
sherbet, 972 
souffle, 981 
parfait, Mrs. Prouty's maple, 1029 
peach cream, 9S0 

sherbet, 975 
peaches, 977 

Philadelphia ice cream, 972 
pineapple cream, 978 
pineapple mousse, 982 
sherbet, 974 
water ice, 972 
pineapples, 977 
pistachio cream, 978 
plombiere, 984 
^Jwm pudding, 985 
pomegranate sherbet, 975 

woier icej 973 
Pomona sherbet, 975 
pudding, 982 
punch, 972 

puree of apricots, 934 
queen pudding, 981 
quince water ice, 973 
raspberries, 977 

and currant sherbet, 974 
cream, 980 
^'am cream, 979 
ivater ice, 972 
sherbet, 972 
straicherries, 977 
granite, 976 
ice cream, 978 
sherbet, 975 
souffle, 982 
ivater ice, 972 
stuffed mousse, 983 
tutti-frutti, 982 

vanilla cream ivith extract, 978 
iee cream, 977 
sauce, 984 
water ice, 971 
tvater ice 'barberry, 973 
Frozen Desserts 
almond cream, 799 
OMfire? cafce glace, 985 
apple sherbet, 974 

water ice, 972 

apricot cream, 980 

pudding, 981 

sherbet, 974 

arroioroot cream, 979 

banana cream, 980 

sherbet, 974 
barherry tcater ice, 973 
bisque ice cream, 978 
blackberry ice cream, 980 

sherbet, 975 
'brown-bread ice cream, 979 
burnt-almond cream, 979 
caramel cream, 979 
cherry sherbet, 974 
Chesterfield cream, 981 
chocolate cream, 980 
mousse, 985 

sauce to serve with vanilla 
cream, 985 
cicZej" zee, 972 
cocoanut cream, 978 
coffee cream, 977 
frappe, 976 



Frozen Desserts, compote of orange, 984 
continental pudding, 985 
currant water ice, 972 
Fruit adulteration of, jams, 640 

jellies, 640 

preserves, 640 
beverage, 793 
6read^ 802 
ca-fce glace, 986 
candies, 717 

canned, adulteration of, 640 
canning, 646, 653 
creams, 726 
CMP, 792 
jars, for refrigerators, 98 

glass, for sprinkling, 379 

opening, 664 

sterilizing, 652 

testing, 652 
juice, 660 

blackberry, 660 

cherry, 661 

grape, 660 

peach, 661 

plums, 661 

raspberry, 660 

blotters for, 64 
lath boxes for, 713 
lozenges, 734 
measuring, 756 
packing, 713 
preserving, 646, 653, 656 

In boiled cider, 658 

in grape juice, 658 
pricker, 649 

pudding or parfait mousse, 972 
punch, 790 
rolls, 734 
sauce, 968 
sirups, 661 
stains, 342 

citric acid for, 326 

Javelle water for, 329 

on colored goods, 342 

on gloves, 346 

on linen, 338 

oxalic acid for, 325, 326 

removal from linen, 338 
sweetmeats, 733 
tarts, 734 
vinegar, 672 
Fruits, candied, 732 
cold storage for, 94 
food map of, 619 
large, canning, 655 
small, canning, 654 
Frying pan, sal sod"a for, 311 
Fudge cake, 1003 

frosting, 1003 
Fuel, coal, coke, gas, 69-70 

kinds of, 69 
Full cream cheese, American, 1061 
Fuller's earth as an absorbent, 328 

for cleaning alabaster, 537 

for cleaning carpets, 411 

for cleaning china, 319 

for cleaning gloves, 568 

for cleaning hearths, 304 

for cleaning Panama hats, 350 

for cleaning white paint, 418 

for polishing windows, 426 

for the complexion, 565 

for the removal of grease from 
floors, 418 

for the removal of oil stains from 
marble, 436 

in scoui'ing mixture, 331 

in toilet powders, 572 
Fumigation by formaldehyde, 142 
disinfection by, 141 



INDEX 



1137 



Fumigation, sulphur, 144 

to kill rats, 459 
Fur cleaning, 348-9 

moths feed on, 445 

removal of, 312 
Furnace, draught, indirect, 71 

shaking down, 392 

waste of heat, preventing, 73 
Furnaces, as heating system, 70 

underfeed system, 71 
Furnishings, 33, 35, 57 
Furniture, 33, 34, 35, 36, 52 

care of, 428-430 

coloring and polishing, 512 

disinfection of, 140 

holes in, to till, 512 

leather, care of, 519 

packing and painting, 442, 494, 514 

paste foi-, 510 

polish, preparation of, 512, 515 

scratches, scratching, 398,-429 

soap for, 429 

transparent varnish for, 504 

upholstered, cleaning, 433 

varnished, polishing, 514 

washing and waxing, 428, 514 

wood, oils for, 429 
Furs, storage and moth protection, 94, 
448-9 

animal fibers, 332 

luster, improvement of, 349 

to clean, 348, 450 



Galls, for red ink, 530 

for restoring faded ink, 533 

for waterproofing leather, 524 
Garbage, disposal of, 63, 319, 320 

receptacles, 307 
Oarcia salad, 950 
Garden plants, hardening off, 251 
protection, 251 
transplanting, 251 
Gardens, combined, 252 

cultivation, 251 

enemies of, 270 

fertilization, 245 

field mice in, 276 

friends of, 270 

fruit, 252 

insect pests, 278 

location, 244 

moles in, 276 

plants, 245 

planting, 245 

seed beds, 250 

seeds, 245 

table for planting, 246 

toads, 276 

vegetable, 244, 252 
planting, 246 

woodchucks in, 277 
Garlic vinegar, 674 
Garments, burning, to put out, 77 

flreprooflng, 80 

men's and women's, dry cleaning, 342, 
344 

packing and storage of, 450 
Gas, 82-7 

acetylene, 82-3, 87 

arc lamps, 87 

broiling with, 306 

consumption, 84 

engines, 105 

for cooking and heating, 74 

for lighting, 306 

fuel, 69, 70 

gasoline, 82, 83, 88 

grates, under a chimney flue, 73 

illuminating, cost of, 82 



G«B, Incandescent, cost per hour, 82, 83 

in living rooms, 73 

ironing with, 306 

jets, 74, 84 

logs, under chimney flue, 73 

made from bituminous coal, 69, 83 

mains and meters, 83, 84, 87 

pressure of, 83-6 

range, care of and utensils, 304-6 

regulation of, 87 

troubles, 86 

water heaters, 75 
Gases, disinfection with, 141 
Gasoline, as a cleanser, 339, 341, 344, 
346, 371, 412, 418, 426 

for cleaning the bathroom, 409 

for destroying ants and ant nests, 
460-1 

for destroying bedbugs and fleas, 
454-5 

for repelling moths, 447 

for stains, 334, 418, 436 

gas, 83, 88 

in stove polish, 303 

nature of, 329 

stains, gypsum for, 330 

stoves, 74 

use of, 329, 339 
Gelatin, 473, 477, 532 

cream, 979 
Gems, care of, 505, 534 

entlre-ioheat, 816 

hominy, 814 

rice, 836 

rye, 811 
Oenuine Johnny Cake, 818 
Geranium cake, 1009 

leaves, 389, 578 

oil of, test for, 576 

perfume, 580 
German cherry pie, 991 
Germs (see bacteria), 191 

breeding places of, 319 

cause filth diseases, 319 

in dust, 393 
Gilding, varnish for, 507 
Gilt frames, mending, 431, 432 

cleaning, 431, 432, 435 

picture frames, protection of, 430 
Gin, for cleaning silk, 340 
Ginger ieer, 791 

candy, 734 

cream, 978 

lozenges, 740 

pastilles, 732 

pop, 791 

punch, 795 

sherbet, 974 

snaps, 994 

sugar, preparation of, 742 

water ice, 973 
Gingerbread cheese, 1081 

Time's, 1625 

with chocolate glaze, 1008 

with tchipped cream, 1008 
Ginghams, washing, 360 
Glace kid gloves, 346 
Glands, sebaceous, 539 
Glass, annealing, 535 

bottles, ink for marking, 529 

broken, for filling rat holes, 459 
for making spirit varnish, 503 

burning, for moles, 541 

cement for, 479, 480, 485, 486 

cut, packing, 442 

cutting, 535 

graduate, for toilet preparations, 562 

gum-arabic cement for, 476 

isinglass for, 478 

mending, 486 



1138 



INDEX 



Glass, metal, attaching to, 483 

paper, for smoothing furniture, 514 

polishing, 437 

plaster-of-Parls cement for, 483 

soluble, for floors, 42 
for preventing fires, 80 
in paints, 496 

stained, Imitation oi, 535 

stoppers, 433 

washing, 307 

windows, restoration of, 427 
varnish for, 506 
Glassware, care of, 313-5 

cement for, 483 

dishcloths for, 310 

peach-tree gum for mending, 485 
Glazing frescoes, 422 
Globe artichoke, vegetable, 1090 
Globes, cleaning, 323 
Gloss oil, for barrel paint, 496 

removing from fabrics, 345 
Gloves, cleaning and care of, 345-8 

black, dye for, 530 
Glue, calcimine, 487 

fish, 473 

flexible, 477 

for cleaning crape lace, 345 

for doing up black lace, 370 

for filling cracks, 414 

for gilding, 486 

for mending gilt frames, 432 

for mending shoes, 521 

for staining floors, 415 

for water-color paint, 487 

in brick wash, 421 

in washing powders, 364 

in whitewash, 420, 421 

liquid, 477 

marine, 482 

nature of, 473 

paint, for kitchen floors, 496 

parchment, 485 

photogi'aph, 477 

portable, 477-8 

Spalding's, 478 

use of, 474 

waterproof, 477 

with starch, 382 

size, for fireproof paint. 495 
for holes in furniture, 512 
for killing knots, 499 
for paper hanging, 475 
for polishing wood, 513 
for showcard ink, 531 
with plaster-of-Paris, 536 
Glues, compound, 484 
Gluten, in flour, 473 
Glycerin, for flexible glue, 477 

for hectograph and rubber stamp, ink, 
532 

for freckles, 563 

for removing coffee stains, 337, 338 

for the complexion, 565 

for the hands, 554-5 

for windows, 426 

in blacking, 525 

in chemical soap, 331 

in cold cream, 571 

in collodion cement, 485 

ill copying ink, 529 

in fats, 357 

in fixed animal oils, 510 

in honey balsam, 565 

in soap. 357 

in soluble glass paints, 496 

in stove polish, 302 

nature of, 565 
scenting, 580 
aold cake, 1011 

chain, cleaning, 534 



Gold coin, English, 778 
United States, 777 
color, for mixing paint, 498 
coloring, 535 
ink, preparation of, 531 
jewelry, to color, 535 
lace, cleaning, 342 
medal cornbread, 819 
sealing wax, 509 
Good roads, 295 

Goods, white, bleaching when faded, 3' 
citric acid for, 326 
dry cleaning, 336 
to keep from fading, 353 
Goose feathers, 59 
Gooseberries, pruning, 269 
Gooseberry catsup, 689 
pie, 991 
vinegar, 673 
Oorgonzola cheese, 1062 
Ooulash, Hungarian, 1050 
Gowns, packing, 443 

starching, 382 
Grading grounds, 238 

lawns, 238 
Grafting, trees, 260 

wai, 480 
Grafts, propagation of, 260 

tree, 260 
Oraham biscuits, 810 
bread, 801 

made from sour millc, 817 
griddlecakes, 814 
' loaf, steamed, 815 
Grain, measuring, 756 
Grand Union cabbage, 951 
Granite sugar, coloring, 742 
Grape blancmange, 963 
catsup, 690 
jelly, ripe. 659 
juice, fruit, 660 

preserving fruit in, 658 
vinegar, 670 
tcater ice, 972 
Grapes, canning, 655 

ripe, for chapped lips, 575 
Grapevines, pruning, 268 
Graphite, as a lubricator, 511 
Grass seeds, lawn, 242 
stains, 326, 332, 336 
Grates, asphaltum varnish for, 506 
blowers for, 76 
care of, 70, 73, 304, 438 
cleaning, 312 
Gravel concrete, 281 
Gravy, roast beef, 882 
Gray paint, 498 
Grease, absorbents for, 328 
axle, 512 
kettle for, 311 

machine, sal soda for removing, 33f' 
removal of, 328, 412 
from carpets, 412 
from fioors, 417 
from fur, 349 
from ironware, 311 
from leather, 519 
from silk, 339 
from wallpaper, 424 
spots, 336, 342 

alum for removing, 337 
on colored goods, 342 
moths prefer, 446 
to clean, with gasoline, 329 
to remove with turpentine, 328 
washing fluid for, 362 
Grebe feathers and skins, care of, 349 
Oreen beans to blanch, 1092 
plain, 1093 
with pork, 1093 



INDEX 



1139 



Green corn, tomato and cheese, 1071 

vegetable, 1104 
currant pie, 991 
gooseberries, canning, 655 
lima beans, 1093 
or string beans, 1092 
peas, 1091 

pea soup, 856, 939, 1108 
peppers, 1057, 1103 

hashed with potatoes, 927 

stuffed, 930 

stuffed and baked, 1103 
Greens, spring, 1090 
Grenades, 79 
Griddlecakes, 817 
blueberry, 812 
bread, 823 
Graham, 814 
7(am, 911 
hominy, 838 
Indian, 813 
yaw, 812 
one-egg, 813 
rice, 836 
ivhole-wheat, 813 
Grill, high and narrow, 51 
Grilled slices of beef icith Creole sauce, 

892 
Groceries, ordering and storing, 63, 67 
Ground-rice cake, 1011 
Grounds, 237 
designed, 254 
drainage, 240 
grading, 238 
plan, 253 
shrubs, 256 
trees, 256 
GruySre cheese, 1063 
Guitars, cleaner for, 430 
Gum, amber, in black asphalt varnish, 
502 
arable, cement, 476 

for cleaning brass, 441 

for cleaning laces, 370 

for cleaning marble, 435 

for faded carpets, 412 

for renovating men's clothes, 344 

for renovating woolen goods, 343 

for starching curtains, 388 

for starching laces, 387 

for stiffening silk, 386 

for washing delicate fabrics, 368 

in almond preparations, 500, 503 

in blacking paste, 525 

in French polish, 513 

in indelible ink, 530 

in ink, 528 

in isinglass cement, 478 

in leather blackening, 518 

in leather varnish, 506 

in metal and show card ink, 531 

in safety matches, 537 

in waterproofing harness, 526 

instead of starch, 382 

nature of, 500 

paste, 475 

with plaster-of-Parls, 536 

with starch, 381 
benzoin, in Circassian cream, 574 

in French polish, 513, 514 

in rouge, 574 

in sachets, 578 
camphor, for protecting silver, 316 
copal, cutting with alcohol. 515 

for polishing furniture, 515 

in French polish, 513 

in resin cement, 479 
mesquite, nature of, 500 
peach-tree, 485 
sandarac, in French polish, 513 



Gum, for waterproofing leather, 524 
Senegal, 500 

shellac, for blackened walls, 425 
tragacanth, in mucilage, 476 
in rouge, 573 
in water-color paint, 487 
nature of, 501 

varnish for window glass, 506 
Oumbo, beef, 853 
canning, 663 
okra, 853 
Gums, nature of, 500 
Gutta percha, cleaning, 437 
clotheslines, 376 
in asphalt varnish, 502 
in map varnish, 506 
in rubber cement, 481 
nature of, 474 
Gutters, for cellars, 403 

specifications for painting, 492 
Gypsum, as an absorbent, 328 
cement, 483 

for gasoline stains, 330 
for glue size, 475 
in sealing wax, 508 
nature of, 536 



Haddie, broiled, 874 

creamed, 874 

Finnan d la Delmonico, 874 

shredded, 874 
Haddock, baked, 866 
Hair, anatomy of, 539 

brushes, care of, 585-6 

care of, 584 

curled, for mattresses and pillows, 58 

curling, 596 

dyes, 584-5 

falling out, 589 

gray, prevention of, 595 

nature of, 584 

oils, coloring and compounding, 592 

perfumes, compounding and use, 592-3 

powders, compounding, 597 

tonics, compounding, 589, 591 

washes, compounding, 588-9 
Hairdressing, 584 
Halibut, baked, 866 

boudins, 870 

ramequins, 870 

salad, 871 

salt, or salmon, broiled, 872 
Ham-and-chicken mold, 917 

-and-potato pie, 912 

and poached eggs, 1047 

balls, 911 

idled, 1021 
and eggs, 909 

griddlecakes, 911 

omelet, 845 

sandwiches, 912 

shredded, 911 

smoked, storing, 700 

souffle, 911 

steak, 909 

toast, 911 

to boil, 908 

loith cream, sauce, 1047 
Hamburg steak, 1053 
Hammock beds on porch, 57 
Hamper, clothes, 355 

for the bathroom, 544 
Hams, mutton, pickling, 697 

pork, curing and smokirg, 698-9 
Handkerchiefs, doing up, 385 

flatiron for, 383 

salt for, 365 

washing, 365, 372 



1140 



INDEX 



Handles, of kettle lids, 313 

knife, fastening, 315 
Hands, alkalies cliap, 362 

care of, 302, 402, 553-6 
Hanging wallpaper, 422 
Hangnails, prevention of, 556 
Hard coal, as fuel, 69 

sauce^ 968 
Hardening ofC garden plants, 251 
Hardware, varnish for, 506 
Hardwood floors, over old, 41, 42 

preferable, 34 
Haricot of mutton, 1046 
Harness, care of, 519, 526 

cement for, 482 
Harvest, ice, commercial and domestic, 

94-5 
Hash, casserole or Italian, 1051 

corned ieef, ivith poached eggs, 1047 

vegetable, 937, 1104 
Hashed turnips, 1098 
Hasty pudding, 829 
Hats, packing, 443 

Panama and straw, cleaning, 349, 350 
Hay, for packing china, 441 

mattresses, 58 

measurement of, 762 
Headaches, 51, 55, 83 
Heart, stuffed, 1050 
Hearth, 304, 437 
Heat, artificial, 103 

disinfection by, 136 ' 

suggestions concerning, 54, 74-5 
Heaters, gas, to heat water, 75 
Heating, 69-71 
Hedge shears, 267 
Hedges, deciduous, pruning, 269 
Height, infants', 224 
Hellebore, cockroach destroyer, 452 

in stored bedding, 409 
Hemming table linen, 389 
Herb soup, 859. 1106 
Herbs, drying, 713 

fine, 1110 

flavoring, 1057 

storing, 708 
Herring, baked salt, 874 
Hickory cake, 1011 
Hinges, varnish for, 503 
Hoarhouud candy, 740 
Hoe Cake, Aunt Anne's, 819 

Southern, 818 

Mrs. Jake's, 818 
Holders, iron and stove, 303, 384 
Holes, in furniture, filling, 512 

mouse and rat. stopping, 457 
Holiday cake, 1000 
Homemade cheese, 1066 

xoedding cake, 1012 
Hominy and corn meal, 1105 

fine, 834 

gems, 814 

griddlecakes, 838 

or rice, or m,uffns, 816 

in cream sauce, 838 

mush, 830 
Honey, adulteration of, 642 

artificial, making, 745 

clarification of, 744 

extraction of, 744 

for almond paste, 569 

for chapped lips, 574 

for lavender water, 532 

for metal ink, 531 

for soap, 550 

for the complexion, 565 

for the hands. 554-556 

for washing silks, 372 

in cleansing mixture, 330 
Honeycomb, preservation of, 744 



Hoofs and horns, glue from, 473 
Hookworm disease, 170 
extermination of, 171 
prevention, 173 
treatment, 171 
Horlick's infant food, 228 
Horseradish, 563, 564, 673, 690, 1058 
salad dressing, buttermilk cream, 1079 
sauce icith boiled beef, 1049 
Hose, as dusters, 395 

cleaning men's clothes, 342 
garden, for rinsing blankets, 375 
Hot aigre dou;:, 969 
air, bath, heating, 70-3 
engines. 105 
Hotbeds, 245 
permanent, 250 
stone, 250 
Hot pudding sauces, 968 
chocolate pudding, 964 

sauces, 968 
creme d'amande sauce, 969 
currant-jelly sauce, 9^69 
foamy sauce, 968 
fruit sauce, 968 
hard sauce, 968 
lemon sauce, 969 
maple sauce, 969 
orange sauce, 968, 969 
soft custard, 969 
straivberry sauce, 968 
vanilla sauce, 969 
Hotchpotch, 854 

House cleaning, fall and spring, 402-6 
valuable suggestions, 33 
drains, 114 
position of, 101 
Household remedies, 466, 764 
Houseleeks, to keep away flies, 463 
Huckleberry cake, 1010 

pudding, 962 
Hungarian goulash, 1050 
Hungary water, preparation of, 582 
Hydrochloric acid, for bleaching, 328 
in blue ink, 531 
In liquid blacking, 525 
in paste blacking, 524 
test for, 672 
Hydrocyanic-acid gas for exterminating 
white ants, 462 
bedbugs, 452 

carpet beetles and cockroaches, 452 
fleas, 455 
moths, 448 
Hydrogen, in illuminating gas, S3 
in kerosene, 91 
peroxide of, 611 
for sunburn, 566 
Hydrophobia, (see rabies), 174 

Ice cream, adulteration of, 643 

box, care of, 236 
infants' food, 235 

cream from condensed milk, 979 

infection from. 151 

uses of, 94, 95, 97 
Iced chocolate, 975 

coffee, 975 

lemonade, 976 

raspberry vinegar, 976 

rice pudding, 983 
Icehouse, construction, 95-6 
Ices, candy, 743 

various applications of, 742, 743 
Icing for chocolate fingers, 997 
Illuminating oil. testing, 89 
Illumination, 82. 87-8 
Impetigo, contagious, 201 

symptoms of. 188 
Incense, 577, 579 



INDEX 



1141 



Inch boards, measuring, 754 

subdivisions of, 749 
Indelible ink, 334, 335, 530 
India curry, 1059 
ink, making, 529 

nature of, 529 

uses of, 81, 474, 481-2, 503, 523-4, 
526, 530, 679 
Indian meal, 834 

tapioca pudding, 964 
Indigestion, infants', 183 
Indigo, 513, 525, 526, 531 
iu ink, 529, 533 
in toilet prepaiations, 562 
Infantile blindness, 179 
Infantile paralysis, infection of, 188 
prevention of, 189 
quarantine, 189 
symptoms of, 188, 189 
Infants, 204 

artificial feeding, 217 
artificial foods, 227 
basket for travel, 209 
bathing, 207 
beds, 209 
birth, 203 
bottle feeding, 220 
breast feeding, 211 
cholera morbus, 180 
clotliing, 205 
"colicky," 185 
constipation, 183 
crying, 205 
death rate, 177 
deaths, causes of, 178 
diapers, 181, 206 
diseases, colic, 185 

quarantine, 186 
drugs to be avoided, 183 
dysentery, 180 
egg water, 230 
eruptions, 182 
feeding, 221, 227 

according to height, 223 

beef juice, 229 

beef tea, 229 

broths, 229 

condensed milk, 227 

cow's milk, 233 

meat broth, 229 

orange juice, 229 

problem of, 223 

quantity, 223 

soups, 229 

tables for, 222 

weight, 223 
fever, 182 
fontanelles, 178 
food, Eskay's, 228 

Horlick's, 228 

ice box for, 235 

Mellen's, 228 

window box for, 236 
foods, 229 

improper, 230 
fresh air, 208 
handling, 210 
height, 224 
improper foods, 230 
indigestion, 183 
intestinal diseases, 181 
kissing, 205 
milk mixtures, 226 
mouth, care of, 208 
naps, 210 
new born, 204 
nipples, rubber, 215 
nursing, 218 

bottles, care of, 214 

bottles, selection of, 215 

intervals, 213 



Infants, pulse, 178 

quieting, 211 

respiration, 178 

rest, 209 

rubber nipples, 215 

standing, 211 

sleep, 209, 210 

solid foods, 230 

soothing syrup, 183 
standing, 211 

summer complaint, 180 
diarrhoea, ISO 

sunshine, 209 

teething, 182 

temperature, 179 

walking, 211 

whey, 230 

weaning, 210 

weight, 224 

well, 204 

wet nurses, 216 
Infection, contact, 132 

infantile paralysis, 188 

measles, 197 

meningitis, 190 

prevention of, 135 

scarlet fever, 194 

smallpox, 169 

typhoid fever, 150 

whooping cough, 198 
Inflammation of eyes, 180 
Ingrain carpets, 39. 43 

wall paper, 36, 37, 38, 53, 423 
Ink, absorbents for, 328 

blue and bronze, 531 

colored, 527, 531 

gold, green, 531 

hectograph, 532 

indelible, 334, 540 
removing, 334, 530 

lithographic, 533 

making, 528, 530 

marking. 335, 337 

metal label, 532 

printers', 336, 533 

red, making, 530 

removal of. 334, 335, 336, 342, 348, 
429, 533 

rubber stamp, 532 

show card and metal, 531 

stains, removal of, 326, 335, 337, 345, 
519 

stylographic, 334 

sympathetic, 531 
Insect pests, gardens, 278 
Insects, soap for repelling, 552 

to avoid when painting, 488 
Instruments, musical, cement and var- 
nish for, 508 
Intestinal diseases, 180 
of infants, 181 
symptoms of, 181 
Iodine, soap, 552 

soluble in turpentine, 328 

stains, to remove, 318, 327, 328, 334, 
336, 338, 341 
Iron beds, 57, 58 

fences, varnish for, 503 

filings, 405, 484, 495, 497 

galvanized, for garbage cans, 320 

kettles, cleaning. 311 

mold, removal of, 333 

polishing, 385 

rust, treatment of, 326. 333, 435, 438 

shovels, varnish for, 503 

sinks, care of, 320 

sulphate of, 345, 349, 415, 497, 534 

tannate of, 334. 335, 527 
Ironing. 306. 379-87 
Irons, 383, 384 
IroHware, 303, 307, 311, 480, 483 



1142 



IJ\DEX 



Ironwork, 492, 502, 503 
Irrigation beds, 119 

sub-surface, 120 

surface, 119 
Isinglass, 473 

for leather furniture, 519 

for rouge, 574 

for waterproofing cloth, 81 

in leather cement, 485 

nature of, 473, 478 

size, 508 

testing, 474 

with starch, 382 
Italian macaroni and cheese, 1072 

or casserole hash, 1051 

tutti-frutti, 973 
Itch, barber's, 600 

mite, 200 

treatment, 20Q 

symptoms of, 188 
Ivory black, for blacking and coloring, 
513, 519, 524, 525, 527 
for sealing wax, 509 
for waterproofing shoes, 523 

Chinese cement for, 479 

cleaning, 433 

etching on, 536 

-handled knives, 315, 316 

hardening and softening, 585 

mucilage for, 476 



Jam pudding, 959 

Jams, adulteration of, 640 

Japan dryer for fioors, 415 

varnish, for painting bath tubs, 543 
Japanese cement, 475 
Japanned ware, 313 
Jar, rose, 347 
Jardiniere salad, 952 
Jasmine, 578, 580 
Javelle water, 329, 336, 347, 348 
Jellies, adulteration of, 640 

sirup gauge for, 650 
Jelly, apple, 659 

cheese, salad, 1079 

calf's foot, gelatin, 473 

covering, 660 

crab-apple, 659 

cream t-bonbons, 727 

currant, 659 

grape, ripe, 659 

making, 658 

plum, 659 

quince, 660 

rolls, 734, 1011 

sauce, 970 

soap, 365 
Jerusalem artichoke, vegetable, 1098 
Jet, black varnish, for leather, 535 

for leather, 526 
Jets, for cellars, 403 
Jewelers, cement for, 478 

cleaning and polishing jewelry and 
glassware, 314, 318 
Jewelry, care of, 534-5 

Chinese cement for, 479 

disinfection of, 146 

repairing, varnish for, 505 
Johnny Cake, genuine, 818 
Rhode Island, 817 
Southern, 818 
Juice, fruit, 660 
Junket cheese, 1067 
Juniper tar soap, 552 



Kale 'boiled with pork, 929 
minced, 929, 1087 
sea, 108T 



Kale, vegetable, 1087 

with pork, 1087 
Kalydor, for the complexion, 565 
Kartoffelkosse, 942 
Kedgeree, 870 
Kerosene, 88, 90, 93 

burning test, 90 

can for, 322 

for bleaching white goods, 354 

for brightening rugs, 399 

for carpets, 396, 410, 412 

for cleaning, 302, 305, 315, 409, 416, 
419, 428, 430, 434, 435, 440, 520 

for cleaning pianos, 430 

for destroying house pests, 454, 461, 
463, 465 

for irons, 384 

for painted sinks, 320 

for preventing rust on stoves, 438 

for removing mud stains, 336 

for scouring and polishing, 311, 312, 
417 

for shoes, 522 

for table oil cloths, 399 

for washing curtains, 371 

for washing fluids, 363, 365 

for washing metal bedsteads, 407 

for whetstones, 512 

in the laundry, 361 
Kettles, 307, 311, 312, 313 

greasy, washing fluid for, 362 

hot, shelf for, 64 
Keys, 427, 428 

piano, 430 
Kid, black, olive oil for, 347 
restoring color of, 521 

boots, care of, 521 

gloves, 340, 347, 348 

shoes, mending and cleaning, 521 
Kidderminster carpet, 39 
Kidney d la Baden-Baden, 889 

beans, shelled, 1093 

Hungarian, 889 

omelet, 903 
Kidneys, infection of, 194 

a la Mattre d'Hdtel, 898 

broiled, 889 

deviled, 898 
King bird, 271 

Kinks in clotheslines, to avoid, 377 
Kisses, candy, 717, 737 
Kissing of infants, 205 
Kitchen, 61, 67 

bouquet, 1058 

cupboard, 307 

floors, covering for, 37, 40, 42 
glue paint for, 496 

gas-water heaters, 75 

hinged table for, 308 

kinks, 1032 

range, care of, 302 

shelf in, 307 
Knife handles, fastening, 315 

ivory, bleaching, 316 
Knit goods, drying, 378 
Knitted shawls, washing, 374 
Knives and forks, care of, 315 

table, 366 

washing, 315 
Knots, killing, 489, 499 

painting, 488 
Knotting, 488 
Kohl-rabi, 1100 

boiled, 931, 1100 

canning, 663 
Kreuznach horns, 807 



Label for metals, 479 
ink, acid-proof, 503 



INDEX 



1143 



Label, ink for metals, 532 

mucilage, 476 
Labels, 66 

casein cement for, 481 
Lac paint, on cotton, 42 

resin, nature of, 500 

varnish, nature of, 499 

Tarnishes, 502, 503 
shellac in, 502 
Lace, 368, 369, 370 

crape, cleaning, 345 

curtains, 368, 370 
for bedspreads, 59 
mending, 46 

doing up, 387 

dry-cleaning, 342 

drying, 369, 387 

flatiron for, 383 

gold, cleaning, 342 

hanging out, 377 

ironing, 385, 387 

silver, cleaning, 342 

starching, 387 

storing, 451 

tinting, 387 

whitening, 827 

wrinkles, removing, 387 
Lacquers, 504 
Lactic acid, uses of, 326 
Lady Baltimore cake, 1007 
Lamb and mutton, 895 

boiled leg of, 895 

breast of, 895 

chops, a la Boulangdre, 897 
breaded, 896 
broiled, 897 

curry of, 896 

cuts of, 628 

fricassee, 898 

in savory stetv, 899 

kidneys d la Mattre d'Hdtel, 898 

liver, curried, 898 

mound, with peas, 899 
Lamb, mutton chops d la Cleveland, 
897 

mutton haricot, 896 

mutton, imitation barbecue, 895 
steic, 895 

pressed, 895 

rice croquettes, 899 

roast, 895 

sandioiches, 826 

stew, army, 896 

roast, 895 

stuffed shoulder, 895 
Lamb's liver, curried, 898 
Lampblack, for blackboards, 495 

for harness, 519 

for sealing wax, 509 

for waterproofing and blacking, 82 

from lamps, 92 

in black paint, 498 

in chemical soap, 331 

in indelible ink, 334 

Jn India ink, 530 

In ink, 527 

in marking ink, 529 

in printing ink, 533 

in varnish, 504 

nature of, 524 
Lamps, alcohol, 50 

carbon, 92 

care of, 90, 321, 322, 323 

carrying, 91 

chemistry of, 91 

chimneys, selection and care of, 90, 
91, 322, 323 

don't open when hot, 90 

explosion of, preventing, 91 

filling, 90, 91 



Lamps, gas arc, 87 

kerosene, 88 

cost per hour, 82, 83 
effect on health, 82, 83 

lampblack, 92 

night, effect on health, 92 

oil, selection of, 89 

on fire, putting out, 91, 93 

radiators for, 74 

soot from, 92 

student, 89, 92, 93 

trimming, 90 
Land measure, 753 
rules for, 751 
U. S. Government, 752 

new clearing, 278 

waste, estimate of, 752 
Langosta a la Catalana, 878 
Lanterns, 93 
Lard, adulteration of, 704 

bleaching, 704 

cocoanut, in marine soap, 551 

for cold cream, 571 

for creaking doors, 427 

for finger nails, 556 

for gas ranges, 305 

for harness, 526 

for preventing rust on irons, 383 

for protecting tinware, 312 

for removing tar, 333, 340, 342 

for soft sealing wax, 509 

for squeaking shoes, 521 

oil, uses of, 464, 511, 522 

pails, uses of, 66 

rectified, for rouge, 573 
for toughening nails, 557 

storing, 704 

with starch, 382 
Large fruits, canning, 655 
Lath boxes, for vegetables, 713 
Lathing, cost of, 750 
Laudanum, for fly paper, 463 
Laundry bag, for the bathroom, 544 

bags, making, 355 

closet, 324 

curtains to launder, 371 

linoleum for, 40 

utensils and methods, 355, 356, 357, 
358, 360 
Lawn grass, shady nook, 243 

origin of word, 351 
Lawns, 237 

designs for, 254 

doing up, 365, 366, 381, 382 

drainage, 240 

fertilization, 242, 243 

field mice in, 276 

grading, 238 

grass seeds, selection, 242 

maintenance, 243 

moles in, 276 

planting, 243, 254 

shrubbery for, 253 

soil for. 238 

trees for, 253 
Layer cake, 1004 

Lead, acetate of, for invisible ink, 532 
for paint dryer, 487 
for waterproofing and blacking, 81, 82 

adhesives, 482, 484 

color paint, 498 

for solder, 517 

in cement, 484 

pipes, protection of, 405 

sheet, for damp walls, 425 

sugar of, for waterproofing, 81, 82 

sulphide of, for protecting lead pipe, 
405 
Leaders, cement and tar varnish for, 
403, 482, 506 



1144 



INDEX 



Leaf, bay, 1058 

Leaks, stopping, 76, 77, 405, 483 
Leather, 518, 519, 522, 524, 526, 527 
cement for, 481, 484 
cleaning, 325 

fastening to metal, 482, 485 
glue for, 477, 478 
imitation of, for walls, 36 
iron holders, 22, 303 
removing mildew from, 519 
Russian, repelling moths from, 447 
varnish for, 506 
Leaves, black currant, for sachet, 578 

table, storing, 61 
Leek soup, 854, 1103 

cream of, 1107 
Left over cold meats, 1041 
Left-overs, baked bean rarebit, 938 
heef, deviled, 892 

fricassee, 892 

hash, 893 

ragout, with tomato, 892 
ieignets of buns, 823 
bread croquettes, 823 

crumb buckivheat cakes, 822 

griddlecakes, 823 

rice, 836 

roulettes, 823 

sauce, 823 
brown-bread brewis, 821 

cream toast, 822 

saute, 822 
bubble and squeak, 891 
cabbage jelly, 938 
cauliflower au fromage, 939 
caulifloiver, savory, 939 
chicken and ham mold, 917 

and macaroni, 918 

croquettes, 918 

gallosch, 918 

omelet, 918 
souffle, 918 
corn beef, creamed au gratin, 893 

omelet, 938 

fritters, 938 
croquettes. Block Island, 912 

lamb and rice, 899 

lobster, 871 

ri(^, 837 

salmon, 871 
Fatherland farm beef loaf, 893 
fish friandises. 870 

puff balls, 871 

spiced, 871 
/rierf bread, 822 
gems, rice, 836 
griddlecakes, hominy, 838 

nce^ 836 
grilled slices of beef with Creole 

sauce, 892 
halibut boudins, 870 

ramequins, 870 
ham-and-potato pie, 912 
7(om fecfUs^ 911 

griddlecakes, 911 

sandwiches, 912 

shredded, 911 

so«7??c, 911 

toas*, 911 
/i.eod awdt trotters, to prepare, 852 
hominy muffins, raised, 838 
kedgeree, 870 
iamb I'M savory stew, 899 

mound ivith peas, 899 
lettuce, united, 937 
macaroni croquettes, 839 
meat, minced with poached eggs, 891 
mock terrapin, 892 
muffins, farina, 831 



Left-overs, hominy, raised, 838 

oatmeal, 837 

rice o«d cornmeal, 836 
mush and bacon, fried, 837 

/Wed, 837 
WM< 6ai?s, 905 
omelet, asparagus, 939 
onion souffle, 938 
papas rellenas, 893 
porfc cutlets, 912 
potato-and-tomato-salad, 945 
potatoes, browned, 944 

coJd croquettes, 941 

croquettes, 944 

puffs, 944 

Chartreuse, 944 

cream.ed, 944 

curried, 945 

Delmonico, 943 

duchesse. 944 

glazed stveet, 945 

hashed broivn, 945 

Hongroise, 941 

Lyonnaise, 944 

steived, 944 

sweet, 945 

wi*/!. hard-boiled eggs, 944 

wi*7i ?amb stuffing, 899 
pudding, cream rice, 837 
remains of boiled dinner, 893 
rice, it>if7i tZcrie sauce, 836 

«'if7j. cheese crust, 835 
/ roos* See/, Pillau, 892 
Robert sauce, 937 
salad, halibut, 871 

sweet potato, 945 
salmon salad molds, 871 
sandioiches, baked bean, 936 

iw cream sauce, 822 

tongue, 894 
scones, 945 
fiOMp, baked bean, 937 

corM, 936 

cream o/ cor?!., 937 

green pea, 939 

Monday, 939 

2)ea, 936 
spinach in molds, 936 

rechauffe, 938 
steamed bread, 821 
sweet potato au gratin, 945 

croquettes, 942 

6afce(Z, 942 

glazed, 942 

i» cream, 942 
ioos*. 821 

miWc, 822 

tomato, 823 
toasted sandwiches. 821 
tomatoes, scalloped, and onions, r 
turkey, scalloped, 917 
vegetable hash, 937 

curried, 938 
toaffles, rice, 836 
whipped, 944 
tvhite-bread brewis, 822 
Lemon and raisin pie, 991 
caramels, 737 
crcfljn., 977 

drops, 732 
essence of, for removing paint from 
silk, 340 

for removing stains from linen, 336 
extract, adulteration of, 641 
for cleaning vases, 314 
juice, acid principle of, 326 

for cleaning alabaster, 537 

for cleaning prints, 432 

for cleaning straw hats, 349 

for fixing colors, 367 



INDEX 



1145 



Lemon juice, for ivory knife handles, 
316, 433 
for removing iron rust, 333, 436 
for removing match stains, 419 
for the toilet, 553, 557, 563, 565 
in rouge, 574 

in wash day preparations, 326, 331, 
333, 335, 336 
meringue pudding, 957 
oil of, for perfume, 577, 578, 583 
peel, for toilet use, 578, 581 
pie, 990 

queen caJce, 1009 
salts of, 325, 327 
sauce, 909 
sherbet, 973 

ivith gelatin, 974 
sponge cake, 1005 
sugar, preparation of, 742 
water ice, 973 
Lemonade, 795 
egg, 792 
picnic, 793 
pineapple, 793 
portable, 792 
sparkling, 794 
Lemons, pickled, 683 
Length, measures of, 779 
Lentils, 1095 

baked, 926, 1095 
Leprosy, 174 
Lettuce, 1089 

boiled, 925, 1089 

salad tvith cream dressing, 1112 

with French dressing, 1112 
icilted, 937 
with peas, 925, 1091 
Library paste, making, 475 
Lice, body, 199 
crab, 199 
symptoms of. 188 
treatment, 198 
Licorice lozenges, 740 
Light and color, 36, 45, 83 
Lightening conductors, 298 
Lighting, 69 

systems, cost of. 82 
Lima beans, canning, 663 
green, 926 
storing, 711 
Lime, air-slaked, 139 

avoiding, in tea kettle, 312 
chloride of, (see also chloride of 
lime), 138, 452, 456 
disinfectant. 137 
for bleaching, 350, 352 
for removing stain, 333, 335 
in soap, 552 
chlorinated, disinfectant. 137 

for bleaching and cleaning ivory, 
316, 433 
for cement, 476 
for cleaning wood floors, 416 
for refrigerators, 98 
for removing dampness, 404, 425 
in green paint, 497 
in paint. 487, 494 
in smelling salts. 581 
in white paint, 496 
milk of, standard solution, 138 
punch, 790 
quick, 139 

standard solution, 138 
slacked, for scouring floors, 416 
unslacked, as testf or carbonic-acid gas, 55 
for cleaning earthenware, 312 
for metal-rust protection. 439 
for purifying feathers, 408 
in freckle and sunburn lotions, 499, 
564 



Lime water, for infants, 220 
Limestone paint, mixing, 498 
Linear measure. 748, 749 
Linens, 365, 368 
as wall covering. 38 
bleaching, 326. 351 
buying and storing, 388, 389, 450, 451 
for curtains, 45 
hamper for, 355 
indelible ink for, 530 
ironing, 385 
lace, washing, 368 
laundering. 389 
muriatic acid for, 327 
not to be sprinkled, 379 
oxalic acid for, 325 
renovation of, 335. 337, 338, 351 
sheets and sheeting, 58, 60 
table, 356, 389 
tartaric acid for, 327 
vegetable fiber, 332 * 
waterproofing, 81 
Lingerie, 368 

Linoleum, 40, 41, 42. 61, 62, 396, 399 
Linoleums, waxing, 400 
Linseed oil, 38, 40, 81, 82 

as wood filler, 396 

for barrel paint, 496 

for blackening grates, 438 

for blacking paste, 525 

for cleaning brass, 434 

for cleaning brushes, 494 

for cleaning furniture. 418 

for dissolving rosin, 500 

for floors, 415 

for furniture, 430 

for mahogany furniture, 512 

for mending gilt frames, 432 

for ironware cements, 484 

for musical instruments, 430 

for oilcloth, 399 

for paints, 393 

for patent leather, 525 

for polishing furniture, 515 

for polishing table oilcloth, 400 

for preserving shoes, 519 

for priming, 488 

for printing ink, 533 

for removal of bruises on furniture, 
429 

for rubber cement, 481 

for squeaking shoes, 521 

for stained floors, 416 

for the hands, 555 

for waterproofing and blacking, 82 

for waterproofing awnings, 82 

for waterproofing canvas tents, 82 

for waterproofing cloth, 81 

for waterproofing leather, 523, 524 

from flaxseed, 486 

in boiled varnish, 514 

in cloth for dado, 38 

in linoleum, 40 

in putty, 490 

in stone varnish, 506 

in washing powder, 364 

in waterproof varnish, 502 

kinds of, 486 

nature of, 510 

raw, 486 

soluble in asphalt, 501 
Lips, chapped, 574 
Liquid blacking, 525 
glue, 477, 478 
measure. 756, 757, 758 
Liquors, for vinegar, 666 
Listerine, for the nails, 557 
Litharge, cements. 483 

for waterproofing leather, 524 
in flexible varnish, 502 



1146 



INDEX 



Litharge, in putty, 490 
Lithographic ink, 533 
Liver, braised calf's, 903 

broiled, 903 

calf's, and bacon, 903 

lamb's, curried, 898 

stewed calf's, 903 
Loaf cake untliout eggs, 1013 

cheese and macaroni, 1072 

corn meal, 819 

veal, 1055 
Lobster bisque, 857 

breaded, 878 

chowder, 857 

croquettes, 871 

curry of, 877 

French style, 878 

sandwiches, 826 
Lobsters a la Ne^oburg, 878 

creamed, 878 

rissoles of, 87S 
Lock, burglar-proof, 427 
Logwood, 334, 527, 528 

for blacking leather, 518 

for cleaning black silk, 340 

for harness, 526 

chips, for staining floors. 415 

for renovating, 343, 344, 345, 349 

ink, 525, 528, 529 

inks, removing from carpets, 412 
Long MeadoiD loaf cake, 1013 

measure, 748 
Longitude and time, 773 
Loofah, for spots and stains, 325 
Lopping shears for trees, 267 
Lotions, 402, 585 
Lozenges, 734, 740 
Lubricants, 511, 512 
Lubricators, 510, 512 
Lumber measure, 754 
Luminous ink, 532 
Lump-lac varnish, 500 
Lye, cleaning vsrith, 307, 311, 314, 317, 
441 

caustic potash, 362 
soda, 362 

for fixing dark colors, 368 

for greasy utensils, 307 

nature of, 356, 357 

in soap making, 357 

soda, for cleaning burners, 323 



Macaroni d la Napolitana, 832 

and celery, 838 

and cheese, 1071 
Italian, 1072 
loaf, 1072 

and chicken, 838, 918 

baked, 833 

creamed, on toast, 838 

croquetteSj 839 

peppers, 927 

ravioli, 832 

savory, 838 

Siciliana, 831 

with cheese and tomato sauce, 1072 

with codfish, 873 

with m,eat, 1045 

with tomatoes, 832 
Macaroons, 717, 724, 997 
Mace, for preserving linen, 389 
Macedoine of fruit, 981 
Machines, dishwashing, 308 
Mackerel, baked salt, 872 

boiled salt, 872 

broiled salt, 872 

stuffed salt, 872 
Mackintosh, cleaning, 343 
Magazines, disposition of, 406 



Magenta, for Indelible ink, 530 
Magnesia, as an absorbent, 328 
Mahogany, imitating, 415 

furniture, 50, 512 

paste for, 516 

varnish for, 504 
Malaria, 159 

from mosquitoes, 464 

prevention of, 159 

symptoms of, 159 

treatment of, 159 
Malt vinegar, 668 
Mandarin cream, 980 
Mangles, 883 
Mangoes, 678, 686 

cucumber, 1028 
Manicuring, 556, 557 
Mantels, iron wire for, 47 

marble, cleaning, 435 
Maple confections, 725, 727, 730, 737 

cream filling, 1014 

Hermits, 994 

parfait, Mrs. Proutey'Sj 1029 

sauce, 969 

sugar candy, 730 
clarification of, 718 
frosting, 1016 
gingerbread, 1000 
Maps, food, 618 

paint and varnish for, 487, 500, 506 
Marble, artificial, making, 537 

cake, 1004 

cement for, 476, 482, 483 
' cleaning, 435, 436 

clippings, for cleaning unpainted 
floors, 416 

for preventing fur on kettles, 312 

layer cake, 1000 

sealing wax, 509 
Marine glue, 482 

soap, 551 
Marjorarti for toilet waters, 581 
Marking inks, 529 
Marks, amoving from furniture, 428 

pencil, rubber eraser for, 356 
Marmalade pudding, 961 

sponge cake, 960 
Marmalades, preserving, 657 
Marseilles nougat, 738 
Marsh gas, 55, 83, 316 
Marshmallows, 717, 727, 738 
Martins, protection of, 273 
Maryland biscuits, 814 
Mastic, 506 

for oil paints, 507 

gum, Armenian cement for, 478 

in French polish, 513 

varnish, nature of, 5"00, 506 
Matches, care of, 304 

making, 537, 538 

removing stains of, 419 
Materials for canning, 650 

for preserving, 650 
Materna measure, 219 
Mats, asbestos, 68, 304 
Matting, brightening, cleaning, 390, 399, 
407, 413 

fleas favor, 455 

rugs, 42, 44, 413 

straw, avoided by carpet beetles, 451 
Mattresses, airing and brushing, 320,321 

blankets for, 60 

cleaning, 407, 408 

materials for, 58 
Mayonnaise oil, 947 
Meal, corn, loaf, 819 

rye, in wood cement, 485 
Mealy bugs, kerosene emulsion for, 469 
Measles, 196 

infection, 197 



INDEX 



1147 



Measles, prognosis, 196 

quarantine, 197 

symptoms of, 187, 196 
Measures and weights, 747 

comparison of, 762 

of value, 777 
Meat and pastry rolls, 1044 

and tomato pie, 1044 

iroivned, flavor of, 1056 

cakes, 1045 

chopped, 1052 

cold storage for, 94 

cooked, preservation of, 702 
iDith vinegar, 1052 

cookery of, 1039 

cost of, 1041 

curing, keeping, 692, 693, 694 

cuts of, cost, 629 

developing flavor of, 1055 

economical use of, 1039 

expense for diet, 1041 

extending flavor of, 1042 

improving flavor of, 1055 

methods of preparing, 1039 

minced with poached eggs, 891 

packing, 695 

pickling, 695, 697 

pie, London, 885 

pies, 1043 

pounded, 1052 

preserving, 94, 691, 695 

products, adulteration of, 644 

retaining natural flavor, 1056 

salads, 1046 

salting, 694, 696 

sauces, 1059 

commercial, 1058 

stew with dumplings, 1042 

stuffing tvith cheese, 1074 

substitutes, cheese, 1068 

substitutes, food map, 619 

sweetening tainted, 694 

turnovers, 1044 

utilizing hone, 1041 
cheaper cuts, 1048 
fat, 1041 
trimmings, 1041 

tvith beans, 1045 

wit/t eggs, 1047 

«'!*/(. macaroni, 1045 
Meats, cold, left over, 1041 

cuts of, 627 

in the diet, 626 

net cost of, 629 
Medicated soap, 551 
Medicine bottles, 314, 318 
Mcllen's infants' food, 228 
Melons, pickled, 678, 686 
Mending tissue, 481 
Meningitis, cerebrospinal, 190 

infection, 190 

quarantine, 190 

symptoms of, 190 
Men's clothes, pressing and renovating, 
343, 344 

coats, packing, 443 

garments, dry-cleaning, 342 

woolen clothes, cleaning, 344 
Menu, cheese, 1065 

Mercury, bichloride of (see bichloride 
of mercury), 139 

for destroying cockroaches, 452 
Merino, washing, 373 
Mesquite, gum, nature of, 500 
Metal beds, renovating, 407 

.ioints, cement for, 485 

lamps, 323 

roofs, specifications for painting, 492 

tops, flour cement for attaching, 475 



Metals, cement for labeling, 479 
cleaning, 434, 435 
label ink for, 532 
mucilage for, 476 
painting, 491 
paste for, 434 
preserving from rust, 439 
rosin for soldering, 500 
scouring, 325 
specific gravity of, 516 
Meters, gas, 83, 84 
Metric system, unit of, 748 
Mexican beef^ 1046 
Mica, not isinglass, 478 
Mice, destruction of. 456 
keeping matches from, 304 
in table linen, 355 
Mildew, 333, 336 
absorbents for, 329 
buttermilk for, 326 
chlorine for, 326 
in dust, 393 
on walls, 425 
prevention of, 333 
removal of, 326, 328, 333, 337, 352, 

519 
removing from linen, 336 
Milk sherbet, 975 

acid principle of, 326 
adulteration of, 233, 643 
and cheese soup, 1077 
as a cleanser for bottles, 314 
for crape lace, 345 
for gloves, 346 
for kid gloves, 348 
for leather furniture, 519 
for matting, 413 
for oil paintings, 431 
for wash boilers, 312 
for white paint, 419 
bottles, care of, 236 
care of, 233 
cow's, fat content, 218 
for ink spots, 342 
for invisible ink, 531 
for polishing silver, 317 
for shoes, 520 
for the skin, 564 
gravy with salt pork, 1056 
In casein cement, 4S0 
in the diet, 632 
in whitewash, 420 
modification, necessity of, 218 
mixing, barley water for, 219 
lime water for, 219 
materials, 219 
oatmeal water for, 219 
sugar for, 219 
utensils for, 219 
water for, 219 
mixtures, 224 

infants', 226 
modification tables, 225 
of almonds, 567 

of lime, standard solution of, 138 
pasteurization, 231 
scalding, 232 
sick room, 156 

skimmed, for matting and oil cloth, 
399 
in red paint, 497 
soups, in the diet, 633 
sour, for polishing tarnished silver, 
318 
for removing stains, 335 
stains, butter for, 337 
starching with, 382 
sterilization, 232 
supply, infection from, 151 
sweet, for washing table oilcloth, 400 



1148 



INDEX 



Milk, test for, 233 

toast, 822 
Mill, paint, 486 
Mince meat, 993 

Mrs. Knight's, 1030 
Minced kale, 1087 

Mineral drugs, in toilet preparations, 
561 

oil, lubricant for beavy pressure, 511 

matter in food, 621 
nutrients, 621 
Minnows, top, to destroy mosquitoes, 

466 
Mint ale, 794 

fls;zle, 793 

for fleas on dogs, 456 

for preserving linen, 389 

for sachets, 578 
Mirrors, cleaning and polishing, 427 

packing, 442 
Mission furniture, 36, 38, 50 
Mittens, polishing, for stoves, 302 

for stove holders, 303 
Mock crab sandwiches, 827 

duck, 1048 

raiUt, 1055 

terrapin, 892 

venison, 1060 

wild duck, 1048 
Moist hands, 553 
Molasses, candy, 717, 729 

clarification, 718 

for leather furniture, 519 

for liquid blacking, 525 

in paste blacking, 524 

pudding, 1027 

taffy, 728 

vinegar, 667 
Mold, removing from floors, 417, 
from iron, 333 
from linen, 337 
from walls, 475 
Molds, in dust, 393 

for plaster-of-Paris, 536 

for sirup, 720 
Moles in gardens, 276 

in lawns, 276 

removing, 541 
Monday a^ wash day, 355 
Money, disinfection of, 146 

United States, 777 
Monogram, for linen, 530 
Montrose pudding, 984 
Mops, for kitchen floors, 416 
Moquette carpet, 39 
Morris chair, 34, 35, 50 
Mortar, for lining stoves, 484 

for toilet preparations, 562 
Moscow salad, 954 

Mosquito bites, curing, preventing, 467 
Mosquitoes, 464-7 

anopheles, 55 

life history of, 465 

malarial, 159 
Moth balls, for moths, 446 

clothes, history of, 445 

millers, trapping, 449 

patches, treatment for, 541 
Mother of pearl, cleaning, polishing, 

432, 437 
Mother's breasts, care of, 211 

labor of, 203 

milk, qualit.v of, 213 
quantitv of, 213 
Roth's rules, 213 

pregnant, 202 
baths, 203 
clothing. 203 
diet, 203 
exercise, 202 



Mother's work. 203 
Moths, avoiding, 405 

borax and camphor for, 449 
bufCalo, 451 
destruction of, 447-9 
in feathers, 450 
in upholstered furniture, 433 
protection from, 43, 94, 409 
Mourning goods, 344, 345 
Mouse holes, stopping, 457 
Mousse (parfait or fruit pudding), 972 
Mouth, infant's, care of, 208 
pastilles (perfume), 612 
washes, 610 
Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup, 184 
Mucilage, in cold cream, 571 
for white sealing wax, 509 
in gum arable, 476 
in marking ink, 529 
preservation of, 477 
various kinds, 470, 471 
Mud stains, cleaning and removing, 329, 

336, 342 
Muffins, berry, 812 
corn, 812 
farina, 837 
Oraham, 812 
yriddled, 813 
ground-rice, 811 
oatmeal, 837 

or rice and hominy griddlecakes, 816 
raised wheat, 807 
'rice and cornmeal, 836 
Tivin-Mountain, 811 
whole-reheat, 816 
Mullagatawny soup, 851 
Mumps, 198 

quarantine, 198 
symptoms of, 187, 198 
Muriate of ammonia, for freckles, 564 

of lime, for prepared chalk, 537 
Muriatic acid, application of, 327 
for bleaching straw braid, 353 
for cleaning brass, 440 
for cleaning furniture, 515, 516 
for etching on ivory, 536 
for iron rust, 333 
for removing copying ink, 335 
for removing copying ink from fur- 
niture, 429 
for removing copying ink from 

linen, 337 
for removing ink stains, 325, 533 
for removing ink stains from floors, 

418 
for removing ink stains from linen, 

326 
for removing putty, 420 
for removing rust, 440 
for restoring faded metal ink, 532, 

533 
for restoring window glass, 427 
in salt, 327 

in soldering liquid, 516 
Mush and bacon, fried, 837 
fried, 837 
ivith cheese, 1076 
Mushroom, catsup, and preserving, 687, 

688 
Mushrooms and eggs, 841 

with mutton cutlets, 897 
Music, 50, 51, 52 
Musical instruments, cleaner for, 430 

varnish for, 500 
Musk, for perfumery, 577. 578, 582 
for preserving linen, 389 
for repelling moths, 448 
soap. 551 
Muslin, bleaching. 353 

dotted, for bedspreads, 59 



INDEX 



1149 



Muslin, for curtains, 45, 371 

for laundry bags, 354 
Muslins, doing up, 365, 366, 381 
Must, removing from casks, 403 
Mustache, 598 
Mustard pickles, 679 
Mutton broth, 847, 852 

chops a la Cleveland, 897 
stuffed, 897 

cutlets, with mushrooms, 897 

cuts of, 628 

hams, pickling, 697 

haricot, 896 

imitation barbecue, 895 

ragout of, 1043 

stew, 895 

tallow, for the hands, 554 
for waterproofing leather, 522 

vegetable soup, 849 

^cith farina balls, 1043 
Myrrh, for the teeth, 607 
Myrtle flowers, for toilet waters, 581 

soap, 552 

Nail heads, cement for covering, 485 
Nails, finger, anatomy of, 539 

diseases and care of, 550-558 

silver, polishing, 317 
Nap, on woolen goods, raising, 343 
Naphtha, bedbug exterminator, 454 

burning, putting out, 79 

for destroying moths, 449 

for waterproofing harness, 526 

for wax stains, 333 

in flexible varnish. 502 

in French polish, 513 

In stove polish, 303 

nature of, 329 
Naphthaline, for moths, 446 
Napkins, 368, 386, 390 
Naps, infants', 210 
Nasturtiums, 685 
Nautical measure, 749 
Neapolitan cake, 1010 

creams, 725 
Neat's foot oil, 511 

for harness, 519, 526 
for shoes, 520, 522 
Neckties, satin, cleaning, 341 
Neroli, oil of, for sachets, 578 
Nesselrode pudding, 983 
Net bedspreads, 59 

lace curtains, mending, 46 
Neufchdtel cheese, 1062 

salad, 952 
New England boiled dinner, 1022 

land clearing, 278 

raspberry cake, 1007 

tins, preparation of, 312 
Newspaper, damp, for sweeping carpets, 
410 

for cleaning, 319 
canvas shoes, 521 
velvet, 341 

for drying boots, 522 

for filling cracks, 414 

for keeping grates clean, 304 

for laying and cleaning matting, 399, 
413 

for packing china. 441 

for packing clothes, 450 

for pantry shelves, 64 

for polishing furniture, 515 

for polishing windows. 426 

for preventing dust, 392 

for preventing wear of carpets, 410 

for repelling moths. 447 

for tight shoes, 520 

for wrapping garbage, 307, 320 

Other uses of, 40, 66, 303, 519 



Nickel, cleaning, 303, 435, 439, 440 

coin, United States, 777 
Night lamps, 92 

Nigrosine, in stylographic ink, 334 
Nitrate of silver, for ammonia stains, 
327 
for etching on ivory, 536 
in indelible ink, 530 
removing stains of, 336 
Nitric acid, for bleaching feathers, 353 
for cleaning brass, 434 
for making liquid glue, 477 
for metal label ink, 532 
for removing putty, 420 
in blue paint, 497 
test for, 672 
Nitrogen in the atmosphere, 54 
No-name salad, 950 
Nougats, 738 
Nun's gem, 997 

Nurse, hands of, disinfection, 155 
Nursery, soil for, 257 
stock, protection, 258 
trees, 256 
Nursery cake, 1004 
Nurses, wet, infants', 216 
Nursing bottles, infants', care of, 214 
infants, selection of, 215 
mothers, care of, 212 
diet of, 212 
Nut and cheese roast, 1074 
Nut, apple and celery salad, 949 
balls, 905 
bread, 802 

confections, 717, 726, 732, 735, 737 
cups, 735 

oils, in paints, 487 
Nutgall, inks and stains, 334 
Nutgalls, for black leather, 518 

for invisible ink, 532 
Nutmeg, oil of, for lavender water, 582 

for preserving linen, 389 
Nutrients, carbohydrates, 622 
ash, 621 
cost of, 625 
fats, 622 
food, 617 

food, uses of, 618 
kinds of, 621 
mineral matter, 621 
proteid, 621 
table of, 623 
uses of, 623 
value of, 625 
water, 621 
Nuts, food map of, 619 
storing, 708, 714 

Oat cakes, 815 
Oatmeal, 833 

bread, 801 

for cleaning furs, 450 

for softening the hands, 554 

for the skin, 564 

muffins, 837 

porridge, 830 

soap, 550 

water, infants', 220 

with cheese, 1076 
Oats, for drying boots, 522 

Quaker, 833 

rolled, 830 
Ocher, for whitewash, 420, 421 
Odors, 305, 312 

removal of, 309, 420, 451, 612 

sick room. 154 
Oil. adhesives, 482 

for creaking doors, 427 

dressing, boiled, 948 

dressing, mayonnaise, 947i 



1150 



IJNDEX 



Oil, fish, purifying and deodorizing, 511 
floor, 42, 397, 414, 415 
hair, coloring, 593 
illuminatlDg, testing, 89 
kerosene, 88, 93 
lamps, choosing, 89 
linseed, 430, 486, 555 
neat's foot, 511 
of tar, for oiling harness, 526 
olive, 342, 344 
paint, for kitchen walls, 62 
paint, thinning, 494 
paintings, care of, 431, 432, 506 
paints, varnish for, 507 
-stained floors, care of, 416 
stains, removal of, 333, 342, 436 
stoves, 70, 73 
sweet, for laces, 369 

for preventing rust on irons, 383 
for removing tar, 342 
whetstone, 512 
G^ilcloth, 
avoided by carpet beetles, 451 
bag, for clothespins, 376 
making, 503 
substitute for, 42 

use and care of, 40, 62, 63, 396, 399, 
400 
Oiled paper, for mending silk, 481 

uses of, 65 
Oiliness, removing, from ink, 533 
Oils, animal, fixed, 417 
animal, preserving, 511 

restoring when rancid, 511 
drying, preparation of, 510 
essential, for preserving mucilage, 477 

testing, 576 
fixed, 501 

hair, compounding and use of, 592, 
593 
soluble in ether, 333 
soluble in turpentine, 328, 333 
vegetable, fixed, purifying, 510 
volatile, nature of, 575 
Oilstones, 512 
Ointment, for wrinkles or relaxed skin, 

541 
Oklahoma rocks, 995 
Okra, 1103 

and tfimato soup, 1108 
canning, 663 
fried, 1026 
gumbo, 853 
soup, 857 
steioed, 926 
Old Colonial mint cup, 795 

-fashioned raised cake, 1012 
Oleic acid, for waterproofing cloth, 81 
&litye and cheese sandwiches, 827 
and pimiento cheese salad, 1079 

sandwich, 1079 
color paint, mixing, 498 
oil. as wood filler, 396 

for cleaning gas ranges, 805 
for cleaning jet, 535 
for cleaning oil paintings, 431 
for furniture polish, 515 
for kid boots, 369 
for patent leather, 525 
for renovating men's clothing, 344 
for rust on steel knives, 315 
for soft sealing wax, 509 
for the hands, 554, 555 
for whitening laces, 354 
in camphor soap, 551 
in Circassian cream, 574 
nature of, 510 
Olives, 1058 

preserving, 688 
Olla Podrida. salad, 951 



Omelets, asparagus, 939 

beef, 884 

Bismarck, 845 

bread, 844 

cheese, 845, 1075 

chicken, 917 

codfish and potato, 872 

corn, 938 

ham, 845 

kidney, 903 

oyster, 844 

parsley, 845 

plain, 844 

potato, 940 

Rudolph, 844 

veal, 906 
One, two, three. Jour cookies, 996 
Onion, 1101 

chowder, 859, 1108 

curried, 935 

juice, for removing scorch, 388 

sandwiches, 828 

souMi, 938 
Onions, boiled with white sauce, 931, 
1101 

for gilt picture frames, 430 

pickles and pickling, 681, 682 

preventive against flies, 463 

removing odor of, 612 

scalloped, 927 

stetoed, 931, 1101 

storing, 709 
Ophthalmia neonatorum (see infantile 

blindness), 179 
Opticians, cement for, 478 
Orange cake, 1007 
five-egg, 1004 

color paint, mixing, 498 

compote. 984 

drops, 732 

filling, 1014 

flavoring, 7A2 

flowers, for toilet waters, 581 

frosting, 1016 

granite, 976 

ice, 972 

juice, for tan shoes, 522 

marmalade, candied, 733 
pudding, 958 

mousse, 982 

oil of, for perfumes, 64, 581, 582 

pastilles, 731 

pie, 992 

pudding, 956 

sauce, 968. 969 

sherbet, 974 

stick, for the finger .nails, 556 

straws, 733 

tapioca fluff, 963 
Orchard trees, pruning, 264 
Orchards, 255 

enemies of, 270 

friends of, 270 
Organ, care of, 50 
Oriental rugs, use and care of, 34, 41, 

399, 411 
Ornamental shrubs, 256 

trGPS 2S6 
Ornaments, 87, 409, 431 

silver, cleaning, 431 

varnish for, 507 
Orris, for preserving linen, 389 

powder, for almond paste, 570 

root, for teeth and toilet, 572, 578, 
581, 582, 607 
Outing flannel, for dish towels, 310 

for silverware, 317 
Ovens, care of, 303, 305 
Overalls, brush for, 360 
Overshoes, care of, 522, 481 



INDEX 



1151 



Overshoes, rubber, destroy strength of 

leather, 519 
Oxalic acid, application of, 325 
for bleaching, 326 
for bleaching silk, 341 
for bleaching straw, 353 
for blue ink, 531 
for cleaning alabaster, 437 
for cleaning brass, 293, 299 
for cleaning brass inlaid work, 432 
for cleaning copper ware, 311 
for cleaning gloves, 342 
for cleaning silver seals, 319 
for cleaning shoes, 520 
for ink stains on gloves, 348 
for removing ink from furniture, 

429 
for removing ink from leather, 519 
for removing iron rust, 333, 336 
for removing petroleum stain on 

oak, 398 
for removing stains, 335 
for removing stains from hands, 

554 
for removing stains from floors, 418 
for removing stains from marble, 

436 
for removing stains from matting, 

413 
for removing tea and coffee stains, 

332 
for removing wine stains from 

linen, 338 
for stone work, 433 
for whitening piano keys, 430 
in bluing, 379 
solutions of, 325 
Ox-clieek salad, 953 

Oxgall, for cleaning and freshening car- 
pets, 411, 412 
woolen clothes, 344, 345 
for fixing colors, 367 
for freckles, 564 
for patent leather, 525 
for removing inkstains, 533 
for removing oiliness from ink, 533 
for washing and renovating lace, 338, 

345. 370 
for washing colored goods, 372, 373 
for washing comforters, 375 
for washing woolen shawls, 374 
in sunburn lotion, 566 
Oxide of copper, for red sealing wax, 
509 
for safety matches, 537 
in stone varnish, 506 
of lead, for drying oils, 510 

red, for red sealing wax. 508 
of zinc, in white paint, 496 
Oxtail fricassee. 889 
Oxtail savory, 889 

soup, 855 
Oxygen, 54, 92 

bleaching agent, 350 
for restoring oil paintings, 432 
Oyster Usque, 857 
catsup, 586 
omelet, 844 
pie, 877 
rarebit, 876 
shells, 312, 480, 483 
Oysters a la George Trimble Davidson, 
876 
& la Netoburg, 876 
broiled, 877 
creamed, 877 
eucoquille, 876 
fried with cold slauK 876 
roasted in shell, 877 
saute^ 876 



Oysters, scalloped, 877 
with tomato bouillon, 853 



Packages, trade, weight of, 763 
Packing, 441, 443. 444, 450 

canned goods, 647 
Pails, 66. 416 
Paint, acid proof, 496 

application of, 489 

brush, for polishing stoves, 303 

brushes, cleaning, 494 

burner, 419, 491 

care of and kinds of, 494 

cleaning, 406, 418. 419 
painted sink, 320 

colored, to mix, 496 

dryer for, 487, 494 

enamel, for linen closet shelves, 388 

fireproof. 495 

for bathtubs, 543 

for canvas, 498 

for clothespins, 376 

for floors, 42 

for kitchen walls, 62 

for linoleum and oilcloth, 40 

for stove pipes, 438 

for walls, 36 

ingredients and uses of, 486, 487 

lead, for oil paintings, 431 

removing, 419, 426 
benzine, 333 
chloroform, 333 
from silk. 340 
from windows, 425 

sulphurous ether, 333 

turpentine, 333 

with turpentine, 328 

shades of, 498 

stains, cleaning with gasoline, 329, 
334 

tints of, 498 

with zinc, 495 
Painting, 489-493 

brick, specifications for, 491 

houses, rules for, 488 

plaster, 493 

rough walls, 424 

sashes, 489 

specifications for old work inside, 
490-2 

specifications for new work outside; 
490 

specifications for old work outside, 
490 

stipple wall, 493 

stucco, 491 

whitewashed wall, 424 

window sills, 489 

with zinc white, 492 

wood posts, 291 
Paintings, mastic for. 500 

oil. cleaning and preservation of, 431 

restoration of. 432 

varnish for, 413, 414 
Paints, care of, 494 

kinds and ingredients of, 393. 394 
Palm oil, fixed vegetable oil, 290 
for toilet preparations, 562 
in axle grease, 512 
in honey soap, 550 
Pancakes, French, 813 
Pantry, 40, 61, 64 

tableware for. 307 
Papas relenas, 893 
Paper, as a polisher, 302, 322 

building, varnish paint on, 42 

for storing bedding, 409 

for stretching curtains, 371 

glue for, 477, 478 



1152 



INDEX 



Paper hanger's paste, 422, 475 _ 

hanging, 422 

measure, 771 

paint for, 496 

parchment glue for, 485 

tissue, 65 

uses of, 36, 37, 42, 64, 65 

waterproof, in bathroom, 61 
Papers, oiled, 65 

wall, 37 
Papier mfichg, cleaning, 437 
Paraffin, for cleaning zinc, 440 

for frescoes, 422 

for irons, 384 

for metal rust protection, 439 

for removing putty from windows, 
426 

for removing stains, 365 

for repelling moths, 447 

for waxed floors, 397' 

for wooden bedsteads, 407 

oil, for cleaning furniture, 428 
Paralysis, infantile (see infantile par- 
alysis), 188 
Parasitic diseases, 198 
Parchment, glue, 485 

varnish, 508 
Parfait, or fruit-pudding mousse, 972 
Paris green, in green paint, 497 
Parmesan cheese, 1062 
Parsley, 1057 

drying, 712 
Parsnips, 1099 

canning, 663 

keeping, 709 

Yankee Jried, 927 
Parton pies, 879 
Passion flower, for verandas, 68 
Paste almond, 566, 569 

blacking, nature of, 524 

complexion, 569 

dentists' nerve, 615 

drops, raspberry, 732 

flour, 474, 475 

for mahogany furniture, 516 

for metals, 434 

gum-arabic, 475 

paper hanger's, 422, 475 

rice, 415 

rouge, 573 
Pasteboard, for nails in shoes, 521 
Pastes, compounding, 474, 562 

tooth, 610 
Pasteurization of milk, 231 
Pastilles, 577, 579, 612, 717, 731 
Pastries, food map, 619 
Pastry and meatrolls, 1044 

cheese, 1080 

loith cheese souffle, 1077 
Pasturing underbrush, 279 
Patent leather, care of, 525 
Pat 6s, 988 
Patient, bathing, 155 

cleanliness, 155 

typhoid, care of, 153 
Patterns, carpet, 43, 44 

for linen, 389 

wall paper, 37 
Pavement, wood covering, 295 

creosoted, 294 
Pea and. tomato salad, 951 

coal, special grate for, 70 

green, soup, 1108 

soup, 936 

split, soup, 1108 
Peach cream, 980 

crumb pudding, 961 

filling,^ 1015 

fruit juice, 661 

mangoes, 686 



Peach sherbet, 8175 

tree gum, 485 

trees, pruning, 268 
Peaches, canning, 656 

peeling, 656 

pickled, 684, 1030 
Peanut sandwiches, 827 
Pear blight. 267 

trees, pruning, 267 
"Pearl," degree in candy making, 71^ 
Pearlash, for hardening plaster of 
Paris, 537 

for polishing waxed floors, 397 

for putting out fires, 79 

in almond creams, 568 

in furniture paste, 516 

in green paint, 497 
Pearline, washing powder, 364 
Pears, ripe, canning, 656 
Peas, vegetable, 1091 

boiled with butter, 925 

dried, puree of, 1091 

English, canning, 663 

green, 1091 

in the pod, 926 

preserving, 712 

split, puree of, 1091 

storing, 711 

sugar, 1091 

XDith lettuce, 925, 1091 

with pork, 925, 1091 
Peat, as fuel, 69 
Pediculosis (see lice), 188 
Peel, candied, 733 
Peeling peaches, 656 

plums, 656 

scarlet fever, 195 
Pepper and chicken salad, 953 

and potato salad, 950 

black, for fixing black colors, 368 

catsup, 486 

cayenne, for garbage cans, 320 

for fly paper, 464 

for moths, 449 

rings, 927 
Peppermint, for repelling carpet moths, 
448 

creams, 725 

for mouseholes, 457 

lozenges, 740 

pastilles, 731 
Peppers, green, 1057, 1103 
stuffed and baked, 1108 

pickled, 515 

Spanish, 680 

i€ith macaroni, 927 
Pencil marks, removal of. 356 
Pennyroyal, for repelling mosquitoes, 

467 
Pepsin, for removal of blood stains, 338 
Perfume, geranium, 414 

rose, 412 

sealing wax, 510 
Perfumed soaps. 378 

toilet water, 581 
Perfumes, 561, 575 

for hair oils, 593 

for toilet preparations, 561 

individual, 576 

nature of, 575 

odor of, 576 
Perch, Hampton Court, 867 
Periodicals, 41, 406 
Permanent teeth, 605 
Peroxide of hydrogen, 611 

for blood stains on linen, 338 
for tan, 566 
for the nails. 557 

of manganese for safety matches, 537 
Peruvian bark, for the teeth, 607 



INDEX 



1153 



Petroleum ds fuel, 69 

products, 89 

for destroying fleas, 455 
for moths, 449 

oil, crude, for oil cloth, 399 
Pewter, solder for, 517 
Philadelphia ice cream, 972 
Phosphoric acid, for softening ivory, 

535 
Phosphorus, dissolved by turpentine, 328 

for luminous ink, 532 

for repelling rats, 456, 458 

for safety matches, 537 

light, for the vest-pocket, 93 

paints, 487 

paste, for vermin, 456 
Photograph glue, 477 
Photographs, ^ethereal amber varnish 
for, 506 

family, 51, 52 
Phthisis (see' tuberculosis), 160 
Piano, care of, 50, 430 

keys, cleaning, 430 
mucilage for, 476 

player, invention of, 50 

wires, preventing rust on, 440 
Piazza, screens for mosquitoes, 466 
Picallilli, 680 
Pickle cask, sweetening, 403 

spiced, 677 
Pickled peaches, 1030 
Pickles, 674, 678, 679, 1058 

storing and storeroom, 67, 675 

testing vinegar for, 676 
Pickling, meat, 674, 676, 695 
Picture frames, 430. 505 

molding, 37, 38, 52, 64 

wire, for ironing board, 384 
Pictures, packing, 442 

selection of, 52 

taste in hanging, 37, 38, 51, 52 

water-color paint for, 487 
Pie, meat and tomato, 1044 

Mrs. Daivson's chicken, 1027 

twelve o'clock, 1044 
Pies, food map of, 619 

meat, 1043 
Pig, roast, 908 
Pigments, for paints, 486 

for stains, 415 

oil, vehicle for, 503 
Pig's feet, iroiled. 909 

in blankets, 876 
Pilaf, Turkish, 1045 
Pillow cases, as laundry bags, 355 
for curtains, 371 
making, storing, 60, 388 
Pillows, curled hair for, 58 

feather, 59, 60 

feather cleaning, 408 
Pimiento and cheese salad, 1079 
roast, 1073 

and olive cheese salad, 1079 

and olive sandwich, 1079 

sandwiches, 828 
Pimples, nature of. 370 
Pinafore cake, 1027 
Pineapple bonbons, 726 

cream, 978 

lemonade, 793 

mousse, 982 

pudding. 960 

punch, 790 

sherbet, 974 

tomato salad, 955 

loater ice, 972 
Pine tree tar cough candy, 740 
Pink, color, fixing, 368 
Pipe-clay, cleansing mixture, 330 

for cleaning canvas shoes, 521 



Pipe-clay, for cleaning gloves, 346, 348 

for cleaning marble, 435 

for cleaning white linens, 365 

for clcanirlg worsted, 346 

for dry-cleaning skirts, 336 

for flreprooflng awnings, 81 

for mildew, 328 

for oil stains, 342 

for removing grease from leather, 519 

for removing grease from wallpaper, 
424 

for removing mildew from linen, 337 

for removing stains from alabaster, 
537 

in scouring mixture, 331 
Pipes, bursting of, when frozen, 94 

cement for, 483 

copper, cement for mending, 485 

prevention of frost in, 404 

lead, protection of, 405 

painting, specifications for, 492 

soil, 114 

thawing, 404 

water. 111 
Pistachio cream, 978 

milk of, for almond paste, 570 

sauce, 970 
Pitch, cement for rubber, 481 

white, for lime paint, 495 

for waterproofing leather, 523 
Plague, bubonic, 173 
Plain cheese salad, 1079 

hot sauce, 970 

icings, 1015 

green beans, 1093 

plum pudding, 962 

■wedding cake, 1004 
Plants, budding, 263 
Plants, dry, varnish for, 507 

garden, 245 

"budding," 266 

"pinching," 200 
Plaster, cement for, 483 

of Paris, 536, 537 

as a cockroach exterminator, 452 

as a wood filler, 396 

cements, 483 

for fastening knife handles, 316 

for mending lamps, 323 

for repairing cracks, 414, 422 

for sealing wax, 409 

foundation for varnish, 514 

imitating, 537 

in gum-arabic cement, 476 

in white of egg cementj 480 

painting with zinc, 493 

repairing, 422 

use of rosin in, 500 
Plastering, cost of, 751 
Plate rack, 51, 61. 342 
Plates, door, cleaning, 319 
Plombiere, 984 

Plots, acre, dimensions of, 753 
Plum jelly, 659 

trees, pruning, 268 
Plumbers, cement for, 480 
Plumbing, exposed^ 308 

fixtures, 115 
"Plume," degree in candy-making, 719 
Plums, canning, 656 

fruit juice, 661 

peeling, 656 

preserving, 657 
Plush, faded, reviving, 341 
Pneumatic tank, 106 
Poached eggs and ham, 1047 

loith corned beef hash, 1047 
with greens, 842 
Pockets, for shoes and overshoes, 522 

for silverware, 316, 317 



1154 



INDEX 



Point lace, preparation for laundry, 369 
Poison, cautions in using, 324, 325 

for bedbugs and rats, 454, 456 
Poisonous fly paper, to make, 463 
Poliomyelitis (see infantile paralysis), 

188 
Polish, application of, 303 
for leather, 526 
for waxed floors, 397 
French, 512 

furniture, preparation of, 515 
Polishins furniture, 514 

iron, 385 
Pomade, for the mustache, 598 
Pomegranate sherbet^ 975 

icater ice, 973 
Pomona sherbet, 975 
Pone, corn, 819 

Southern,^ 818 
Pongee, washing, 372 
Poor man's pudding, 966 
Pop, ginger, 791 
Popcorn balls, cakes, candy, 739 
Poppy oil, for French polish, 514 
for waterproofing leather, 524 
in paints, 487 
Porches, sleeping, 57 

in sanitariums, 55 
Pores in the skin. 542 
Pork, bobble gash, 907 
boiled, 'With JcalQ, 929 
Boston pork and beans, 907 
cake, 1008 

chops, sauce Robert, 907 
cooked uiith cabbage, 928 
cutlets, 912 
cuts of, 628 
ham, boiled, 1021 

broiled, and eggs, 909 
steak, 909 
to boil, 908 
hams, curing, smoking, 698, 699 
pig, roast, 908 
pig's feet, broiled, 909 
roast, 907 

ivith coicpeas, 1046 
salt, fried, cream gravii, 910 

loith milk gravy, 1056 
sauerkraut, with spareribs, 908 
sausage and apple, 909 
homemade, 908 
rolls, 909 
tenderloins, with sweet potatoes, 906 
toad in the hole, 909 
until cabbage, 1085 
tcith green beans, 1093 
uHth kale, 1087 
ivith peas, 925, 1091 
Porterhouse steak, tough portions of, 

1053 
Posts, concrete, special, 289 
use of, 289 
fence, concrete, 286 

molds, concrete, 286 
molding, concrete. 288 
preservation, equipment for, 292 
materials for. 292 
tanks for, 293 
wood, creosoting, 291 
dipping, 291 
painting. 291 
preservation of, 290 
Porti&res. 51 
Pot roast, 1050 
Pot scraper, 308 

Potash, bichromate of, for harness 
blacking. 425. 526 
for blackheads. 540 
carbonate of, for cold cream. 571 
caustic, for stopping rat holes, 457 . 



Potash, cautions in use of, 362 
chromate of, in copying ink, 529 
crude, in washing fluid. 363 
for bleaching ivory knife handles, 316 
for cleaning oven doors, 305 
for fireprooflng wood, 81 
for iron kettles, 311 
for removing putty, 420 
for softening hard water, 301 
in chemical soap, 331 
lye, for cleansing gas range, 305 

for cleaning oven racks. 305 

for hardening plaster of Paris, 537 

for polishing glass, 437 

for removing mold from linen, 337 

for removing splinters, 557 

in washing fluids, 362 
prussiate of, in blue paint. 497 
Potassium, carbonate of, for red ink, 531 
chromate, in logwood ink, 528 
cyanide of, for removing marking ink 
from linen, 337 
Potato and cabbage puree, 928 
and cauliflower salad, 954 
and codfish omelet, 872 
and ham pie, 912 
and pepper salad, 950 
and tomato salad, 945 
broivned, 944 

cake, Mrs. Cosgrove's, 1030 
cold, croquettes, 941 
cream soup, 849 
croquettes, 944 
' for cleaning bottles, 314 

for cleaning oil paintings, 431 

for cleaning sink, 320 

for removing grease from leather, 519 

fried, balls, 941 

juice, for cleaning silk, 339 

for cleaning velvet, 339 

omelet, 940 

puffs, 944 

imth cheese, 1078 

raw, for cleaning bric-a-brac, 433 

for cleaning steel knives and forks, 

315 
for cleaning tarnished silver, 317 
salad, 953 

balls, 953 
scones, 945 
soup, 1107 

starch, for calico, 367 
whipped, 944 
Potatoes, 1095 

a la liollandaise, 940 
baked, 940, 1097 

on half shell, 940 
boiled, 940, 1096 
Brabanconne, 941 
Chambrey, 941 
Chartreuse, 944 
creamed, 944 
curried, 945 
Duchesse, 944 
escalloped, 1097 
French-fried, 941 
glazed sweet, 945 
hashed brown, 945 

■with green peppers, 927 
Hongroise. 941 
in the diet. 637 
Li/onnaise, 944 

mashed, 940 v 

raw, for cleaning colored goods. 374^ 
reheating, 1097 
roasted brown, 940 
Saratoga chips, 941 
scalloped, 940 

toith cheese, 1078 
sprouting, prevention of, 710 



il 



IJNJJJiX 



1155 



Potatoes, fiteamed, 1097 
stewed, 944 
storing, 709 
street, 945, 1097 
baked, 1098 
broicned, 1098 
candied, 1098 
fried, 1098 
with cahhage, puree of, 1086 
trith cheese sauce, 107S 
-!f«*7i hard boiled eggs, 944 
(t'i'i/i lamb stuffing, 899 
Potpourri, 580 
I'otted beef, 703 
Potted cheese, 1062 
Pots, coffee cleaning, 312 

prevention of odor. 313 
greasy, washing fluid for, 3G2 
iron, cement for, 484 
tea, removal of odor from, 313 
wiping with newspapers, 319 
Poultry, bread dressing, 916 
chicken, baked with milk, 914 
braised, 913 
broiled, 914 

creamed, and sweetbreads, 915 
en casserole, 914 
fried, 915 
grilled, 914 
panned, 914 
pie, 915 
roasted, 915 
^cith almond sauce, 915 
xcith dumplings, 914 
%oith peanuts, .915 
duck, roasted, 916 
houses, rats In, 458 
in the diet, 631 

pie, Mrs. Dawson's chicken, 1027 
turkey, roasted, 915 
Pound cake, 1006 

old-fashioned, 1026 
Pounded meat, 1052 
Powder, baking, adulteration of, 642 
bleaching, uses of, 328 
burnishing, 435 
curry, 690, 1058 
for the hands, 556 
rouge. 573 
Powders, compounding, 562 
hair, 597 
preserving. 661 
sachet, 577 
toilet, 572 
toilet, bases of, 560 
tooth. G08 
washing. 364 
Pralines, 717 
Pregnancy, 202 
Prepared chalk, making, 537 
Preservation of posts, equipment for, 292 
materials for, 292 
of shingles, 293 
of timber. 290, 294 
Preservatives, adulteration with, 638 

in food, 637, 639 
Preserves, 653 

adulteration of., 640 
and cheese salad, 1079 
canned, shelves for, 404 
fruit, adulteration of, 640 
storing. 67, 048 
Preserving, 653 

alcohol stove for, 650 

cherries, 657 

cider apple sauce, 658 

pear sauce, 658 
day, 652 

fruit, 643. 653, 656 
in boiled cider, 658 



Preserving fruit, in grape juice, 658 
marmalades, 657 

materials for, 650 

methods of, 652 

plums, 657 

powders, 661 

process of, 651 

purees, 657 

quinces, 657 

strawberries, 657 

syrup, gauge for, 650 

syrup for, 653 

vegetables, 646 

white currants, 657 
Press, men's clothes, 344 
Pressed beef, 704 
Pricing canned goods. 648 
Pricker, for fruit, 049 
Priming and priming coat, 488 
Print goods, should not be rubbed with 

soap, 365 
Printers' ink, dryers for, 533 

removal of, 336 
Prints, varnish for, 507 

washing, 366 
Privy cleaning, 124 

disinfectant for, 123 

lime for, 123 

plan of, 122 

sanitary, 122 

directions for, 124 

top soil for, 123 

water and oil for, 124 
Proteids, 617 

in food, 621 

nutrients, 621 
Provengal salad, 954 
Prune and bread pudding, 957 

pie, 992 
Prunes, steived, 1022 
Pruning cherry trees. 268 

deciduous hedges, 269 

evergreens, 269 

flowering shrubs, 270 

forest trees, 270 

grapevines, 269 

hook, 269 

orchard trees, 264 

peach trees, 268 

pear trees, 267 

plum trees, 268 

shears, 267 

street trees, 269 

trees, season for, 266 
Prussian blue, for blue ink, 531 
for harness. 526 
for patent leather. 525 
for printing ink, 533 
for waterproofing and blacking, 82 
Prussic acid, in almond preparations, 

567 
Psyche's kisses, 737 
Puddings, almond cream, 1028 

amber cream, 1027 

angel food, 1030 

cream rice, 837 

custard cup, 1023 

English, 1028 

food map of. 619 

Frankfort, 1028 

hasty, 829 

iced rice, 983 

molassses, 1027 

Saratoga, 1024 

sponge, 1024 

steamed, 1022 

strawberry ambrosia, 1028 

Yorkshire, 1047 

with roast beef, 1047 
Puff apple pie, 989 



1156 



INDEX 



Puff apple pie, with pineapple flavor, 
991 

ianana pie, 992 

cheese strairs, 988 

cherry pie, 989 

chocolate cream pie, 993 

chocolate pie, 993 

cocoanut pie, 992 

cream horns, 988 

crumb lemon pie, 990 

custard pie, 990 

date pie, 991 

dried-apple pie^ 991 

jft^/ pie, 991 

^afcj/ pie crust, 988 

German cherry pie, 991 

gooseberry pie, 991 

green-currant pie, 99i 

iron, for tucks, 383 

lemon-and-raisin pie, 991 
pie^ 990 

mince-meat, 993 

orange pie, 992 

paste, 987 

pate's, 988 

prune pie, 992 

pumpkin pie, 989 ' 

raspberry pie, 989 

rhubarb pie, 993 

strawberry pie, 992 

siveet-potato pie, 990 

*orto frutas, 992 

vanilla-cream pie, 990 

t'oZ KM -yentj 988 
Puffs, potato, ivith cheese, 1078 
Pulleys, lubricating, 512 
Pulling stumps, 278 
Pulse, infants', 178 

Pumice, for bleaching ivory knife han- 
dles, 316 

"flatting" with, 499 

for hardwood floors, 396 

for ironing board, 383 

for polishing burners, 323 

for polishing ivory knife handles, 535 

for polishing mother of pearl, 437 

for polishing stucco work, 436 

for jpolishing varnished furniture, 514 

for removing rust, 440 

for removing stains from nails, 557 

for renovating old gilt frames, 432 

for scouring, 315 

for straightening oilstones, 512 

powder, for removing paint, 494 

stone, for cleaning alabaster, 537 
for polishing alabaster, 437 

in paint for blackboards, 495 
Pumicing floors, 42 
Pump, hand force, 107 
Pumpkin, canning, 663 

pie, 989 
Pumpkins, drying, keeping, 709, 717 
Pumps, prevention of freezing, 404 

dancing, keeping on, 521 
Punch, 972 

delicious fruit, 1025 

fruit, 790 

ginger, 795 

lime, 790 

piazza, 790 

pineapple, 790 

raspberry and currant, 791 

red-currant, 794 

tea. 791 

tuttl frutti, 794 
Puree, cabbage and potato, 928, 1086 

of apricots, 984 

of celeriac, 856, 1100 

of dried beans, 1094 

of dried peas, 1091 



Puree of split peas, 1091 
or de lentilles, 851 

Purees, preserving, 657 

Putrefaction, 669 

Putrid fish oil, deodorizing, 511 

Putty, composition of, 490 
for filling cracks, 506 
for mending tin pans, 517 
removing from windows, 426 
powder for polishing alabaster, 437 
for polishing furniture, 514 
for polishing mother-of-pearl, 437 
for removing stains from nails, 557 
removing, 420 



Quahog cocktail, 875 

Quarantine infants' diseases, 186 

infantile paralysis, 189 

fever, 193 

measles, 197 

meningitis, 190 

mumps, 198 

scarlet fever, 195 

sick room, 156 

smallpox, 169 

typhoid fever, 158 

whooping cough, 198 
Quartz, as wood filler, 430 
Queen pudding, 981 
Quick cake, 1008 

lime, 139 

standard solution, 138 
Quieting infants, 211 
Quince jelly, 660 

tvater ice, 973 
Quinces, canning, 656 

preserving, 657 
Quicklime, 

for cleaning marble steps, 436 

for removing paint, 419 

for softening hard water, 361 

for steel knives and forks, 315 

in casein cement, 480 

in coppersmith's cement, 485 

in damp closets, 64 

in washing fluids, 362, 364 
Quills, writing for, 349 
Quilting frame, for stretching curtains, 

371 
Quilts, eider down, 408 

hanging out, 377 
Quince seeds, for cold cream, 571 
for the hands, 555 
preparation of, 560 



Rabbit, mock, 1055 

skins, for making glue, 486 

soup, 852 

tomato, 1071 

Welsh, 1071 
Rabies, 174 

cats, 175 

cattle, 175 

symptoms of, 174 

treatment for, 175 
Racks, for dining room and kitchen, 61, 

63, 64 
Radiators, fixtures for, 74 

specifications for painting, 492 
Radish, horse, 1058 
Rag carpet, 43, 44 
cleaning, 412 
mending, 410 
Ragout of mutton, 1043 
Railings, iron, painting, 492 
I'nin barrels, pcreons for, 466 
Raincoats, mending tipsue for, 481 
Bain, for comforters, 375 



INDEX 



1157 



Rain, water barrel for, 361 

for laundry, 360 
Raised wheat muffins, 807 
Raisin candy, 733 
Raisins, for chapped hands, 556 
Rams, hydraulic, 105 
Rancid animal oils, restoration of, 511 
Range, gas, care of, 304, 305 

kitchen, care of, 302 

protection of with asbestos, 304 

shelves, 64 

two-oven, gas consumed by, 84 
Rare-beef sandwiches, 826 
Rarebit, oyster, 876 
Raspberries, canning, 655 
Raspberry and currant punch, 791 

buns, 1030 

bushes, pruning, 268 

cream, 980 

fruit juice, 660 

jam cream, 979 

jelly, 963 

pastilles, 732 

pie, 989 

sauce, 958 

and bread pudding, 958 

sherbet, 974 

shrub, 793 

vinegar, 673, 791 

water ice, 972 
Rat holes, stopping, 457, 459 

-proof construction, 459 
Ratafias, 717, 735 
Ratite, 459 
Rats, destruction of, 456-8 

fumigation for, 459 

keeping matches from, 304 

protecting brooms from, 393 
Rattan furniture, cleaning, 430 
Ravioli macaroni, 832 
Raw linen, bleaching, 351 
Razor strops, 599 
Razors, . safety, 598 
Ready-made paints, 487 
Receipt books, 65 
Recipes for corn bread, 817-819 
Red-apple salad, 953 

cabbage, shredded, 933 

stetved, 933 

colors, fixing, 368 

currant punch, 794 

raspberry filling, 1015 

snapper, baked, 865 

vegetable salad, 954 
Refrigeration, 69, 94 
Refrigerators, care of, 95, 98 

dust and gases from, 72 
Registers, 72 

screen for, 392 
Regulating hot air, 72 
Reinforced concrete, 282 
Relish, cheese, 1081 
Relishes, food map of, 619 
Remedial agents, 560 
Remedies, household, 466 

toothache, 613 
Renovating woolen goods, 343 

black dye for, 343 
Resin cement, 479 

in sandarac varnish, 505 

paste in the library, 475 
Resins, nature of, 474, 499 
Respiration of infants, 178 
Rest, infants', 209 
Retaining natural meat flavor, 1056 
Rhode Island Johnny cake, 817 
Rhodium, oil of, 576, 578 
Rhubarb, drying, curing, 712 

pie, 993 
Ribbon, cake, 1004 



Ribbons, care of, 338, 371, 383, 385, 386 
Rice, 1105 . 

a la Creole, 830 

and cheese, baked, 1072 

and cornmeal m,ufflns, 836 

and lamb croquettes, 899 

boiled, 830 

bread, 803 

croquettes, 837. 

for cleaning spice mill, 311 

for washing dress goods and woolens, 
374 

flour, contains dextrin, 473 

in white wash, 420, 421 

fondue, 1070 

gems, 836 

griddlecakes, 836 

in starching lace, 387 

water instead of starch, 382 

or hominy griddlecakes or muffins, 816 

Milanese fashion, 831 

paste, 475 

pudding, iced, 983 

steamed, 830 

timbales, 830 

waffles, 836 

ivith cheese, 835 
crust, 835 

icith date sauce, 836 

with eggSi 841 
Ringworm, symptoms of, 188 
Rinsing, 359, 360, 365 
Rissoles of lobster, 878 
Rivets, cement for mending, 485 
Roaches, trapping, 453 
Road dust, for imitating stone work, 496 
Roads, burnt clay, 295, 297 

ditch cleaner, 298 

earth, 295 

maintenance, 298 

good, campaign for, 295 

sand clay, 295, 296 
maintenance, 297 

soils, testing, 296 
Roast, bean-pot, 1050 

-beef gravy, 882 

with Yorkshire pudding, 1047 

Boston, 1073 

casserole, 1051 

cheese and pimiento, 1073 

nut and cheese, 1074 

pillau, 892 

pork witli cowpeas, 1046 

pot, 1022 
Robert sauce, 937 
Robins, 272 

Rochelle salts, acid principle of, 326 
Rock candy, for almond preparations, 567 
for freckles, 5()4 
for label mucilage, 476 

salt for freckles, 564 
Rods, for sash curtains, 46 
Rolled cheese, 1073 
Roller towels, 310 
Rolling table, 64 
Rolls, cheese and vegetables, 1074 

fruit, 734 

luncheon, 805 

m,eat and pastry, 1044 

Parker House, 804 

savory, 1054 

Swedish. 806 

Swiss, 804 
Roman gnocchi cheese, 1076 
Roofs, asphalt, 501 

cement, for mending, 483 

tin, preventing rust of, 439 
Rooms, 102 

cleaning, 406 

cooling quickly, 321 



1158 



INDEX 



i 



Rooms, darkening, 321 

darkened, bacteria in, 394 

decorating and improving, 36, 37, 38, 
43, 406 
dining and front, 49, 61 
Roots and hulbs, 109S 

gathering, 713 

succulent, in tlie diet, 637 
Rope, for clothesline, 376 
Roquefort cheese^, 1062 
Rose, attar of, 578 

jar, 579 

leaves, red, for rouge, 574 

pink, for coloring mahogany furniture, 
512 
Rose pastilles, 732 

sachets, toilet water, perfumes, etc., 
578, 581 
Rosemary, for preserving linen, 389 

oil, for toilet waters, 577, 582 
Roses, oil of, 577, 579. 582 
Rosewater, 566, 571, 581, 582 
Rosewood, for preserving linen, 389 
Rosin, 500 

for barrel paint, 496 

for harness, 432 

for mending gilt frames, 432 

for molding plaster-of-Paris, 481 

for polishing furniture, 515 

for sticky fly paper, 464 

for waterproofing leather, 523 

in grafting wax, 480 

in inks, 433, 527 

in paper-hangers' paste, 475 

in plaster-of-Paris cement, 483 

in resin cement, 479 

in sealing wax, 508, 509 

in solder, 517 

in varnish, and nature of, 500, 506 
Rothe Cruize, 964 
Rotten stone, scouring and polishing 

with. 315, 513 
Rouge, liquid, paste, powder, 573 
Roulettes, bread, 823 
Round steak on biscuits, 1056 
Rubber boots, drying, 522 

cement, 481, 522 

dress shields, spoiled by gasoline, 329 
shields, care of, 344 

eraser, for pencil marks, 356 

hose, for beating furs, 448 
for men's garments. 342 

shellac cement for, 479 

soluble in chloroform, 319 

soluble in turpentine, 328 

stamp ink, 532 

tarnishes silver, 318. 534 
Rubbers, mending. 522 
Rubbing clothes, 359, 360 
Ruffles, fluting iron for, 383 
Rugs, 40, 41, 42. 44 

care of, 392, 398, 399, 409, 411 

disinfection, 146 

for avoiding moths, 447 

goatskin, washing, 411 

Oriental, care of, 399, 411 
cleaning, 411 

sheepskin, cleaning, 414 

Smyrna, repairing, 414 
Rum, bay, 601 

in aromatic vinegar, 572 
Running ear, 194 
Russian bath, 546 
Rust 

on irons, preventing. 383 

on iron, remedies for, 326, 333, 336, 
337, 435 

on metals and nails, preventing, 439 

on nickel fittings, preventing, 439 

on piano wires, presenting, 440 



Rust, on stoves and tinware, preventing. 
438. 439 
on grates, preventing, 438 
preventing, with varnish, 506 
prevention of, 438, 439 
removing, 315, 440 

from ironware, 311 
stains on colored goods, 342 
protecting stovepipes and tools from. 
438 
Rusty meat, 696 



Saccharin, food adulterated with, 640 
Sachet powders, 409, 476, 577 
Sacks, flour, 47 
Safety matches, making, 537 

razors, 598 
Safifron, for kid gloves, 347 

for tinting laces, 387 
Sage, oil of, for lavender water, 582 
Salad biscuit, cheese, 1081 
bluefish, 871 
buttermilk, 1079 
cabbage, 1113 
cheese, 1078 
cheese and piniiento, 1079 

and preserves, 1079 

and tomato, 1079 

jelly, 1079 
clam, 871 
/ cucumber, 1113 
dressings, 1113 

cream horseradish, 1079 

cooked, 948, 1113 

cream, 1114 
dried beans in, 1094 
halibut, 871 
in boats, 952 
lettuce with cream dressing, 1112 

icith French dressing, 1112 
meat, 1046 
oil mayonnaise, 947 
olive and pimiento, 1079 
plain cheese, 1079 
sweet potato, 945 
Salads, 946 

food map of, 619 
Sal ammoniac for cleaning brass, 441 
for cleaning burners, 90, 102, 323 
for cleaning drain pipes, 404 
for cleaning earthenware, 312 
for cleaning enameled ware, 311 
for cleaning frying pans, 311 
for cleaning gas globes, 323 
for cleaning gas ranges, 305 
for cleaning ovens, 305 
for cleaning refrigerators, 98 
for cleaning sinks, 63 
for cleaning sink spouts, 319 
for cleaning stoves, 437 
for cleaning tarnished silver, 317 
for cleaning tins, 312 
for freckles, 563 
for metal label ink, 532 
for putting out fires, 79 
for reflnishing hardwood floors. 396 
for removing machine grease, 336 
for removing petroleum stain on oak, 

398 
for removing rust, 440 
for removing soot, 322 
for renewing linoleum, 41 
for scouring floors, 417 
for thinning oil paint, 494 
for washing drip trays, 305 
in shellac varnish, 503 
in soldering liquid, 517 
in the laundry. 361 
in washing fluid, 363 



IJNUJiA 



1159 



Sal ammoniac, in washing fluids and 
powders, 362, 363, 364 

volatile (carbonate of ammonia), 327 
Salberg wash, for destroying vermin, 451 
Salicylic acid, food adulterant, 639 
Sally Lunn, 810 

Yorkshire, 804 
Salmon^ broiled salt, halibut, 872 

croquettes, 871 

curried, 870 

loaf, 870 

salad, 950 
molds, 871 

salt, broiled, 872 

sandwiches, 827 

trout, baked,, tinth cream, 866 
Salsify, 931, 1099 

preserving, 709 
Sal soda, for cleaning enameled ware, 311 

for cleaning nicl\el, 303 

for cleaning tbe hearth, 302 

for cleaning windows, 426 

for scouring with, 315 
Salt bags, for dishcloths, 310 

chowder, 873 

codfish, 872 

common, properties of, 357 

creamed, 872 

dry, for carpets, 396 

dry, for cleaning tarnished silver, 317 

fish dinner, 1057 
how to cook, 872 

for bleaching flannel. 353 

for bleaching silk, 326, 341 

for brightening colors and cleaning 
rugs, 39S, 399 

for brightening and setting colors, 
344. 365 

for brightening oil cloth, 403 

for calicos, 367 

for cambrics, 365 

for cleaning cliina. 319 

for cleaning lino s'hissware, .314 

for cleaning liandkcrcliiofs, 365 

for cleaning iiiarbli', 435 

for cleaning matting. 3i)9, 413 

for cleaning prints. 432 

for cleaning stone walks. 436 

for cleaning wicker furniture, 430 

for cleaning zinc. 440 

for coffee pots, 312 

for copper ware, 311. 313 

for curing mosquito bites. 467 

for fixing colors, 307, 375 

for freshening and sweeping carpets, 
410, 412 

for improving kerosene oil, 93 

for lawns, 365 

for making a hearth, 437 

for preventing freezing, 377 

for putting out fires, 76, 79 

for removing ink stains, 335 

for removing iron rust. 333. 336 

for removing mildew. 326. 333, 337 

for removing mud stains, 342 

for removing soot, 322 

for removing. tea and coffee stains, 333 

for sachets, 578 

for shelves, 63, 64 

for thawing pipes, 404 

for washing silks and woolens, 372, 
373 
woolen shawls, 374 

herring, baked, 874 

in fireproof paint, 495 

in food. 621 

in invisible ink. 532 

in muriatic acid, 327 

in white wash. 420. 421 

mackerel, baked, 872 



Salt, mackerel, boiled, 872 

broiled, 872 

stuffed, S72 
pork, fried, with codfish, 1057 

fried, cream gravy, 910 

Kith milk gravy, 1056 
raising bread, 803 
rock, for freckles, 564 
water bath, 546 

for moist hands, 553 

soap, 551 
with starch, 381 
Saltpeter, for cleaning coarse paint, 419 
for removing grease spots, 336 
in cleansing mixtures. 330, 331 
in washing fiuids, 363 
Salts, smelling, 580 

of lemon, application of, 325 

for grass stains. 332 

for iron rust, 333 

for removing ink from linen, 337 

mold from linen, 337 

tea and coffee stains, 333 

mixing with turpentine, 328 

nature of, 325. 327 

wine stains, 338 
of sorrel, 325 

of tartar, in washing fluids, 364 
Sanatoria for tuberculosis, 164 
Sand clay roads, 295, 296 
concrete, 281 
fine, for scouring tins, 312 

in lime paint, 495 
for cleaning wood floors, 416 
for dry-cleaning woolen cloth, 346 
for drying boots, 522 

shoes, 519 
for imitating stone work, 496 
for making spirit varnish, 503 
for polishing marble, 436 
for preventing rust, 315 
for rat holes, 459 

for removing grease from floors, 418 
for repairing cracks in plaster, 422 
for softening the hands, 554 
in whitewash, 421 
under oil cloth, 40 
soap, 551 

for cleaning enameled ware, 311 

for polishing burners, 328 
Sandalwood, in toilet powder, 573 
soap, 551 
test for, 576 
Sandarac, 500 

for hard shellac varnish, 504 

for imparting hardness to varnish, 503 

in lacquer, 504 

varnish, 505, 507 

nature of. 500 
Sandpaper, for cleaning kettles, 311 
for cleaning stoves, 302 
for polishing ivory, 535 
for polishing wood, 513 
for removing rust, 440 
for smoothing furniture. 514 
for smoothing rough walls. 423 
for striking matches. 304 
on the ironing board, 388 
Sandwiches, 824 

anchovy -and-cheese, 827 

baked-beans, 936 

Boston, 827 

cheese, 827, 1062, 1078. 1080 

cheese and anchovy, 1080 

cheese and olive, 827 

chicken and celery, 826 

club, 826 

crab, 826 

Cuban, 1080 

cucumber, 828 



1160 



INDEX 



SandtvicJies, hot ham, 826 

in cream sauce, 822 

lamh, 82« 

lobster, 826 

mock-crab, 827 

Oak Bill. 826 

olive and pimiento, 1079 

onion, 828 

peanut, 827 

pimiento, 828 

rare 6ee/, 826 

salmon, 827 

siveetbread, 826 

toasted cheese, 1080 

tomato, 828 

tongue, 826 

walnut, 827 

walnut and cheese, 827 

tvater-cress, 827 
Sanitation, 99 

Siintal wood, for sachets, 578 
Saplings, uprooting, 278 

white oak, for cleaning boilers, 405 
jS'oj) Sfff/o cheese, 1062 
Saponification, nature of, 357 
Sapsuckers, 271 
Saratoga chips, 941 
Sash curtains, 46, 47 
Sashes, window, 427 

painting, 489 
Sassafras, for fleas on dogs, 456 

for preserving linen, 389 

for repelling flies, 463 
Sateen, black, ironing, 385 
Satin, cleaning, 341 

farmer's, ironing, 385 

washing, 372 
Sauce allemande, 919 

anchovy, 919 

bechamel, 920 

irown, 920 

cardinal, 919 

celery, 919 

Chili, 1058 

chocolate, 968 

cider apple, preserving, 658 
pear, preserving, 658 

cold horse-radish, 921 

creamjf-1111 
cucumber, 920 
mustard, 1111 
with ham, 1047 

draicn-butter egg, 921 

for snow pudding, 962 

Hollandaise, 920 

horse-radish, 921 

lyrt/i boiled beef, 1049 

mint, 921 

piquante, 919 

shrimp, 921 

soubise, 919 

Spanish, 919 

Tartare, 920 

i/riw it7i«e, 921 

tomato, 921, 1111 

«nt7t macaroni and cheese, 1072 

white, 1111 

Tnushroom, 920 
onions boiled in, 1101 
wit/(. carrots, 1099 

icifJi. dned beans, 1094 
Saucepan, for gas range, 306 
Sauces for salads, 1113 

/or vegetables, 1109 

meat, 1059 

commercial, 1058 
Sauerkraut, 710 

ir/#7(, spareribs, 908 
Sausage, 1058 

adulteration of, 644 

end apple, 909 



Sausage, cooked, preserving, 600 

homemade, 908 

intestine cases for, 700 

making, 700, 701 

mixed, 697 

preparation for making, 701 

roZis, 909 

seasoning for, 700 

ir»t/i. cabbage, 1086 
Savory drippings, 1041, 1111, 

ro7is, 1054 

sieitj 0/ lamb, 899 
Sawdust, for ice boxes, 97 

boxwood, for storing jewelry, 534 

for ice houses, 96 

for shoe trees, 520 

under oil cloth, 40 

with glue size, 512 
Scabies (see itch), 188 
Scalding of milk, 232 
Scales, druggists', 562 
Scalloped apples, 958 

cabbage with cheese, 1078 

cauUfloioer icith cheese, 1078 

potatoes with cheese, 1078 
Scallops, fried, 879 

on the shell, 879 

scalloped, 879 
Scarlet cloth, 346, 368 

fever, 193 

disinfection, 195 

infection, 194 

nephritis following, 194 

"peeling," 195 

quarantine, 195 

running ear following, 194 

symptoms of, 187, 193 

runner beans, 1093 
Scars, removing, 541 
Scions, trees. 260 
Scissors, cuticle, for manicuring, 557 

for trimming wicks. 322 
Scones, Pitcaithley, 814 
Scorch, preventing and removing, 388 
Scotch broth, 1049 
Scouring mixtures, 331 
Scrambled eggs with cheese, 1075 
Scrapbook, paste for, 475 
Scratches, removing from furniture, 429 
Screen, fire, for preventing draughts, 57, 61 

for preventing smoke, 76 

for registers. 392 
Screens, 463. 466 
Scrofula, iodine soap for. 552 
Scrubbing floors, 362, 364 
Sea salt for the bath, 545, 546 

kale, 1087 

water stains, 327, 341 
Sealing wax. 509 
cheap, 508 
coloring, 508, 509 
for cement, 480 
for china, 479 

perfuming, polishing, 509, 510 
red, to make, 508 
varnish from, 500 
Seasoning for fried vegetables, 1110 
Seasonings for vegetables, 1109 

shelf for, 64 
Seed beds, care of, 257 
garden, 250 

lac varnish, nature of, 500 

measurement of, 756 
Seedlings, transplanted, 258 
Septic tank, plan of, 117 

tanks, 116 
Sewage disposal, 116 

gas, test for, 55 
Sewer connections, 116 
Sewing table, for the kitchen, 308 
Shad, baked, 867 



INDEX 



1161 



Shad roe and cucumber salad, 953 

baked, S68 
Shaddock naiad, 955 
Shade, 101 

trees, pruning, 264 
Shades, window, 45, 47, 85 
for darkening rooms, 321 
of paint, 498 
Shampoo mixtures, application of, 588 
Shams, iron wire for, 47 
Shaving, 598, 600 
Shavings, for packing gilt ornaments, 

431 
Shawls, washing, 374 
Shears, hedge, 267 

lopping trees, 267 
Sheep's-head broth, 852 
Sheepskin rugs, cleaning, 414 
for polishing stoves, 303 
Sheet, for stretching curtains, 371 

music, care of, 51 
Sheeting, brown, bleaching, 352 
goods for, 60 
unbleached, 46, 60 
Sheets, 59, 60 

cotton, storing, 388 
old, for ironing boards, 384 
hanging out, 377 
Shell clams a, la Newburg, 875 
escalloped, 876 
fried, 875 

in Vienna rolls, 875 
roast, 875 
crabs a la Creole, 879 

soft-shell, 879 
fish, cangrejueloe, 879 

on the shell, 879 
fritters, clam, 875 
Langosta a la Catalana. 878 
lobster a la Neioburg, 878 
breaded, 878 
creamed, 878 
curry of, 877 
French style, 878 
oyster pie, 811 
rarebit, 876 
rissoles of, 878 
oysters a la George Trimble David- 
son, 876 
a la Newburg, 876 
broiled, 877 
creamed, 877 
encoquilile, 876 
fried, with cold slaw, 876 
roasted in shell, 811 
saute, 876 
scalloped, 877 
partan pies, 879 
pigs in blankets, 876 
quahog cocktail, 875 
salad, bluefish, 871 

clam, 871 
sandwiches, crab, 826 
scallops, fried, 879 
scalloped, 879 
Shellac, 500 

as a wood filler, 396 

coloring, 504 

cutting with alcohol, 515, 516 

dryer for paint, 494 

for sealing wax, 509 

for varnish, 416, 489, 499, 503, 507, 

523 
for white-washed walls, 424 
in blacking, 525 
in cement, 479 
in French polish, 512, 514 
in marking ink, 529 
in paint for blackboards, 496 
in rubber cement, 481 



Shellac, in sandarac varnish, 505 
in lac varnish, 502 
size, for paper hanging, 422 
Shelled beans, stewed, 926 
kidney beans, 1093 
stewed, beans, 1093 
Shelter, 101 
Sherbet, 872 

Shields, rubber dress, care of, 344 
Shin of beef, stewed. 1049 
Shingles, coloring, 294 

preservation, 293 
Shingling, cost of, 750 
Shirt bosoms, 382, 383 

waists, dry cleaning, 336 
Shirts, ironing, 385, 386 

woolen drying, 378 
Shoe cleaner, 520 

pocket, overshoes for, 522 
strings, 521 
Shoemakers, cement for, 482 
Shoes, 519-522 

patches on, 482 
Shortcake, 809 

Shot, for cleaning bottles, 314 
Shovel, for kitchen sink, 308 
Show card inks, 531 
Shower bath, homemade, 544 
Shrubbery, lawn, 253 
Shrubs flowering, pruning, 270 

ornamental, 256 
Sick room, beds, 154 
bedding, 154 
cleanliness, 154 
disinfection, 155 
drink, 156 
food, 156 
isolation, 153 
milk, 156 
odors, 154 
. preparation of, 154 
quarantine, 156 
rules for, 146 
typhoid, 153 
vermin, 157 
Sidney Smith's salad dressing, 849 
Sieve, cleaning, 312 
Silk, animal fiber, 332 
as wall covering, 38 
bleaching, 326, 353 
china, washing, 372 
cleaning, 339, 340 

with gasoline. 329, 339 
with potato, 339 
cleansing mixtures for. 340 
laundering, 371, 372, 3S0, 385, 386 
moths feed on. 445 
oiled, for mending, 481 
oxalic acid, application of, 325 
packing, 450 

removing acid stains from, 341 
paint from, 340 
sea-water stains, 341 
tar from, 340 
wax from. 340 
wrinkles from, 386 
stockings, washing, 372 
storing, 387, 451 
tartaric acid for, 327 
white, bleaching, 341 

cleaning. 341 
yellowed, lilcaching, 326 
Silkoline curtains for bedrooms, 46 
Silver chain, cleaning, 534 
cleansers, 318 
coin. English, 778 

United States, 777 
ink, 531 

lace, cleaning, 574 
leaf, for killing knots, 499 



1162 



INDEX 



Silver, nitrate of, in indelible ink, 334 
for invisible ink, 532 

ornaments, cleaning, 431 

packing, 316 

polishing, and washing, 307. 317, 318 

removing egg stains from, 318 

seals, cleaning, 319 

storing, 316 

tarnished, cleaning, 317 
Silverware, care of, 316, 317 
Sink, 307, 309, 320 

spout, disinfecting, 319 
Sinks, 115 

bacteria in, 394 

care of, 62, 319, 320 
Sirup, in almond paste, 570 

candies, 720, 730 

for canning, 653 

fruit, 661 

gauge, 650 

for jellies, 650 
for preserving, 650 
for preserving, 653 
, testing, 718 
Size, isinglass, 508 
. paper hangers, 422 
Skates, protecting from rust, 439 
Skeleton key, 427 
Skimmed milk for the skin, 564 

in the diet, 632 
Skin, anatomy of, 539 

color of, 539 

diseases and remedies for, 540, 552 

hardening the, 539 

milk for the, 564 

pores of the, 542 

relaxed, ointment for, 541 
Skirt, cotton dress, cleaning, 337 

divided, for housecieaning, 402 

dry-cleaning white, 336 

plaited, packing, 443 
Skirts, cleaning, 337, 344 

starching, SS2 
Skylight, as fire escape, 79 
Slacked lime, for removing woody taste, 

310 
Slappers, 812 
Slate color, fixing, 367 
for the kitchen, 65 
Sleep, 554 

Infants', 209 
Sleeping porch and rooms, 52, 54, 55, 57 
Sleeve protectors, 310 
Sleeves, puff iron for, 383 
Slippery elm bark, for preserving ani- 
mal oils, 511 
Small tread, apple cake, 805 
steamed corn, 1029 

hrioche, 807 

l)uns, English tatter, 806 
hot-cross, 804 

cakes, tuckwheat, 805 
entire-tuckivheat, 805 
Lancashire tea, 806 
raised-tatter, 805 

currant squares, 806 

doughnuts, raised, 808 

fruit, canning, 654 

gems, breakfast, 1026 

m,ade from yeast, 803 

raised wheat m,uffins, 807 

rolls, luncheon, 805 
Parker House, 804 
Sivedish, 80G 
Siviss, 804 

Sally Lunn, Yorkshire, 804 

toast, spider-trowned, 822 

iDaffles, raised wheat, 807 
Smallpox, 165 

history of, 165 



Smallpox, infection from, 169 
prognosis of, 169 
quarantine, 169 
symptoms of, 187 
vaccine, 166 
Smalts, for blue sealing wax, 509 
Smelling salts, 327, 580 
Smelts, taked, 866 

trochet, 867 
Smoke, breathing of, preventing, 80, 92 
from lamps, 92 

preventing in chimneys, 75, 76 
removing stains of, 419 
Smoked ham, storing, 699 
Smyrna rug, repairing, 414 
"Snap," degree in candy making, 719 
Snoivtalls, 966 
Hnow pudding, 962 
Snuff, for exterminating ants and 

crickets, 454, 460 
Soaking garments, 359 
Soap, almond, cold cream for, 572 

bark, for cleaning men's clothes, 344 

for Oriental rugs, 399 
castile, for the teeth, 608 
. chemical, 331 
for cleaning rugs, 411 

wood floors, 416 
for furniture, 429 
for ironware, 311 
for lubricating drawers, 405 
for mildew, 328 
for stopping leaks, 405 
for testing water, 361 
for wash leather gloves, 347 
for washing bedspreads, 375 
for washing blankets, 375 
for washing greasy stoves, 302 
for white kid, 521 
in stove polish, 302 
jelly, 365 

for cleaning gutta percha, 437 
for cleaning mattresses, 408 
for washing laces, 369 
for washing silk, 340, 372 
for washing woolen goods, 374 
in calcimine, 421 
medicated, kinds of, 551-2 

naphtha, for cleaning feathers. 348 
properties and importance of. 356, 357 
soft, for cleaning brushes, 494 
for waterproofing leather, 523 
in washing fluids, 364 
toil'et varieties, 549-51 
white, for bleaching white goods, 354 
white, for cleaning, canvas shoes, 521 
for cleaning feathers, 348 
for polishing furniture, 515 
for soap jelly, 365 
for washing clotheslines, 376 
with starch, 381 

yellow, as a wood lubricator. 512 
as preservation against mildew. 333 
for cleaning Britannia ware, 319 
for cleaning grates, 438 
for lubricating window sashes, 427 
for printing ink, 533 
for washing oil cloth, 399 
in scouring mixture. 331 
use of. in rosin, 500 
Soapine washing powder, nature of, 364 
Soaps, perfumed and toilet, 549 
Soapsuds, cleansing, 361 
for bleaching silk. 353 
for cleaning brushes, 494 
for renewing linoleum. 41 
for rinsing brooms, 392 
for washing embroideries, 368 
hot, for destroying fleas, 455 



INDEX 



1163 



Soda, bicarbonate of, for cleaning bric- 
a-brac, 433 
for cleaning burners, 323 
for cleaning cbiua. 31!) 
for cleaning coarse paint. 419 
for cleaning cut glass, 314 
• for cleaning stained silver, 317 
for cleaning ink, 530 
for purifying feathers, 408 
for putting out lires, 79 
for softening hard water, 3()1 
in marking ink, 529 
with starch, 382 
bisulphate of, for bleaching flannel, 

353 
calcimated, for scouring floors, 417 
crystals, for indelible ink, 530 
hyposulphide of, for bleaching linen, 
351 
for bleaching sheeting, 352 
for neutralizing acids, 325 
for removing iodine stains, 334 
lye, cautions in use of, 302 
lye, for iron kettles, 311 

for softening hard water, 301 
in the laundry, 301 
tungstate of, for flreprooOng gar- 
ments, 80 
Soft coal, in stove polish, 302 
cream cheese, 1002 
custardy 909 
shell crabs, 979 
soap, for the toilet, 550 
for cleaning zinc, 440 
water, for the laundry, 300 
Soil, auger, 241 
drainage, 240 
nursei-y, 257 
pipes, 114 
preparation of, 238 
testing, for roads, 296 
Solder, coarse and fine, 516 
common, for tins, 510 
for mending tinware, 516 
hard and soft, 510, 517 
making, 517 
using, 517 
Solid colors, fixing, 307 

in carpets and wall papers, 37, 43 
Soluble glass, for flreproofing fabrics, 81 
for floors and walls, 42, 01, 02 
in paints, 490 
Solvents, for spots and stains, 324 
Soot, danger of breathing, 92 
from chimney, 75, 70 
from illuminating gas, 83 
from lamps, 92 
removing, 322 

from carpets, 413 
from enameled and ironware, 311 
Soothing syrup, infants', 183 

Mrs. Winslow's, 184 
Sore throat, symptomatic of, 186 
Sorrel, salts of, 325 

soup, 958, 1106 
Souffle cheese, 1076 
vith pastri/, 1077 
corn and cheese, 1071 
"Soufflfi," degree in candy-making, 719 
Soup, sheep's-licad hroth, 852 

sportsman's broth, 859 
Soups, 846 

a la Flamande, S51 
a la Menestra, 850 
a la Reine, 849 
asparagus cream, 856 
haked-hean, 937 
bean, 847 
bean, cream of, 1109 



Soups, beef gumbo, 853 
h^que, 849 
bisque, lobster, 857 

ouster, 857 
black-bean, 858 
bouillabaise, 855 

bouillon, tomato, iritli oysters, 853 
broth, barley, 851 
celeriac, cream of, 1107 
cheese, 1077 

cheese and vegetable, 1077 
chicken, 851 
chowder, chicken, 858 

clam, 859 

onion, 859 

lobster, 857 
clam, 858 
cock-a-leekie, 852 
corn, 930 

chonder, 857 
cream of, 1107 
cream of celery, 853 
corn, 854, 937 

onion, 854 
Creole, 847 
dried-bean, 855, 1108 
Du Barry, 850 
fish bisque, 809 

choirder, 850 
food map of, 619 
friar's, chicken, 852 
green-pea, 850, 939, 1108 
gumbo, okra, 853 
herb, 859, 1100 
leek, 854, 1106 
maigre, 850 
milk and cheese, 1077 
mixed, vegetable, 1105 
mock-turtle, 847 
mullngaiairny, 851 
mutton hrnth, 847, 852 
Normandic, 855 
okra and tomato, 1108 
old-fashioned bean, 859 
oxtail, 855 

a la Tabasco, 850 
pea, 936 
potato, 1107 
potato-cream, 849 
puree of celeriac, 856 
puree de lentillcs, 851 
rabbit, 852 
sorrel, 858, 1106 
split-pea, 856, 1108 
stock, brotvn, 848 

white, 850 
tomato, 848, 1107 
veal, 848 
vegetable, 1105 

mutton, 849 
winter okra, 857 
Sour beef, 1052 
beefsteak, 1052 
-cream cake, Mrs. Moberly's, 998 

cheese, lOOO 

cookies, 994 

dressing, 948, 1114 
milk doughnuts, 817 

Graham bread, 817 
Southern batter bread, 819 
corn pone, 818 
egg bread, 819 
hoe cake, 818 
Johnny cake, 818 
Spaghetti a I'ltalienne, 831 
piquante, 833 
i(Hth cheese, 832 
with chicken, 832 
Spanish beefsteak, 1052 
cake, 1006 



1164 



INDEX 



Spanish chocolate cream, 965 

peppers, OSO 
Spareribs, with sauerkraut, 90S 
Sparrows, English, 273 
Spatula, for toilet preparations, 5G1 
ISpeciflc gravity, 777 

Spermaceti, for cliapped lips and bands, 
554, 556, 574 
for cold cream, 571 
in almond preparations, 567, 570 
test for, 576 

with starch, 381 
Sperm oil, nature of. 511 
Spice cake, 998, 1004 

mill, cleaning, 311 
Spiced pickle, 677 
Spices, 63, 66 

adulteration of, 642 
flavoring, 1057 
for preserving linen, 389 
Spider corn cake, S16 
Spinach, 1087 
boiled, 929 

cooked without icater, 929, 1088 
in molds, 936 

leaves, for toilet preparations, 562 
rechauffe, 938 
salad on tongue, 952 
^vith cream, 929. 1088 
ivith egg, 929, 1083 
Spirit varnish, 503 
Splinters, under the nails, 557 
Split log drag, 297 

-pea soup, 856, 1108 
Sponge cake a, la CJiantillii, 900 
Sponges, care and uses of, 322, 325, 545, 

548, 549 
Spoon biscuit, 817 
Spoons, measurements by, 766 

racks for, 63, 64 
Spores, in dust, 393 
Spots, grease. 336. 342 
ink, tartaric acid for, 326 
kinds and treatment of. 324, 325, 332, 

343 
white, on black goods, 345 
Sprains, linseed oil for, 555 
Springerlein, 996 
Spring tgreens, 1090 
Springs, 109 
Sprinkling clothes, 379 
Sputum, disinfection of, 146 
Square measure, 750 
Squares, cocoanut, 735 
Squash, 1104 

baked Hubbard. 926 
summer, canning. 663 
Squashes, keeping. 709 
Stain, for floors, 42 
Stained floors, cleaning. 416 

glass, imitation of. 535 
Stains, acid, on linen, 336 
removing. 325, 327 
alkali, 341 

berry, treatment of, 333 
cod liver oil, 336 
coffee, 332 
eradication of, 324 
floor, 415 

fresh, absorbents for, 324 
fresh milk for. 326 
fruit. 326, 342 
gasoline, gypsum for. 330 
grass. 332, 336 
Ink, treatment and removal of, 334-6, 

429. 533 
iodine. 334 
kinds of. 332 
mud. 336. 342 
nitrate of silver or nitric acid, 336 



Stains, nutgall, 334 

of matches, removing, 419 
oil, 342 

on white linen or cotton, 335 
paint, 334 
pigment for, 415 
red wine, 336 

removing from animal fibers. 338 
from brown earthenware, 313 
from colored silk, 341 
from gloves, 347 
from matting, 413 
from the hands, 553 
from silver, 317 
rust, 342 

stubborn, buttermilk for, 326 
tannin, 326 
tea, 332 

utensils for, 325 
vegetable, oxalic acid for, 326 
wax, 333. 342 
wine. 342. 
Stair carpets, 410, 414 
Stairs, sweeping the, 391 
Stairways, 39 
Stale bread, 820 

and cake puddings, 956 
Stamped outfit, linen for, 389 
Standard portions of food, 620 

time, 775 
Standards, dietary, 618 
<• of measurement, origin of, 747, 759 
Standing, infants, 211 
Starch, adulteration of, 640 
and starching, 380-2 
as an absorbent, 328 
for cleaning brass, 432, 434 
for cleaning windows, 426 
for flreproofing garments, 80 
for mending lace curtains, 46 
for removing blood stains, 338 
for removing ink stains from car- 
pets, 412 
for removing mildew, 333 
for removing oil stains from marble, 

436 
for removing stains from mattresses, 

438 
for removing tea stains, 337 
for wash balls, 551 
for washing woolens. 374 
in chemical soap, 331 
in mucilage, 476 
powder for the hands. 556 
powders, in the toilet, 572 
Starching clothes. 380 

white dress goods, 382 
Steak a la Bordelaise, 883 
a la Victor Hugo, 884 
broilim/, 882 
Hamburg, 883, 1053 
porterhouse, tough portions of, 1053 
pudding, 885 
round, on biscuits, 1056 
savor}!, 885 
Steam disinfection, 137 

for destroying carpet beetles, 452 
for destroying moths, 448 
heating system, 70-2 
Steamed potatoes, 1097 
Steaming, windows, preventing. 426 
Stearic acid, for cold cream, 571 
Stearin, for harness. 526 

for polishing waxed floors. 397 
for white sealing wax, 509 
with starch. 465 
Steel, cement for, 487 

fastening, to leather. 482 
ink for, 532 



INDEX 



1165 



steel knives, care of, 315 

and forks, preventing rust on, 315 

specifications for painting, 492 

table knives, 440 

wool, for waxed floors, 397 
Steelwork, cement for, 484 

specifications for painting, 492 
Stencil borders, 38, 46 

ink, 530 
Stepladder, preventing from slipping, 

407 
Steps, marble, cleaning, 436 
Sterilizing dust, 394 

fruit jars, 652 

of milk, 232 
Sterling money, 778 
Stew, army, 896 

broion, 901 

farmer, 1052 

from cold roast, 1045 

lamb heart, 898 

meat, ivith dumplings, 1042 

mutton, 895 
Stewed celery, 1101 

cucumherSj 1101 

onions, 1101 

shelled heans, 1093 

shin of beef, 1049 

tomatoes, 663, 1102 
Sticklac varnish, nature of, 500 
Stills, for making perfumes, 580 
Stipple wall painting, 493 
Stock, brown, 848 

trees, 260 

white soup, 850 
Stockings, as sleeve protectors, 310 

for rugs, 44 

for stove holders, 313 

old, disposition of, 405 

silk, washing, 372 
Stone, cement for, 483 

color, fixing, 451 

rotten, in paint and varnish, 495, 499 

varnish, 506 

walks, cleaning, 436 
Stonework, cleaning, 493 

cost of and measuring, 755 

imitating, 496 
Stool bath, 308, 546 
Stopper, glass, loosening, 433 
Storax, in honey water and almond 
creams, 565, 568 

in rubber cement, 481 

in sealing was, 508, 510 
Storing canned goods, 648 

preserves, 648 

silks, 387 
Storeroom, 67 
Stove, asbestos, for protecting, 304 

asphaltum varnish for, 506 

cement for lining, 484 

closed, 73 

cook, blacking and keeping clean, 302 

economy of heat, 74 

gas and gasoline, 74, 306 

kitchen, cleaning, 437-9 

new, care of, 302-3 
Strainer, rack for, 64 
Strawberries, preserving, 657 
Strawberry ambrosia, 1028 

confections, 727 

granite, 976 

ice cream, 978 

pie, 992 

sauce, 968 

sherbet, 975 

water ice, 972 
Straw, bleaching, 329, 353 

cleaning, 348 

color paint, mixing, 498 



Straw, hats, cleaning, sizing, 349, 350 

• mattresses, 58 

Straws, cheese, 1081 

Street trees, pruning, 269 

String or green beans, 1092 

Stringbean and water-cress salad, 949 

Stringbeans, canning, 662 

Strychnine for rats, 456 

Stucco work, painting, polishing, 436, 

491 
Student lamps, 92 
Stuffed and baked green peppers, 1103 

heart, 1050 

mousse, 983 
Stuffing or forcemeat, 1047 
Stumps, dynamiting, 278 

pulling, 278 
Sturgeon, to roast, 867 
Stylographic ink, 334 

removing from carpets, 412 
Sub-surface beds, 120 
Succotash, 1104 

canning, 663 
Succulent vegetables, 1085 
Suculento, 932 
Suet cherry roly-poly, 961 

in toilet preparations, 570, 571, 574 

for red sealing wax, 509 

for waterproofing leather, 523 
Sugar, adulteration of, 642 

cookies, 994 

cube, for rosewater, 581 

flavoring, 742 

for blacking liquid, 525 

for candy making, 717, 718, 730 

for freckles, 503 

for infants, 220 

for mending cracked articles, 312 

for removing tea stains, 337 

for washing silks, 372 

in almond preparations, 567 

in flour paste, 475 

in ink, 528 

in portable glue, 478 

in starch, 381 

in starch for laces, 387 

in stove polish, 303 

in the diet, 633 

in whitewash, 420 

loaf, in waterproofing leather, 524 

of lead, for fixing solid colors, 367 
for putting out fires, 79 
in flexible varnish, 502 

peas, 1091 

vinegar, 669 

water, for invisible ink, 531 
Sugared almonds, 735 
Sulphate of aluminum, in label muci- 
lage, 476 

of copper, in electroplating, 541 

of potassium, with plaster-of-Paris, 
536 

of zinc, for blackheads, 540 
Sulphites, food adulterant, 639 
Sulphur candies, 145 

cautions for, 145 

for bleaching, 341, 352 

for bleaching woolen goods, 352 

for cleaning straw hats, 349 

for disinfecting cellars, 404 

for exterminating house pests, 448, 
452, 460 

for gilt picture frames. 431 

for making matches, 538 

for putting out fires, 76 

for removing red wine stain, 336 

for removing rust, 440 

for the skin, 564 

fumigation, 144 

in rosjn cement, 480 



1166 



INDEX 



Sulphur, in waterproof varnish, 502 
soluble, in turpentine, 'S2ii 
tarnishes jewelry, 534 
tarnishes silver, 318 
Sulphuretted hydrogen, tarnishes silver, 
316 
test for, 55 
Sulphuric ether, for cleaning kid gloves, 

348 
Sulphuric acid, bleaching, 351, 853 
food adulterant, 642 
for blackening leather, 518 
for etching on ivory, 536 
for flreprooflng wood, 81 
for invisible ink, 532 
for preserving mucilage, 477 
for purifying kerosene oil, 90 
for purifying vegetable oils, 510 
for removing stains, 317, 318, 420, 

429, 534, 537, 554 
for removing wax, 398 
for stopping leaks, 405 
for sweetening musty bottles, 315 
for waterproofing shoes, 523 
for whitening the nails, 557 
from carbonic-acid gas, 77 
in ink, 527, 528 
in liquid blacking, 525 
in muriatic acid, 328 
In paste blacking, 524 
in stone varnish, 506 
test for, 671 

test for attar of rose, 576 
use of, 55a 
ether, in chemical soap, 331 

for mixing with turpentine, 328 
Sulphurous acid, for bleaching, 352 

for destroying bedbugs and fleas, 
454, 455 
ether, for removing paint, 333 

complaint, infants', 180 
diarrhea, infants', 180 
salad, 950, 955 
squash, 932 
canning, 663 
Sunburn, lotions for, 566 
Sunday-morning loaf, 815 
Sunflsh, fof. destroying mosquitoes, 466 
Sun, keeping out of windows, 426 
Sunlight kills germs, 393 

sterilizes dust, 394 
Sunshine cake, 1007 
Superficial measure, 750 
Superfluous hair, 596 
Surface, measures of, 779 
Surprise cake, 1004 
Surveyor's measure, 751 
Swab for dishwashing, 307, 308 
Swallows. 272 

Swan's-down, cleaning, washing, 349 
Sweat glands in tbe skin, 539 
Sweeper, carpet, care of, 391, 393 
Sweeping carpets, 391, 392. 410 

utensils for, 391 
Sweet almond lozenges, 740 
clover, for repelling flies, 463 
cucumbers, 678 

marjoram for preserving linen, 389 
melons, pickling, 678 
oil for cleaning brass furniture, 432 
britannia ware, 319 
bronzes, 432 
furniture, 428 
grates, 438 
silver seals, 319 
for fly paper, 464 
for liquid blacking, 525 
for patent leather, 524 
for polishing woodwork, 419 



Sweet oil^ for preventing rust on steel 
knives, 315 

for removing stoppers, 433 

for soft soap, 550 

for squeaking shoes, 521 

for waterprooflng shoes, 523 

in freckle lotion, 564 

in paste blacking, 524 
pickles, 678 
potato, 942, 1097 

au gratin, 945 

halted, 942, 1098 

hoiled, 942 

hread, 803 

troiled, 942 

hroicned, 1098 

candied, 1098 

croquettes, 942 

fried, 1098 

glazed, 942 

in cream, 942 

in the diet, 637 

pie, 990 

storing, 710 

with pork tenderloins, 907 
Sweetiread croquettes, 904 
fritters, 904 
salad, 952 
sandtciches, 826 
Sweethreads & la Neichurg, ff04 
and macaroni sauce, 887 
f/-ied, 903 

with creamed chicken, 915 
Sioeets, cheese, 1080 
Siviss chards, 1089 
cheese, 1063 
dotted, for curtains and valances, 45, 

59 
eggs, 1075 
Sympathetic ink, 431 
Symptoms, chickenpox, 187 
colds, 186 

communicable diseases, 185 
coughs, 186 
diphtheria, 167, 192 
eruptions, 186 
fever, 186 
impetigo, 188 

infantile paralysis, 188, 189 
intestinal diseases, 181 
itch, 188 
lice, 188 
malaria, 159 
measles, 187, 196 
meningitis, 190 
mumps, 187, 198 
ringworm, 188 
scarlet fever, 187, 193 
smallpox, 187 
sore throat, 186 
typhoid fever, 149 
vaccination, 169 
vomiting, 186 
whooping cough, 187, 198 
Syphon tanks. 118 
Systems, heating, 69-71 
of lighting, cost of, 82 



Table, center, tea, 50 

covers, woolen, washing, 374 

for dishwashing. 307 

kitchen, 63. 308 

knives, preventing rust, 440 

leaves and pad, 61 

linen, hemming, 389 
preventing wear of,_386 
removing stains from, 337 

of nutrients, 623 



INDEX 



1167 



Table oilcloths, cleaning, 399 

protection of, 304 

rolling, 64 
Tablecloth, economies, 304, 390 
Tablecloths, 3S6, 390 

hanging out, 377 

removing old stains, 338 

rinsing, 365, 386 
Tables, for feeding infants. 222 

of standard toilet recipes, 563 
Taboret, 50 

Tacks, for cleaning bottles, 314 
Taffeta, for linen curtains, 45 
Taffy, 717, 727, 728 
Tainted meat, sweetening. 694 
Talc, for sealing wax, 509 
Talcum powder, 348, 572 
Tallow, as a lubricator, 511 

for axle grease. 512 

for kid boots, 521 

for polishing wax floors. 397 

for red sealing wax, 509 

for removing ink from linen, 335, 336, 
348 

in grafting wax, 480 

in varnish, 506 
Tan, lotions for. 566 

shoes, darkening, polishing, 521, 522 
Tanbark for ice houses, 96 
Tank, cement for, 483, 484 

flush, 118 

measurements of, 759 

pneumatic, 106 

septic, 116 

syphon, 118 

tilting, 119 

wood, preservation of, 293 
Tannate of iron, in ink. 527 
Tannic acid, for moist hands, 553 
in banana peel, 521 
in ink, 527. 528 
Tannin, in leather cement. 485 

oil, for paste blacking, 525 

removing stains of, 336 
Tape, for stove holders, 304 

hangers, for towels, 310 
Tapestry brussels carpets, 39, 43 
Tapioca and hananas, 962 

cream cocoanut, 962 

Indian pudding, 964 
Tar. for casks, 403 

for stopping leaks, 405 

in paint. 487 

paper, uses of. 447. 450 

pitch, for preventing dampness, 425 

rectified, for toughening nails, 557 

removing from colored goods, 342 

soap, 552 

soft, for rat holes. 457 

stains, removing of, 333, 340, 342 

varnish, 506 
Tarnished silver. 318 
Tarraoon vinegar, 1110 
Tartar, cream of, 325, 326 

adulteration of, 643 

emetic, 326 

oil. in almond creams, 568 
in sunburn lotions, 566 

on the teeth. 605 
Tartaric acid, application of. 327 
Taste, good and bad. In home decora- 
tion, 34, 51 
Tea, 790 

adulteration of. 643 

for cleaning black silk, 340 

for cleaning carpets, 413 

for cleaning furniture. 428, 516 

for cleaning linen, 332. 337, 338 

for cleaning mirrors, 427 

for cleaning white paint, 419 



Tea, for tinting laces, 387 

green, for sponging black lace, 370 
Teakettle, avoiding lime in. 312 
Tea leaves, for cleaning, 304 

for sweeping, 307, 410 
Teapots, preventing musty odor in, 313 
Tea punch, 791 

Russian, 793 

table, 50 
Teather cake, 1003 
Teeth, 603 

amalgam for filling, 615 

artificial, 614 

care of, 605 

structure of, 604 

whitening, 60S 
Teething, infants, 182 
Telephone systems, effects of, 41 
Temperature, infant's, 179 

of bath, 544 

measuring, 777 
Tents, waterproofing. 82 
Testing fruit jars, 652 
Thermostat, 71 
Thinners for paints, 487 
"Thread" degree in candy-making, 719 
Throat discharges, disinfection of, 155 
Thyme, for preserving linen, 389 

for sachets and toilet water, 578, 582 
Thvmol treatment, 171 
Ticking, uses for, 304. 310 
Tile drain pipes, clearing, 241 

drains, 241 

plan of, 241 

for bathroom, 61 
Timhales, fish, 866 
Timbers, charring, 290 

posts, 290 

preservation, 290, 294 
Time of cooking flarorers, 1109 

measurement, 773. 774 

-table, cook's complete. 767 
Tin box, for matches, 304 

cans, use of. 63, 66 

for lining sinks, 320 

for mending plate, 516 

for mouse holes, 457 

ink for. 532 

mucilage for, 476 

rack. 64 

solution of, for cleaning scarlet cloth, 
346 
Tinctures, preparation of. 580 
Tins, keeping clean, 312 
Tints of paints, 498 
Tinware, care of. 312 

cement for. 484 

mending. 516 
Tissue paper, for cleaning mirrors, 427 
for polishing, 315, 322, 515 
for protecting silver, 316 
uses of, 65 

rubber mending, for patching carpets, 
414 
Toad in the hole, 909 
Toads in gardens, 276 
Toast, milk, 822 

spider hrowned, 822 

tomato, 823. 1102 
Toasted cheese sandwiches, 1080 

sandwiches, 821 
Toaster, rack for. 64 
Tobacco, for mosquitoes and moths, 446, 

449. 467 
Toilet, 539, 547 

powders. 572 

preparations. 547, 559-61. 583 

soft soap for the, 550, 553 

sponge. 548 

vinegar, 572 



1168 



INDEX 



Toilet water, for shaving, Lewis's, 600 

waters, perfumed, 581, 582 
Tolu tincture, for freckles and sunburn, 

504, 506 
Tomato and cheese, green corn, 1071 
salad, 1079 

and cucumber salad in cucumber, 949 

and meat pie, 1044 

and okra soup, 1108 

and pea salad, 951 

catsup, 686 

for rouioving ink from linen, 337 

jellii irith cclcrii salad, 953 

maiionnaisc, 049 

pineapple salad, 955 

rabbit, 1071 

salad, 955 

and potatoes, 945 

sandiciches, 828 

sauce, 1111 

■with macaroni and cheese, 1072 

soup, 848. 1107 

surprise, 933 

toast. 1102 

toast. 823 

loith ouster bouillon, 853 
fTomatoes, 1102 

baked, 934 

broiled, 934 

canning, 687 

deriJed, 934 

Leland, 933 

peeling, 656 

pickling. 681 

preserving for soup, 690 

scalloped, 930, 1102 
and onions. 939 

stewed. 929. 1102 

storing, 709 

stuffed. Mrs. Bailey's, 1025 
-(ri77( succotash, 927 

*o ?Jrt'7, 1102 
Tongue, boiled. 887 

sandiriches, 826 
leftover. 894 

•!(•///; spinach salad. 952 

ici7/i. tomato sauce. 902 
Tongues, pickling, 697 
Tonics, for the hair, 589, 5.90 
Tonquin ^ap, 551 
Tools, packing, 443 

varnish for. 503. 504 
Toothache and remedies for, 612, 613 
Toothbrush, care of, 606 

for polishing silver, 317 
Tooth pastes, 610 

picks. 606 

powders. 608 
Torto frutas. 992 
Toweling, crash, 390 

Towels, making and use of, 308, 310, 390 
Toxins, cause of disease, 394 
Toys, colored copal varnish for, 505 
Trachoma. ISO 

Trade packages, weights of, 763 
Train oil, nature of, 511 

for preserving nails from rust, 439 
Training-dan ginger cake. 999 
Transiilanting garden plants, 251 
Transparent soap. 552 
Trapping rats. 457 
Traps, baiting, 458 

for cockroaches. 457 
Traveling basket, infant's, 209 

packing for. 443 
Tray cloths, from old tablecloths, 390 

for dishwashing. 307 
Trees, after pruning, 265 

buds. 260 

budding, 202, 206 



Trees, care of, 260 

cherry, pruning, 268 

cleft grafting, 261 
cuttings, 260, 263 

dj'ing, 259 

forest pruning, 270 

grafting, 200 
cleft, 261 
wax, 262 
whip, 261 

grafts, 260 

heads, forming, 264 

holes, 259 

hollow trunks, 266 

homemade, for shoes, 520 

large, transplanting, 258 

lawn, 253 

lopping shears, 267 

nursery, 256 

orchard pruning, 264 

ornamental, 256 

"pinching," 266 

propagation, 260 

protection. 277 

pruning, 265 

implements, 266 
peach, 268 
pear, 267 
plum, 268 
season for, 266 
shears. 267 

scions, 260 

seeds, testing. 256 
' shade, pruning, 264 
stock, 260 

street, pruning, 269 

transplanting, 257, 258 

wax grafting. 2(!2 

whip grafting, 261 
Trellis for ice houses, 96 
Trimmings, utilizing, 1041 
Tripe a la Creole, 887 

d I'Espagnole, 887 

and onions, 888 

curried. 887 

Lgonnaise. 8S7 

pickled, 702 

stewed, and tomato sauce, SS8 

with ogsters, 888 
Trolley systems, effect of, 41 
Trotters and iicads. to prepare, 852 
Trout, broiled brook, 868 
Troy weight. 761 
Truing out fat, 1041 
Tub, iron bath, painting, 543 
Tuberculosis, bacteria of, 163 

causes of. 163 

cure of. 163 

extent of, 162 

home" treatment, 164 

nature of, 160 

prevention, 164 

sanatoria of, 164 

spread of, 103 
Tuberose for tinctures, 580 
Tubers, diet. 637 
Tucks, puff iron for, 383 
Tuesday as washday, 355 
Tumbler, measurement by, 766 
Turbot, broiled, 867 
Turkeg, roasted. 915 

scalloped, 917 
Turkish pilaf, 830. 1045 

towel, for ironing laces. 387 
Turmeric acid, in lacquers, 504 

food adulterant. 642 
Turncap on the chimney, 76 
Turnip cahba-ge, 1100 
Turnips, 1098 



INDEX 



1169 



Turnips, hoiled, 930, 1098 

canning, 663 

friedj 927 

glace au sucre, 933 

hashed, 930, 1098 

preserving, 709 
Ttirnovers, meat, 1044 
Turpentine, asphalt dissolved by, 501 

flatting with, 499 

for blackening grates, 438 

for bleaching, 310, 352 

for cleaning, 319, 321, 346, 348, 418, 
433, 494 

for cleaning bed ticking, 40S 

for cleaning pianos, 430 

for cleaning zinc, 440 

for dissolving rosin, 500 

for floors, 415 

for freshening faded carpets, 412 

for harness, 526 

for making matches, 537 

for mending gilt frames, 432 

for musical instruments, 430 

for paint stains, 333, 334, 419 

for paste blacking, 525 

for patent leather, 525 

for polishing woodwork, 419 

for removing grease, 339, 413, 418, 
519 

for removing grease from fur, 349 

for removing paint from silk, 341 

for removing of printer's ink, 336 

for removing spots from waxed floor, 
397 

for removing tar from colored goods, 
342 

for removing wax, 398 

for renovating furniture, 428, 429, 
514, 515, 516 

for repelling bedbugs, 454 

for rubber cement, 481 

for washing curtains, 371 

for waterproofing, 82, 523 

in asphaltum varnish, 506 

in glass cement, 485 

in scouring mixtures, 331 

in stove polish, 302 

in the laundry, 361 

in varnish, 505 

in washing fluids, 363, 364 

Japan for priming, 489 

nature of, 575 

oil of, 328, 487 

preparation and application, S28 

spirits of, 330, 333 

with copal varnish, 004 
Tutti-frutti, 982 

flllinff, 1015 

punch, 794 
Twelve o'clock pie, 1044 
Twino, common, uses of, 65 
Twist candy, 730 
Typhoid fever, 148 
germs of, 319 
infection, 150 

from flies, 462 
prognosis, 149 
quarantine, 158 
sick room, 153 
symptoms of, 149 
vaccination, 158 

fly, 152 



Umber, burnt, for imitation black wal- 
nut, 415 
in flexible varnish, 502 
in waterproofing and blacking, 82 
for imitation of stonework, 496 
Umbrellas, mending tissue for, 481 



Uncooked curd cheese, 1067 
Underbrush clearing, 279 

pasturing, 279 
Underfeed furnaces, 71 
Underwear, knitted, drying, 378 
Unpainted floors, care of, 417 
Upholstered furniture, 34, 433 

moths in, 449 
Use of cheese in the diet, 1064 

of meat, economical, 1039 
Uses for bones, 1042 

of nutrients, 023 
Utensils for canning preserves, 648 

kitchen, for cooking and cleaning, 63, 
307, 311 

for ironing and the laundry, 358, 382, 
402 

for removing spots and stains, 325 

for sprinkling, 379 

for sweeping, 391 

for washing, 357, 358 
Utilizing fat, 1041 



Vaccination, 167 

anti-typhoid, 158 

creed, 167 

symptoms of, 168 
Vacuum cleaners, for preventing dust, 
395 

steam heating system, 72 

valve on steam radiators, 72 
Valances, 59 
Value of nutrients, 625 
Vanilla beans, for sachet, 578 

cream, French, 726 
pie, 990 

ivith extract, 978 
extract, adulteration of, 641 

ice cream, 977 

sauce, 969, 984 

sugar, preparation of, 742 
Varicella (see chickenpox), 169 
"arnish, brushes, cleaning, 494 

finishing, 499 

fixed oil, 501-3 

for black leather, 526 

for cement, 480, 484 

for musical instruments, 508 

for oil paintings, 506 

for parchment, 508 

for prints, 507 

for preventing rust, 506 

for stained floors, 416 

for window glass, 506 

foundation for, 514 

French, for leather, 524 

from sealing wax, 506 

hard-oil, for exterminating bed-bugs, 
454 

in paint, for renewing linoleum, 41 

kinds of, 501, 508 

special miscellaneous, 506-8 

spirit or lac, 503-5 

volatile oil, 505-6 

waterproof, 502 

white, for picture frames, 431 
for show card ink, 531 

with turpentine, 505 
Vanished furniture, polishing, 514 
Varnishing, 499-501 

Vaseline, for preventing rust on metals, 
383, 439 

for removing mildew, 519 

stains, removing, 328 
Vases, cleaning, 314, 432 
Veal, 900 

birds, 901 

braised, Mrs. Oore's, 1031 

brown stew, 901 



1170 



INDEX 



Veal, calf's liver terrapin, with mush- 
rooms, 905 

tongue, tcith tomato sauce, 902 
collops, 902 

croquettes, Windermere, 905 
curried, 901 
curry of, 1059 
cutlets, 901 
cuts of, 628 
hearts, 901 
kidneys, deviled, 903 

omelet, 903 
liver, braised calf's, 903 

calf's and hacon, 903 

stetved calf's, 903 
?oa/, 901, 1055 
nut balls, 905 
omelet, 900 
or 6ee/ birds, 1048 
oysters, 901 
ragout of, 901 
roast breast of, 900 
roasted with mushrooms, 900 
savory, 900 
smothered, 902 
soMPj 848 
sieic^ 902 
sioeetbread croquettes, 904 

fritters, 904 
sweetbreads a la Neichurg, 904 

/«ed, 903 
Wiener Schnitzel, 902 
Vegetable oils, fixed, purifying, 510 
Fef/etobJes, 922 

and cheese rolls, 1074 

soup, 1077 
asparagus 10S9 
fteows^ 1092 
?jeet greens, 1089 
Bee*s, 1099 
blanching, 1084 
broccoli, 1087 
Brussels sprouts, 1087 
cabbage, 1085 

canned, adulteration of, 638 
canning, 646, 601 
carrots, 1099 
cauliflmver, 1086 
celeriac, 1100 
celery, 1100 

cold storage for, 94 
cellar, 403, 708 
cookery of, 1084 
cucumber, 1101 
eggplant, 1103 
fibers, 337, 350 
flavoring, 1057 
food map of, 619 
fried, flavor of, 1057 

/or seasoning, 1110 
gardens, 244 
globe artichoke, 1090 
green corn, 1104 

peppers, 1103 
MsZi, 937, 1104 
infection from, 151 
in the diet, 630 
Jerusalem, artichoke, 1098 
7caZe, 1087 
kohl-rabi, 1100 
lath boxes for, 713 
lentils, 1095 
lettuce, 1089 
miscellaneous, 1101 
m,utton soup, 849 
o/.-ra., 1103 
onion, 1101 
parsnips, 1099 
/JCO.S-, 1091 
pickling, 674 



Vegetables, potatoes, 1095 

preparation of, 1083 

preserving, 646 

preservation and storing of, 691, 708 

roast, canning, 603 

roots and bulbs, 1098 

salsify, 1099 

sauces for, 1109 

seasonings for, 1109 

soups, 1105 
mixed, 1105 

spinach, 1087 

spring greens, 1090 

squash, 1104 

succulent, 1085 

Swiss shards, 1089 

tomatoes, 1102 

turnip cabbage, 1100 

turnips, 1098 

waste and preparing in, 1084 

wit/i. butter, 1110 

trWft. cheese, 1077 
Vegetarian sausages, 934 
Vehicles, or diluents, for toilet prepara- 
tions, 561 
Veils, for the complexion, 548 

white lace, washing, 370 
Velvet carpet, cleaning, 39, 329, 339, 341 
Velveteen, for polishing, 303, 317, 535 
Venetian carpet, 40 

red, for mahogany furniture paste, 510 
' for red paint, 497 

turpentine, in sandarac varnish, 503, 
505 
TemfsoWj mock, 1000 
Ventilation, 54-6, 71-4, 395, 403 

chimney, for, 75, 404 

grates and registers, 74 
Verandas, 68 
Verdigris, dryer for paint, 487 

for green sealing wax, 507 

for metal label ink, 532 

for waterproofing and blacking, 82 

in green paint and green ink, 497, 531 

poison, 313 
Vermilion, in red paint, 497 
Vermin, avoiding, 42, 405 

washes and pastes for, 451 
Vest-pocket light, 93 
Vinegar, adulteration of, 641 

aromatic, for the toilet, 572 

clarification of, 670, 677 

for brightening and fixing colors, 307, 
368 

for copperware, 311 

for cleaning black sill\, 340 

for cleaning blackened walls, 425 

for cleaning chandeliers, 433 

for cleaning cut glass, 314 

for cleaning zinc, 440 

for coloring wash-leather gloves, 347 

for moist hands, 553 

for liquid blacking, 525 

for picture frames, 431 

for removing alkali stains, 341 

for removing greas6 from leather, 519 

for removing ink stains from floors, 
418 

for removing paint from windows, 426 

for removing scorch, 3SS 

for renovating furniture, 515, 516 

for scouring tins. 312 

for sweetening casks, 403 

for the toilet, 572 

for washing colored linens, 373 

for waterproofing leather, 524 

for whitening the nails, 557 

in casein cement, 480 

in ink, 528, 530 

in liquid glue, 477 



INDEX 



1171 



Vin^-ga^, in mucilage, 476 

in stove polish, 502 

kinds of, 665, 672 

meat cooked with, 1052 

special kinds of, 672-74 

Tarragon, 1110 

white wine, for washing fluids, 363, 
364 

with plaster of Paris, 436 
Violins, cleaning, 430 

rosin for bows of, 500 
Vitriol, blue, for Arc prevention and 
protection, SO 

for coloring gold, 535 

for waterproofing white canvas, 82 

green, in black ink, 527 

in making chrome green, 497 
Volatile oils, nature of, 510, 575 

oil varnishes, 505 
Vol au vent, 9SS 
Vomiting, s5'mptomatic of, 1S7 



M'afers, cheese, 1081 
^Vaf|les, 810 

raised wheat, 807 

rice, 836 
AVagon bodies, capacity of, 756 
Waists, cleaning, 344 

starching, 382 

washing, 373 
AYalking, infants, 211 
Wall, calciminod, 37 

coverings, 36, 37, 38, 39 

bed and dining rooms, 57, 61 
materials for, 36 
Wallpaper, 34, 36, 37, 38 

cleaning, 424 

cost of hanging, 423. 750 

measurement of, 750 

mending, removing, 422, 424 
Walls, brick, measuring, 755 

calcimine for, 36 

cleaning, care of, 418, 425 

cloth for, 36 

cloth as covering, 38 

coloring, 38 

dusting, 424 

kitchen, 62 

paint, paper and painting. 36, 38, 4S7 

rough, painting and papering, 423, 424 

stippling, 493 

stone, measuring, 755 
washes for, 36, 421 

whitewashing, painting, 424 
Walnut and cheese sandwiches, 827 

catsup, 688 

confections, 72G, 727 

color paint, mixing, 498 

hair dye, 595 

mocha cake, 1010 

pudding, 957 

sandioiches, 827 
Walnuts, pickled, 683 
Wardrobes, cleaning, 405 
Ware, bedroom, cleaning, 321 

britannia. cleaning, 319 

copper, polishing. 311, 313 

.iapanncd and wooden, 313 
Wares, kitchen, care of, 311 
Warp, rag-carpet, to color, 43 
Washable paper for kitchen walls, 62 
Wash balls, 551 

blue, for ceilings, 421 

boilers, cleaning, 312 

day, Monday or Tuesday, 355 
plans for, 355, 359 

for bricks, 421 
Washboards, 308 
Washes, for the hair, 589 



Washes, for the mouth, 610 

for walls, 36 
Washing fluids, 359-363 

kerosene for, 365 

machine, 357, 358 

objects of, 358 

powders, 359, 360, 364 

tin cans, 66 
Wash-leather gloves, cleaning, coloring, 

347 
Waste of hot air, preventing, 73 

in prepairing vegetables, 1084 

land, estimating, 752 

pipes from cesspools, 320 
Wastes, disposal of, 114 
Watch cases, Armenian cement for, 478 
Water boiled, 112 

boiling, for destroying ant nests, 461 
point of, 306 

bottles, cleaning, 314 

cement, for chimneys, 75 

clarification of, 112 

closets, 115 

color paints, 487 
vehicle for, 503 

colors, for balsam varnish, 507 

for ceilings and kitchen walls, 38, 

62 
for renovating wall paper, 425, 503 

cress and string hean salad, 949 
sandwiches, 827 

distilled, 561 

distribution of, 105 

filters, 113 

for cleaning furniture, 428 

for the laundry, 360 

for thinning oil paint, 494 

freezing point of, 94 

glass, for acid-proof paint, 496 
for floors, 42 

hard, softening, 361 

heater, gas, 75 

iced, 971 

in foods, 617, 621 

Javelle, 329 

lavender, 582 

measurement by, 766 

not a nutrient, 621 

perfumed toilet, 542, 581 

pipes. 111 
frozen. 111 

purification of, 112 

rose, 581 

sea, removing from silk, 341 

softening, 112 

supply, 104 

distribution of, 107-8 
infection from, 151 
source of, 107 

tests for, 112 
Waterproof cement, 484 

glue, 477 

varnish, 502, 503 
Waterproofing, 80, 82 

awnings and tents, 81, 82 

leather and shoes, 522, 523 
Wax. absorbents for, 328 

adulterated, testing, 746 

bottle, 480, 745 

cement, 480 

for floors, and removal of, 397, 414, 
418 

for hard-wood floors, 396 

for leather furniture, 519 

for oil-stained floors, 416 

for shoe strings, 521 

grafting, 480 

in bayberry soap, 552 

paper, for irons, 384 

removing from silk, 340 



1172 



INDEX 



Wax, removing with turpentine, 391 

stains, alcohol and naphtha for, 333, 
342 
with starch, 380 

varnish, for oil paintings, 506 

white, cutting with alcohol, 515 

for chapped lips and hands, 556, 574 
for harness, 526 
for sealing wax, 509 
in almond paste preparations, 567, 
570 

yellow, for cement, 480 
Waxed floors, treatment of, 397 
Weaning infants, 216 
Weight of infants, 224 

measures of, 759, 760 
Weights and measures, 747, 764, 778 
Wells, artesian, 108 

dug, 108 

open, 108 

protection of, 109 
Welsbach arc lamps, 87 

burners, advantages of, 86, 88 

mantles, care of, 86, 318 
Welsh rabbit, 1071 
Wet nurses, infants', 216 
Whalebone, for laying rugs, 399 
Wheat flour, 474 
Wheelbarrow, for hanging out clothes, 

376, 377 
Whetstones, oil for, 512 
Whey and curds, 1066 
Whipped-cream filling, 1014 
White-bread brewis^ 822 

currants, preserving, 657 

sauce, 1111 

boiled onions in, 1101 
in the diet, 633 
uHth carrots, 1099 
Whiting, for cleaning alabaster, 437 

for cleaning brass furniture, 432 

for cleaning marbles, 435 

for cleaning mirrors, 426 

for cleaning nickel. 303, 435 

for cleaning oven doors, 305 

for cleaning silver, 317, 319 

for cleaning tins and tinware, 312 

for cl>eaning white paint, 418, 496 

for polishing ivory, 535 

for polishing jewelry, 534 

for polishing marble, 436 

for polishing silver, 317 

for polishing stucco work, 436 

in whitewash, 420, 421 

Spanish, in calcimine, 421 
Whisk broom, for house cleaning, 407 
Whiskey, for washing silks, 272 
White fish, baked, 867 

fruit cake, 1009 

House, corn bread, 819 

loaj cake, 1029 

Mountain icing, 1015 
Whitewash, coloring and preparing, 420 

cellars for, 403, 404 

for vermin, 451 

outdoor, uses for, 421 

removing, 333 

from carpets, 413 
Whitewashed walls, painting, 424 
Whitewashing, 420 
Whole tomatoes, canning, 664 
Whole-wheat muffins, 816 
Whooping cough, 197 
infection, 198 
quarantine, 198 
symptoms, 187, 198 
Wicker furniture, 50, 430 
Wicks, lamp, handling, 90-2, 322-4 
Wiener Schnitzel, 902 
Willow furniture, 50, 430 



Wilton carpet, 39 

Windbreaks, 254 

Wind shield for chimneys, 76 

Windmills, 105 

Window box, infants' food, 236 

casings, lubricating, 512 

curtains, materials for, 45, 47 

glass, 427, 506 

sashes, lubricating, prevention of rat- 
tling, supporting, 427 
painting, 489 

shades, 47 

sills, painting, 489 
Windows, 425, 426 
Windsor soap, 550 
Wine casks, sweetening, 403 

decanters, cleaning, 314 

glass, for burnt matches holder, 304 

stains, removing from colored goods, 
342 
from linens, 338 
Wing dusters, 396 
Wintergreen, in chemical soap, 331 

creams and kisses, 725, 737 
Winter squash, canning, 663 
Wire drainer for kitchen sink, 308 
Wire, for burglar proof lock, 427 

iron, for mantels, curtains, and 
shams, 47 

netting, for rat holes, 459 
Wires, piano, protecting from rust, 430, 

440 
Women's garments, dry-cleaning, 344 
Wood, as fuel, 69 

ashes, for making hearths, 437 

black varnish for, 503 

bleaching, Javelle water for, 329 

carved, cleaning, 428 

cement for, 483, 484 

Chinese cement for, 479 

ether varnish for, 506 

filler, coloring, 514 

fireprooflng. Si 

floors, cleaning and refinishing, 414, 
416 

frames, cleaning, 432 

French polish for, 513 

furniture, oils for, 429 

glue for, 478 

marine glue for, 482 

measure, 754 

mucilage for, 476 

pavement, covering, 295 
creosoted, 294 

posts, creosoting, 291 
dipping, 291 
painting. 291 
preservation, 290 
tanks for, 293 

spirit, for dissolving rosin, 500 

staining, 503 

waterproofing, 503 
Woodchucks, in gardens, 277 
Wooden bedsteads, replacing, by metal 

beds, 34 
Woodenware, 313 
Woodlawn brown bread, 815 
Woodpeckers, 271 
Woodwork, enameling, 493 

finishing, 57 

flreproofing, 495 

inside painting. 489, 493 

moisture for, 418 

polishing, 419 

protecting, with asbestos. 304 

transparent varnish for, 504 
Wool, animal fiber, 332 

bed covers and blankets, 59 

bleaching, 352 

cleaning, with gasoline, 329 



INDEX 



1173 



Wool, shrinking, 332, 373 
steel, for waxed floors, 397 
treatment of, 332 
waterproofing, 81 
Woolen blanket for mattress top, 60 
cloth, for pipes, 404 
hose, bleaching, 3r)3 
dress goods, colored, washing, 373 
dresses, cleaning, 344 
fabrics, disinfection, 145 
fancy work, washing, 374 
goods, beeswax for, 451 

bleaching, with sulphur, 352 
Buffalo moths feed on, 451 
cleaning, 345 
ironing, 387 
renovating, 343 
soap jelly for, 374 
washing, 374 
shirts, drying, 378 
underwear for polishing silver, 317 
Woolens, ammonia for, 373 

application of oxalic acid to, 325 
citric acid for, 326 
in the laundry, 373, 380, 386, 387 
moths in, 445 
tartaric acid for, 327 
Wormwood, for exterminating ants, 460 
Worsteds, cleaning, 346 
Wrapping paper for stretching curtains, 
371 
uses of, 65 
Wren, 273 

protection of, 273 



Wringer, for the laundry, 201 
Wrinkles of the skin, ointment for, 541 
removing from lace and silk, 386, 387 
Writing quills, 349 



Yarn, bleaching, 353 
Yeast, for liquid blacking, 525 
Yeasts, in dust, 393 
Yellow fever, 160 
Yellow cotton, renovating, 352 
Yorkshire cake, 1013 
pudding, 1047 

ivith roast ieef, 1047 



Zinc, cleaning, 440 

for cleaning chimneys, 76 

for flreproofing wood, 81 

for kitchen sink, 308 

for lining sinks, 320 

for mending tinware, 516 

for purifying oil, 512 

ink for, 532 

in paint, 495 

in soldering liquid, 516 

oxide, for scars, 541 

scraper for baking dishes, 313 

sulphate of, for waterproofing and 

blacking, 82 
table, 63, 308 
varnish for, 506 
white, in oaint, 491 

specifications for painting with, 492 



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